Chapter 2

Someone knocked on the door. "Chloe, you're not asleep yet, are you?"

It was my mom.

Her voice was soft, but I could still hear the urgency behind it through the door. "Ryan's mom called me. She said you haven't replied to her messages. Did you finish your application?"

I glanced at the countdown. It was 11:58 PM.

The mouse hovered over the confirm button.

The doorknob rattled.

Mom realized the door was locked, and her tone sharpened. "Chloe, open the door."

I didn't move.

She knocked again, louder this time. "Are you being difficult again? I'm telling you, Riverdale University is a great school. Girls shouldn't go so far from home."

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

Ryan: [Don't scare me.]

Sophie: [Babe, what's wrong? Don't make your parents worry.]

I stared at the confirm button.

My finger pressed down.

[Submission successful] popped up on the screen.

It was 11:59 PM.

I leaned back in my chair, my back drenched in sweat.

Outside the door, Mom's knocking paused for a moment.

She asked, "You applied to Riverdale University, right?"

I stood up and opened the door.

Mom was in her pajamas, her hair a mess, clutching her phone, Helen's call log still glowing on the screen.

I looked at her and said, "No."

Her expression shifted. "Then where did you apply?"

I held up my phone for her to see.

It was Kingsburg Institute of Aeronautics.

Mom stared at the screen, her lips trembling. The next second, she reached for my phone.

I took a half-step back.

Her hand closed on empty air.

"Chloe, are you crazy?" she snapped.

My dad walked over from the living room, his brows furrowed into a knot. "What's all the noise about at this hour?"

Mom pushed the phone in his face. "She changed her application. She applied to Kingsburg Institute of Aeronautics."

The sleepiness vanished from Dad's face.

He looked at me; his voice went cold. "Change it back."

I said, "It's already past the deadline."

The living room fell silent for a moment.

The clock on the wall ticked.

Mom suddenly shrieked, "Are you doing this on purpose? Do you have to go against us?"

I looked at her, remembering what my future self said in the video. "Your mom says, 'She's soft-hearted. A little coaxing and she will get over it.'"

I said, "Why can't I go to Kingsburg?"

Dad's face darkened. "Riverdale University isn't bad."

"It's not bad." I put my phone in my pocket, my palm still burning. "But it's not where I belong."

Mom's eyes reddened. She clutched her chest and sat down on the sofa. "You think you're all grown up now? So this is how you repay me after all these years?"

I used to panic, crouch to comfort her, and swallow all my feelings.

This time, I stood my ground.

Ryan's call came in.

I hung up with them watching.

He called again.

I hung up again.

The third time, I picked up.

Ryan's voice burst out of the phone. "Chloe, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you to apply to Riverdale University?"

My parents stared at me.

I put him on speaker. "I applied to Kingsburg Institute of Aeronautics."

He went silent for a moment.

Ryan lowered his voice. "Stop playing games. Change it before the system closes."

I said, "It's already closed."

I heard something crash on his end.

Sophie spoke softly. "Ryan, what's wrong?"

Mom's face stiffened.

Ryan quickly said, "It's nothing."

I gripped my phone tighter. "Is Sophie with you?"

The line went dead quiet.

After a couple of seconds, Ryan said, "She came to ask about the application. Don't get the wrong idea."

I laughed. "Ryan, I'm only asking once. When did you and her start?"

Mom stood up from the sofa. "Chloe, what nonsense are you talking about?"

I looked at her. "Mom, why are you so nervous?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Ryan's voice turned cold. "You're acting strange today."

"You're pretty good at pretending," I said.

I hung up and blocked him.

Sophie sent a message: [Chloe, you misunderstood. Ryan and I are only friends.]

I opened the input box and typed: [Hope you two are locked together for life.]

I sent the message, then blocked her.

Mom rushed at me, hand raised to slap me.

I caught her wrist.

She froze.

I'd never done that before.

I said, "Don't bring up how you raised me every time. You're living in the house Grandma left me.

"You used my scholarship money to buy Ethan a computer. And now you want to trap me in Riverdale."

Mom's lips went pale. "Who told you all this nonsense?"

I let go of her wrist. "You said it yourselves."

I turned around, went back to my room, closed the door, and locked it.

Outside, Dad's voice was heavy as stone. "Chloe, come out tomorrow morning. We need to talk."

I slid down to sit against the door, my phone screen black, my face reflected in it.

I was eighteen years old. My eyes were red, my lips pale.

Talking about what? About how to trick me into coming back?

Outside, the night pressed down on the buildings. In the distance, someone set off the last string of firecrackers, and the smell of gunpowder drifted in.

I opened my notes app and wrote down every word my future self had said. [Lottery, house, stock, application, Ryan, Sophie, Dad, and Mom.]

By the time I finished, my hand wasn't shaking anymore.

Before dawn, Ryan messaged me from a new number. [Chloe, let's meet. You can't deny me the chance to explain.]

I looked at his message and deleted it.

Explaining? I had already heard every explanation I'd get for the next ten years. Every single one was crap.