1. Talia

Attempting to scrub the gritty feeling from her eyes, Talia finally abandoned her textbook. She was nestled on the mezzanine level of the reading room, surveying the students diligently working below.

Nerves pulled her focus to the window, through which Low Memorial Library lurked. That had been the photograph on the welcome leaflet she'd received alongside her acceptance letter to Columbia University; smiling students lounging on Low's sun-kissed steps.

Once, that image had filled her with excitement. She'd let out a shriek in the living room, thrusting the letter at Dad and Darcy, unable to believe she'd been accepted into Columbia—on their premedical track. It had been the first step on the road to being a doctor, to accomplishing everything she'd worked towards.

Today, a look at Low had her digestive tract tying itself into a gnarled lump.

Talia didn't even need to look at the clock. She'd checked her phone five times in the last two minutes. Her appointment was 57 minutes away.

An hour until I lose my scholarship.

She shook her head, ridding her brain of the thought. Her situation must happen all the time, surely. Students' progress would go up and down. They'd give her time to get her grades back up. They wouldn't pull the rug out from under her at the first sign of failure. Universities would be devoid of students if that were true.

A thin fissure of doubt ran through her mind.

Back home, that may be true.

But this was America.

Talia bit her lip. It seemed simple enough, on the surface. America and England were similar countries; the former derived from the latter, so of course there would be similarities.

She just hadn't expected how different it would be. On her first day in America, she'd nearly been mowed down by a taxi because she looked right when crossing the road instead of left. And then a bad-tempered police officer had threatened her with a ticket for jaywalking.

A year later, her dream of studying medicine at one of the best universities in the world was in danger of caving in on itself.

Because if she lost her scholarship, she may as well head straight to the airport.

Her face twisted into a grimace. Dad would be so disappointed. During her school years, he'd assisted with every assignment, every essay, every project. He'd helped her make countless flash cards and brainstorms and revision questionnaires.

All because her dream was to become a doctor like Mum. To live up to her memory.

Talia looked up at the clouds brewing over the autumnal day. Would Mum be proud of what she'd accomplished?

"I don't know how he hasn't been kicked out yet," a conspiratorial whisper came from the level below. "Quinn and the girl who sold herself. Talk about lowering the freaking standard."

Talia poked her nose over the end of her graffitied desk. It abutted a balcony, over which she could see the rest of the reading room below. On the other side of the room, a lone student sat at the desk nearest the door, his pencil steadily moving across the paper, his dark hair falling over his forehead. There was no one else in sight. Was that the Quinn they were talking about? She caught his eye just as he looked up, quickly averting her gaze.

Another whisper came, sounding as if they were directly below her. "A hundred grand is worth it to some people, I guess."

The first one snorted just as her blonde bob edged into view. "Would you sleep with some rich guy for a hundred grand?"

"I'd rather eat this textbook page by page. And to think he facilitated the entire thing at that sex club he works at. He's no better than a pimp, and she's no better than the prostitutes swarming Roosevelt Avenue."

Talia stared at her phone, lost in thought. A hundred grand for sleeping with some rich guy? At least she wasn't the only girl at Columbia feeling the bite of desperation. Her lips contorted at not only the thought of some rich guy thrusting atop her, but that being her first experience of sex.

When she lost her virginity, she wanted it to be with someone she loved. She knew that for certain.

She let her attention wander as the girls below her drifted onto another topic of conversation. Her phone flashed on, and Talia felt herself smile for the first time all day.

Her sister Darcy had sent a selfie of herself and Dad, smiling over a table brimming with afternoon tea. Talia recognised where they were immediately—the café near the family home in Covent Garden, with its familiar floral decorations and expertly made cakes.

Homesickness hit her like a freight train.

A second message popped up as Talia gazed wistfully at the photo.

We shared a strawberry tart in your honour. Miss you x

DARCY

The sight of Darcy and Dad steadied her somewhat. They were why she was doing this. She was fascinated by the human body, of course. Ultimately, her ambition came down to wanting to help people, but she also wanted to make her father proud. He had been a nurse for years before going into property development with the money from Mum's life insurance payout, and as a child Talia had been obsessive in wanting to know about the people he'd helped during his workday.

He"d never been prouder of her than the day she announced she'd been accepted into Columbia University—just like her mother.

She couldn't let him down. She couldn't let Darcy down. Her little sister had always looked up to her, and Talia going abroad for university was the first time they'd really been separated. Darcy had been excited for her, but Talia knew the separation hadn't been easy. There wasn't a day that went by without them texting and calling each other.

Her heart clenched at the thought of home. She could be in that café in Covent Garden with them both, and instead…

Talia shook away her maudlin thoughts and pulled her laptop towards her. She wasn't going to go into that scholarship office meeting unprepared. A quick look at the clock told her she still had 44 minutes left. Plenty of time to gather her thoughts, prepare an argument in her favour, and fight her case.

Half an hour later, Talia gathered her things into her bag, confidence and nerves swirling together in her stomach, before slinging it over her shoulder. The walk across the South Lawn to Low was short, and Talia trailed her hand over the squat hedge lining the path.

She climbed Low's steps, slipping between the imposing columns lining the front of the building. In her opinion, its proud exterior was no match for what lay within. In a few years, this would be where her graduation ceremony was held—and the cavernous rotunda was certainly well-equipped for the job, complete with sleek columns of its own.

For now, she headed towards the scholarship office with a singular goal in mind, her prepared speech fresh in her mind.

The building's interior was a maze of marble, but Talia knew the way by now. At her first visit during orientation week, she had quickly become lost, wandering deeper and deeper within. Had an older student not come to her rescue, she suspected she would still be lost in its depths.

Today, the Financial Aid Office was a bustling hub of activity. Its dark wood walls were obscured by shelves bursting with binders full of paperwork. Yet more paperwork could be found stacked on the employees' desks, alongside the steady tapping of keyboards and the low whir of computer cooling fans hard at work.

Talia sat on the row of seats at the Office's entrance, waiting for her name to be called. She swallowed, smiling politely when she accidentally caught the eye of the man pushing the mail trolley into the room.

Attempting to keep her breakfast in her stomach, she watched the clock on the wall with rapt attention. The minutes ticked by. Three o'clock. Five past. Ten past. Quarter past. Until—

"Natalia Llewellyn?"

Talia honed in on the caller, an older woman whose bright orange blouse glowed against her dark skin. She sat down on the opposite side of the desk, her polite expression looking more like a rictus grin. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon. How can I help, Miss Llewellyn?" Brianna—according to her nametag—said, sweeping a handful of her locs over her shoulder.

"I've come to discuss my fees."

Brianna's fingers tapped the keyboard, eyeing the monitor in front of her. A frown pulled at her forehead. "I can see you were awarded a merit-based scholarship for your freshman year. Is that correct?"

Talia nodded stiffly, feeling shame cover her like a shadow. "It is, but—"

"And the fees for your sophomore year are almost due."

"I haven't… I haven't met the scholarship's eligibility requirements for this year." Talia lowered her voice. "My GPA is too low, but they recommended that I speak to yourselves to see what assistance would be available."

The flash of incredulity in Brianna's eyes was like a dagger over her head. "Have you been affected by any extenuating circumstances during the past year?"

Talia paused. Somehow she didn't think crippling homesickness would qualify. "No."

Brianna turned her attention back to her computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "I can see you've already retaken Calculus and Organic Chemistry."

"That's correct." Those modules had nearly been the death of her. She seemed to have left the straight-A student she'd once been on the runway at Heathrow.

"And you weren't able to improve your grade?"

"Maths and chemistry aren't my strong point," she admitted. "Can I try again? If I can bump up my grades there—"

"Students are only permitted a single retake."

Oh."Can I retake some of my other modules? My Physics I grade wasn't brilliant, perhaps if I—"

"But you did pass. If you received a passing grade, you're not eligible for a retake."

Panic began to set in. "Are there any other scholarships available?"

Brianna pulled out a binder from the nearest shelf, flicking through its pages. "The deadline for most scholarships have passed. Only one is still accepting applications. Here."

Talia took the proffered leaflet, but her heart sunk at its title. Needs-Based Aid. She placed the leaflet on the desk, bowing her head slightly. There was no point even opening it. "I won't be eligible for this. My father is…"

A multimillionaire.

"… wealthy," she finished quietly.

There was a pause before Brianna answered, and Talia could see the compassion drying up before her eyes. She briefly looked at her computer screen, her eyes flicking from one line to another. "I can see your fees are due in the next seven days."

"Is there no other option?" Talia whispered, her hand coming up to her mouth.

"I'm afraid not. If this payment isn't made in seven days, your account will be formally referred to the university's agents for debt collection and possible legal action regarding the fees already incurred for your sophomore year. Your enrolment on the premedical program would also lapse, and you would be unable to rejoin."

A start of fear bolted through her spine. "Legal action?"

"The account details you'll need for the payment are on the email you received this morning. Thank you for coming in, Miss Llewellyn." Brianna raised a firm hand signalling towards the door, but her tone wasn't unkind.

Talia didn't remember leaving the Financial Aid Office, nor did she remember the winding route out of Low. All at once, she found herself sitting on those famous steps, hugging her knees like her life depended on it. She ignored the cold seeping through her jeans, attempting to quieten her swirling thoughts.

For the first time in her life, Talia was glad her mother wasn't there to see her now. She never knew what a failure I was.

Her eyes burned as she realised she was going to have to tell her father and sister. All of the support they'd given her over the years was going to be for nothing. She was doing this for them—Dad, Darcy, and Mum's memory. And what exactly had she achieved?

The image of her acceptance letter floated through her mind.

And here she sat. On those stupid fucking steps, her life in ruins. Not only was she going to arrive at home with her tail between her legs, the debt collectors and legal action were going to be biting at her heels.

A hundred thousand dollars. That was what her freshman year scholarship had been worth.

Could Dad pay it? This year, perhaps. But this was the first adult thing she'd done in her life. Talia imagined making the phone call to Dad, her dignity crumbling further with every word. She couldn't be a failure. She didn't want to use her family's money to get ahead.

When her parents were young, they didn't come from money. They'd stood on their own two feet. They'd been adults. It'd been hard, but they'd found a way.

Talia just had to find her way.

She blinked, her eyes suddenly refocusing—on Butler Library opposite her.

"Would you sleep with some rich guy for a hundred grand?"

Wasn't that what the gossiping student had said earlier? She swallowed away her spiralling panic, standing so quickly her head spun. Quinn. That had been his name, the dark-haired student studying in the corner. The one who'd apparently facilitated the arrangement.

A hundred grand.

Talia had never slept with anyone before. How bad could it possibly be? Even if it was bad, it wouldn't last long. A few hours at most. The alternative—telling Dad and Darcy of her failure—would be far worse.

Was she really considering this? Her first time with a complete stranger?

Maybe she had more in common with that other desperate student than she realised.

A lifetime of humiliation in exchange for a couple of hours of misery.

That was all there was to it. Once her first time was over and done with, maybe she could learn to enjoy herself with other partners. Maybe this would be a new start for her, both academically and sexually.

A curious calm settled over her as she took that first step, and every subsequent step came easier.

Quinn. She needed to talk to Quinn.