Chapter 2

On my way home, the texts from five years ago kept coming in. [Don't be stubborn. If you don't want to die, give up on Northbridge.

[If you don't agree, Charles will find a way to trash your reputation. For all four years of college, everyone will turn on you. You'll end up with no choice but to jump from the twenty-second floor.]

Then, she sent me a photo.

In the picture, I was sprawled in a pool of blood, my face a mess of smudges.

My throat felt like it was being strangled, and I couldn't make a single sound.

I stared at the message, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Charles would actually go to such extremes for Susan.

And I had absolutely no clue about their feelings for each other.

At first, Charles couldn't stand Susan. He said she was bad luck and told me not to be a sucker for helping her out.

Whenever they crossed paths, he'd never glance her way.

But somewhere along the line, he'd ask where Susan was if she didn't show up. He'd notice whenever Susan got new clothes.

I was secretly pleased, thinking he was finally warming up to my friend.

It turned out that I was the real fool who never fit in.

I quickly typed out a few lines and hit send. [I've decided to go to Baywin.

[From now on, all their tangled love and hate is out of my life.]

When I got home, Mom was sitting in the yard with a worried look, staring at the uniform hanging on the clothesline.

When she heard the door open, she snapped out of it and got up in a hurry. "Wendy, how did it go?"

When I didn't say anything, she let out a sigh. "It's alright. I feel sorry for you and Charles.

"When he left, he really hated leaving you behind. I figured if you went to Northbridge, at least you'd have someone there for you."

My nose stung, and the words my future self had sent kept replaying in my head. "Mom, don't worry."

Just then, Winnie, a neighbor from next door, walked by, eyeing me and Mom as she gossiped. "Iris, I saw Charles bringing Susan home. What's up with that? Wasn't he supposed to be Wendy's future fiancé?"

I squeezed Mom's hand and spoke up, louder. "There's nothing between Charles and me. He's not my future fiancé, so please stop spreading rumors, Winnie."

As soon as I finished, I saw Charles and Susan standing behind her, both with dark looks on their faces.

Charles opened our gate like he owned the place. "Iris, look at these. They're all great schools in Westlley. Wendy can pick whichever she wants, and I'll come visit her every month. You don't have to worry."

I stepped between him and Mom, my tone cold and firm. "Charles, where I go to school is none of your business. So don't bother with it."

Charles set the school brochures on the table and lowered his voice. "Iris can't take any more emotional shocks, so be careful what you say."

I glanced at Mom, saw the worry in her eyes, and swallowed the words I was about to say.

Charles's expression softened. "I'm not holding it against you for ditching the train this time. In three days, we'll head to the station together."

He walked off with Susan.

Watching him walk away, I took a deep breath, trying my best to keep my voice steady. "Mom, don't worry about me. I've got my math competition trophies and a stack of other awards. There are way better colleges out there for me."

Mom suddenly squeezed my hand, her face tense. "Wendy, I don't want you to have a tough time. If it gets too hard, pick the school Charles suggested."

I shot Mom a confused glance, shook my head, and went to my room alone. I pulled out all my certificates and got in touch with Baywin University.

I stayed up all night, and it wasn't until the next day that Baywin University finally replied: [Ms. Goodman, please be honest when submitting your certificates. The names on these don't match yours.]

When I saw that message, my heart dropped into an icy pit.

I picked up my phone, my hands trembling.

After I sent my last message, the future me didn't reply anymore.

I texted: [Hey, are you there? Why are my certificates messed up?]

As soon as I sent the message, I got a reply right away, like she'd been waiting for me. [Go check out Charles's study.]

My stomach twisted with dread, and I rushed straight to Charles's house.

I grabbed the key from under the flowerpot like I'd done it a hundred times before.

The house was empty.

My phone buzzed again. [The password cabinet in the bottom left corner of the study. Use Susan's birthday as the code.]

Charles had been away at college for two years.

But the locked cabinet in his study still used Susan's birthday as the code.

I took a deep breath and opened it.

Inside was a pile of award certificates, stacked thick.

Every single one was in Susan's name.

The future me: [All those years of hard work ended up in Susan's hands.]

My hands were trembling uncontrollably as I took pictures of each document.

After staring at the chat for ages, I finally typed back. [Are you okay?]

It felt like ages before, at last, she sent a message: [I'm dead.]

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. I scrambled to pick it up.

The future me: [After I jumped, Charles was the one who took me to the funeral home. At the service, he wouldn't let go of my hand, sobbing uncontrollably.]

I pressed my hand over my mouth, my eyes glued to those words.

If he loved me so much, why did he do this to me?

Then the next message popped up. [He said that if I died, he'd finally be able to let go. Otherwise, he'd carry that guilt for the rest of his life and would never have the guts to marry Susan.

[Luckily, God gave me one last shot to change everything, and you actually heard my call for help.]

I stared, eyes wide, at the popping messages, gasping for air. [What really happened? How did Charles turn into someone like this?]