Chapter 2

One was "Juliet the Penny-Pincher," poking fun at Juliet for still worrying about fines, even now.

The other was "Juliet the Big Shot," teasing her for acting like she was the boss because she's got a little bit of authority.

Juliet's phone buzzed, and on the other end came the frosty, arrogant voice of Randal.

He said, "Didn't you say you'd take care of it?

"Don't contact me for now."

Juliet pleaded, her voice desperate, but Randal hung up without a hint of hesitation.

"This is all your fault," Juliet shouted.

She was bawling her eyes out, and one could tell she was really hurting.

I put on my most innocent face. "What does this have to do with me? Why are you freaking out? Wait, is Randal your boyfriend or something?"

Juliet's face twisted with all kinds of emotions, but in the end, she bit her lip and denied it.

"Of course not. Don't get weird ideas. There's nothing between me and him," she shot back.

Seeing how pale she was, I could tell her heart must've been bleeding inside.

Rumor had it Juliet was crazy in love with Randal, but anyone could see he just treated her like his personal ATM.

Just then, our roommates, Harley and Kaylee, came back with some fruit and milkshakes, trying to cheer Juliet up.

Seeing the scene, they all started urging me to apologize.

With her backup here, Juliet suddenly got her confidence back. She marched over to the window, gripping the sill with both hands, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

She said, "I was just trying to do what's best for us.

"If you had a problem, you could've told me in private. Why did you have to embarrass me in front of everyone?"

Harley and Kaylee jumped in right away, backing her up.

"You've given Juliet a ton of hassle. Aren't you going to apologize?" Harley said.

"Yeah, you started it by breaking the rules," Kaylee chimed in.

I shot them a look and couldn't help but feel a bit of disgust welling up inside me.

It was only after I died that I realized these two were nothing but snakes, ready to stab me in the back for Juliet.

Harley always acted like she didn't care about anything that wasn't her problem, while Kaylee was always acting pitiful and broke.

But in private, they'd always gripe to me about how Juliet was making life impossible for them.

They pushed me to fight back for them, but when people started spreading nasty rumors about me, not only did they refuse to defend me.

They threw all my things out the window to show everyone they had cut ties with me.

And after I died in that freak accident, they deliberately said cruel things to my mom when she came to claim my body, causing her to have a fatal heart attack right there.

I'd never let these two traitors off either.

I pushed down my hatred and started sniffling, putting on my best pitiful face.

I said, "I didn't mean to do it. I already apologized. What else do you want from me?

"Do you want me to die or something?"

With that, I shoved Juliet aside and lunged for the window, gripping the sill with both hands.

Juliet stood there, totally stunned. She never expected me to steal her lines and her whole act.

Our dorm was on the second floor. Not high enough to be dangerous, but not exactly safe either.

In my previous life, after a huge fight with Juliet, when I was about to call the police, she totally lost it, screaming at me if I was trying to push her to kill herself.

Then, right in front of everyone, she threw herself out the window and landed in the bushes, ending up with nothing but a few scratches.

Juliet forced me to apologize and compensate her, and I had to cater to her for more than half a month. And even that wasn't enough for her.

This time, I guess it was my turn to jump.

It was lunchtime, and the courtyard below was packed with people. I clung to the windowsill, my eyes red and teary, and shouted at the top of my lungs.

I shouted, "Do you really want me to die before you'll finally leave me alone?

"I didn't even go to that trip. Why should I have to pay? So what if I'm broke? Did I break the law or something? Why are you trying to guilt-trip me?

"Juliet, if you want to buy Randal a Patagonia jacket, pay for it yourself. Why make me split the bill as an excuse? I don't have the money. Isn't it enough if I die?"

Juliet's face twisted with rage, her eyes practically shooting daggers at me.

With my voice ringing out for everyone to hear, I leapt straight into the bushes without a second thought.

The crowd gasped, and everyone rushed over to see if I was okay.

My eyes were dazed, brimming with tears, like I had never been more wronged or helpless in my life.

"I really don't have any money," I whimpered.

Seeing me looking so miserable, everyone around couldn't help but get riled up.

Just then, Juliet came running down, her face dark with anger as she told me to cut the act.

She said, "Freya, that's enough. As if you'd die from jumping off the second floor. Who are you trying to fool?

"Get up! Don't piss me off."

She reached over and tried to haul me to my feet.

I played along, screaming like a squeaky toy.

The crowd couldn't take it anymore. Everyone scrambled to protect me, yelling at Juliet.

"Seriously, Juliet, that's enough. She jumped out the window. What more do you want from her?" someone shouted.

"Not only are you scamming people for money, but you're also pushing her to jump? Who do you think you are, some ruthless tyrant of a boss?" another person yelled.

"That's just evil. Someone call the cops!" someone else shouted.

"Call an ambulance! Freya's not going to make it. If she hit her head, she's done for," someone shouted.

I nearly cracked up when I heard that.

Worried I'd blow my cover, I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to pass out.

The ride to the hospital was rough, and I ended up falling asleep on the way.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital room.

Elena, our adviser teacher, was there, though I had no idea when she arrived.

She was staring at me with a serious look on her face.

Meanwhile, Juliet was lounging nearby, casually munching on an apple from my fruit basket.

"Freya, how are you feeling now? You seem alright. Doesn't look like anything serious," Elena said.

"Why not get up and take a few steps? No need to act so fragile, young lady," she added.