Female Novel
Chapter 1454
"Look who it is, if it isn't our boy Quentin. You are finally sprucing up the old homestead? Hold on, if you
had any real cash, you'd fix that leaky roof of yours first. Your clothes always reek of mildew, and no
one wants to share a desk with you."
That rich kid swung his car door open, his gaze arrogantly sweeping over the pickup truck loaded with
supplies.
"Tell me, Quentin, how do you plan to pay off all this stuff on credit? Even if you sold those little
beggars you hang out with, I bet you couldn't afford half this load."
The rich kid crossed his arms, a smirk curling up his lips.
His eyes finally landed on Maja, brightening momentarily before his sneer returned.
"So, what's this? Another girl taken in by that face of yours? Seems you never learn, do you? The prom
queen was nice to you, and you shamelessly asked her out. And what happened? She was just toying
with you. What good are grades, anyway?"
While he ranted, he cast an envious glance at Quentin's neck, as if trying to burn a hole through him.
Quentin was the first student in years to break into the island's top ten rankings.
The school had been hoisting big red congratulatory banners for days, and rumors were they even
gave the Gellar family five hundred as a reward.
The rich kid rolled his eyes and reached out towards Maja, "But I gotta admit, the one who's come
sniffing around you this time is pretty cute. Which school does she go to?"
Maja's lips twitched, torn between delight and outrage.
She swatted the rich kid’s hand away.
His face twisted in anger, "Damn! When I throw you a bone, you should be grateful! Do you have any
idea how many girls would kill to be in your shoes? The crumbs from my table could lift you nobodies
out of obscurity!"
Another voice chimed in from inside the car, "Wade Brennan, do you fancy her or something?"
The rich kid spat out in disgust, tossing a few twenty-dollar bills on the ground.
"Take a good look at this, sweetheart. You really think sticking with poor boy Quentin is your best bet? I
tell you, the moment I leave, you'll be crying to get with me."
Maja's brows furrowed at his words. Quentin moved to step forward, but she grabbed him.
The rich kid grew bolder at the sight, "Pfft! What a wimp. What do you think you're doing? Don't you
know that the dump you call home is property of my family? With a snap of my fingers, I could have
your whole clan kicked out! And you dare glare at me, you mongrel!"
He slapped Quentin across the face.
Quentin's head jerked to the side, his mouth bloody, but he remained silent.
The rich kid seemed to deflate a bit with his anger vented, and he stepped back into his car. As he
rolled up the window, he spat one more time for good measure.
The roar of the car engine faded into the distance, and Maja turned to look at Quentin's face.
Boys at his age are usually proud. Yet here he was, quietly wiping the blood from his corner of his
mouth, clearly not his first time being bullied. The rich kid’s slap had been expertly delivered.
Maja offered Quentin a tissue.
He looked up, his eyes a quiet storm of emotions, and she felt a pang of sympathy.
Quentin's sole belief in life was to study hard, top his class, and someday make it to Middle Island or
Inner Island, to provide for his family.
But after fighting for years, he was hit with the harsh truth.
His academic achievements wouldn't just fail to lift his family out of poverty—they might not even save
his own life. Anyone would struggle to cope with that, and it was clear he wasn't just bullied here, but at
school too.
The more backwater the place, the more arrogant the rich, and there were definitely more like the rich
kid out there.
Maja watched Quentin's tear-filled eyes and clenched fist, hanging at his side, and sensed his effort to
contain something deep.
He was, after all, only seventeen.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled out another tissue to dab at his bleeding lip.
"How much is that Wade guy actually worth?"
"Maybe fifty million, I guess."novelbin
It was a number Quentin could scarcely dream of, as people like him make a few hundred a month.
Even after graduating from college, they'd be lucky to make two thousands a month, and that was the
ceiling.
Outer Island had but one high school and one college.
And while the money the rich kid carelessly threw, even if meant to humiliate, amounted to two months
of Quentin's wages, he had no choice but to pick it up, bill by bill, bowing his head.