degree at a better school than that! How do you think it’ll make me look? You’re the only daughter of Castle Shaw. You should be heading to an Ivy League school!”
Part of me wanted to tell him the truth—that no one will have heard of me in little ol’ Fitzroy—but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I chose my rehearsed speech instead. “Archibald Montgomery was an amazing man who gave his life to the study of science and the natural world. His legacy is this college, and it has so many courses that I want to take. It’s been designed specifically for people just like me. And no one has to know I’m attending there. We can keep it out of the press.” It took everything not to fall to my knees and beg for that reality. “Please, Daddy, you gotta let me go.”
“You won’t know anyone.”
Exactly!
I kept the thought to myself and countered with “I know Tabatha. She’s going to Montgomery. And this place has all the prerequisite courses I need to get into vet school.”
He sighed and kept rubbing his forehead.
“Please.” My voice went soft. “Daddy, please. Come on. Please.”
It literally took months of arguing and pleading until he finally relented. I should actually be thanking his long-term girlfriend for that one. Angelica went to bat for me. It was an unexpected surprise and definitely softened me up toward her.
So, anyway, I refuse to be nervous. In fact, I should be happy dancing every time I think about it. And on the inside, I am.
ME: The drive is like 2 hours. Plenty of time to listen to music and enjoy the scenery.
Dad offered me the helicopter, but I was like “Hells no! I am driving there. In my car, with absolutely no driver.” Like I’m going to turn up in the back seat like freaking Miss Daisy.
ME: I don’t have the headspace to be nervous. I’m too pumped to be taking this next step, you know? We’re going to be college girls! It’s a whole new freedom.
A scream from downstairs backs up my joy.
Ruby.
Ugh.
She’s twenty years old and has been living in this house for two years. She calls herself my stepsister, but Daddy and Angelica aren’t married, so she’s officially not related to me.
Thank goodness!
Her drama is way too much for me to handle.
She likes to think of herself as an influencer, and some of the crap she puts on her social media accounts makes me shudder. It’s a relief that I can honestly claim we aren’t related.
Another wailing scream makes me wince. She’s no doubt on one of her rampages again. She must have broken a nail or found out one of her friends bought the same dress as her. Or maybe one of her loyal followers has said something just a little scathing.
I roll my eyes and tip my head back, gazing up at the fairy lights covering my ceiling. It took me hours to string them, and I actually got told off for trying to do the job on my own. It pissed me off. Everything else in my room has been chosen and designed for me. But it’s my frickin’ room!
But only the best for the daughter of Castle Shaw, right?
When Daddy caught me stringing up the lights, he ordered me down and then got in a professional to finish the job. I sulked on my bed while this guy took my lame excuse for magic and turned it into something even better than my vision.
I grudgingly thanked him, and he no doubt left shaking his head and thinking I was just another rich, spoiled brat. The precious daughter of a billionaire.
Yeah, well, I never asked to be that.
Ruby is now wailing, and I’m so not in the mood.
My phone dings and I smile.
TABBY: I so can’t wait to meet you. I know I’ve seen pics, but it’s not the same as meeting in person.
I can’t wait either. She’s become my closest friend throughout this year. Not hard, considering I don’t really have any. We met on Instagram, when I was searching for nature pics. Tabby loves taking photos of her family’s wheat farm. She’s so good she knows how to make crops look beautiful. It started by me liking and commenting on her photos, and then we got to messaging and I found out she was going to Montgomery University just like me, and now we communicate almost every day.
Messaging or texting is our usual MO, but we’ve spoken a