The First Step

Chapter One: The Intro

The story is fictional and any character and places doesn't resembles the real life,and it's not the lovey dovey story u might things it's has lots of emotions,you might cry out from heart,you may hate few characters,u may learn new things about love and you may laugh like crazy but at the end I hope you love the story ,every character is fictional but not their emotions and let me tell you one little spoiler the story may be created in 3 parts . Hopefully u guys like the story so I might get the end I want to write .

The title of the story is The First Move.

Chapter One : The Intro

Before stepping into the college, I took a deep breath. You might think, what’s the big deal? It’s just college. So let’s go a little back before I get another threat.

Yes, it’s me, as always, hating the morning. I sighed. Yeah, it was officially my first day of college, which would probably be better than the school life I had. My school life was the worst. I was the ugly girl wearing big, fat glasses, not even a good student, and unlike others, I didn’t even have a single friend. So here I am, trying my best to at least make one good lifelong friend in college.

Before I get late, let me freshen up a little.

Little did I know how far life would take me. It wasn’t going to be so easy to make my college life better.

A loud voice came from the hall.

“Nancyyyyyy! It’s already 8:30. Don’t you dare be late on your first day!”

Yes, you guessed it right — it was my mom.

“I’m coming!” I replied.

“Please, I beg you, be a little nicer. I also want you to have a few friends and a good college life. You know Chloe? She’s in the same college as you, so be nice to her. She can help you with your studies. She’s such a nice girl, always smiling, such a beautiful girl. Learn something from her,” she said.

“Yeah, yeah. Aren’t you done shouting? I’m getting late,” I replied.

“Just listen to what I’m saying, or else you aren’t even going to make it through your first year,” she said.

“Mummy, I am literally done with you. Chloe, Chloe — I understand! Let me live. I’ll decide who I want to be friends with,” I replied.

“You and your little attitude will leave you all alone, with nobody beside you. Just go,” she said.

“I’m going,” I replied, annoyed.

Still, I pecked her on the cheek and said, “You’ll always be here for me, I know.”

She smiled, hiding her face.

“I won’t,” she replied.

I quickly booked a cab and left before my mom could start another lecture.

The entire ride, I kept staring outside the window, nervously tapping my fingers against my bag. My stomach twisted with anxiety the closer we got to the college.

And there it was.

The infamous Westbridge University.

Let me give you a little brief about my college. Westbridge wasn’t just any college — it was one of the top three universities in the city. Getting admission here wasn’t easy. You either needed exceptional grades, a powerful background, or enough money to make doors open for you.

And trust me, people here had all three.

Luxury cars lined up outside the entrance like some kind of car exhibition. BMWs, Ferraris, Porsches — students stepped out of them wearing clothes that probably cost more than my yearly tuition. Designer bags hung from their shoulders, not because they needed them, but because showing them off was some kind of competition here.

Everything about this place screamed money.

And honestly?

I hated it already.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not poor either. My dad is a businessman. He owns sixteen hotels around the country along with a few mansions that we rent out. We live comfortably — more than comfortably, actually.

But Dad is always busy working.

Meetings, business trips, phone calls…

Sometimes it feels like he exists more in newspapers and business magazines than in our house. We barely talk.

You might wonder — if I’m rich too, then why did I come here in a cab instead of some luxury car?

Simple.

Because in this college, your value is decided by the car you step out of and the brand name written on your bag.

And I wanted no part in that.

I wasn’t here to impress people.

I was here to study, get good grades, leave this country, and hopefully build a better life for myself in Singapore while pursuing my master’s degree.

And until then…

I just needed to survive this place.

For my mom.

And before I could even take a proper breath, there she was.

The beauty with brains.

Chloe.

Yeah, the same Chloe my mom is absolutely obsessed with.

She was with me in high school too. Our family backgrounds were pretty similar, but the difference was — Chloe was extraordinary. Her grades were among the best in the entire city. Teachers adored her, parents admired her, and students practically worshipped her.

The perfect girl.

I sighed, not out of jealousy, but out of sympathy.

Because I knew it couldn’t be easy being that perfect all the time. Always maintaining your grades, your image, your smile… it sounded exhausting.

For a moment, her eyes landed on me.

And then she smiled.

A soft, familiar smile.

My heart skipped awkwardly, and I immediately looked away.

Not because I didn’t want to be friends with her…

But because if I did, people would compare us again.

And I was already tired of losing in comparisons I never asked to be part of.

The moment I looked back at her, a crowd had already surrounded her. Students kept talking over each other just to get her attention. Some were complimenting her outfit, while others were asking for help with classes and schedules.

She looked overwhelmed.

For a second, I could swear she looked at me for help.

But I quickly pushed the thought away.

It was better not to interfere.

And as I looked around the huge campus, my eyes suddenly landed on someone familiar.

Someone I had been trying so hard to ignore.

Not my first love or anything dramatic like that…

Just the only person I once thought would truly become my friend.

But I guess some relationships are simply too complicated to explain.

For a moment, our eyes met.

And the second they did, panic rushed through me.

I quickly turned away and started walking as fast as I could, almost running through the crowded campus just to escape that single moment. But no matter how far I walked, the feeling followed me.

The campus suddenly felt endless.

My fingers tightened around the straps of my bag as I kept replaying that moment in my head.

Just one look.

That was all it took to ruin the calm I had been trying so hard to maintain.

I forced myself to breathe and looked around again, trying to distract my thoughts.

Students wearing crisp clothes and bright smiles walked past me like they already belonged there.

And then there was me.

I adjusted my glasses for the tenth time and checked my reflection on my phone screen.

Same messy hair.

Same tired eyes.

Same awkward Nancy.

“New beginning,” I whispered to myself.

But deep inside, I knew one thing.

People like me don’t get new beginnings that easily.

Before I even realized it, I was already standing outside the classroom I would be spending the entire year in.

The noise coming from inside sounded like complete chaos. Loud laughter, people shouting over each other, chairs scraping against the floor — it already felt like hell.

A part of me wanted to turn around and go back home.

I didn’t belong here.

But the moment I turned around, I froze.

Not one.

But two familiar faces stood right in front of me.

The two people I really didn’t want to see.

Chloe stood there in her pink dress and high heels, wearing that huge beautiful smile that somehow made everyone around her feel warm.

And beside her was him.

The same person whose eye contact I still hadn’t recovered from.

Now standing there in black shoes and a red jacket, with those egoistic eyes that silently kept asking,

Why are you here?

Everything about them hurt my eyes — the bright colors, the confidence, the perfection.

While I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard a cheerful voice.

“Hey! It’s you, Nancy, right? I knew it! Oh my God, you look pretty!” Chloe said excitedly.

“Not as much as you,” I replied awkwardly before quickly turning toward the classroom door.

My mind was already whispering,

The real hell is inside, darling Nancy.

And then I heard another voice.

“It’s going to take her forever to enter at this rate.”

Elvan.

Of course it was him.

“That’s rude, Elvan,” Chloe immediately replied.

Something about his tone irritated me so much that I instantly pushed the classroom door open.

The loud noise inside suddenly died down.

Everyone turned to look at me.

My heart nearly stopped.

I had no words to explain the embarrassment crawling under my skin. Trying my best to avoid everyone’s eyes, I hurried toward the front row and sat down as quietly as possible.

Thankfully, the attention didn’t stay on me for long.

The moment Chloe entered the classroom, everyone’s focus shifted toward her instead.

The beauty.

People instantly started admiring her, surrounding her like she was some kind of celebrity.

And honestly…

Maybe she was.

Long before the class could calm down, the teacher finally walked in.

Mr. Joss.

Our classroom teacher.

The moment he entered, the entire atmosphere shifted.

And honestly?

He was one of the main reasons I wanted admission to this college in the first place.

Mr. Joss was one of the elite himself — intelligent, respected, elegant… the kind of person who somehow excelled in everything he did. He was our history professor, and surprisingly, the only person who made this place feel a little less unbearable.

The only person who could make me survive this hell.

He placed his books on the desk and gave the class a calm smile before introducing himself.

But before he could continue, a voice suddenly echoed from the back of the classroom.

“We know who you are. How about we start the lecture instead?”

The classroom instantly went silent.

Mr. Joss, however, didn’t seem offended at all.

“It’s my duty to introduce myself and get to know you all as well,” he replied politely. “We’ll be spending an entire year together after all.”

“Okay,” the boy replied lazily.

My eyes immediately drifted toward him.

And trust me, I wasn’t the only one looking.

So who was he?

Honestly…

I was wondering the same thing.

He was wearing a green T-shirt, black pants, Louis Vuitton shoes, and a watch that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe combined.

And unfortunately…

He was handsome.

But being handsome doesn’t cancel out a terrible attitude.

Not even a little.

Before I could continue judging him in my head, Mr. Joss suddenly looked toward me with the politest smile ever.

“Why don’t we start with introductions?” he said.

And because destiny clearly hated me, I was sitting in the front row.

Which meant… I had to go first.The regret hit me instantly. I should’ve never sat in the front row.

I tried my best to gather some courage.

See, I’m not timid.

At least not in my mind.

In my head, I’m confident, bold, and capable of handling anything. But the moment people actually look at me, all that confidence disappears somewhere I can never find.

Still, I tried my best.I stood up slowly and adjusted my glasses before speaking.

“Hello everybody, my name is Nancy Lopez, and I hope we’ll all be able to bear each other for a year.”

A few students laughed softly at my awkward joke, and for a second, I thought maybe it wasn’t going that badly.

But of course, peace never lasts long.

“Lopez?” one student suddenly asked. “As in the Lopez Hotels owner’s daughter?”

The entire classroom instantly turned toward me.

Even if I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t.

So I quietly nodded.

“Yes.”

The reaction was immediate.

Whispers.

Surprised expressions.

People looking at me differently now.

You might wonder why everyone reacted like that.

Well, our hotel chain had recently received the award for the most prestigious hotel brand in the country. Ever since then, my father had been everywhere — magazines, interviews, business articles, television…

And yet, not once had he ever mentioned me.

Not even once.

I quickly looked down, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under everyone’s attention.

Thankfully, Mr. Joss noticed the way every eye in the room was fixed on me.

With perfect timing, he changed the topic immediately.

“Alright,” he said calmly, looking toward the next student. “Why don’t we continue the introductions?”

As the introductions continued, I tried my best to calm myself down and return to normal.

Or at least pretend to.

I kept fixing my sleeves, adjusting my glasses, and staring at random corners of the classroom just to avoid thinking about the embarrassment from earlier.

But somehow, my eyes kept drifting toward Chloe and Elvan.

And that was strange.

Because back in high school, the two of them were never close. They barely even spoke to each other from what I remembered.

But now?

Now they somehow seemed comfortable together.

Too comfortable.

Chloe would lean toward him while talking, and Elvan — surprisingly — actually listened to her without looking irritated for once.

It confused me more than it should have.

Before I even realized it, I had been staring at them for too long.

And unfortunately…

Elvan noticed.

His eyes slowly shifted toward me, catching me completely off guard.

I immediately looked away, my heart skipping in pure panic.

Great.

Now he probably thinks I’m obsessed with him.

Exactly what I needed on my first day.

And then came the worst part.

Actually no.

The absolute worst part.

Someone suddenly sat between Chloe and Elvan, forcing both of them to shift places. And before I could even understand what was happening, I found myself sitting right between them.

Amazing.

Exactly how I imagined my first day would go.

As if this situation wasn’t already uncomfortable enough, I suddenly realized something even worse.

The person sitting right behind me was none other than Gawin Oliver.

Yes.

That Gawin Oliver.

The guy who just speak out to Mr joss and everyone in this city practically worshipped.

One of the top students in the country, always scoring A+ like it was the easiest thing in the world. But honestly, people didn’t admire him only because of his grades.

He was handsome too.

Annoyingly handsome.

The kind of handsome that makes people stare without even realizing it.

And to make things even more unfair, he came from one of the most influential families in the country. His father owned one of the biggest multinational companies, while his mother, Rosie Oliver, was one of the most famous actresses in the industry.

Basically, he belonged to the kind of world people like me only saw through screens and magazines.

And now?

That same Gawin Oliver was sitting directly behind me.

Wonderful.

Where exactly had my peaceful college life gone?

Oh right.

Straight to hell.

And the reason behind my suffering?

Mr. Joss.

In his very kind and slightly evil attempt to “help us make friends,” he decided our seating arrangement would be chosen by drawing numbers.

And because luck clearly hated me, I ended up trapped in the middle of this disaster.

Chloe on one side.