Rags To Riches; His Secret Desire, Her Cross to Bear

A cold and frosty morning it was as Natasha Lindsay Adams tossed and turned in bed. She was having a nightmare, and as she was about to be hit, she woke up to the sound of her phone ringing; she had ten missed calls.

"Oh my God!" She cried, "It's past 8 am. I will be late for the tour," and off she went to have her bath.

Ten minutes later, as she walked into the parlor all dressed up, she was welcomed with glares from her parents.

"Lindsay, what are you wearing?" Mom cried out in shock, "It's a school tour, not a dance party," she ended. Her mom was conservative and overbearing, the reason Natasha moved away in the first place. Now that she had returned, her mother was all over her again.

Natasha looked down at her leather bump shorts, Fenty shoes, polka-dotted crop top, leather jacket, and matching bag. Her ginger braids fell loosely to her back, and her makeup was the best she'd done in months. She couldn't believe her mom wanted her to change her clothes. And not her mom calling her Lindsay when she insisted on Nash or Tasha.

"Natasha," her mom yelled, pulling her out of her moment of confusion. "Get in there and put on some decent clothes."

As Natasha hurried off to get changed, her friend Victoria came in all dressed up for school. Victoria was popularly known as Tori and had been her best friend since elementary school.

Her blue skin-fitting gown complemented her sky-blue eyes and the matching ribbon on her blonde hair. Her silver wedge heels matched her jewelry and her Pierre Cardin bag. It was the latest bag, and she couldn't wait to flaunt her birthday gift at the university. She had a dark, furry coat on, which completed her look.

Natasha came out five minutes later dressed in a yellow fluffy blouse, a blue knee-length flared skirt, black flats, and a black Hermès bag. Her braids were tied into a neat pile that rested at the back of her head, giving her an immaculate appearance. She felt awful in her outfit and did nothing to hide her feelings; her expression said it all. Tori giggled upon seeing her, earning glares from Natasha and her parents. Natasha loved to braid her ginger hair, as it was impossible to tame. As Natasha donned her brown winter coat, she swore internally she would leave this house.

Natasha and Tori said their goodbyes and set off. They boarded a cab, and the ride lasted twenty minutes, during which Tori teased Nash over her outfit. Nash decided to stay quiet and was lost in her daydreams until someone tugging at her arm brought her back to reality. It was Tori.

"Tasha, get yourself out here; we are going to be late," and off Tori went to meet her old classmates. She was home for the holidays, and with the semester reopening, she was returning to her hostel on campus.

Nash half consciously stepped out of the cab, tripping in the process, and was saved from falling by a breathtakingly handsome stranger. He stared at her while she ogled him for a while. Natasha searched for words but couldn't come up with any.

"Excuse me, miss?" Lucas said, seeing as she held onto him tightly. Who was this beauty?

"Oh, I am sorry... Thanks for your help." She said with a shy smile, her cheeks red from embarrassment. She wasn't about to keep a record on her first day here.

"That's the lamest thing I have ever heard. You can do better," Lucas teased. She stirred something within him, and that smile...

"Excuse me! What are you talking about?" Nash said, glaring at him. Who the hell did he think he was?

"Definitely not my type; you are too rough on the edges." Lucas bragged, sizing her up. He had this conceited look about him, and Nash recognized an egoistic person when she saw one.

Natasha sighed, and he released her abruptly, causing her to fall with a resounding thud. She was annoyed at this point, and before she could give him a reply, the bell went.

"Oh, fuck! The tour," she muttered as she scrambled up, cleaning her outfit as she headed to the dean's office.

The tour lasted an hour, and she was shown around the campus. She was new to the university and had to go through the formalities. In her final year, she had chosen to transfer back home after her father was diagnosed with cancer.

As she stepped out of the block, she was famished and tired. The students were planning an outing, but she was in no mood to party; after all, she was new and barely knew others save Tori. And after her welcome experience, she wasn't sure she wanted to socialize.

Tori's voice pulled her out of her reverie. As she spun to give Tori a tongue-lashing, she gasped. On Tori's arm was the annoying, rude, arrogant, egoistic guy from earlier, who eyed her with disgust.

"Hey Tasha, how did it go?" Tori blurted, sensing her exasperation.

"After leaving me and going off to God knows where, is that all you can say?" Nash blurted angrily.

"Come on, girl, don't be mad at me. I had a lot of catching up to do. I am sorry." Tori admitted.

"Well, thanks to you, I discovered some monsters exist here," Nash proclaimed.

"Wait! Tasha, what is this about? Monsters? Here?" Tori giggled with a confused expression.

"He can explain better," Nash said, pointing towards the guy who stared at her with disgust. Oh! How she hated his guts.

Just then Tori remembered he was there all this time.

"Oh, I see you two have met." Tori commented, eyes swaying between the two of them.

"No, we haven't. She had a failed pass at me. Nothing more!" Lucas replied.

"Not in my next life," Nash stated, earning stares from other students.

"Take it easy, you both." Tori whispered to Nash, "Girl, you are creating a scene; get yourself together." Tori was surprised and worried. Nash was usually calm and composed, but seeing her argue with Lucas was unsettling. Lucas was normally calm and playful too, so what changed?

It was then that Natasha realized students, parents, and teachers were staring. Uh-uh! She was off to a bad start and couldn't wait to get out of there.