Chapter 4

“Jenny’s different. She’s starting from behind with a weak foundation and needs someone to help her adapt…”

“That’s her own business,” I said, cutting her off. “I’m not sacrificing my future for her.”

I stood up, dashing all of Mom’s hopes of trying to convince me otherwise.

“I’m going to bed. Please go back.”

In my past lifetime, I switched to regular classes so as not to disappoint Dad and Mom.

But what did I get in return?

She acted pitiful and weak to gain all of our classmates’ sympathy to isolate and bully me.

My results dipped drastically, and I gained a reputation for being a wicked and scheming girl for the next three years.

Every attempt of mine to clarify things was met with her piteous accusation that her elder sister still hated her that much.

This time, I would never allow my future to be ruined by her schemes.

-

On the first day of school, I stepped into the classroom of an honors class.

There was an alumni honor roll of past graduates who went on to elite schools hanging on the wall.

Everything looked exactly the same as it did in my past lifetime.

Except that this time, I wouldn’t be leaving.

“Melanie?”

A familiar voice sounded in my ear.

I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Jason Lambert standing before me.

“It’s really you! We’re classmates again.”

He very naturally pulled out the chair next to me and sat down on it, behaving as intimately as we had always been since we were young.

In my past lifetime, I would blush and feel my heart race whenever he drew near.

But in this lifetime, what appeared in my mind was the words he said along the hospital corridor.

“Melanie, Jenny really needs me. Just give us your blessings.

“I know I’ve let you down, but I really love her.”

His words cut through me like a knife.

I suppressed the raging emotions in my heart and smiled politely at him.

“Yeah, what a coincidence.”

Jason could sense the distance in my tone and was stunned for a moment.

“What’s the matter, Melanie?”

I kept my books under the table and said without even looking up at him, “Class is about to start. Let’s get back to our seats.”

“I…” The bell rang, cutting him off.

High school academics were in full swing and work was getting hectic, especially for honors classes.

During lunch time, laughter broke out along the corridor.

“Hahaha, what a joke!”

“Goodness, she didn’t know that was an automatic door!”

“She thought she had to push it open and ended up hitting her head against it!”

I walked to the door and looked out.

Jenny was standing at the door of the classroom next door, her face flushed with embarrassment. There was a red mark on her forehead.

Her bag was on the floor, her belongings scattered all over.

There were a few old notebooks, a ballpoint pen that was almost used to its end, and a stationery case that was patched up in many places.

Students started crowding around her, some of them covering their mouth as they laughed while some were whispering to each other.

“She doesn’t even know how an automatic door works.”

“I heard that she transferred here from the mountains. Her biological parents are no longer around.”

“No wonder she’s such a country bumpkin.”

Jenny crouched down, scrambling to keep her things as tears started welling up in her eyes.

Just then, Jason walked over.

He crouched down next to Jenny and helped her pick up her book as he said gently, “It’s alright. I hit my head against that door when I first came, too.”

His voice was gentle and thoughtful, like warm sunshine on a winter day.

Jenny looked up as a tear trickled down her cheek just at the right time.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I thought I had to push the door open.”

Jason handed her a napkin.

“Don’t cry. There’s always a first time for everything.”

He then turned to the students crowding around them and yelled, “Get back to class!”

Instead of listening to Jason, the students laughed even louder.

They were laughing because they saw Jenny accidentally hit Jason’s watch off when she took the napkin from him.