Chapter 1

Vivian Nash's hand faltered for a brief moment as she took out the photo, her sharp gaze landing directly on me.

It was then that the classmate next to me smirked and intentionally nudged me with their shoulder. "If you're jealous of Vivian, you should just say so, Mabel!"

"I don't think it's jealousy—it's insecurity! I mean, who wouldn't feel insecure right next to Vivian, our class belle?"

"Mabel clearly brought that on herself. Brandon and Vivian are childhood sweethearts, but she still insists on coming between them."

Vivian, amused by the comments, cast me a guarded glance and then said, "You actually agreed to it so readily, Mabel. You're not thinking of using Brandon to get hold of my photo and then vandalize it, are you?"

"I was wondering why Mabel was being so nice for once. It turns out she just wants to ruin the glamor shots Vivian specifically had taken!"

"Mabel wouldn't dare!" Brandon Dunn, my boyfriend, snapped as he grabbed me by the neck and slammed me to the ground. He finally loosened his grip once he noticed my face turning purple from suffocation.

He then threatened me before he got up, whispering, "I'll make your life a living hell if you dare ruin Vivian's photos!"

Those around applauded one after another, marveling at Brandon's macho display.

Vivian instinctively wrapped her arm around Brandon's. She then playfully stuck her tongue out before saying softly, "I'll keep my absolute favorite photo for you when I get them, Brandon!"

Brandon affectionately pinched her cheek and said, "It's up to you, Vivian."

I remained completely unmoved as I watched their sweet, intimate behavior.

In my past life, I had successfully stopped Vivian's absurd actions. I explained to everyone that the official records envelope could affect their future schooling or employment and that tearing it open on their own would be highly detrimental.

I didn't expect that my sincere attempts to reason with them only earned me the reputation of a jealous woman.

"Is that lousy official records envelope really that important? I bet you're just trying to stop us from keeping Vivian's photos!"

"She's just making a fuss like this because she's ugly and insecure! She's worried that Vivian and Brandon might rekindle their old flame and ditch her!"

"If we go by what Mabel is saying, Vivian is actually at fault here, even though she was sweet enough to get these glamor shots done for us to enjoy."

I tried hard to clear things up, but Brandon slapped me across the face in front of everyone without a second thought. He stepped back from me in disgust and barked, "I didn't realize before that you were so consumed by jealousy! You'd better stop crossing the line over some photos, Mabel!"

He shoved his own official records envelope into Vivian's hands after saying that. "You can go ahead and open it, Vivian. Oh, and make sure to sign the photos before putting them inside the envelope!"

Thus, with Brandon leading the way, the other classmates quickly followed suit. "I want an autograph too! Vivian is bound to be a huge celebrity later on, so her signature will definitely be worth something!"

"I know, right? I want one too! I mean, being able to tell people down the road that I went to school with a celebrity is going to give me so many bragging rights!"

I was worried that something would go wrong, so I quickly called John Lister, our homeroom teacher, over, which was the only reason everyone's official records envelope was saved. I had no idea that my good deed, far from earning their gratitude, would bring about my own death instead.

Yet, what struck me the most was that after Vivian forced the poisoned drink on me, Brandon came forward to defend her, while my other classmates told the police that I had taken my own life.

In their skewed accounts, I became the villainous bully, while Vivian went viral online by playing the innocent victim. In the end, Vivian caught the eye of a director and instantly skyrocketed to stardom.

I snapped back to the present as the sound of the envelopes being torn open echoed one after another. I watched as everyone eagerly handed their official records envelopes to Vivian, who unhurriedly inserted her own stunning photo inside.

Vivian then giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. "Thanks for cheering me on, everyone! I'll never forget you all after I make my debut!"

I cast a cold glance at everyone and turned to walk out of the classroom. I was just about to head home when Vivian suddenly appeared behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, a calculating look in her eyes.

I felt my heart sink as I helplessly watched Vivian tear up her own photo and begin sobbing hysterically. "Why did you have to tear up the photo when I was nice enough to give it to you, Mabel?"