I Sponsored My Roommate

My roommate, Sarah Hurlbutt, bragged about her wealthy family in the dorm and mocked the others for being poor.

After we questioned her, she declared that she would bring her limited-edition handbags to show us what real luxury was. "My wardrobe is full of limited-edition handbags," she said. "But if I bring them here, I'm afraid some people might steal them."

That very evening, I received a message from her on my phone. "Gabriela, my roommates are all mocking me for being poor and not being able to afford a limited-edition handbag. Can you buy one for me?"

At the start of the new semester, I had arranged for Sarah, the girl I'd been sponsoring, to transfer to my university. She had told me she was often bullied at her previous college. I wanted to give her a surprise, so I hadn't told her about the transfer in advance.

When I entered the dorm to greet her, I hadn't even opened my mouth before I heard her complaining. "Why was the dorm so lousy? I thought we'd each have our own room. And look at this desk and the bed. Why aren't they new?"

Another roommate, Victoria Manwaring, tried to comfort her out of kindness. "It's not a big deal. Universities are this way."

Sarah shot Victoria a disdainful glance, and her face was full of scorn. "Clearly, you are a bumpkin and have never seen the world. My home is much better than this. This university is so shabby and poor." She sighed, and her expression was filled with dissatisfaction.

Just as I stepped inside, Victoria looked at me awkwardly.

I tried to smooth things over. "We're here to receive an education, after all. And honestly, this university's facilities are pretty good."

I had planned to reveal my identity to Sarah, but after seeing her attitude, I decided to observe her for a while.

Sarah gave me a sidelong glance, her face full of contempt. "Do you have any idea who my father is? You and I are not on the same level. Who said I came to this school to receive an education? Do you seriously think you can be the same with me?"

Victoria's face turned livid with anger, and she couldn't hold back her retort. "If you're so amazing, why did you end up at the same university as us?"

Sarah was momentarily speechless. But then she glared at us fiercely. "You should feel lucky to even be at the same university as me. This is probably the only time in your life you'll get to feel like you're on my level. You are small-town folks. Your parents probably couldn't even deserve working for my father."

Victoria's face flushed red with anger. She was about to start yelling when I said flatly, "Really? If your family is so wealthy, why don't you have any luxuries with you?"

Sarah froze. Then she stammered, "I... I just didn't bring them. If I did, I'd be worried someone might steal them as they are poor..."

"Who are you talking about?" Victoria's face turned crimson with rage. Sarah let out a cold snort and refused to talk to us.

I pulled Victoria out of the dorm and tried to calm her down, telling her it wasn't worth arguing with Sarah. After a while, Victoria still seemed a little shaken. "Thank you for stopping me a moment ago. If her family really is powerful and I got into a fight with her, I might not even be able to attend the university."

I looked at Victoria with a complicated expression. I hadn't expected that my sponsorship was helping such a girl.

I had started sponsoring Sarah three years ago. My father was the wealthiest man in Alderwood City, and it was hard for me to make a few good friends.

When I start going to college, I decided not to reveal my identity to anyone.

Most people tried to curry favor, so I secretly used the pocket money my father gave me to sponsor a girl in need. I thought of Sarah as a true friend.

Whenever she told me about her difficult situation, I used money to help her and covered her living expenses and tuition.

Over time, her requests became more frequent, and I ended up paying for everything she needed over the past three years.