Chapter 1

1

When I finally came to, the choking feeling was still there, making me gag and cough like crazy. Then, out of nowhere, Chloe slapped me on the shoulder, practically begging, "Oh my god, Sarah, please, can we switch tickets?"

It hit me like a ton of bricks �C I was back. I’d been given another shot. This time, I was gonna live, and no way was I letting some backstabbing schemers get away with it.

...

Chloe stood on the bleachers, looking around at the packed crowd like she’d stepped in something nasty. Before she could even open her mouth, I cut her off. "Switch tickets? Yeah, sure, here ya go!"

Chloe’s jaw dropped, staring at the ticket in her hand, her mind clearly in a spin. "Wait, you're just... giving it to me? Didn't your boyfriend go through hell to snag these for you?"

"Chloe, you're my best friend, your happiness is what matters!" I gently tugged at her arm, adding, "Oh, hey, I almost forgot. This little girl also wanted to sit here, so I switched with her."

Chloe’s face twisted into something fierce, her voice rising, "What?! You can't do that! Get the ticket back right now!"

Just then, a little firecracker of a girl, Penny, popped up to thank me. "Hold on, lady, what's your problem?" she said, looking Chloe up and down. "She already agreed to switch with me, so what's it to ya? It’s between us, not your business.”

Chloe got all red in the face and shoved Penny hard. Penny stumbled back, nearly falling, her eyes blazing.

"Hey, watch it!" I said, quickly getting between them. "Chloe, chill out! This place is packed, you can’t go around pushing people! What if someone gets hurt?"

"Yeah, you try that again, and you’ll wish you hadn’t! I’m Gen Z, and I'm not scared of you!" Penny shot back, hands on her hips.

I stepped in, holding Chloe back. She was clearly fuming, but she forced herself to back off, glaring at Penny, who just snorted. A second later, Chloe put on a pitiful face. "Sarah, can we please at least swap spots?"

I shoved my ticket back at Chloe. “No problem! Here!” I turned and started walking towards the other section of the bleachers, but Chloe grabbed my arm. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Oh, Penny’s ticket is further away… Just go back to your original spot. We can meet at the exit after the show!” I spun around and headed out. Yeah, go ahead, Chloe. Try and pin this one on me.

The concert finally ended, and I was heading toward the exit when I bumped into Penny again. Penny threw her arm around me, all smiles. “Thank you again, you're awesome. I've always wanted a seat this good!”

Just then, the crowd surged by the entrance as people rushed towards the back door, trying to get a glimpse of the band. I could feel the crush of bodies, and it almost turned into a stampede.

When the crowd settled a little, I saw Chloe on the ground, clutching her stomach, screaming, “It hurts! Oh, god, it hurts so bad! Help me!”