Chapter 2

I didn't barge in to expose them. I hurried away.

If I hadn't skipped waiting for Alex this morning, I probably wouldn't have found out about him and Emily until after college.

Since what happened between Alex and Emily was real, that means everything the future me said in that video call was real too.

A wave of excitement hit me. These life-changing opportunities were right in front of me, way ahead of schedule.

No wonder the future me said Alex didn't matter at all.

Compared to everything I was about to achieve, he really was nothing but a tiny blip in my life.

I got my emotions in check, took my seat, and started digging into the collection of mistakes I'd sorted out last night.

When the bell signaling the end of first period finally rang, only then did those familiar footsteps echo from the back door.

Alex and Emily walked into the classroom one after the other, their lips still swollen and red.

Alex came over to my desk and set down a cup of warm soy milk, my usual.

It was the same one I'd had every morning for the past three years.

He frowned, with obvious annoyance and a hint of resentment on his face.

"You didn't come to wake me up, so I got up way too late and almost missed class. Do you know how close I was to being late?"

I flipped through my mistakes notebook, not even bothering to look up as I replied. "The SAT's almost here.

"Who has the free time to wait for you every single day? I didn't wait for you today, and I won't be waiting for you ever again.

"If you don't have anything else to say, stop hovering around and let me study in peace."

Alex was taken aback, like he'd never seen me act so indifferent toward him.

He rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed, and finally retreated to his own seat.

After that day, Alex and I barely talked to each other.

Alex figured I was making a scene and embarrassing him in front of everyone on purpose, so he decided to freeze me out for a while, waiting for me to apologize first.

Honestly, I wasn't even bothered with giving him the cold shoulder.

Fate had left me with so little time. I had no time to waste on his nonsense.

I poured all my time and energy into cracking that tricky math section.

With what little time I had left, I was determined to cram every problem I could find, making sure I didn't miss a single thing.

A week flew by in the blink of an eye.

Right before the SAT, Alex did something totally out of character. He actually came over to make peace with me. "Jojo, I know I messed up before. Can we stop giving each other the silent treatment?

"After the SAT, let's go on a trip together. You've always wanted to see the ocean, right? How about we hit the beach in Caldwell Bay?

"I've already got everything planned out. You're gonna love it."

I looked up at him, surprised. My reaction must've been pretty obvious.

He stopped talking about his travel plans, shifted awkwardly, and asked, "What's wrong? You don't want to go to Caldwell Bay? We can go somewhere else to see the ocean."

I couldn't help but ask him, "Seriously? While everyone else is cramming for the SAT, trying to squeeze out every last point, you're busy making travel plans instead?"

Alex's smile froze on his face. He pressed his lips together and went quiet.

I didn't even spare him a glance. I busied myself double-checking my exam supplies and fiddling with my watch, totally focused. "Focus on the test, okay? Quit wasting your energy on all those pointless things."

I seriously couldn't believe how clueless I'd been. What was I thinking, making a promise to go to college with him?

A guy like Alex? As if he could ever make it to the same university as me.

With that, I walked straight into the exam hall without looking back.

My future was dazzling ahead of me, and I wasn't about to stop for anyone, ever.

After three grueling days of the SAT, I was sure I'd nailed it, every subject, every question.

All that tension finally melted away.

I went home and crashed for a solid sleep.

When I woke up, I sat there with my notebook in hand, lost in thought about what came next.

The future me said FlyTech was a dark horse, and in a year, its stock price would shoot up 50 times.

I knew nothing about trading stocks, so I started learning the ropes myself.

I pulled up FlyTech's stock info on my laptop and saw it was sitting at 4. It really was at its all-time low.

I pulled open my desk drawer and took out my bank card.

That card held all the money I'd saved up since I was a kid, allowances and scholarships, totaling 70 thousand.

That was every last cent I had as a regular student.

If I put all of it into FlyTech, in a year I could make my first 3.3 million.

My hand holding the mouse started to shake uncontrollably.

's'3.3 million. That was more money than I've ever even dreamed of seeing in my entire life,' I thought.

I even considered asking my parents for more money to put into the stock market, to maximize my profits, but there was no way I could prove I'd received a video call from my future self, 10 years ahead.

They'd probably think I was imagining things, and I ended up missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

It was better to stick to what I could control. 3.3 million was more than enough for everything I planned for the future.

I grabbed my bank card and ID from the drawer, downloaded the Stock Trading App on my phone, and set up my account after verifying my identity.

I used every last cent of the 70 thousand on my bank card to buy FlyTech stock.

With that done, the huge weight I'd been carrying ever since that call finally lifted from my heart.

After I finished everything, I logged out of the Stock Trading App and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Then, the class WhatsApp group, which had been quiet forever, suddenly started blowing up with notifications.

I opened it and saw everyone was buzzing about the post-SAT class party.

The class president was calling everyone to join in.

After all, we'd spent three years together. It really felt like fate brought us all here.

Once the SAT was over, everyone would head off in different directions, and who knew when or where we'd ever meet again.

Seeing all the excitement and chatter in the group chat, I felt a sudden emptiness inside, a sense of loss I couldn't shake.

Still, I didn't make a fuss or skip out. I went along with the sign-up, half-heartedly adding my name to the list.