Yesterday's Sun
On the last day before my study-abroad application closed, I was about to give up my full scholarship offer.
Then, out of nowhere, I got a call from my future self.
"Don't give it up. Click confirm enrollment. Right now."
"Harley locked in his own graduate placement three months ago. The only reason he wants you to stay is that Katy needs you to finish her senior thesis for her, and he needs your money every month to live on.
"Two weeks after you turn down that offer, the two of them go public with their relationship.
"That so-called best friend of yours, Katy? She already betrayed you. She's been sleeping with him."
I froze, my finger hovering over the mouse.
The voice kept going, speaking faster and faster.
"Listen carefully. Once you confirm the offer, take the twenty thousand dollars left in your account and put every cent into the Eklund Growth Fund. It goes public next March. It'll grow eightfold within the year.
"Once you're abroad, apply to your advisor's AI lab before your first semester ends. That project gets acquired by Coogle two years from now, and as a core team member, you'll get a share of the payout.
"Twenty-two-year-old me, I'm begging you. Stop wasting yourself on people who don't deserve it."
The voice cut off.
I took a deep breath and moved the cursor to "Confirm Enrollment."
The instant I clicked, my mind was made up.
I wasn't going to bury my own future for anyone who wasn't worth it.