Chapter 1
In my previous life, my roommate Madison discovered that college athletes could legally earn millions of dollars through NIL agreements.
So Madison posted a viral video on TikTok about manifesting her dream boyfriend.
Her manifesting list was epic. [Must be over 6'2", a D1 football quarterback, have a trust fund, a clean record, and drive a G-Wagon.]
I was terrified she'd ruin her reputation on a whim, or worse, end up as just a toy for those frat boys. I grabbed her phone in a panic, deleted the video, and spilled all the dirty secrets behind dating a star athlete.
Madison hesitated, but in the end, she listened to me.
However, a month later, a girl from another sorority did the same thing and scored the son of an NFL legend. She got engaged and even showed off a pink Porsche from his mom on Instagram.
Madison was so jealous that she lost it. That night, she stormed into my room, screaming at me.
She yelled, "If you hadn't been such a control freak, I'd be living in a mansion as a star athlete's wife right now! You ruined my life! You owe me!"
With that, she grabbed a box cutter and stabbed me over and over.
The cold blade sliced into my body, and I collapsed in a pool of blood.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I realized I was back on the day Madison was recording her "manifesting the dream boyfriend" video.
*****
A loud crash jerked me back to reality. I glanced around. A loud crash snapped me back to reality. I looked around and realized I was back in our sorority house.
The noise was coming from Madison, who had just hurled her thermos at my laptop. It hit dead center. Coffee splattered everywhere, the screen cracked, and smoke began to rise.
"Ugh, why do I have to take an 8 AM class? And now I have to join clubs just to get enough credits? Wasn't Ivy League supposed to mean freedom?" she grumbled.
"I busted my ass to get in here. If I'd known it'd be this exhausting, I would've just taken my parents' money and spent a whole gap year in Europe!"
As Madison ranted, Leah and Emma exchanged glances.
"Why not just snag the football team captain as your boyfriend?" Leah, applying her mascara, teased.
"With NIL deals, they're raking in more cash than most Wall Street analysts. He could 'help' you out with your professors. You know, a word from the coach and your transcript will look flawless."
My body was shaking. It was like I was reliving the exact same moment.
After listening to Leah, Madison was about to post that "dream boyfriend" video on TikTok and Instagram. In no time, it would blow up across TikTok.
I'd rush to tell her to delete it, warning her that going after athletes would make her a joke to the frat guys and mess up her socialite image. Besides, those top athletes were total players. They swapped girlfriends faster than they changed jerseys.
Madison would struggle with it for a while, but in the end, she'd decide to listen to me.
Then, another girl would copy her move, land the rich son of an NFL player, get engaged in no time, and score a luxury car.
When Madison found out, she'd storm into my room, grab a box cutter, and stab me over thirty times.
She'd scream, "This is all your fault! You kept saying dating athletes was a bad idea, and now you've ruined my chance to marry into money! Go to hell!"
In the end, I'd bleed out on the floor.
Madison would hire a high-priced lawyer who'd get her off with a "temporary insanity" defense. And I'd die for nothing.
Now that fate had given me a second chance, I wasn't about to make the same dumb mistakes again. I was done trying to save people. I'd let them handle their own life.
"Victoria, what do you think?" Madison turned to me, waiting for my answer.
In our sorority, I was the top student and the freshman orientation speaker. Madison always came to me for advice on everything.
In my previous life, Madison had asked me the same thing. I shut her down, full of righteous anger, but she didn't give up. With Leah hyping her up, Madison ended up posting that video behind my back.
This time, I just gave a casual smile. "Honestly, getting yourself an athlete boyfriend is the way to go. They've got Nike and Gatorade sponsorships, and they totally run the campus. If you're with one, you won't even need to buy your own Hermès."
Madison's face froze. In their eyes, I was the ultimate nerd, always playing it safe.
But when she heard me, she frowned, acting all coy. "But I heard those athletes are total players. What if he cheats on me?"
My heart skipped a beat.
So Madison knew the risks. She just wanted me to play the villain.
How could I let Madison get her way so easily? Instead, I started egging her on.
I said, "If you're just dating some random player, sure, you might have to worry. But if you go for a Sterling, that's a whole different league. Those rich families care about their image. If you're his girlfriend, nobody would dare mess with you."
Madison fell silent, greed flickering in her eyes. She mulled it over for a bit and then gave a firm nod.
The lure of being a star athlete's wife was just too strong. This time, I wasn't stopping her. In fact, I was egging her on. If things went south, she couldn't pin it on me.
Madison wasted no time. She whipped out her phone, opened TikTok, and started filming her "manifesting the dream boyfriend" video. When she was done, she flashed me a smug grin and arched her eyebrow.
"Victoria, you should snag yourself an athlete, too. Seriously, what's the point of grinding away at your books all day? Around here, landing a rich husband matters way more than a perfect GPA," Madison said.
Madison sounded like she'd already gotten her ticket into the elite club.
I had no idea why Madison was always so hostile toward me. This time, I wasn't even trying to stop her, but she still kept throwing shade my way.
But honestly, girls like Madison, the classic mean girls, were best kept at arm's length.
I kept my head down, scrolling through my practice questions, and replied coolly, "I'll pass."
Madison watched her video's views and likes shoot up and then scoffed, "Ugh, hypocrite. Nerd. Face it, you're just gonna be a corporate drone for the rest of your life."