Phoebe's POV
Harriet had been pushing herself relentlessly lately, all because she wanted that guaranteed admission to Clearwater University. She genuinely liked me and dreamed of becoming my classmate since I was already enrolled there.
When Harriet earned the highest score in her school, she was thrilled, convinced the guaranteed spot would be hers. Instead, she discovered someone else had been awarded the position.
What Harriet couldn't grasp was that the classmate recommended to Clearwater University barely ranked in the top hundred of their entire grade. No matter how anyone analyzed it, that student shouldn't have received the recommendation.
The situation became even more devastating when Harriet gathered enough courage to confront Ariel for an explanation. Ariel humiliated her publicly before the entire class, making cruel comments about Harriet's family circumstances and suggesting she'd likely drop out of Clearwater University due to the steep tuition costs anyway.
