Chapter 1
Ten minutes before the college application deadline, my phone lit up on its own.
On the screen, my thirty-year-old self sat in a hospital hallway, an IV needle in the back of her hand, her eyes bloodshot.
She said, "Don't apply to Riverdale University.
"Ryan never planned to marry you. He and Sophie have been together since senior year of high school.
"Your parents, your closest friend, your teacher all know. You're the only one who doesn't.
"Buy a lottery ticket from the eighth machine on Nontown Road. Don't sell the house. The demolition boundary will change on July 3rd. Open an account in September and buy HorizonTech stock. Hold onto it."
At the end of the video, she looked at me, her voice hoarse and trembling. "Chloe, don't throw your whole life away for a liar."
The phone screen went black.
Six minutes left on the countdown.
A message from Ryan popped up. [Chloe, apply to Riverdale University. We promised we'd be together.]
My hand on the mouse paused for a second. I deleted Riverdale University and entered Kingsburg Institute of Aeronautics.
This time, I wouldn't look back.
*****
In the bottom right corner of the computer screen, the countdown ticked away, second by second.
It was 11:54 PM.
I was the only one left in the dorm. The fan blades squeaked as they turned, and the hot air blew against my face, sticky and suffocating.
I stared at the college application page. The first-choice box already had Riverdale University entered.
Ryan Goodwin picked it for me.
He said Riverdale University was close to him. He'd be a finance major, and I'd be an education major. We could eat together, hang out in the library, and after graduation, buy a house in Riverdale.
He sounded so sincere that I believed every word.
As I was about to click submit, my phone suddenly heated up.
It wasn't a message notification or an incoming call.
The screen lit up on its own, and white letters popped up against a black screen. [Connecting to future video.]
My fingers froze.
The next second, the video opened.
The person on the screen was wearing a hospital gown. Her hair was cut to her shoulders, and her face was gaunt, with protruding cheekbones, cracked lips, tape on the back of her left hand, and the IV tube glinting coldly under the light.
She looked up and stared at the camera.
I knew those eyes too well.
It was me, not my eighteen-year-old self, but years down the line.
My throat felt clogged with cotton. I wanted to shout, but my voice was stuck.
The future me on the screen spoke first. "Chloe, listen to me. Time is running out."
Her voice was hoarse, each word landing heavy. "Don't apply to Riverdale University. Ryan's been lying to you."
My fingertips went cold.
She continued, "He and Sophie have been together since the first semester of senior year. The day you brought him breakfast, he immediately gave it to Sophie.
"You helped him organize his competition entry, and he put Sophie's name on it instead.
"You gave up Kingsburg Institute of Aeronautics for him, and on the very first day at Riverdale University, he brought Sophie to meet his friends and introduced you as a high school classmate."
I stared at the screen, the only sound the squeaking fan.
Sophie Hayes was my best friend.
She went stationery shopping with me, helped me take graduation photos, and when I fought with Ryan, she sat by my bed, held my arm, and said, "Chloe, boys are careless. Don't take it too hard."
The future me on the screen coughed, her chest rising and falling, her face paler. "And your parents know, too."
My eyelid twitched hard.
She continued, "They know the Goodwin family is going to invest in Sophie's family. They know you're applying to Riverdale University because it's close to home, so you can keep looking after Ethan.
"Your mom says, 'She's soft-hearted. A little coaxing and she will get over it.'
"Your dad says, 'Why should a girl go so far away for school? It's more secure to marry someone close by.'"
Cold sweat broke out on my palms, and the mouse slipped in my hand.
Footsteps sounded on the screen. My future self glanced back, her eyes filled with barely contained urgency.
She said, "Listen carefully. Go buy a lottery ticket. Tomorrow at 3:27 PM, at the Nontown Road lottery station, use the eighth machine. Pick five random tickets. The third one will win.
"And the house your grandma left you on Anwina Road? No matter who tries to talk you into it, don't sell it. On July 3rd, the new district boundary will be redrawn, and that area will be demolished.
"After you turn eighteen in September, have your uncle help you open an account. Use part of the demolition money to buy HorizonTech stock. Don't touch it before October 27th.
"This is your only chance. Once this video ends, I won't appear again."
She suddenly leaned in close to the camera, her eyes frighteningly red. "Chloe, don't ask them why.
"If you do, they'll say you're being unreasonable. If you cry, they'll wait for you to give in.
"Change your application now."
Someone dragged a suitcase down the hallway outside, the wheels rumbling over the tiles.
I looked at myself on the screen. Her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she were holding on with her last breath.
She said, "Ryan will message you to hurry you up. He's afraid you'll run."
A message popped up at the top of my phone.
Ryan: [Chloe, are you done? Submit it already. Stop dragging your feet.]
Another message came right after.
Sophie: [Babe, Ryan says he's so nervous. You two are going to be Riverdale University's campus couple now. I'm already rooting for you guys.]
The future me on the screen smiled, her lips split. "See?"
I didn't say anything.
My nails dug into my palm, the pain making my vision blur.
My future self's voice dropped. "I saw it, too, back then. I thought they loved me. I submitted to Riverdale University.
"Later, Ryan asked me to help him start a business. I sold my grandma's house and put the money into his company.
"Sophie married him. I became a high school acquaintance of theirs. Don't go down my path."
The video flickered.
Someone shouted in the distance, "Bed 37, where's the family?"
My future self looked up, something breaking in her eyes.
She looked back at the camera, her voice tight. "I have no family. So you need to have one.
"You need money, a school, and the guts to stand on your own, never needing to beg anyone.
"You need to make them watch you live a life they could never touch, no matter how hard they beg."
The screen flashed violently.
I reached out to touch the screen, but my fingertips only met a wave of heat.
She said one last thing. "Even a second of hesitation is enough."
The screen went black.
It was 11:56 PM.
Four minutes left on the countdown.
A voice message from Ryan popped up.
I tapped to play it.
His voice was cheerful. "Chloe, my parents already know you're coming to Riverdale University. I've picked out a place for us to rent. Don't back out now, okay?"
I stared at Riverdale University on the screen.
My eyes burned, but no tears came.
I wanted to call Mom, my finger hovering over her name in my contacts.
The next second, I exited WhatsApp and pulled up the application page.
I hit the delete button.
The words of Riverdale University vanished from the screen.
It read: [First choice: Kingsburg Institute of Aeronautics.
[Major: Information Engineering.
[Second choice: Northood Institute of Technology.
[Third choice: Southwin Tech University.]
I clicked save.
A system pop-up appeared: [Are you sure you want to submit?]