LOGINWatching Jenna get cuffed, screaming hysterically as she was dragged away, my thoughts returned to the day the college entrance exam ended.The moment the final bell rang for the last English exam, the entire school erupted.Torn pages drifted down from the academic building like snowflakes, and the cheers were nearly enough to lift the roof.I moved against the flow of the crowd. I did not go back to the classroom. Instead, I walked toward the area behind the equipment shed in the corner of the field.Someone with a thin, bony frame was standing there, wearing a baseball cap pulled low with the brim pressed down."Why did you help me?" I asked bluntly.The person turned, removed her mask, and revealed a pale but delicate face.I recognized her. Arlo Vega.Normally, she always kept to herself. With so little presence, she might as well have been air."Because this time last year, I was the one trembling in front of the security gate," Arlo said softly.She pulled a slightly o
On the day of the graduation ceremony, the auditorium was packed to capacity. School leaders sat in the front row, faces glowing with pride. Parents held up phones and cameras. Students in graduation gowns chattered excitedly.The air was thick with the sadness of parting and anticipation for the future. Only I knew how much rot was buried beneath it all.The program moved along smoothly.Principal Harold Whitman’s speech.The awarding of diplomas.Commendations for outstanding graduates.Finally, it was my turn."Next, we invite the valedictorian from Senior Year Class One, Wynn Stone, to give a speech."The applause was sparse. Most people were waiting for a spectacle. After all, the rumor that I was mentally unstable had long taken root.I straightened my gown, took a deep breath, and walked steadily onto the stage.Jenna sat behind the control console in the side wing and smiled at me. Her fingers hovered over the "Enter" key. The moment I opened my mouth, the massive scr
The half-month after the college entrance exam was the most unrestrained time for all seniors.Ripping up textbooks, group dinners, all-night karaoke sessions… it was as if everyone wanted to vent all the suffocation of the past three years in one go.I, on the other hand, lived like an invisible person.Jenna and her group seemed to have quieted down. Maybe the failure at the security gate had made them suspicious. Maybe it was because my pointed words that day had intimidated them.During those two weeks, my phone did not mysteriously crash anymore, and the shower water never suddenly turned hot or cold again.The graduation ceremony was scheduled for June 28 in the school auditorium.By tradition, as Northcrest High School’s widely acknowledged example of someone who was strong enough not to drop out even after being ostracized, combined with my exceptionally high estimated exam score, I was to give a speech as the valedictorianAs the student council president, Jenna was res
The slip of paper grew soft in my palm as it became soaked through with sweat.I did not dare turn around to look at the person who had shoved it into my hand. I only lowered my eyes and, using my body as cover, swept a quick glance at it.The handwriting was messy, as if written in a rush. There was only a single short line: "Take off your shoes. Go barefoot. Do not ask why."The joints of my fingers turned white as I clenched the paper.Do not ask why?Yet everything that had happened over the past six months, every single "accident" that targeted only me, had been forcing me to ask exactly that.The line ahead of me kept shrinking. The beep-beep of the security gate sounded like a countdown to death.The teacher in charge of security, Mr. Marcus O'Neill, had already glanced over at me several times, his brows furrowed, clearly displeased with my hesitation."Yo, hurry up. There is still a line behind you!" someone started urging.I took a deep breath. Instead of stepping fo
After being scolded harshly by Mrs. Mercer, I had no choice but to fill a basin with cold water and grit my teeth as I wiped myself down.The next morning, I went to class with dark circles under my eyes.As I passed the automatic water dispenser in the hallway, I only wanted to get a cup of water. Before my hand even touched the button, scalding hot water suddenly shot out, splashing precisely onto the back of my hand.I gasped sharply in pain. The skin on the back of my hand instantly turned red.I stepped aside and watched as other students calmly filled their cups with cold water or warm water. Not a single one of them got burned.Watching scene after scene where only I was targeted, only I was rejected, I was reminded of every moment of torment I had endured here in my previous life.The library access system seemed to be out to get me. Every time I swiped my card, it blared an alarm and automatically locked, trapping me outside until a security guard came to manually regist
After resolving the chaos in the classroom, I returned to the dorm.In my previous life, the private bathroom in my dorm only ran cold water once winter arrived, forcing me to squeeze into the overcrowded public bathhouse.I walked into the bathroom and twisted the shower knob.A blast of icy water sprayed out, splashing onto the back of my hand and making me shiver from the cold.From the neighboring dorm came the sound of hot water rushing, mixed with girls laughing and chatting.As expected. It was happening again.This time, I did not go argue with Mrs. Mercer as I had in my previous life. Instead, I took out my phone and turned on the video recording function.I held up my phone, aimed the camera at the shower head, and took a close-up shot of it trickling nothing but cold water — the stream was thin and weak, not a wisp of steam rising from it.Then I knocked on the door of the neighboring dorm.A short-haired girl opened the door. She looked a little surprised to see me







