ng conversations, turning heads, and making time seem just a bit slower in her orbit. She was youn

striking detail, held a charm that was both soft and daring. But what truly made her unforgettable was her smile-wide, bright, and contagious. Every time she smiled, two

hem. Framed with naturally long, fluttering lashes, they didn't just look at you... They spoke to you. Her gaz

awn by the hands of a patient artist, and her hips held the gentle curve of womanhood, promising elegance in every step. She didn't try to be sexy-she ju

le saw h

ond look. Even women, especially those her age, couldn't help but wish for a little of her magic. They whispered about her, envied her grace, a

rn, her shoes often tired from walking too far. She didn't own expensive perfumes or designer

m, and quiet strength. She didn't beg for attention-attention fol

elia wa

e you forget everything else. The kind of

he never let it settle in her head. Not even when her be

become a model, I sw

the garden very close to the house, waving her hands in the air like a lawyer in cou

rawing a plastic c

those hands like you're addressing

Do you even know how many girls would kill to look like you? With your dimples, your freakishly perfect lashes, and t

ed her eyes

love waving your hands in the air, always trying to prove a point. I ca

ghter, swatting Amel

help your future, and you're turning

e kind that showed her gap tooth

ds from a flicker and a keranda tree close to the w

On magazine covers. Designers would fight to have you. You woul

r, eyes fixed on the

, Tonia. I just want to go to college, get my degree, and own my own companies one day. Real ones. With buil

ally still. She looked at Amelia with quiet

But-when you become a CEO, plea

r voice like a win

hands like that in board meetings. I want

ind only childhood friends could sha

g of hibiscus tea. Tonia leaned against the balcony rail beside her,

wide smile that barely hid

elbow. "Blackwood University. T

dimples sinking de

eading the letter over and over, li

ssing her braids

at school is lucky to have you." She paused, her tone growing

er smile softening but not disappearin

Tonia, I have to go. Blackwood isn't just any school. It's the dream I've car

ved her hands drama

full of rich kids with gold-plated laptops and private dorm

fire in her eyes-not ang

let th

a bl

her voice steady, every

because I come from a small house with a leaking roof doesn't mean my dreams are small too. I want to prove that bei

hands now fr

You sound like a TED Talk. Y

led, setting

n five states. Then I'll fly you out first class just to

ghing, wiping a fak

your company has a window and

ide hug. The sunset lit her face like a prom

op waving your hands like a pr

ng her arms again. "I'll be the most dr

s hurt, their voices blending into

lia wasn't just chasing a dream. She was about to ch

kwood University is the beginning of

t now to help my mom with her sale, and I will also be going to some familie

so much pity, they embraced