Chapter 2

The next few weeks, I buried myself in books.

SAT prep, advanced calculus, physics. My app for the national science and tech competition.

MIT wasn' t just a dream anymore, it was a lifeline.

My parents noticed the change.

"You're so focused, honey," Mom said, a little worried.

"I just know what I want," I told her. It was true. I wanted my future back.

Mark and Tiffany, however, were reliving their "glory days" with a vengeance.

Mark strutted around like he was already an NFL star, relying on muscle memory that clearly wasn't as sharp as he thought.

He skipped most study sessions Coach Miller organized.

"Don't need 'em," he'd brag. "Got it all up here." He'd tap his head, then wink at Tiffany.

Tiffany was busy demanding expensive dates and new outfits.

One afternoon, I was in the library, deep in coding.

"Well, well, look who's trying so hard."

Mark' s voice. I didn' t look up.

He leaned over my table, Tiffany smirking beside him.

"Still think you can get into some fancy school, Miller?" he sneered.

"It's a lot of work, Mark," I said, keeping my voice even. "Maybe you should try it sometime."

Tiffany scoffed. "He doesn't need to try. He's Mark Olsen. He's a star. Some people are just destined for greatness."

"And some people are destined to peak in high school," I muttered, finally looking up, meeting Mark's gaze.

His eyes narrowed. "Careful, Sarah. Wouldn't want you to... stumble again. You know how clumsy you can be."

The veiled threat hung in the air. He was talking about my first life, the rumors, the fall.

My hands clenched under the table.

The memory of their faces, triumphant as my world crumbled, flashed in my mind.

The humiliation. The lost scholarship. The years of struggle. My death.

"I'm not the one who's going to stumble, Mark," I said, my voice low and clear.

"This time, I know exactly what I'm doing. And I know exactly what you two are."

I stood up, gathered my books.

"Enjoy your... destiny."

I walked away, leaving them standing there.

His threat didn't scare me. It fueled me.

Every condescending remark, every public display of their arrogance, just solidified my resolve.

They thought they were the main characters, reborn to reclaim their throne.

They had no idea.

I saw Leo Martinez in the library sometimes. He was new, quiet. Always reading something incredibly complex or coding on his laptop.

He'd nod at me sometimes. I nodded back.

Mark's attempts to undermine me were subtle at first.

"Heard Sarah's aiming for MIT," he' d say loudly to his jock friends when I was in earshot. "Guess some people just like to dream big, even if they' re gonna crash hard."

Tiffany would add, "It' s so sad when people don't know their place."

I ignored them. Head down, focused.

My practice SAT scores were climbing. My app was taking shape.

Mark, on the other hand, was coasting.

I heard Coach Miller yelling at him during practice more than once.

"Olsen! Your head in the game! You're sloppy!"

He' d just shrug it off later. "Coach is just stressed. I'll turn it on when it counts. I know how this goes."

He was obsessed with Tiffany, with maintaining their image as the golden couple.

Parties, games, public make-out sessions.

It was a repeat of the first life, but worse, because now they had this unearned confidence, this belief that their foreknowledge made them invincible.

They were wrong. Their foreknowledge was flawed, filtered through their own arrogance and laziness.

And I wasn't the same scared, broken girl they destroyed last time.