Chapter 2

2

The air in the homeroom was exactly as I remembered―stuffy, noisy, and thick with tension.

Sienna was sitting behind me, her hand resting on the back of my chair. She smiled with that innocent look.

"Chloe! I missed you so much over the summer!"

She leaned in for a hug. I stiffened for a second, then forced a smile.

"Sienna, I missed you too."

Her eyes crinkled. In my past life, I never noticed that when she smiled like that, her pupils didn't move.

During the first period, Mr. Lewis asked our lab groups to present our summer projects.

I carried my model toward the front of the room. Braden sat in the fourth row, stretching his long legs into the aisle.

It was happening exactly like before.

I stopped and looked at him.

"Braden, your legs are blocking the aisle. Move them."

He arched an eyebrow, his lips curling into that familiar smirk.

It was a look of pure contempt. He was certain I wouldn't do a thing.

"Whoa, Chloe. You should learn to look where you're walking."

The class went silent for a beat. Then someone snickered. Soon, the room was filled with the same laughter I heard when I was picking up shards in my past life.

I pulled out my phone, hit record, and spoke clearly into the mic.

"August 30, 2022, 2:08 PM. Physics class. Braden Foster is intentionally obstructing the aisle to interfere with my presentation. I'm asking one more time―Braden, move your legs."

The laughter died instantly.

Braden's expression shifted. He wasn't scared, just caught off guard.

When someone who never fights back suddenly bites, it rattles the bully.

"What the hell are you recording?" He stood up, his voice rising.

"Recording the facts," I said, meeting his eyes. "Move your legs. Yes or no?"

No one spoke. Sienna's eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open.

Mr. Lewis cleared his throat from the podium. "Braden, sit down and stop disrupting the class."

He pulled his legs back. He didn't want to, but he had no excuse to stay in my way.

After the presentation, I went back to my seat. Sienna leaned in and whispered, "You were so brave today, Chloe! I was so nervous for you."

I just smiled at her.

An hour before school ended, it was time for the campus cleanup. Sienna pretended to have a stomach ache and asked me to cover her shift.

In my past life, I agreed. While I was cleaning windows, she brought Braden into the room to show him "disgusting things" she claimed were on my social media.

This time, I didn't help her.

I grabbed my backpack and stood in front of her. I spoke loud enough for the surrounding rows to hear.

"Sienna, about that screenshot on your phone―where did you send it?"

Her face turned white in a split second. All the blood drained from her cheeks.

"What screenshot? Chloe, what are you talking about?"

"The screenshot of my private posts. The ones about my crush. You accessed my account this morning. Who did you send them to?"

My voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. She looked like someone had hit the pause button on her life.

"I didn't―"

"You did."

Every eye in the room was on her.

I turned my phone screen toward her. It wasn't the screenshot, but my login history.

She had accessed my private profile at 10:23 AM. In my past life, she deleted the history, but I had set up an automatic backup this morning.

"You logged into my private account to steal my diary entries. The time is recorded down to the second. Who did you send it to?"

She stammered, unable to form a sentence.

I adjusted my backpack and walked to the door. Then I turned back to look at her and her little group of followers.

"If you want to know about my private life, ask me directly. Stop acting like a coward behind my back."

Then I walked out.

In the hallway, I could hear Sienna starting to sob, "I don't know why she's saying this! You have to believe me!"

In my past life, I would have run back to comfort her.

I was so stupid back then.

====================================