Chapter 4

Everything went quiet on the path, and all I could hear was the streetlights buzzing.

Jason turned to look at me.

He was so much taller than I that I had to crane my neck to see his face. The streetlight behind him cast a warm yellow glow around his silhouette.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I shook my head and took a step back, putting some distance between us.

"Thanks," I said. "I'm fine. I'll get going now."

As I turned to leave, he stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

"Emily," he called my name. "Why do you keep avoiding me?"

I was stunned. Why did he know my name?

In my previous life, I only met him after I met Sophie. But Sophie hadn't appeared yet, so how did he already know my name?

"I..." With a frown, I looked at him.

He seemed to notice my confusion, and the corner of his mouth curled up in that familiar way, a look I knew all too well. Every time he smiled like that in my previous life, my heart would skip a beat.

"Your student ID," he said. "I saw it when you dropped it last time."

That explained it.

"I'm not avoiding you," I said. "I'm busy."

"Every time you see me, you turn and walk away," he said, giving me a scrutinizing look. "Isn't that basically avoiding me?"

I paused for a moment.

"Jason," I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible, "we don't know each other. Why would I avoid you? You're reading too much into it."

With that, I walked around him and hurried off.

This time, he didn't come after me. But I could still feel his gaze lingering on my back, following me until I turned the corner and slipped out of sight.

That night, I couldn't sleep.

I lay in bed, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above me, my mind a tangled mess.

Something was off.

In my previous life, the first time I ever met Jason was at Sophie's birthday party.

By then, Sophie and I had already been friends for half a year. She brought me along to her party and introduced me to Jason there.

It was only after that that I started chasing Jason.

But this time, Sophie hadn't shown up yet, and Jason already had his eyes on me.

This was nothing like my previous life.

Was it because I changed how I acted? Maybe my avoiding him made him pay more attention to me?

Or maybe coming back to life had already messed with how things were supposed to go?

I didn't know.

All I knew for sure was that, no matter why Jason was paying attention to me, I had to stay as far away from him as possible.

Wasn't the lesson from my previous life harsh enough?

I pulled the blanket over my head and forced myself to close my eyes.

I told myself that starting tomorrow, I'd make sure to avoid him more.

*****

When I thought I'd managed to dodge all the pitfalls from my previous life, Sophie showed up.

It was the third day of the O-Week. The September sun was scorching, and we were standing on the field, sweat streaming down our foreheads. Our clothes were soaked and sticking to our skin. It was pure misery.

Next to me stood a girl. She was short, with perfect skin and eyes that crinkled sweetly when she smiled. Her smile was impossibly sweet, like pure sugar.

In my previous life, it was that face that made me let down all my defenses.

"Hi, I'm Sophie Lane," she whispered while the instructor wasn't looking. "What's your name?"

I turned to look at her, and it felt like my heart took a direct hit.

Sophie showed up. It was the same as last time, same moment, same spot, and same words.

In my previous life, I would've given a shy smile and said, "I'm Emily Carter. Nice to meet you."

Then Sophie would enthusiastically grab my arm and say, "Emily, your name is so pretty. From now on, we're friends."

Like that, we'd become inseparable. She'd introduce me to Jason. And then everything would play out all over again.

This time, things were different.

I glanced at her and said flatly, "Emily."

I turned my head away and didn't say anything else. I also didn't smile or show any friendliness at all.

Sophie clearly hadn't expected that. She froze for a second, but wasn't ready to give up yet. She scooted closer. "Emily, are you in the literature department too? Who knows, maybe we're in the same class."

"Yeah."

"Where are you from? I'm from around here. If you want, I could take you out this weekend."

"No need." My tone was so icy that the girl standing next to us shot me a look.

Sophie's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and said, "Alright then, we'll chat some other time."

Once the activity was over, I went to fill up my water bottle, and Sophie trailed after me again.

"Emily, did I do something wrong?" she asked, walking beside me, sounding a little hurt. "Did I upset you somehow?"

I stopped and looked at her face.

She really did look so innocent with big eyes and a cute nose, and she liked to tilt her head when she talked, looking so pure and well-behaved.

In my previous life, I was fooled by that face.

"No," I said. "I'm not big on making friends."

"Well." Sophie gave a small nod, looking a little disappointed. "Alright then. I thought you seemed lonely, so I wanted to hang out with you."

"I'm not lonely."

I turned and walked away. After a few steps, I glanced back. Sophie was still standing there, watching me walk away, her expression complicated and hard to read.

It wasn't disappointment, and it wasn't feeling wronged either.

It was more like she wasn't ready to give up after being rejected.