Chapter 4

Charlotte glares at me, her bloodshot eyes full of pure venom.

"You happy now?" She steps closer, teeth gritted. Her perfect makeup looks twisted from the anger. "If you hadn't played games with the coach, Eric wouldn't be locked up at home."

I stare back at her. I feel absolutely nothing.

Honestly, it's almost funny.

Before I even get a chance to open my mouth, the two girls behind her lunge forward and shove me hard into the dark alley behind the building.

My back slams into the brick wall. The impact knocks the wind right out of me. A split second later, a heavy kick lands on the back of my knee. I lose my balance and crash to the ground.

"Beat her," Charlotte spits out.

Fists and shoes rain down on my back and legs without mercy.

I don't fight back. I don't scream for help. I just curl into a ball and cover my head.

I survived tortures a hundred times worse than this in prison during my last life. A little physical pain means nothing to me now. If I fight back right now, it will only blow this whole thing out of proportion. I refuse to let their garbage ruin my academics.

"Listen to me, Kassia." Charlotte crouches down. She grabs a handful of my hair and forces my head up. "This is the price you pay for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Eric is mine. Next time, you won't get off with just a beating."

I just look at her. I don't argue back. I let them finish taking out their anger and walk away into the night. When I finally pick myself up off the ground, I dust off my clothes. The very next day, a can of maximum-strength pepper spray goes right into my jacket pocket.

The bruises on my face haven't even fully faded before the atmosphere on campus shifts.

After his parents dragged him away, Eric enters a hellish grounding period. No phone.

His life is strictly reduced to his house and the ice rink. An assistant coach even watches him change in the locker room. But this extreme physical isolation actually helps him get his groove back.

Word from the hockey guys is that he put up crazy numbers in a recent scrimmage. The AAA youth league coach temporarily pauses his decision to cut him from the starting lineup.

But there are no miracles here.

He missed the most crucial scouting window. The halo around him dims right before everyone's eyes.

I turn a blind eye to all of it.

I pour all my energy into prepping for the regional science fair.

Thanks to my solid foundation in physics and engineering, my aerodynamic optimization project for small drones easily makes the cut. The lab becomes my only sanctuary.

This feeling of actually controlling my own destiny feels ten thousand times better than cleaning up Eric's messes in my past life.

Intense prep makes the time fly by. Before I know it, it's the night before the competition.

The campus is completely empty by the time I leave the lab. I walk quickly back to the dorm, my backpack heavy with all my design files and my laptop.

Just as I turn the corner onto the path behind the library, a tall shadow jumps out from behind the bushes. He blocks my way completely.

It's a guy from the next class over, one of Charlotte's most crazy admirers.

"Give me the bag." He drops his voice. There is a harsh, threatening edge to his tone.

I stop walking. My right hand slips quietly into my pocket and grips the bottle of pepper spray. "Get out of my way."

"Charlotte said you aren't going anywhere tonight." He takes a step closer and reaches out to grab my backpack. "Just cooperate. I really don't want to hit a girl."

I am just about to pull out the spray when hurried footsteps echo from the intersection.

"Who's there?" A familiar voice calls out.

It's Eric. He has his hoodie up. He obviously snuck out of his house to come see Charlotte. The moment he recognizes me under the streetlamp, he freezes completely.

"Eric! Help me!" I look right into his eyes and shout without a second thought.

This isn't weakness. I just want to see where the bottom line is for this man who spent seven years plotting revenge in my past life.

My shout startles the guy. He instinctively takes a half-step back. Eric's gaze darts back and forth between me and the guy. He takes a step forward. He even pulls his hands out of his pockets. But then he stops.

He just stands there in absolute silence.

"Eric."

A cold voice shatters the dead silence. Charlotte walks slowly out of the nearby shadows.

She was clearly hiding in the dark this whole time, watching everything unfold. She looks furious that things almost slipped out of her control. She storms right up to Eric and violently slaps away the hand he just reached out.

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte keeps her voice low, staring daggers into his eyes. "Are you seriously going to get in my way for this nerd?"

Eric swallows hard. He avoids her gaze. "I... Charlotte, you don't have to make it this ugly."

"Shut up!" Charlotte suddenly raises her voice. The shrill sound cuts sharply through the night air.

"Listen to me very carefully. If you dare to step in today, we are breaking up right now, and don't you ever come looking for me again!"