The fluorescent lights of my bedroom ceiling seared my eyes, but it was the calendar that truly paralyzed me. Today' s date. The exact date I swore I' d never live through again. The day Tiffany Evans, with her carefully crafted mask of vulnerability, first asked to stay over. My heart hammered, a frantic drumbeat against my ribs.
Because I remembered. With chilling, vivid clarity, I remembered every agonizing detail. Tiffany. Her insidious lies. The false accusation of sexual assault that exploded like a bomb, obliterating my brother David's D1 scholarship, his reputation, his entire future.
I watched our golden boy, the star quarterback, turn into a ghost haunting our home. Then came the tragic street race, his desperate escape that led only to death. Mom and Dad, their love and lives stolen by grief, followed soon after. My own end? A blur of white-hot rage, a final, bloody confrontation with Tiffany that claimed both our lives.
I' d pitied her once. That pity cost us everything. This time, the familiar scent of my mom' s laundry detergent on my sheets felt like a cruel joke. The betrayal of Mark Jenkins, David's jealous best friend and Tiffany's willing accomplice, still stung like a fresh wound. How could I have been so blind?
But then, it clicked. The shock, the jolt of pure adrenaline. I was back. A second chance. A terrifying, incredible gift. No pity this time. No room for error. I knew Tiffany's game. And this time, I wouldn't be a pawn. I would be the ultimate player, ready to rewrite our fate.