"Get in the car."
Evan tossed the words over his shoulder to Emily, pulled open the driver's side door, and slid in.
"Good." Emily nodded, like she'd already made up her mind. She climbed into the passenger seat.
She paused for a second, taking everything in. The car's interior was gorgeous—Alaska Red, sleek and expensive-looking. It just felt…luxurious.
"Wow, this is beautiful. I've never been in a car like this," she said, trying to play it cool even though her eyes were still wide with surprise.
You'd never guess it was her first time in a car. She looked totally at ease, almost like she belonged here.
"To be honest, I'd never been in a car this nice before I bought it," Evan said, pulling his seatbelt over his shoulder and clicking it into place.
Emily shot him a look. "No way. You can drive a car like this as a college freshman? Your family's gotta be loaded. I bet you've ridden in cars even fancier than this one."
She had a point. Not many eighteen-year-olds roll up to campus in a BMW unless their family's got some serious money.
Evan just grinned. "Believe what you want."
He meant it—he really hadn't grown up with cars like this—but Emily wasn't buying it.
"I saw online that your car's the top model. Isn't it, like, $114,000 after all the fees?" Emily asked as she buckled her seatbelt.
Evan nodded. "Yeah, close. With everything added, about $120,000."
He couldn't help glancing at her as she fastened her seatbelt. She was…well, let's just say she was pretty curvy. Not quite on Lena's level, but still.
Of course, Lena was something else entirely—no comparison.
"That's insane," Emily said, shaking her head. She was floored—not just by the price, but by how casually Evan talked about it. Like $120,000 was pocket change.
And honestly? For Evan, it kind of was. The system had basically handed him the car for free.
Emily was about to say something else, but when she noticed Evan watching her, she froze. Her cheeks went pink for a second, but she pretended not to notice.
"Oh, right. I found a hair salon for you. People online say it's good. Should we go?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Sure." Evan nodded and started the car.
As he drove toward the school gate, they caught the attention of just about everyone—students, teachers, you name it. Some people even started whispering about how expensive the car must be, and you could hear the shock in their voices.
Plenty of jealous stares followed the BMW X5 as it rolled past. A few people tried to peer inside, but with the tinted windows, they didn't have a chance.
Emily sat quietly in the passenger seat, telling herself she wasn't the vain type. But, surrounded by all those envious eyes, she couldn't help but feel a little thrill.
Not bad, she thought.
...
Jasmine and Nathan wandered across campus, fresh from lunch.
"Jass, you seem distracted," Nathan said, eyeing her. "Something up? You can talk to me. I'm not sure I can fix it, but I'll listen."
He looked at her hopefully, waiting for her to open up.
Jasmine, though, just stared at him. Seriously? Listening isn't enough. You've got to do something about it.
She shook her head and asked, "Are you sure Evan's family is just average?"
Nathan didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. I'd bet my life on it. You've asked me, like, a dozen times already."
He honestly had no clue what had gotten into Jasmine. She'd brought this up over and over at lunch, like she was obsessed.
"Think back. Has he made any big purchases since school started?" Jasmine pressed.
Nathan scoffed. "What big purchases? He's from this tiny, rundown town—his family runs a little shop. The guy's broke." But then he remembered something. "Well, I guess he did get a new phone yesterday, but it wasn't crazy expensive. Maybe $1,400, $1,600 tops. My phone actually cost more—over $2,000."
He pulled out his phone and flashed it, looking pretty pleased with himself. He'd begged his family for weeks to get it after the college entrance exam, and he'd been showing it off ever since school started.
"$1,400 or $1,600?" Jasmine frowned. That wasn't nothing, but still—it didn't seem like the kind of thing that would make Evan stand out.
"Think again…" she said, determined not to let this go.She wanted Nathan to give it another shot, but right then, Evan's car rolled by.
Jasmine couldn't tell one car from another, honestly, but she knew a BMW when she saw that badge.
And wow, this one looked sharp.
She didn't know the driver, but Nathan sure did.
"Whoa, check out that BMW! Just look at the wheels and the body—top-of-the-line, for sure. That thing's gotta be over $114,000! It's literally my dream car!"
Nathan's eyes lit up. You could feel the envy rolling off him as he watched it disappear down the street.
"Wait, what? You're saying that car costs more than $114,000?"
Jasmine just stood there, completely caught off guard. She glanced back at the BMW, still a little in shock.
Now that she knew the price, the car seemed even cooler.
"Yeah, it's gotta be. Whoever owns that has serious money."
Nathan nodded, looking seriously jealous.
His family lived local, owned a couple houses, but buying a car like that? Not a chance.
No wonder it's my dream car, he thought.
"That BMW's brand new, no plates yet. We don't even know who owns it. Whoever it is, they're loaded."
Nathan let out a sigh, then dropped it.
Jasmine turned for one more look. When she finally looked away, she tried not to show how she felt.
She couldn't help but imagine—if her boyfriend drove something like that, she'd be so proud.
A car worth over $114,000? She'd have people staring. Even those fake friends from high school would be jealous.
Too bad she had no clue who the owner was.
But, hey, the car's in the school parking lot. That means the owner has to be from around here.
Maybe she could find out who it is.
Her mind started spinning, and her heart sped up.
"Jass, what's up? You look all worked up all of a sudden."
Nathan caught her—he could see the excitement in her eyes. No hiding it.
"Oh, nothing," Jasmine said, quickly trying to play it cool.
But inside, she hung on to the feeling.
-----
Once they left the school, the BMW slipped right into traffic.
"The salon I picked out for you? Super famous. Celebrities get their hair cut there. You can just ask them to give you a style that actually fits you," Emily said, tapping the address into the car's screen and firing up the navigation.
"Of course, it's pricey. Two hundred seventy bucks just for a haircut and some design, but honestly, it's nothing for you." She grinned.
Evan just nodded. He really didn't care about the price. The system was footing the bill anyway.
"After the haircut, let's go shop for clothes. Your budget's set, so we're going designer. Any favorite brands?"
Evan shook his head. "Nope."
Truth is, he barely knew any luxury brands. Chanel, Gucci, LV—those he'd heard of. Beyond that, not a clue.
Emily suggested, "How about we hit an Italian brand? They do accessible luxury—really good balance between style and comfort. I've seen their stuff; it's solid…"
Evan cut in, "Seriously, I'll just follow your lead. This whole day's up to you. I've only got one request: after the haircut and new clothes, I need a real transformation."
Emily shot him a confident smile. "Don't worry. I've got you."
Then she added, "But you still owe me a coffee, remember? I'm not doing all this for free, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, I've got you. Coffee coming right up," Evan said, pulling the car into a coffee shop.
He grabbed two hot cappuccinos and handed one to Emily when he got back in. They kept going.
The ride was actually pretty fun. Emily just had this way of making conversation easy. She was quick-witted, funny, and honestly, kind of charming. Plus, you couldn't ignore how she looked—she really had it all together.
Right before they got to the barbershop, Emily's phone lit up. Message notification.
She opened her chat app. It was a voice note from her younger sister. Emily sighed, already knowing what this was about.
She played the message. Yep, just as she thought.
"Sis, what are you doing? Can you send me some money?"
Evan laughed when he heard it. "That your sister?"
Emily rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yeah, my younger sister." She didn't even hesitate—sent her twenty bucks right away.
Another voice message came back: "Thank you, my dear sister, love you~" Her sister's voice was sweet and playful, totally the kid-sister type.
Evan grinned. "She sounds fun. How old is she?"
"She's sixteen, second year of high school. We barely talk unless she needs something. Always about money." Emily let out another sigh.
As they talked, the navigation announced they'd arrived.
The barbershop was in a two-story building, a couple of parking spots open right out front. Evan pulled in and parked.
"Alright, let's go," he said, unbuckling and getting out.
Inside, the place looked sharp—modern, with a wall covered in celebrity photos, all snapped right there in the salon.
No question, this was a popular spot for stars.
It was still early, so the place wasn't crowded. A staff member came over as soon as they walked in.
Evan said he wanted the manager to handle his haircut and style. The staff led him to the shampoo area.
Someone else—a young woman, maybe a 7 out of 10 but with a warm voice—handled the shampooing. She was good at it too, gentle and thorough. But while she worked, she kept sneaking glances at Emily.
You could see the question on her face. Evan looked pretty average, so what was a woman like Emily doing with him? This girl worked here, she'd seen her share of celebrities, but Emily? She could hold her own with any of them.
After the wash, Evan took a seat in the styling chair. The manager, a man pushing forty, circled him a few times, sizing him up, scissors in hand.
An hour later,
The manager glanced over and said, "Alright, you're all set. Take a look—see what you think."
Evan had been drifting off, zoning out because the haircut took forever. But the manager's voice snapped him back. He looked in the mirror.
Wait, what?
He almost didn't recognize himself. The haircut looked way better than he imagined.
His hair used to just hang there, limp and long, but now it had some shape—layered, parted a bit, showing off his features. He looked sharper, cleaner. Actually, he looked kind of refreshed, almost like a different person.
People online always say a new hairstyle can work wonders, and honestly, they're right. Evan felt like he'd just gotten a free upgrade. Worth every penny.
The manager chimed in, "You've got good bone structure and nice skin—no scars or anything. You really suit this kind of look."
Evan nodded. "Yeah, it's really good."
He'd never realized he was actually...well, kind of good-looking. With this new haircut, he finally saw it.
The manager grabbed an eyebrow trimmer. "Let me just clean up your brows a bit." Evan nodded, and in a couple of minutes, the manager finished up.
Evan checked the mirror again. Somehow, just shaping his eyebrows made his features pop even more.
That $270 felt totally worth it now.
The haircut itself wasn't the expensive part—it was finding a stylist who actually knew what would suit him.
Emily wandered over, and when she saw Evan, her eyes widened a little with surprise. She clearly hadn't expected this.
He looked fresh—really fresh.
Evan caught her reaction and grinned. "Well? I look pretty good, right?"
Emily nodded, totally serious. "Yeah, you do."
Evan pulled out his phone to pay, and the two of them walked out of the shop together.
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