A Slap To The Face

Paula's eyes widened when she noticed Matthias standing there. She gasped and tried to cover herself, but the damage was done. 

Rafael turned his head lazily, looking completely unbothered by the intrusion. He glared because Paula pushed him off.

"What Paula? You stopped because of the dumb delivery guy from school?" Rafael Vicenzo scoffed. He was wondering why Paula acted the way she just did.

"Don't tell me you don't know this pauper who delivers news papers and stuff around the school for 1 dollar," Rafael said, sincerely trying to describe Matthias to Paula, not knowing she was his girlfriend and knew Matthias better than he did.

"Well, my girlfriend is the shy type, so if you don't mind, take this and get your stinking self out of my mansion," Rafael said. 

All the while, Matthias was still standing there staring at his girlfriend in disbelief. Paula was embarrassed and couldn't stare back.

"At least you delivered the condoms right on time," Rafael said with a smirk, reaching into his wallet and throwing a two dollar bill at Matthias' feet.

"Come, hurry up, pick it up and leave," Rafael Vicenzo said arrogantly as he saw that Matthias was still frozen and acting shocked, looking at Paula despite being paid already.

Matthias's mind raced, struggling to process what he was seeing. 

"Paula?" he managed to choke out, his voice trembling in anguish.

Paula's face turned red with embarrassment. "Matthias, I... I can explain," she stammered, trying to gather the sheets around her.

Rafael chuckled, his arrogance on full display as he turned to Paula.

"Explain? What's there to explain, Paula? He's just a delivery boy, right? Why do you have to explain to him because he saw you in bed with your boyfriend?" Rafael Vicenzo scoffed, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Boy friend?" Matthias said, shocked to his bones. He just realized that this wasn't just a one-time thing but Paula was in a relationship with the popular millionaire's son.

Matthias stood there, his fists clenching as he watched Paula get up from the bed. "How could you betray me like this?" he demanded. "I can't believe you’re so shameless as to cheat on me like that."

Paula's expression quickly shifted from one of remorse to one of anger. At that point, she had to make a choice, and there was no way in hell she'd stand by the pauper who can barely take care of himself.

"How dare you call me shameless!" she snapped. She took a moment to glance at Matthias' worn-out and torn clothes, her eyes throwing daggers at everything attached to him. 

Matthias was a handsome young man, but in those clothes, anyone wouldn't look at him twice—except for Paula, who had dated him for five months now.

Rafael interrupted, "Wait a minute. Why are you even exchanging words with a poverty-stricken delivery guy like him?" He turned to Paula. "Do you know him more than just a delivery guy?"

Before Paula could answer, Matthias stepped forward, his heart pounding.

"Paula is my girlfriend," he said through clenched teeth. "We've been together for five months now."

Rafael burst into laughter. "Did you hear what the church rat just said?" he asked Paula.

Paula closed the gap between herself and Matthias, and Without warning, she slapped Matthias in the face. Matthias raised his head, his eyes reddening in disbelief and anger.

Paula's voice was cold. "Look at your disgusting self," she said, her words biting. Matthias glanced down at his clothes. These had always been the clothes he wore, even while dating Paula, and she had never complained before.

Paula continued, "How could you ever, in your wildest dreams, think a girl as beautiful and expensive as me would be with a miserable beggar from the slums like you?"

Matthias fumed with rage, struggling to hold himself back from hitting her. Her words cut deep, each one a stab to his pride. Rafael stood there, arms folded across his chest, a smile playing on his lips as he watched the exchange.

"You know what, Paula?" Matthias said through his clenched teeth, "I thought you were different. I thought you saw me for who I am, not for what I have."

Paula sneered. "Well, you thought wrong. You're nothing but a poor delivery boy, a beggar, and that's all you'll ever be to me."

Matthias stood his ground, his voice was still steady despite the pain swirling inside. 

"I am not a beggar, Paula," he said. "I might be struggling, but I have a job even as a student just to make ends meet. I work hard."

Paula huffed dismissively. Before she could counter, Rafael walked up from behind her, grabbed her waist romantically, and placed a kiss on her cheek. He raised his head to look at Matthias, whose eyes burned with rage at the sight.

Rafael smirked. "You’re right, Matthias. You’re not a beggar; you’re a worker. That explains how you delivered condoms to me to use on the girl you call your girlfriend, just to earn two dollars."

"You should be ashamed of yourself and the life you live. Yet, here you are, still claiming Paula as yours," Rafael said in mockery.

Matthias felt humiliation wash over him. What Rafael said was painfully true. Because of money, he had unknowingly delivered condoms to the man his girlfriend was cheating with. 

He looked Rafael in the eye. "Why don’t you ask Paula why she denied another man she claimed to love just yesterday to be with you? I am proud of who I am, despite my struggles."

Paula cut into my statement, with her icy tone. "Isn't it obvious? I never was dating you in the first place. I kept you close to run all those free errands for me."

"Remember how you’d quickly use your that wretched bicycle of yours to get things for me around school? No one in her right senses would want to lose a free errand boy," Paula added, a salt to the open wound she already created.

"I’m grateful for all the free errands and deliveries you did, but I’d never take the insult of being called a girlfriend to a man like you who can barely even feed himself."

Matthias’ head hung heavy with the weight of her words. He clenched his fists, feeling both anger and sorrow. The betrayal was deep, but he refused to let it break him.

As Matthias stood there, he realized it all. Paula had been using him all along. It explained why she never even agreed to share a kiss with him in private, let alone in public. 

He recalled the times she asked him to wait behind the lecture hall where she would only agree to meet him.

The memory of the day he brought her ice cream, which he had bought with his hard-earned money, stung the most. She had pushed him behind a tree to hide him from her approaching friends, later claiming she didn’t want them to steal him because he was so handsome. All lies. She was just embarrassed of him.

Lost in these painful memories, Matthias was snapped back to reality by Paula’s voice.

"You need to get out of my boyfriend’s room," she said angrily. 

"We wouldn’t want you to leave a permanent stink in the air after you leave." She covered her nose. "Those shoes you’re wearing have served you for two years now, and they look like they were picked from the garbage because that’s where they belong."

Matthias clenched his teeth in anger. Rafael chimed in, "If you don’t mind, you need to leave. Paula’s right, those shoes are awful. If you’re not man enough to finally throw them away and get a new pair, then you should mind where you go with them."

Fuming, Matthias could no longer hold back his rage. He threw a brutal punch at Rafael's nose, blood spurting instantly as Rafael staggered backwards in pain.

Paula rushed to Rafael’s side.

"Babe, are you all right?" She asked, tending to his broken nose. He shrugged out of Paula's grasp, charging towards Matthias, but Paula held him back, whispering to him...

"There's a better way to deal with someone like this, babe..."

Unable to control his anger, Matthias turned to leave, his heart wrenching with pain. Just as he was about to cross the door's threshold, Paula spoke again.

"Remember, you were never meant to step into a mansion like this. The only reason you got to see such a beautiful sight is because you’re a delivery guy."

Matthias froze, then turned around to face her. Paula continued, "Rafael Vicenzo is every woman’s dream. He’s handsome, rich, and his father is a millionaire. There’s no chance in hell I’d ever think of settling for an endless poverty cycle with you."

Matthias clenched his fists. "I’m going to work harder and make money," he declared with a calm voice. "One day, I’ll have a better house than this."

Paula burst into laughter, covering her mouth. "Do you think earning one dollar per day will get you a house?"

Matthias didn’t flinch. He met her mocking gaze with confidence, "It’s not about how much I make now. You’ll see."

Paula rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming, Matthias. But remember, dreams don’t change reality."

Rafael, holding a bloodied nose added, "Get out before I call security. You’re not welcome here."

Matthias took one look at the extravagant room, then turned and walked out with his heart breaking and the humiliation weighing on his head like a rock.

"Don't let yourself die of hunger because of your pride, come back and pick up the money or I'll take it back and you'll starve tonight!" Paula shouted to Matthias, pointing at the 2 dollar delivery f*e on the floor.

He kept walking away, ignoring her talks.

"Baby, make sure he didn't take anything from your room to sell it off. I know how desperate a poor boy like him can be. He can do anything just to get his dinner settled," Paula said to Rafael. 

Matthias heard all she said, but he refused to turn back and exchange words with her again.