Catherine's POV
"The last thing I wanted was to start college in the same school as my stepbrothers, but apparently, life doesn't take requests."
That was literally the thought haunting me as I stood in front of my mirror, trying to decide if I looked like the perfect stepdaughter of Richard Vaughn.
According to Mom, I had to look good because I was now a public figure so that eyes would be on me.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail, slung my bag over my shoulder, and stepped out of my room.
Mom was already in the living room, sipping her coffee with that bright "you'll do great, honey!" expression.
Meanwhile, my stomach was a full-blown hurricane.
"Ready for your first freshman day, sweetheart?" Lisa asked, beaming.
"As ready as a cow before slaughter," I muttered.
Before she could reply, footsteps echoed on the stairs. Gabriel and Julian were coming down. As usual, Julian had no smile on his face. He looked like a damn magazine model with an attitude problem in his grey hoodie and black jeans.
"Morning," Gabriel greeted, cheerful as ever. "Hey, Catherine, it's your first day in school, and you will enjoy riding with us. It'll be fun—"
"She's not entering my car," Julian cut in, brushing past both of us like I wasn't even there.
"Why?" Gabriel asked but I turned with a tight jaw. "Don't ask him. I don't want to ride in his car either, I'd rather walk barefoot."
He didn't even flinch, only flashed that lazy smirk that said, You don't matter enough for me to argue with, and walked out the front door.
Gabriel sighed, shooting me a small, apologetic look. "Ignore him. You know how he is."
"Yeah."
He patted my shoulder, "Your mom is going to bring you then. Catch you later," he said and followed Julian out.
I groaned and turned back to Mom. "I've had enough of that jerk. You'd think being step-siblings for over a year would make him slightly less unbearable."
Lisa smiled gently, grabbing her car keys. "Don't give him your attention, Catherine. He'll come around eventually."
I made a face. "Yeah, when hell freezes over."
"Just stay out of his way, I've been doing that and it's given me more peace. Julian is impossible, even Richard can't handle him."
I rolled my eyes and walked out with Mom following behind.
Mom drove me to school or more accurately, Vaughn University. The name itself made me want to throw up. The big shiny gate had a banner stretched across the top: "Vaughn University Welcomes the Next Generation of Leaders!"
Of course. Because everything had to scream Vaughn. Their family's money was basically tattooed on the walls.
I stared out the window as Mom pulled up to the student drop-off zone. I could tell this was the school for only the elites from the way students flaunted their designer bags, and walked like they owned the world.
"Have a sweet first day, love," Mom said softly, turning to me. "Remember to breathe and be yourself."
"Sure."
Her smile faltered. "Catherine—"
"It's fine." I forced a grin, kissed her cheek, and got out of the car. "I'll text you later."
As soon as she drove off, someone called me from behind. "Hey!"
I turned to find a girl flashing a huge smile at me. She was short and had a messy bun, a denim jacket, and the kind of face that instantly looked trustworthy.
"I'm Tessa and you are Catherine, right? From the—uh…" She trailed off awkwardly. "Vaughn interview."
Oh wow. I was already popular. The thought of it made me feel exhausted. I hated to be known.
She cringed. "Sorry. Seems like you have no idea that everyone in this school has seen it. Your family basically owns this school, so it shouldn't be a wonder."
That actually made me laugh. "You're not wrong."
She fell into step beside me as we walked toward the freshman orientation building. "Okay, so since you're new, here's a quick survival guide. One: avoid drama. Two: never mess with the Legacy girls. Three: don't, under any circumstances, get on Sasha Hall's radar."
I frowned. "Legacy girls?"
Tessa pointed ahead, where a group of girls was laughing loudly near the fountain. One of them, tall and stunning, was surrounded by two others carrying her bag and coffee.
"I mean them," Tessa said in a low voice. "Sasha Halls and her girls. She is the Queen of Vaughn University. Her dad basically funds half the school. Everyone either worships her or fears her."
I followed her gaze. The girl was pretty, sure but she had that energy that screamed, I own this place and you're breathing my oxygen.
Tessa continued. "They decide who's in and who's invisible."
I arched a brow. "Sounds exhausting."
"Oh, it is but I haven't told you the best part. Sasha dated Julian Vaughn."
I froze. "Excuse me?"
"Yup. Julian, your stepbrother."
Tessa lowered her voice, clearly enjoying the gossip.
"Rumor has it he dumped her after catching her cheating. Ever since then, she's been on a low-key revenge tour. So yeah, do not get in her way."
"Trust me," I muttered, "drama is the last thing I want."
"Good," Tessa grinned. "Now, what class are you starting with?"
"English Literature."
"Same! Come on, I'll show you the way."
We stepped into class and it felt so awkward. Whispers spread faster than Wi-Fi. They were staring at me.
"Oh wow, she's the Vaughns' new stepsister."
"She looks different in person though…"
"She doesn't look rich or befitting to be a Vaughn."
"Look how cheap her clothes and bag look."
I sat next to Tessa, pretending I couldn't hear them. The professor started his introduction, and I tried focusing on anything that wasn't the heat crawling up my neck.
When class ended, Tessa grabbed my wrist. "Come on, cafeteria time. You survived your first hour!"
We headed there, but halfway through, her phone rang. "Crap, it's my roommate. I gotta go meet her. Wait here, I'll be right back."
"Yeah, no problem," I said, scanning the busy lunchroom and that's when I spotted Gabriel sitting near the window, smiling, waving at me to join him.
I hesitated, then shrugged. He was literally the only familiar face I had.
When I sat down, conversations around us seemed to die mid-sentence. Everyone was staring.
"Don't mind them," Gabriel whispered. "They'll get over it."
"Sure," I said, stabbing my salad. "Or they'll print flyers."
He laughed quietly, and all of a sudden, I saw Sasha making her grand entrance.
The entire cafeteria seemed to tilt in her direction. Her heels clicked and her two loyal followers trailed behind like maids.
I didn't expect she would walk towards the table I was sitting on but she did, her smile gleaming like poison.
"Hey Gabriel," she purred. "I haven't seen you all morning."
"Any problem?"
She didn't answer him, instead, her eyes slid to me. "And you must be the stepsister everyone's been talking about."
I forced a polite smile. "Yes, I am but I'd prefer to be addressed as Catherine, not a stepsister."
A faint twitch in her smile told me she didn't like that.
"Oh, how adorable. You're already setting boundaries," she said sweetly. "I like that. Not sure the rest of the school will, though."
"I'll take my chances."
Sasha's smirk grew thinner. She turned back to Gabriel, completely ignoring me now. "Anyway, are you coming to the Welcome Gala tonight? Everyone who's anyone will be there."
Gabriel hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. "I'm not sure but I'll think about it."
"Good," she said, her tone sharp but sugary. Then she flicked her gaze back to me. "You should come too, Catherine. I'm sure you'd love to meet everyone."
"I'll pass."
That was apparently the wrong answer. Her lips parted, ready to fire back but then the hall suddenly grew noisy.
Someone was making his way into the cafeteria and it was like everyone liked whoever this person was. I didn't care to see the said person, all I wanted to do at this point was use the opportunity to slip away from Sasha's venom.
I was trying to leave, heading for the exit, when, of course, fate tripped me up and I bumped right into a hard body. Julian's. The one everyone was excited about.
His coffee didn't spill, but his scowl appeared instantly.
"Watch where you're going," he snapped, not even looking at me yet but he did eventually and his smug expression deepened. "You? Not surprised. You're used to being clumsy and everywhere."
My jaw clenched but I couldn't do anything. I wasn't ready to fight the man loved by almost every student.
I was still standing there, both of us in a staring competition, not until Sasha moved fast, sliding right up to him. "Julian," she cooed, grabbing his arm, "Catherine was just telling me how nice you were during the interview."
I blinked. "What—"
But Julian's voice came immediately. "I don't recall saying or doing anything nice that day."
The room went still. Then, out of nowhere, he peeled Sasha's hand off his arm. "And stop running up to me like we're still together."
The gasp this time was audible.
Sasha's face went from smug to mortified in two seconds. Julian walked past her, completely unfazed.
There was a minute silence, which got dissolved by a roar of laughter and before I could stop myself, I laughed too, quietly, but loud enough to be noticed.
Sasha's head snapped toward me, her eyes were blazing.
I froze.
"Watch your back!" She grabbed her bag, glared around at the staring students, and snapped, "Enjoy the show, losers." Then she stormed out with her followers trailing behind.
The laughter died but the tension didn't.
Gabriel walked up to me and sighed, rubbing his temple. "She's a terror most of the time."
"Yeah," I muttered, exhaling shakily. "First day in college, and I've already pissed off the queen."
He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Welcome to Vaughn University."