Nicola's POV

I woke up to the sound of Rosé's alarm blaring. The sunlight flooded through our window causing me to squint my eyes. After I got accustomed to the brightness, I fully opened my eyes. I could see the tear stains on my pillow. I sighed before getting out of my bed. My mood turned sour as I recalled yesterday's events while getting ready. Not even the hot shower could lift my spirits. Before I left for the day, Rosé brought me into a soothing embrace. Last night, she entered the room to see me crying. After pestering me for a few minutes, I gave in and told her what happened. She was beyond pissed at what Alicia did to me, but she was more concerned about my state. I returned her soft smile when she pulled away from the hug.

My first three classes were a drag. I found it hard to focus since my mind was drifting elsewhere. More specifically, it was replaying my encounters with Alicia. What hurt the most was that I spent so much money on that shirt and she didn't even care. It was a simple gesture that I most certainly couldn't afford. Whatever. There's no use in being somber since I can't change what happened. With my new thought process, I plastered a smile on my face. Alicia is not going to negatively impact my day, or so I thought. I entered into my fourth period to see her leaning against my desk.

My breath hitched in my throat as I observed her. Her beautifully long legs were accentuated by her short skirt. She discarded her blazer and was wearing her white button down and the green tie. Her hands were resting on the desk as she looked up allowing her blond hair to effortlessly fall. She appeared to be deep in thought since she hadn't noticed me yet. I mentally encouraged myself that I was not intimidated by her. She finally noticed me when I was a few feet away from her. She cocked her head towards me with her pink lips slightly parted.

"Sorry." She said devoid of emotion. I merely rolled my eyes before moving past her to sit down. She cocked her eyebrow at my lack of response. "Did you hear me?" I ignored her again which seemed to anger her. "You dropped this." She dropped my bracelet onto the desk. I automatically picked it up to observe it. I must've been so distraught yesterday that I failed to notice it fell off. I was so transfixed by my bracelet that I didn't realize she left until I heard a huff. I turned to see her friends looking at her confused. I turned around and started to run my pointer finger along the diamonds. The teacher soon entered and started the lesson for the day.

After a somewhat boring lecture, I made my way to the canteen for lunch. I grabbed a sandwich before sitting with my friends. We were joking and having a fun time. Rosé seemed ecstatic that I was no longer sad. Justin was causing us to have trouble breathing from the amount of jokes he was telling.

"And then I-" Justin suddenly stopped. We all looked at him confused until we heard the sound of a chair screeching beside me. I turned to see Alicia elegantly sit down. Apparently we weren't the only ones confused, the entire cafeteria was confused. All conversations ceased since everyone was mesmerized by the sight before them. I assume that Alicia didn't really socialize with many people, let alone a commoner like me.

"I apologized to you." She stated.

"I know. You can go now."

"No. You haven't forgiven me."

"Well, you haven't given me a reason to forgive you." I retorted.

"I gave you your bracelet back." She fired back.

"Congrats on doing a good deed. Again, you can leave now."

"You're rude."

"And you're mean." We ended up glaring at each other.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Well, Miss Alicia McAllister, do you know who I am?"

"Nicola Tonkin. I'm not as air-brained as you think." Alicia caught me off guard. I was honestly surprised that she knew my name. Most only knew me as the poor girl. " Let me do something to give you a reason to forgive me. As an apology, I'd like to do something with you over the weekend."

"Can't. I'm hanging out with them." I pointed at my friends. Alicia's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. I'm guessing that she's not used to rejection.

"The whole weekend?" She skeptically asked.

"Yes." I simply stated

"What about next weekend?"

"Hanging with my family." That was actually true. My mom was able to take some time off work to come and visit me. My dad and sister will also be tagging along.

"What about the following weekend?"

"Busy."

"With what?"

"Not socializing with you. Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm going to leave. Your presence has caused me to lose my appetite." I pushed my chair out and walked past the stunned faces of my peers. I took a deep breath once I exited the room. All of the eyes on me made me incredibly nervous.

I decided to head to the library to do my homework. I was nearly finished with my math homework when KJ dropped his books on the table. The thud caused me to jump.

"Didn't mean to scare you." He said through a fit of giggles.

"Sure." I laughed. KJ sat down and begged me to help him with the homework and being the good samaritan I am, I happily obliged. We finished the assignment and fell into casual conversation.

"Can't believe you took on Alicia like that." He laughed out.

"How'd you hear about that?"

"More like how could I not. It's been circulating around the school. You've got balls of steel."

"Why thank you." I put my hand to my chest and grinned. "Does no one challenge her?"

"More like no one challenges the McAllisters. Because of their wealth and influence, they ALWAYS get their way. And you missy..." He waved his finger in front of me. "Did not succumb to her. I respect you." He shook my hand. We talked for a couple more hours before I decided to retire to my bedroom. Once I entered, Rosé grabbed me and demanded that I watch 90 Day Fiancé with her. We compromised on the fact that I would watch it with her if I could take a shower first. She happily complied. I finished my shower to see a variety of Chinese dishes on her bed. She beckoned me over so I sat on her bed. We cuddled together while eating the food and watching the show.