Chapter 1

1

My fiancé and my freakin' brother had hated my guts for ten years.

They were convinced I'd been a total bully to their precious little darling, the "innocent flower."

And then, at my own freakin' engagement party, they decided to drag me through the mud in front of the whole world.

"She's just a garbage human being who bullied people in high school!"

That's what my brother yelled.

On the live stream, that little snake, Lily, gave this teary-eyed smile and said, "I don't even blame her anymore."

"Water under the bridge, you know?"

She blew up overnight.

And me? I was public enemy number one.

Some psycho fans even threw acid on me, and in my despair, I went after her, trying to take her down with me.

Then I woke up, and I was back in high school.

Lily's standing there, dumping water all over her head, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and she asks me, "So, have you figured out how you're gonna apologize to me yet?"

I snapped.

I grabbed her hair, dragged her into the bathroom, and shoved her head in the toilet.

"Let me show you what real bullying looks like."

"And with that filthy mouth of yours, remember to wash up before you run to the principal."

...

The last thing I remembered from my past life was the burning pain of acid eating away at my eyes.

I could barely see through the blur, but I managed to spot Lily being shielded by my dear brother.

So I grabbed a cake knife and charged, plunging it into her chest.

"We're going to hell together!"

When I opened my eyes, everything was so damn clear.

It took me a second to process what was happening until I saw her, Lily, younger and fresher than ever.

She was wearing a faded school uniform, twisting the faucet, and showering herself with water.

As she poured the water over her hair she said, "Let's see, who do you think they'll believe, me or you?"

That's when it hit me.

This was it. The beginning of everything. The day everyone decided I was the villain.

Seeing me standing there, frozen, Lily smirked.

"Have you thought about what you'll do to make it up to me, princess? �C Ah!"

All the hate and anger I'd been bottling up just exploded.

I charged at her, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her into the bathroom.

With a shriek, she started thrashing, arms flying everywhere, but she couldn't break free.

She ended up with her face buried in the dirty water, making gurgling sounds.

"Let me go, Lexie... Glub... Blargh―"

I laughed in her face.

"Thought you could just get a little wet and set me up? Come on, let me show you the ropes of a real beatdown."

Lily struggled wildly, her arms flailing like mad, but she couldn't break my grip.

Her face was stuck in the disgusting water, and she made muffled sounds.

"Lexie, let me go...Gurgle...Ugh―"

I laughed triumphantly.

"With a filthy mouth like that, be sure to clean it up before you snitch!"

I didn't care if I had been sent back in time or just hallucinating.

It didn't matter.

I was going to go off the rails.

In my past life, I died on the best day of my life.

That day, I won my third Oscar, wearing a haute couture dress, and standing beside my childhood sweetheart, Jake, at our lavish, livestreamed engagement party.

That's when he told everyone, "I will not get engaged to a girl who spent her whole high school life bullying people."

Lily stepped out from the crowd with tears in her eyes and a radiant smile.

"Lexie, remember me? Lily, the girl you bullied for ten years."

"You probably never thought I'd be standing here, on equal footing with you one day."

"But that's okay, I don't blame you anymore."

"Water under the bridge."

Her popularity skyrocketed on the live stream.

Before I could even react, Jake's crew of reporters, all set up and ready to go, swarmed me.

"Miss Lexie, is it true you still bully new people on set?"

"Word is you went to the gynecologist a while back, is it true you have an STD?"

A crazed fan leaped out of the crowd and threw acid on my face. "Die, Bitch!"

The liquid engulfed my face in an overwhelming burning pain.

My sight never fully recovered.

In an instant, I went from heaven to hell.