Chapter 3

He paused.

"My phone wasn't locked. She must have seen the notification."

I laughed, empty and tired.

"Look at you, Julian."

"You're already making excuses for her."

I hung up.

Just as I reached the bus stop, another text arrived from the future Sienna.

"The ring was just the appetizer."

"Want to know what else she stole from you?"

"Go to the high school counseling office."

"Check your college commitment form."

A chill crawled up my spine.

Official university enrollments weren't completely locked in, but I had already received early admission to the prestigious New York Arts Academy.

I had bled for three years to earn that scholarship spot.

I caught a cab straight back to school.

My homeroom teacher looked up, surprised.

"Chloe? Didn't I tell you guys to take a couple of days off?"

I skipped the pleasantries.

"Mrs. Carter, do you still have my early commitment form?"

"Of course."

She pulled a folder from her desk.

"Didn't you commit to New York Arts Academy?"

I pulled the sheet out.

Right there, listed as my primary institution choice, was:

Southport Community College.

My fingers went completely numb.

"Mrs. Carter."

"I didn't write this."

Mrs. Carter frowned.

"But that's your signature at the bottom."

I looked at the line.

The handwriting was an eerie imitation of mine.

Except for the loop on the final letter—I had never written my name like that in my life.

I asked, "Who handed this in to you?"

Mrs. Carter thought back.

"Sienna did. She told me you had a high fever and asked her to drop it off for you."

I stood there, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

My phone buzzed again.

The future Sienna sent a picture.

It was a photo of me, ten years older, standing outside an art studio.

The sign above read:

Sienna Brooks Fine Arts.

Her accompanying message said:

"You will spend years believing your grades fell short, that you missed New York on your own."

"You will stay in this miserable hometown."

"You will paint her drafts, manage her students, build her brand from the shadows."

"Everyone will shower her with praise, calling her a genius."

"No one will ever know who you were."

Staring at those words, I let out a strange laugh.

Mrs. Carter backed away slightly, startled.

"Chloe, dear... are you okay?"

I said, "Mrs. Carter."

"I want the security tapes from the hallway."

"And for the record: this form is fraudulent."

The school administration naturally wanted to sweep it under the rug.

The dean sighed, saying, "Girls, let's not blow this out of proportion. It could be an honest mix-up between friends."

I looked him dead in the eye.

"Forging my legal signature to ruin my college future is a 'mix-up'?"

When Sienna was dragged into the office, her eyes were already red and swollen.

The second she entered, she grabbed my sleeve.

"Chloe, I'm so, so sorry!"

"I really didn't know this form was that serious! I thought it was just a preliminary survey!"

"You’ve been under so much stress lately... I just didn't want you moving thousands of miles away and regretting it!"

I jerked my arm out of her grip.

"So you enrolled me in Southport Community College?"

She lowered her head, sniffling.

"Southport is a great school! It's close to home! It's close to Julian!"

I leaned in close.

"And it's close to you."

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Why do you always think the worst of me? I just couldn't bear to lose you!"

I asked, "What about the ring?"

Her weeping hitched.

The door swung open, and Julian walked in, his face dark as a storm cloud.

I threw the screenshot from the jewelry store onto the dean's desk.

"Was altering my ring out of love, too?"

Sienna saw the image, and her face went paper-white.

"I..."

Julian’s voice was dangerously low.

"Sienna. Explain."

Her tears broke like a dam.

"It was just a stupid prank! I just wanted to see if Chloe would notice! I didn't mean any harm!"

I chuckled.

"Tampering with a ring is a prank. Forging my college application is a prank. Sienna, your pranks cost an awful lot, don't they?"

Mrs. Carter’s expression had turned icy.

"Sienna Brooks, this is going directly onto your permanent disciplinary record."

Sienna’s head snapped up.

"No! Mrs. Carter, you can't!"

"I worked so hard to graduate! A disciplinary strike will ruin my record!"