Chapter 3

Carter tore through his backpack, his face turning paler by the second.

"It's not here."

He dumped his pencil case onto the ground, ripping through every single zipper and compartment.

Nothing.

The smug golden boy had vanished, replaced by an absolute panic.

"How is it not here?!"

"I put it right in this envelope!"

He snapped his head up, glaring at the people around him like a madman.

"Who touched my ID?!"

His voice dripped with raw panic and fury.

I almost laughed out loud. In my previous life, I tried to save his future, and he murdered me for it.

Now that his ID was actually gone, he was losing his damn mind.

His eyes locked onto me, burning with accusation.

"Harper!"

"Was it you?!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Was what me?"

"My ID! Did you hide it?!"

He stormed toward me, his voice booming across the courtyard.

"You threw a tantrum yesterday because of Lilah!"

"Who else would touch my stuff?!"

A harsh laugh bubbled in my throat.

Lilah was the one who stuffed his ID into a confetti cannon.

And now I was the scapegoat?

Lilah bit her lip, stepping forward with wide, innocent eyes.

"Carter, please don't say that..."

"I... I think I saw Harper earlier..."

She stopped mid-sentence, looking terrified.

Carter demanded immediately.

"What did you see?!"

Lilah hesitated, lowering her voice so everyone nearby could hear.

"I think I saw her walking toward the auditorium holding your ID yesterday..."

The courtyard went dead silent.

Every single eye turned on me.

I looked at her, almost wanting to applaud her performance.

Saw me?

The person who shoved the ID into the cannon was her.

"Lilah, are you sure you saw me?"

I asked calmly.

Her eyes welled with tears, and she vigorously shook her head.

"I just saw you walking that way with something in your hand."

"I wasn't completely sure."

"But Carter's ID is really gone! I couldn't just stand by and say nothing..."

She gave a fragile, heartbroken sniffle.

"Harper, if you took it, please just give it back to Carter. We're all classmates. No one will blame you!"

Whispers erupted through the crowd.

"Wait, did Harper really take it?"

"Didn't they have a huge fight yesterday?"

"Losing an ID on SAT day is insane..."

I listened to the murmurs, the faint smile on my lips turning razor-sharp.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of our school's proctor and test coordinator.

Mrs. Frost, our college counselor, hurried over with her brow furrowed, pointing a finger directly in my face.

"Harper Vance! Hand over Carter's ID right this second!"

"What good are your high grades if you spend the morning of the SAT sabotaging other students?!"

Mrs. Frost had always favored the boys, and on top of that, she was Lilah's maternal aunt. She had made my life hell all year.

During the school track meet, when nobody wanted to run the long-distance race, she put my name down without my consent, claiming it was "for the honor of the class."

Whenever the boys wanted to skip class, she signed their hall passes with a smile. But when my grandmother passed away, she sneered, asking, "What does your grandmother dying have to do with your schoolwork?" and refused to excuse my absence.

Even the academic scholarship I rightfully earned was handed to Lilah under bogus pretexts.

Now, she deliberately raised her voice, drawing a huge crowd of parents and students.

I locked eyes with her, speaking the exact words I had swallowed for years.

"Condemning me before you even investigate? Are you sure you're fit to keep your job, Mrs. Frost?"

Her face flushed crimson with rage.

"You!"

"Enough!"

Carter cut me off with an icy bark.

"Harper, my ID is missing! This isn't about your hurt feelings!"

He glared at me, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Give it back right now."

"Or don't blame me for forgetting our years of friendship!"

I looked at him, feeling nothing but cold disgust.

Friendship?

When you shoved me off that rooftop in my past life, you didn't give a damn about friendship.

I didn't bother arguing.

Instead, I pulled out my phone and hit play on the video I recorded backstage yesterday.

The blood drained from Lilah's face in an instant.

Before she could lunge to block the screen, I held my phone high for the crowd to see.

The video clearly showed Lilah shoving Carter's ID straight into the confetti cannon.

"Take a good look, everyone. Who took the ID?!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd as disgusted looks landed squarely on Lilah.

Unable to handle the shame, Lilah collapsed onto the pavement, bursting into theatrical sobs.

"Wahhh... Harper, why do you have to humiliate me in front of everyone?!"

"I just wanted to surprise the boy I love! What did I do wrong?!"

She cried like a delicate flower battered by the rain.

"Carter, I didn't leave it in there! I was scared the cannon would tear the plastic, so I took it back out right after!"

Carter's heart instantly melted. He pulled Lilah into his arms, patting her back soothingly.

"I forgive you, Lilah. Don't cry."

Then, he whipped his head around, glaring at me like he wanted to murder me.

"Harper, you did this on purpose! You deliberately humiliated Lilah in front of all these people! Apologize to her right now!"