Chapter 1

On the first night of the semester, I got a phone call from my future self.

I was buzzing with dreams about college life. The voice on the other end could barely breathe through the crying.

"Don't trust your roommate. She's using your photos to date guys online. She's already scammed people out of more than a hundred grand."

"It's about to blow up, so she'll trick you into going out to dinner with some man."

"Then she'll spread it all over campus that you sleep around, that you had a miscarriage. Photos everywhere."

"You couldn't take the rumors. You dropped out and jumped off the roof. The school buried the whole thing and handed your grad-school placement to her."

The call ended. A cold went straight through me.

My roommate pushed the classroom door open, wearing a dress a lot like mine, all smiles as she hooked her arm through mine and tugged me toward the door.

"Come on, come on, it's my birthday. I'm going to introduce you to some new friends!"

I pulled my hand free. My throat was dry.

"I'm not going."

This time, I will not give you a single chance to set me up again.

...

Florence Henson froze in place.

"Why won't you come? It's my birthday, you know."

"Do you really hate me that much?"

Her eyes went red in an instant, and my other two roommates couldn't stand it, frowning at me.

"Flo's being nice and treating you to dinner. Don't be so antisocial."

The corner of my mouth curled up, cold.

One summer apart, and Florence's hair had grown down to her waist. In that pale pink dress, from behind you couldn't tell which one of us was which.

She was imitating me.

If I went, I'd be handing them the evidence.

Remembering what the call had said, I couldn't help a shiver.

"I'm not going. I need to rest in the dorm tonight."

I pulled my hand back, disgust plain on my face.

"Don't be so ungrateful!"

Kate Hughes seized my hand and looked ready to say more, but Florence shot her a look and stepped in first.

"Janice Swanson, you're busy tonight, so I won't bother you."

She leaned hard on the word busy.

I didn't answer. I walked straight past her and went to the library.

Not long after, Kate posted to her feed.

In the video, Florence was in a dress just like mine, swaying on the dance floor, men all around her.

【Partying till dawn tonight.】

I quietly took a screenshot.

Two seconds later, when I refreshed the feed, it was gone.

I stayed in the library through both evening study periods. Just before closing, a message came in from Florence.

【Janice, where are you? Not back yet?】

【Be safe out there having fun.】

The old me would have taken it as concern.

But now the intent behind those words was too obvious.

She was building proof that I'd been out messing around.

I killed the screen and walked out to the field, and the stares hit me like knives.

Whispers. Pointing.

"Janice, you're finally back. There's a video going around school of you out partying. People are saying you've got loose morals."

As she spoke, she opened the class group chat.

The person in the photos was wearing exactly what I had on.

Collapsed in some man's arms.

Plenty of the students who'd come just to gawk looked at the photos, and the way they looked at me changed in a heartbeat.

I pulled my eyes away and saw she'd already changed her clothes.

Tied her hair back, too.

No one would ever suspect her.

Florence looked like she'd counted on me not fighting back. Her smile deepened.

"Janice, I really thought you had something important to do, that that was why you turned down my birthday party. I had no idea you were with a boyfriend."

"What boyfriend?" Kate rolled her eyes. "Didn't you see her all over two different guys?"

"You're just too kind. You get shot down and still make excuses for the other person."

The two of them played off each other, clearly trying to back me into a corner.

The crowd kept growing, and I suddenly smiled.

Unhurried, I said,

"Who told you the person in those photos is me?"