Chapter 1
When the SATs came out, the school belle, Corine Hobson, failed to score high enough and could only attend the worst vocational college.
My childhood friend, Jared Westbrook, called on our entire class to apply for vocational colleges together, planning to go to Isadore University admissions office to negotiate, demanding they make an exception and admit Corine.
The state's top 30 students all posted screenshots of their vocational college applications.
In my previous life, I tried again and again to stop them.
The application deadline was tomorrow. Once it passed, choices became final and could not change. If they collectively applied to vocational colleges as a threat, even as the state's top 30 students, they would lose their chance to revise their admissions.
Their decade-long dreams of studying at an elite university would collapse. Their futures would become uncertain.
Jared exploded in anger and shouted at me, "You're just afraid Corine will get into Isadore University and outshine you. Stop pretending you care about us."
The top students sneered at me and mocked me openly. "It's just the SATs. With our abilities, we can repeat a year and still get into Isadore University. Who asked you to meddle?"
Thinking of our three years as classmates, I reported the situation to the school and to their parents overnight. I reversed their applications and stopped them from threatening the admissions office.
They entered Isadore University as they wished, received the best resources in every field, and held limitless futures.
Corine, however, became pregnant after harassment at a vocational college. Her body and mind broke down. She developed depression and attempted suicide several times.
After Jared learned the truth, he was devastated and blamed everything on me.
He united the entire class to fabricate evidence of academic fraud against me. He also poisoned my water cup.
Even my parents died after a mentally ill person set fire to their home.
Now that I'd returned back in time, when I saw Jared rename the class group chat to "Charging Into Vocational College for Love," I left the group without hesitation and blocked every single one of them.
*****
As I lay dying from the poison, Corine Hobson dragged reporters to my bedside, putting on a dramatic show of tears.
She sobbed, "Back then, the whole class was willing to give up Isadore University for me, but Melissa just had to snitch, ruined my chances, and forced me into a vocational college.
"In high school, Melissa was always bullying me. She thought I was dumb, and every time I asked her for help, she'd act all superior and humiliate me, saying I should just drop out and get married."
"After I went to vocational college, she was jealous that Jared liked me, so she set me up to be assaulted by some thugs.
"But no matter what, we were classmates after all. When I heard she was poisoned, it still broke my heart."
Her pitiful, tear-streaked face had the whole internet eating out of her hand, setting off a fevered discussion online: which is more important, character or a diploma?
Our classmates rushed to defend her, swearing she was actually a straight-A student, that she just "accidentally" ate something bad before the SATs, got sick, and totally flunked the tests, which was the only reason she ended up at a vocational college.
The education department pulled an all-nighter and bent the rules, fast-tracking Corine straight into Isadore University.
Jared Westbrook even dropped to one knee and proposed to her in front of everyone. Their love story was so dramatic, the whole internet was gushing over them.
Meanwhile, some psycho broke into my parents' house, broke their legs, and left them to burn alive.
As my parents pounded on the locked door, begging for help as the fire raged, Jared stood outside with his arm around Corine.
Jared yelled, "If your daughter hadn't ratted us out, we would've been together ages ago. Corine wouldn't have had to suffer all these years because of that jealous witch Melissa."
"Corine and I should've been at Isadore together, but we were kept apart all this time because of your daughter. This is payback for what she did."
My ghost screamed in the void, crying bloody tears in fury, but nobody knew.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw my phone blowing up with 99+ messages in the class group chat.
[Melissa, Jared wanted us all to put down vocational college on our applications so we could pressure Isadore University into letting Corine in. It's not like we were actually going to go there. Why are you butting in?]
[Besides, even if we wanted to choose a vocational college, what's it to you?]
[Seriously, don't you get it? Melissa is just jealous that Corine's the school belle and Jared likes her. She's trying to start some girl rivalry. So cringe.]
I bit down hard on my lip, tasting blood.
That was when I realized I had gone back in time, to the day before the college application deadline closed.
I quit the group chat in a heartbeat, my hands trembling with a mix of excitement and nerves.
Our class was legendary, having thirty top scorers in the state.
But now, all for Corine, the art class's belle, they were about to apply to the same no-name vocational college.