'Yolanda?' The surprise was unmistakable in the voice of her roommate when she saw her walk through the doors of their extravagantly decorated room which looked more like a luxurious hotel room than a student's dorm room.

'Hey Betty,' Yolanda greeted the tall and slender girl with long, dark hair and striking features standing at the study table holding a book.

She had a distinctive look with high cheekbones, full lips, and a warm smile.

Kicking off her stilettos, she walked over to her bed, flopped onto the soft mattress, and crossed her arms over her chest while shaking one of her legs impatiently.

'Why are you back so early?' Sofia, her other roommate, asked looking up from her laptop. 'I thought we wouldn't be seeing you till morning?'

Sofia was a stunning and striking beauty with a height of 5 '5' curvaceous and toned figure. She has a unique look, with a dark complexion, chiseled features, and piercing eyes.

'Mxxxtch. Can you believe that idiot Gershom? He just ruined my night. I think my mood is ruined for the whole week.'

Curious, the voluptuous second-year media and mass communications student Sofia moved from her bed and slumped on Yolanda's bed. 'What happened?'

Reaching into her bag, Yolanda pulled out the four thousand dollars and threw it on the bed next to Sofia.

'This doesn't look like 5k. That bastard, what excuse did he give this time?"

Yolanda animatedly narrated to her friends what had transpired with her date. The girls couldn't hold back their laughter by the time she finished narrating the state she had left him in.

'He's such a miser,' Sofia said, rubbing her friend's shoulder.' He is lucky he was with you because if I were you, I wouldn't have bothered to inform the front desk. I would have gagged him, and then called his wife on him the next morning.'

''You are too cruel.' Yolanda chuckled despite her gloomy mood.

'Sorry girlfriend,' Betty said, going back to her study desk.' But I did warn you the last time he gave you that flimsy excuse. Let them off once and he will do it again and again until it becomes a habit. What are you going to do now?'

'Take a shower and wash his scent off me.' Yolanda stood up and began to shed her clothes. 'Did you leave any food for me?'

'Sorry girlfriend,' Betty replied, nodding towards the two crushed Hungry Lion packs and bottles of Coca-Cola in the bin near the door.

The three never cooked or ate from the school's canteen; they either ate out or ordered their meals. In the corner of the room was an upright fridge with an array of expensive alcoholic drinks rather than food.

'We thought you weren't coming so we only bought enough for two. If you are really hungry, I could ask the girls in the next room if they cooked something.'

'Forget it. I'm not all that hungry.' Usually, when they went out with Gershom, they would order room service once they had depleted their energy in their steamy trysts.

'Sure?' Sofia asked worriedly.

'I'm too upset to stomach any food. I will take a shower and head to bed.'

'Don't be too upset, I'm sure after today, Gershom will think twice before trying to make a fool of you. If he acts out and decides to break up with you, no worries, you are a pretty girl. It shouldn't be so hard for you to catch the eye of another wealthy man.'

'Well, I need to find someone new fast because my finances are dwindling. I still have to pay Benson for the two assignments that are due next week.'

Betty chuckled.' Why do you trouble yourself with paying the guy? You know he fancies you. Just do the needful.'

“Needful? Are you for real? Take a good look at me. All this,” she said and ran down her curvy body. “ This body and this face were made to be worshiped by real men, not some broke and poverty-stricken college student who can not offer me anything apart from love and romance. I cannot intentionally drag myself into poverty. Romance and love will not pay my bills.”

Even though the said student Benson was very handsome and almost all the girls 'dream guy' and crush on campus, Yolanda was very decisive in her decision.

She had long ago decided to never date a student or civil servant or anyone who depended on his salary to make a living. Yolanda had told herself since she was young she wasn't born to suffer. Stuck all day in the kitchen sweating behind the stove?

Nope, that wasn't a life for her. She was born to live the life of a queen. She needed a man with an endless supply of money. For now, she sighed sadly she was stuck with Gershom.

Though he didn't have an endless supply of money, at least he provided for her plenty. She hadn't lacked much since she met him. He paid for her fees and footed her bills.

'Who says it's for the long term? At least you will not have to worry about your assignments in the future. That's a good two hundred dollars served on each assignment,' the short and skinny Betty replied.

‘Girlfriend Betty is right. Why waste money when you can just sail through UNI hassle-free? You should make the first move. Once he's all wrapped around your little finger, we won't have to worry about money for those assignments.'

"Speaking of which," Betty chirped happily waving her phone in front of Yolanda, “How about you strike now? Look. The third years have a basketball faceoff over the weekend. I'm sure Benson would love to see you there.”

Sofia nodded in agreement. 'And besides, you'll have enough money to pay for your bills and still have some left for shopping and pampering yourself.'

'I know, I know,' Yolanda said, grabbing her shower caddy and heading for the bathroom. 'I'll think about it.'

Once she had closed the bathroom door, Betty and Sofia exchanged glances.

'Do you think she'll do it?' Betty asked.

'Probably not,' Sofia replied with a shrug. 'Yolanda is too proud to use someone like that. She only goes for the rich guys who can afford to spoil her.'

'Well, she doesn't have much of a choice right now,' Betty pointed out. 'Her finances are running low, and she has to pay for those assignments. She's smart, she'll figure it out.'

Sofia nodded. 'I hope so. I don't like the thought of her being with Gershom. He's a total jerk, and he's only using her for her body.'

'I know,' Betty agreed. 'But we can't force her to do anything. She has to make her own choices and learn from her mistakes. All we can do is be there for her when she needs us.'

As they chatted, Yolanda washed away the memories of her night with Gershom and tried to clear her mind of all the negative thoughts. She had always been confident and independent, but lately, she was starting to feel the weight of her choices.

Maybe it was time to reevaluate her priorities and consider other options. She may not like the idea of using someone like Benson, but it was better than being stuck with a guy like Gershom.

Yolanda stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, and returned to her room.

'Feel better?' Sofia asked as Yolanda crawled into bed.

'A little,' Yolanda replied with a shrug. 'I just need to figure things out. I'm tired of being used by these guys.'

'Well, we're here for you,' Betty said, giving her a comforting smile. 'Just remember that you're worth more than all the money in the world. You deserve someone who will treat you right and love you for who you are.'

'Thanks, guys,' Yolanda said with a small smile. 'I appreciate it.'

As she drifted off to sleep, she felt grateful for having such amazing friends by her side. She just hoped that she could find the courage to make the right decisions for her future.

~•~•~•~•~