6 Chapter 6: Desperation Makes You Do Crazy Things

(Reagan’s POV)

I didn’t think that my situation could get any worse and yet it had, this letter from the university proved that everything had just gotten a whole lot worse. This morning I had decided to get the mail for our box, and one of the pieces of mail had been addressed to me from the university. I knew instantly upon seeing the letter that I probably wasn’t a scholarship award, but something else about my bill. That feeling had been correct when I had opened the letter and read what was printed on it.

The letter had read that if I did not pay the $20,000 in full within two months I would have to leave the university and would not be able to apply again for a year. It felt as though since I had talked about a deadline yesterday, I had unknowingly jinxed myself. This was by far possibly the worst thing that could have happened besides getting the first letter. I pulled out my phone and pulled up my bank account on my bank’s app, checking my savings account to see how much money I had currently saved. The amount in the account read $1500, which was nowhere even close to $20,000.

Right now, all I could think about was how the heck was I supposed to come up with $20,000 in two months. There was just absolutely no freaking way that I was going to be able to come up with that large of an amount in two months even with the money that I had already saved. I could pull as many shifts as I could handle at the diner and that still wouldn’t give me enough to pay off my bill in two months. I thought about texting my dad about the situation but I didn’t want to worry him, he already had enough on his plate, he didn’t need to worry about me being possibly being booted out of the university cause I didn’t have enough money to stay here.

Sitting in my English class now, I wasn’t paying attention to anything that the professor was saying because I was too focused on trying to figure out where I was going to come up with $20,000. The professor must have noticed me zoning out because she asked me a question but I hadn’t been paying attention, so another student answered in my place. For the rest of the class period, I tried to keep my attention on the class and the material that was being discussed but I was stressing out so much about my bill I couldn’t focus.

“Reagan can I talk to you for a second?” my professor asked me, as I was making my way out of the classroom with the rest of the students.

I nodded, even though I needed to get to my next class and she waited until everyone had left before she started speaking. “I noticed that you didn’t seem to be completely in the present today during class, is something going on?”

“Yeah, I’m just struggling with some personal stuff, nothing major.”

My professor looked at me warily, knowing that I was holding back but she didn’t pry, “Well if you ever feel comfortable about talking about what you’re going through just let me know. You are on of my best students in this class and I don’t want to have to fail you.

I nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind and try and do better in class.”

She smiled, “Good, now I’ll let you go so you can get to your next class.”

I exited the classroom and made my way to my next class, and while I was in my last class, debating with myself mentally about my situation I felt Alexander’s card in my pocket. Taking it out, I looked at it, and right then in there in a move of desperation and anxiety I made a decision that I knew one day I might regret. I decided that if Alexander came into the diner today I would tell him that I would accept his proposal. This decision would quite possibly change my life forever but it was worth it if my overall goal was achieved.

I was still determined to go through with my decision when I arrived at the diner later in the day. While I took the orders of different customers, I subtly tried to see if he had arrived yet. Eventually after constantly looking around, figured that he wasn’t coming in today so I tried to focus on doing my job. Just when I was about to take my break, he walked into the diner, looking as crisp and clean as he always did. When he walked over to his usual booth and sat down I decided that this was the time to make my move.

“We need to talk,” I said when I reached his booth.

He looked up at me, his face had that charming smirk plastered on it, “Come to accept my proposal?”

“Yes,” I said, bluntly.

Alexander looked shocked for a brief moment before looking serious, “In all seriousness, you want to marry me?”

“If you can help me with my problem like you said you could the other day, then yes I will marry you.”

Alexander chuckled, “You’re ready to marry a stranger just to get something in return?”

I sat down across from him in the booth and crossed my arms over my chest, “Look I don’t want to seem desperate but the truth is I am. You said that if I got engaged to you and married you that you would provide me with the means of fixing my problem. Now is that offer still on the table?”

Alexander leaned back, “The offer is still on the table and since you’ve accepted all that needs to be done is for us to sign a contract.”

“A contract? Why is that necessary?’

“I need to make sure that you uphold your end of the deal before, as you said, I provide you a means to fix your problem, and that is why a contract is necessary for this situation. Think of this marriage as more of a business transaction than an actual marriage, we will be business partners, not a romantic couple.”

The way he said it made me feel as though Alexander was cold and withdrawn when it came to women. Sure he probably got with different women every day but he probably kept them at a distance, paid them off so that they never came near him again. I never was good at reading people but this just seemed like the vibe that I was picking up from Alexander. I was fine with it though, I didn’t want a romantic relationship with him anyway.

“That’s completely fine with me, I mean not to sound crass or anything but we are practically using each other for our agendas.”

Alexander smiled, bitterly, “Yes you are correct. So I assume that we have a deal, you will become my fiancee and marry me yes?”

I nodded, “I’ll shake on it if that will reassure you that I have no intention of backing out.”

Alexander shook his head, “No that won’t be necessary, I will wait for you to get off of work, and then we can sign a contract.”

I stood up, “Works for me, I assume that you will be in the parking lot until I get off?”

He nodded, “Just meet me there when you finished.”

I took my break and when I went back to work, time seemed to fly by, and soon enough it was time for me to get off work. Just like he said, Alexander was in the parking lot leaning on the side of a shiny, black, Mercedes-Benz. He entered the front seat and I entered the passenger side, finding a yellow manilla envelope waiting for me on the front seat.

“You already drew up a contract?”

“Yes.”

I raised my eyebrow at him, “What if I hadn’t accepted your proposal?”

Alexander gave me that cocky smile of his, “I had a feeling that you would.”

I simply shook my head and opened the envelope, pulling out a huge stack of papers. Briefly skimming each page I garnered the terms of our engagement and eventual marriage. Our engagement would begin the moment that the contract was signed and wedding preparations and engagement plans would begin the day after. The marriage date was scheduled for 5 weeks after our engagement but that was subject to change should one of the parties in the engagement choose to move the date up. We would only have to be married for six months until after Alexander took his position as CEO at which point we would divorce. Upon our marriage, Alexander would award me the money that I need to pay off my bill, and should I end the marriage immediately after receiving the money, the check would become void. Our marriage would be one of convenience, the only displays of affection would be in public for the media and others so that our engagement would seem real. As for in our personal lives, we were free to pursue relationships with other people as long as we were discreet which I felt was more for Alexander’s benefit than my own.

“Is the contract acceptable to you?” he asked, as I finished up skimming it.

“Everything is agreeable and acceptable to me, do you have a pen?”

He reached into the inside of his suit and pulled out a fancy pen that looked like it probably cost a lot of money and handed it to me. I took off the cap and turned to the last page of the stack and signed my portion, noticing that Alexander had already signed his. When I was finished I handed Alexander’s pen back to him and placed the papers back into the envelope. There was no turning back now and it felt as though I had just signed my freedom and my life away.