Reclaiming My Glory

Chapter 1

[1]

During our senior year, my best friend fell in love with the school's notorious bad boy. He led her astray, skipping classes and partying, causing her grades to plummet. Desperate to save her, I did everything I could, even going so far as to tell her parents everything. I managed to pull her back on track.

But on the day of the SAT exam, she handed me a glass of water spiked with drugs. She said, "You ruined my dream of marrying a rich boyfriend, so I'm ruining your future. Now we're even."

[2]

"Jennifer, Aydan confessed to me. Do you think I should say yes or no?"

I was stunned hearing these familiar words. It was then that I realized I had a second chance at life, back to this pivotal moment in my life.

Gabriela had been my best friend since childhood. She was beautiful and smart, the popular girl everyone admired. But this seemingly perfect goddess had fallen for the infamous troublemaker, Aydan, during our senior year.

When she came to ask for my opinion, I frowned and pointed out all his flaws for her. He was a well-known playboy and troublemaker, using his family's wealth to smoke, drink, fight, and bully classmates. His bad reputation was infamous even at a young age. I advised her to stay far away from him.

She agreed quickly, but just as swiftly, she got involved with Aydan. She even relayed everything I had said to him, "Aydan, Jennifer said you're no good, but I still want to give you a chance. You better treat me well."

As expected, Aydan's version of treating her well involved dragging Gabriela into smoking, drinking, wild partying, and other vulgar entertainments, ignoring their student status. As her best friend, how could I bear to watch her fall? I kept advising her, and when that didn't work, I had no choice but to inform her parents and teachers.

Her parents locked her at home, cutting off all contact with Aydan. She was hysterical, but within a month, Aydan had found a new girlfriend and even got her pregnant.

I brought this news to Gabriela, and with a face devastated with heartbreak, she finally came to her senses. She no longer resented me for telling on her and returned to being the close friend she had always been, holding my hand tightly.

I thought everything I had done was worth it because I had protected my best friend. But on the day of the SAT, she handed me a spiked bottle of water...

"Jennifer? Jennifer?!" Seeing that I remained silent, Gabriela raised her voice impatiently and waved her hand in front of my face. "I know you don't think much of him, but he does have his good points..."

"When did I ever say I didn't think much of him?" I suppressed my anger and replied coldly, "You two are quite a match."

Chapter 2

"Don't say things you'll regret later. Don't you think his reputation is bad?" Gabriela hesitated, perhaps not expecting me to say that.

Some people are like this-the more you try to persuade them, the more they want to do the opposite. It's just that rebellious streak causing trouble, trying to make themselves seem unique. To put it bluntly, it's just being stubborn.

"So, you think his reputation is bad?" Not wanting to hear her hypocritical rebuttal, I immediately interrupted, "But I'm serious. Our parents always told us to judge people by our own experiences, not just by what we hear."

She pretended to hesitate, "You have a point. Fine, I'll listen to you and meet him once. But you have to have my back."

"Alright, Rowan isn't around tonight. Go ahead without worry." I watched her back as she walked away, my smile fading. With what I learned from my past experiences, I had long seen through Gabriela's facade of innocence. Beneath that exterior was a vain and malicious soul.

How could I not understand that she was trying to shift the blame onto me with her words? But I had to wade into this mess because I wanted revenge!

Memories surged back like a tide. In my previous life, I drank the water she handed me and started to feel drowsy during the SAT, leading to my failure.

Afterward, I planned to gather evidence to accuse her, so I confronted her with a voice recorder, asking why she did it.

She admitted it outright, saying it was all my fault. If it weren't for me, how could that other girl have had a chance to interfere? She and Aydan would have ended up together, and she wouldn't have had to suffer through the SAT. She could have jumped up the social ladder by marrying him!

Chapter 3

I was stunned by her words, left speechless. It was shocking to hear such things from someone who always seemed so modern and well-educated! It became clear that all her previous efforts to appear innocent were just a facade, a ploy to snag a rich boyfriend!

I retorted, "You two are just temporarily apart. Failing the SAT isn't the end of the world. If your feelings were genuine, how could a small setback make you fall for someone else so quickly? You're still dreaming of an easy life, desperately making excuses for that jerk. Instead of blaming Aydan for being unfaithful, you're taking it all out on me!"

Gabriela was infuriated by my words, her face twisted with rage as she shouted, "Shut up!"

I pulled out a voice recorder, not wanting to argue anymore, and planned to go to the police. But before I could react, she pushed me down the stairs from behind.

She quickly cleaned up the scene. Later, she misled the police and my parents, claiming that I had chosen to commit suicide due to failing the SAT.

In front of everyone, she tearfully held my parents' hands, saying I was too foolish to commit suicide and that she, as my best friend, would take care of them in my stead.

With her excellent acting skills, Gabriela fooled everyone and avoided punishment, while I met a tragic end on that rainy night.

Overwhelmed by hatred, I clenched my fists, and the pen in my hand snapped with a loud "crack" under the pressure.

The sharp sound was particularly jarring in the quiet environment, drawing curious glances from my classmates.

I pretended to bend down to pick up the pen, hiding my angry expression. After a moment, I straightened up, having calmed myself. I had come up with the perfect plan for revenge.

Didn't Gabriela want to be with Aydan? In this new life, I wouldn't expose her; instead, I would help her get what she wanted! I wanted her to see what kind of person Aydan really was! Could he really help her climb the social ladder? I would let her think she had reached the top, only to fall and be shattered into pieces!