Catherine's POV
"The last thing I wanted was to start college in the same school as my stepbrothers, but apparently, life doesn't take requests."
That was literally the thought haunting me as I stood in front of my mirror, trying to decide if I looked like the perfect stepdaughter of Richard Vaughn.
According to Mom, I had to look good because I was now a public figure and it meant cameras could pull up on me any day, any time.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail, slung my bag over my shoulder, and stepped out of my room.
Mom was already in the living room, sipping her coffee with that bright "you'll do great, honey!" expression.
Meanwhile, my stomach was a full-blown hurricane.
"Ready for your first freshman day, sweetheart?" Lisa asked, beaming.
"As ready as a cow before slaughter," I muttered.
Before she could reply, footsteps echoed on the stairs. Gabriel and Julian were coming down. As usual, Julian had no smile on his face. He looked like a damn magazine model with an attitude problem in his grey hoodie and black jeans.
"Morning," Gabriel greeted, cheerful as ever. "Hey, Catherine, you are riding with us to school, right? I can't—"
"No way! She's not entering my car," Julian cut in, brushing past both of us.
"Why?" Gabriel asked. "It's her first day, don't tell me you plan to let her have trouble finding her way to school."
I turned with a tight jaw. "Let him be. I don't want to ride in the car of a grumpy jerk either, I'd rather walk barefoot."
He didn't even flinch, only flashed that lazy smirk that said, You don't matter enough for me to argue with, and walked out the front door.
Gabriel sighed, shooting me a small, apologetic look. "I'm sorry about this. You know how he is."
"Yeah."
He patted my shoulder, "Your mom is going to drive you then," he said and followed Julian out. "Catch you in school."
I groaned and turned back to Mom. "I've had enough of that jerk. Why does he hate me so much? Ugh! I can't stand him anymore."
Lisa smiled gently, grabbing her car keys. "He craves attention, don't give it to him. Trust me, when he's tired, he will come around."
I made a face. "Yeah, guessing it will only happen when hell freezes over."
She laughed like I was making a joke and I gave her that unpleasant look, which she understood immediately.
"My bad, didn't mean to laugh, just stay out of his way. I've been doing that and it's given me more peace. Julian is impossible, even Richard can't handle him."
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and walked out with her following behind.
Mom drove me to school or more accurately, Vaughn University. The name itself made me want to throw up. The big shiny gate had a banner stretched across the top: "Vaughn University Welcomes the Next Generation of Leaders!"
Of course. Because everything had to scream Vaughn. Their family's money was basically tattooed on the walls.
I stared out the window as Mom pulled up to the student drop-off zone. I could tell this school was made for only the elites by the way students flaunted their designer bags, and walked like they owned the world.
"Enjoy your first day, love," Mom said softly, turning to me. "Remember to breathe and be yourself."
"Like that solves anything."
Her smile faltered. "Catherine—"
"It's fine." I forced a grin, kissed her cheek, and got out of the car. "I'll text you later."
As soon as she drove off, someone called me from behind. "Hey!"
I turned to find a girl flashing a huge smile at me. She was short and had a messy bun, a denim jacket, and the kind of face that instantly looked trustworthy.
"I'm Tessa and you are Catherine, right? From the—uh…" She trailed off awkwardly. "Vaughn interview."
Oh wow. I was already popular. The thought of it made me feel exhausted.
She cringed. "Sorry. Seems like you have no idea that everyone in this school has seen it but your family basically owns this school, so it shouldn't be a wonder."
That actually made me laugh. "You're not wrong."
She fell into step beside me as we walked toward the freshman orientation building. "I'm guessing today is your first day, so I'll give you a quick survival guide."
Survival guide? I thought in my head. What's that?
She continued. "One: avoid drama. Two: never mess with the Legacy girls. Three: don't, under any circumstances, get on Sasha Hall's radar."
I frowned. "I'm confused. Legacy girls? Sasha who?"
Tessa pointed ahead, where a group of girls was laughing loudly near the fountain. One of them, tall and stunning, was surrounded by two others carrying her bag and coffee.
"I mean them," Tessa said in a low voice. "Sasha Halls and her girls. She is the Queen of Vaughn University. Her dad basically funds half the school, so almost everyone either worships her or fears her."
I followed her gaze. The girl was pretty, sure but she also had that energy that screamed, I own this place and you're breathing my oxygen.
Tessa turned back to me. "They decide who's in and who's invisible."
I arched a brow. "Isn't that childish? I thought all this would be dropped in high school?"
She looked at me like she didn't support what I said, then she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know about that and before I forget, Sasha dated Julian."
That news didn't surprise me. I mean… it made sense for two of them to be in a relationship, a jerk and a bitch, the perfect duo.
Then it dawned on me that she used the word "dated" meaning they weren't together anymore.
It felt like she read my mind because she immediately lowered her voice, spilling more info. "Rumor has it that he dumped her after he caught her in bed with another man. Since then, she's been on a low-key revenge tour. So yeah, do not get in her way."
"Trust me, drama is the last thing I want."
"Good," Tessa grinned. "So, what class are you starting with?"
"English Literature."
She squealed. "Same here! Come on, let's get to class."
We stepped into classroom and it felt so awkward. Whispers spread faster than Wi-Fi, as everyone stared at me.
"Oh wow, she's the Vaughns' new stepsister."
"She looks different in person though…"
"She doesn't look rich or befitting to be a Vaughn."
"Look how cheap her clothes and bag look."
I sat next to Tessa, pretending I couldn't hear them. The professor started his introduction, and I tried focusing on anything that wasn't the heat crawling up my neck.
When class ended, Tessa grabbed my wrist. "Good luck on surviving your first hour, now is cafeteria time. Let's gooo…"
She says, dragging me. Halfway through, her phone rang and she excused herself to take the call.
A few seconds after, she returned with a sorry look. "Catherine, I am sorry but I have to leave you all by yourself, the dean just called for me."
"Oh, no problem," I said, scanning the busy lunchroom. "I'll find my way around."
She smiled and said a thank you for understanding before leaving.
Now standing alone, my eyes scanned the hall, hopeful to find a familiar face and that's when I spotted Gabriel who was waving at me.
He stood from his seat, where his friends were and jogged to me. "Hey"
"Hey," I greeted back. His eyes spotted an empty table and we walked over to it, taking our seats, that's when I noticed prople were staring.
"Don't mind them," Gabriel whispered. "They are curious to know more about you."
"Sucks to be popular," I said, stabbing my salad. "How on earth did you survive all these… for years?"
He laughed quietly, and that was when I saw Sasha making her grand entrance.
The entire cafeteria seemed to tilt in her direction. Her heels clicked and the two girls from earlier trailed behind her.
I failed to realize she was walking over to our table, until she reached.
"Hi Gabriel," she purred. "It's been a while we talked."
I took a deep breath in, grateful that she was here for Gabriel.
"And you must be the stepsister everyone's been talking about," she directed at me and I quickly let out a breath I had no idea I was holding.
With a forced but polite smile, I answered her. "Yes, I am but I'd prefer to be addressed as Catherine, not a stepsister."
A faint twitch in her smile told me she didn't like that reply.
"Oh, how adorable. You're already setting boundaries," she said sweetly. "I like that. Not sure the rest of the school will, though."
"I'll take my chances."
Her smirk grew thinner, then she turned to Gabriel, completely ignoring me now. "Will you come to the Welcome Gala tonight? Everyone who's anyone will be there."
Gabriel hesitated, looking indecisive. "I plan to but I haven't made up my mind yet."
"You should come," she said, her tone sharp but sugary. Then she flicked her gaze back to me. "You too, Catherine. I'm sure you'd love to meet everyone."
"I'll pass. I'm not a party type."
That was apparently the wrong answer. Her lips parted, but whatever she had to say was silenced by the sudden noise in the hall.
They were all staring at the entrance and I guessed another popular kid was making their way in.
I didn't care to see the said person, all I wanted to do at this point was get away from Sasha, as Tessa's warnings rang in my head.
Fortunately, I was lucky to escape but fate had other plans. Just when I was about to exit, I tripped on my shoe lace and bumped right into a hard body, which I immediately realized was Julian's.
His coffee didn't spill, but his scowl appeared instantly.
"Can you watch where you're going?" He snapped, not fully looking at me.
"I'm sorry," I apologized and when he heard my voice, he looked down to obviously confirm if it belonged to who he had in mind.
His smug expression deepened when he saw my face. "Gosh! Not again!" He grunted, pushing me off. "Being clumsy is your nature."
My jaw clenched but I couldn't do anything. I wasn't ready to fight the school's popular kid.
We both got into a staring competition, until Sasha moved fast, sliding right up to him. "Julian," she cooed, grabbing his arm, "Catherine was just telling me how nice you were during the interview."
I blinked. "What—"
But Julian's voice came immediately. "I don't recall saying or doing anything nice that day."
The room went still. Then, he peeled Sasha's hand off his arm. "I have warned you to stop running up to me like we're still together."
There was an audible gasp from the people who heard him.
Sasha's face went from smug to mortified in two seconds but Julian didn't care. He walked past her, completely unfazed.
There was a minute silence, which got dissolved by a roar of laughter and before I could stop myself, I laughed too, quietly, but loud enough to be noticed.
Sasha's head snapped toward me, her eyes were blazing.
I froze.
"You better watch your back!" She grabbed her bag, glared around at the staring students, and snapped, "Enjoy the show, losers." Then she stormed out with her followers trailing behind.
The laughter died but the tension didn't.
Gabriel walked up to me and sighed, rubbing his temple. "She's a terror most of the time."
"Yeah," I muttered, exhaling shakily. "First day in college, and I've already pissed off the queen."
He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Welcome to Vaughn University."