Page 16 of Semantics

Stella took another sip of her wine because of thirst and proceeded, “When I was in college, I did a semester abroad in Amsterdam.”

“I’ve never been,” Amber shared.

“Great city. I really liked it. But there was this bitch of a girl named Violet in my program. She was one of those superrich kids who didn’t need to take a spot, but she did.”

“What do you mean?”

“I found out when I got there who the scholarship kids were, meaning the ones who couldn’t afford the program on their own, and she was one of them. She did not need a scholarship. We all formed this little scholarship group, and someone in it told me she’d gotten one, but Violet did not join the group because, of course, she didn’t.”

“Scholarships aren’t only given out to students in need of financial support,” Amber told her.

“Sorry?”

Stella hadn’t heard her because she was too busy letting the wine go to her head before she took another drink of the stuff.

“Scholarships can be awarded for a variety of reasons. Some are because a student is of a certain ethnicity and they applied. Some are because they wrote the best essay. Others are because of overall academic performance. It’s not always because of the money.”

“Yeah, but either way, Violet shouldn’t have taken the scholarship from someone who could have used that money and that spot.”

“Maybe not, but it can also be tricky. What if she won the spot because of her academic performance? Should she be penalized because she has money?”

Stella thought about that as she took another small bite from her pasta and replied, “She could’ve taken the spot but given the money to someone else.”

“Do you know that she didn’t do that?” Amber asked.

“No. She didn’t join our group or even talk to me, really, unless she was being a pain in the ass in one of the classes we shared.”

Stella finished her second glass of wine, and before she could tell Amber not to, Amber had refilled her glass.

“Well, I don’t know the situation, obviously…” Amber replied and then added, “So, I made dessert, and I promise, there’s no red pepper in that.” She chuckled. “Would you like to maybe not finish your pasta and just eat that instead?”

An hour later, Stella had nearly finished a bottle of wine on her own, and that was very much not like her. She’d have to unpack why she had felt the need to get tipsy on her second date with Amber later, but in the meantime, she’d decided to blame Violet and take an Uber home.

“Sorry. I promise, I don’t usually drink this much.”

“It’s my fault,” Amber said. “I meant to put water out on the table, but I got distracted when you arrived early.”

“Jen has been on my ass about not being late.”

Amber laughed a little and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay taking a car home? You can stay the night. I have a guest room.”

“No, I’m fine,” Stella replied. “I didn’t drive here anyway, so I don’t have to leave my car.”

“You didn’t drive?”

“No, not a big fan. I drive when I have to, obviously, but I take public transportation when I can. I took an Uber here because there’s no train or bus stop nearby.”

“I think the HOA would lobby against one of those popping up in their neighborhood. They’re the worst.”

“I should go. It’s pulling up now,” Stella said when she checked the app and noticed that her car was one minute away.

“Okay. Well, text me when you get home so that I know you’re all right.”

“I will. Thank you for dinner and a great evening. Sorry, I drank too much and rambled on about some girl who annoyed the shit out of me in college.”

“No problem,” Amber said and pulled open the front door. “Get home safe, Stella.”

“I will. Have a good night, Amber.”