Chapter 2

The moment I got Chloe's Snapchat account, the first thing I did was link it to my phone number.

Watching me, Tyler let out a mocking laugh. "Seriously? I'm not going to back out of the deal."

I ignored him.

In my past life, he didn't back out. But in this life, I wasn't taking any chances.

I logged in. The last message in the chat history was Chloe asking Tyler if he wanted to hit the library this weekend.

Tyler had replied with a rolling-eyes emoji.

I scrolled up.

They had been talking for three months, but their total message count was less than what Bella and I would send each other in a single week.

It was always Chloe initiating. She would ask how his prep was going, if he needed help with AP Calculus, or if he wanted her study guides.

Tyler either left her on read or replied with a lazy "K."

During those three months, Tyler thought she was too boring and never even met her in person. She kept asking him to study together, and he kept making up excuses to skip.

That was probably why Tyler assumed she was just a boring, nerdy chick. His loss, my gain.

Their last conversation was three days ago, and Tyler had left her hanging.

I tapped the text box, typed a few words, deleted them, and finally sent:

【Do you think our first meet-up is a bit rushed?】

She replied almost instantly: 【Then what do you propose?】

I thought about it and typed: 【Let’s go for a run tonight. Whoever loses has to make the study guide for the next exam.】

This time, she paused for a few seconds.

I stared at the screen, my palms sweating.

Then, a notification popped up: 【Deal.】

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

Even though I had been reborn, my academic knowledge hadn't vanished. In this life, I actually had a shot at flipping the script.

I jumped out of bed and started packing my bag for the library.

Tyler was chatting with Lucas, laughing loudly.

"I’m meeting Bella tonight to play Valorant. She just loaded five hundred bucks into my account so I can carry her in ranked."

He shot me a boastful look.

"Bella is so generous. She always buys me dinner and gifts me those expensive weapon skins."

I didn't say a word. I just threw my backpack over my shoulder and walked out.

After dinner, I waited for Chloe by the school track.

My heart was racing—not out of romantic nervousness, but because I knew this girl held the key to my destiny.

In my past life, the first time I met Bella, she dragged me to an internet cafe, bought me some cheap game currency, and made me play all night. In the end, I had to pay for her Starbucks, and she still complained that I didn't buy her the venti size.

I wondered if Tyler would actually manage to get any real money out of her this time.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

I turned around and saw a girl walking toward me.

She was tall, with a cool, sharp beauty, holding a water bottle in her hand.

Her name was Chloe. In my past life, I had only seen her face on the news.

Feeling a bit intimidated, I avoided her gaze.

She looked at me, handing over the water. "Warm up first, or you'll get cramps."

I took the bottle and followed her onto the track, starting with a slow jog.

Neither of us spoke. The only sounds were our footsteps and breathing in the quiet evening.

After the run, I bent over, hands on my knees, panting for air.

Chloe stood beside me, checking her smartwatch. "Four minutes and two seconds. You lost."

"You're making the study guide," she said. "Starting tomorrow."

I looked up at her.

Under the moonlight, her face was incredibly serious, marked by a determined, no-nonsense look.

"Okay," I said, my heart fluttering, my cheeks flushed from the run.

She nodded, turned, and walked away.

I stood there, watching her figure disappear into the shadows, then looked down at the water bottle in my hand.

My heart rate slowly returned to normal.

Ethan, I told myself, you don't need a girlfriend right now. You need an Ivy League acceptance letter.

It was almost 10 PM when I got back to the dorm.

My legs were sore, but my mind was incredibly sharp.

In my last life, this was the exact day I started going down the wrong path. But not this time.

I looked at Tyler's bed. It was empty.

Lucas poked his head out from his bunk. "Tyler said he's not coming back tonight. He went to a motel with Bella after their gaming session."

I didn't reply. I just lay down on my bed and closed my eyes.