Country Belles

When I was 18, my father told me that I had an aristocratic fiancé in the city, and his name was Preston. When I transferred to Preston School, dreaming of a beautiful romance with him, he looked down on me for being a country girl and refused to honor the engagement. So he deliberately misled me into thinking that the needy student was actually him. He thought I would look down on that poor student and therefore call off the engagement on my own, but he didn't know that I was a sucker for good looks. The moment I first saw the poor student, I fell for him at first sight. Later, Preston, burning with jealousy. came up to me and said, "Hi Lily, I am the real Preston. " My dad told me I had a fiancé up in New Haven. His name was Preston. Junior year, dad arranged a transfer. He moved me straight into Preston's class at St. Clair's Academy. The Claire family was old money, generations deep. Dad was scared they'd look down on me, so he packed me off with all kinds of nice things to make a good impression. But when my train pulled in, not a single person from the Claire family was there to meet me. I got to school and ran into a helpful classmate. He spotted the photo in my hand and offered to show me the way. You're looking for Preston? He's in junior 11B. I know him. I'll take you. He lifted his hand and pointed. I followed his finger. I looked down at the photo, looked back up at him. In my ear, the classmate's voice landed like a gut punch. You don't know? The Claire family went bankrupt two years ago. Preston's financial aid now works after school every day. Sometimes he can't even afford to eat. I looked at Preston in surprise. The Claire family went bankrupt? That news didn't make it back to the town I'm from. To avoid debt collectors, the Claire family changed Preston's name. And now he goes by Jason at school.

Jace choked on that, pressed his lips together and coughed into his hand. I immediately started patting his back when he recovered. He looked at me with an expression I couldn't read. You've got the wrong person. I figured maybe too much time had passed and he'd forgotten me, or maybe bankruptcy had knocked something loose in him, changed how he was. Either way, we could just start over, new friends. So I smiled and held out my hand. Let's get to know each other again. My name is Lily. I expected him to ignore me again, but this time he spoke, still as cold as ever. Chase. Preston done. That girl is not the sharpest. She believed every word I told her what you said, pointed at the desk to put Jace, told her the Claire family went bankrupt and he can't even afford to eat. She literally gasped. She even saw Jacy's gross deal bread thing. I mean, who still eats like that? Is she gonna go full charity gob on him? I'm calling it three days tops. She goes running back to Daddy to call off the engagement. She actually bought it. Yep, I looked at the photo she had just a side profile of you. Honestly, Jace could pass. She had no idea. Oh, and I told her that after the bankruptcy you change your name to dodge debt collectors. She definitely believed that too. Nouveau riche from out of town. What decade is she living in? Showing up to collect on a childhood betrothal, right? The Claire name goes back generations. Even when you guys do an arranged marriage, it's supposed to be with someone at the same level. Brother married into that real estate empire. How'd you end up promised to some girl from a Vermont farm? I know my mom's been losing her mind over this for days. Hunger strikes the whole thing trying to force my dad to cancel it. But you know how my dad is, he does whatever grandfather says. And grandfather's all honor and old promises and war buddies and whatever. Anyway, I actually think your fiancée is that girl. Is actually pretty cute. I snuck a photo. You want to see? Maybe you'd be into it. Preston made a contemptuous sound. Something wrong with you? You know my standards. You think I'm gonna fall for some girl from a town with one stoplight? She's genuinely pretty though. Prettier than the most popular girl, Jane at school.

I didn't know any of that right then. All I could see was Jace. I spent the whole day trying to find excuses to talk to him. He responded maybe once out of ten times. Sometimes it seemed like he straight up didn't hear me, but I had always been a talker, inherited it from my dad who could monologue at a cow for an entire afternoon without stopping. Hey, what's the best food around here? It's my first day; I don't know anything. Are you a daily student or do you board? Wait, why is this problem different from how we learned it back home? Where do you fill up your water bottle? I'm dying. Jace could only take so much. Eventually, he'd answer in an undertone:. "Pay attention to class. " Then. a beat later, "Water's by the door of room 4, not until the bell. " By the time the bell rang, I'd already forgotten about the water. I had to call my dad. I told him the Claire family went bankrupt. He was genuinely surprised. I. nodded onto the phone. It wasn't really about liking him that much; it was more that Jace seemed like someone who needed help. And out of everything in my life, the one thing I had plenty of was money. In the year I was born, my dad found a small notice in the corner of the newspaper about the deregulation of farms, and then he took a gamble and bought an abandoned farm in our small town. By the time I was in middle school, the farm was expropriated by the government, and our family made a fortune as a result. Then the internet boom hit. My dad didn't understand any of it, but he understood writing checks. We didn't have the kind of history the Claire family had. By any measure, we were nouveau riche. But the upside of being nouveau riche was that my dad handed me debit cards the way some people hand out business cards. I could have bought out the karaoke bar where Jace worked his night shift. I didn't, I'd spent days carefully, casually gathering intel before I found out which one it was Jace at karaoke was different from Jace at school looser, his clothes were more casual, even his hair sat differently. Hi, pretty girl, are you legal? How about a drink with me? And he poured red wine directly onto my chest, I screamed. "Three hundred dollars, is that enough to buy you for the night? " he said, trying to stuff the banknotes into my winestained chest.

However, due to improper storage, Preson's face had turned too blurry to make out. So, without a second thought, I trusted what that kind classmate said. I walked into the classroom. This is Lily, she's just transferred in. Everyone say hi. The teacher pointed to an empty seat in the back. Lily, you can sit there for now. I looked up. It was right next to Preston. Oh no, he's not called Preston now. He's Jace. From the moment I walked in to the moment I sat down, he never once looked up. My seat was past his, so I had to squeeze behind him. Oh my god, he actually picked up that dirty bread. Dirty bread? That's nothing. I once saw him digging through the trash. My heart ached as I looked at Jace. So this was what it had come to. The boy in that photo who'd looked like he owned the world really couldn't afford a decent meal. I bit my lip, sat down, and said quietly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. " He still didn't look at me. I leaned slightly toward him. I'm Lily. You remember me? We'd met once; he was six. Back then, he was so pretty it almost wasn't fair. I was absolutely gone for him on the spot. I brought him to see my grandpa's new foal, but the little thing kicked him square in the ass. He was laid up for two days and was so pissed off that he never said another word to me. I hadn't expected him to still be this goodlooking all these years later. My sudden closeness startled him. He leaned back slightly and looked down at me. I'm your fiancee, you remember right?

Don't, don't hit me. I just had too much to drink. Apologize to her. The drunkard promptly apologized to me. Sorry, I didn't mean it. I shouldn't have insulted you. Jace let him go, and he staggered away clutching his neck. Jace turned around, took off his shirt, and draped it over my shoulder. He grabbed my hand and led me away. I stared at him in a daze. I had always thought that I was the one who came to save the bankrupt Jace. I never expected that he would also step up to protect me. The way he was just now was very charming. I had to admit, my heart was beating a little fast. Who told you to come to a place like this? You hungry? Oh, I just bought too many. The guy at the counter said they expired tonight. I can't finish them all; it'd be a waste. Help me out. I'd done my research. After school every day, Jace worked at least three jobsfirst, the flyer shifts to the corner, then setting up a stall to sell pasta, then this. He sold each serving for $3 and never touched a single one himself. Lunch was whatever bread he'd packed that morning or whatever snacks karaoke customers left behind. I'd spent the past few days working my way into conversations with classmates asking about him. Most of them told me to keep my distance. He's weird, they said, always dark, keeps to himself, never looks up from his work, never talks to anyone. Someone else mentioned he had a mom with kidney disease and a younger sister with a disability. That was strange. I thought the Claire family's mother was perfectly healthy, but I couldn't ask Jace about it; I didn't want to hurt him. Why are you doing this? He was holding the sandwich, looking down at me. Because it's a bribe, obviously. Jace, this sandwich isn't free. Tomorrow, you're gonna keep helping me with study. My dad said that if I don't get into a good school, he'll break my legs. I'd glanced at his test paper that afternoon. The man got a perfect score. Don't you mind that I'm dirty?