Chapter 21 - Nina

Remembering the first time he was alone with Nina made him smile. That day, she was quiet and wasn't speaking to him. On the way, he tried talking to her but she ignored him. 

He couldn't really remember how they end up getting close to each other. When they went on a trip with their friends, Nina voluntarily hopped into his car. He started to hang out with Luke and the others and Nina was always present. She wasn't a bad girl. They just started on the wrong foot so she was mad at him.

Before the incident in the ramen shop, he found out about how she survived in Golden Oak without financial support.

Nina was admitted because of her high score in the entrance exam. She wasn't the top student but she was still granted a scholarship.  She was smart and strong willed. She was determined to fit in so she did everything that the rich kids asked her. She became friends with the Ice Princess, Alora and since she was friends with Peggy and Emily, Nina fit in the group.

Eventually, Nina's circle of rich and popular friends grew when Alora got engaged with the richest guy in Golden Oak, Luke Wilson who was friends with Percy Jackson and Sophie Anderson. The two were their family's next masters as well.

But even though she was friends with the richest and most popular people on campus, Nina never asked them for help. Her friendship with them was genuine, it wasn't fake. 

At first, Andrew thought that Nina and him were the same. He approached Luke because he knew he needed him and he thought Nina was using her friend's influence in Golden Oak. But he was wrong.

She wasn't the type of girl who asked for help especially if the issue was money. She was financially struggling everyday to support her studies but she never borrowed money from her friends. She worked for it.

Everyone in Golden Oak High School knew Katharina Sommers, especially in the Platinum Class. Most of the students call her names like slave, servant or a dog. She was bullied and became a laughing stock by the girls in the Golden Class. But she ignored them and swallowed her pride to survive.

The bullying stopped when Alora saved her and that was the start of their friendship. When Nina started hanging out with Alora, Peggy and Emily, no one dared to trample on her anymore.

Andrew found out everything about Nina when he asked someone to investigate her. He did that when his father asked him to persuade Nina's family to sell the ramen shop. He wanted to look for something that he could use against her and her family. But when he found out what she went through, he actually admired her.

The first time he visited the shop, he ordered their best seller and he was surprised how good the food was. He was actually interested in developing the shop into a bigger restaurant but his father declined and just told him to do what he was asked to do. He never told Nina about it, he thought she didn't need to know that.

He became a frequent customer in their shop. He will always see Nina helping her parents right after she comes from school. She was a cheerful girl and the customers loved her. Every time she served them, he could see her sincere gestures, her honest smile and her happiness while working hard.

He didn't really have a choice even if he enjoyed staying and eating in the ramen shop. So he eventually told them about him. Nina was mad and started not serving him when he visited the shop after.

"You were spying on us. I thought the reason you were always here was because you liked our food and our service. I was wrong. I hate you! You betrayed us!" He remembered Nina saying those words to him.

The cheerful girl who was always smiling every time he visited became his enemy. It was also the time he started to do his actual job. 

He would go there to offer them money and bargain with them. He would stay there after his class and would leave five minutes before they close the shop. But a few months passed, nothing really happened.

He was beginning to lose his patience when one day he arrived at the shop and saw some men ganging up the whole family. When Nina asked for help, he knew she was desperate so when she offered herself to him, he took advantage of it to get the shop.

"You look like an idiot." It was Jayden who took him back to the present.

His smile disappeared and glared at him.

"So? Do you have an answer to my question?" Luke asked.

He forgot to answer when he started remembering how he ended up being friends with the guys in front of him and how he knew about his fiance.

"I asked her about it but she said she just wanted me to fall in love with her. But I wasn't really convinced. Her reason was shallow. As if she was not sincere with it." He answered.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"Nina was not the type of girl who would make a deal about love. I know there were other things that were bothering her."

"Why didn't you ask her if you knew she was hiding something?" Jayden frowned.

"I don't think she will tell me. I got pissed and was disappointed so I left."

"Andrew, I don't usually meddle with my friends' love affairs but Nina is Alora's friend and she's my friend as well. You know Alora would definitely get mad if her friend would get hurt. And I don't want our friendship to get ruined because of that. We are like a family now, so if you're not really serious about her, maybe you should think things over. It's not too late. Your engagement has not been announced yet. Both of you can still back out." Luke advised.

He know he has a point.. He's concerned that if Nina and him ended up being miserable together, it could cause a stir up in everyone's relationship.