Chapter 2
Yes, Warren Gale was her boss. But he was her boss ten years from now.
In her past life, high school reunions were rare, and her graduating class barely kept in touch. Still, even before she moved back to Bayview, rumors of his success always found their way to her. He had rejected early admission offers—apparently, the top-tier schools that wanted him weren’t his top choices—and scored a perfect on his SATs as expected. Two of the most prestigious universities in the capital had aggressively recruited him for their flagship programs. Before he even graduated college, he co-founded a tech startup with some friends. Eventually, he moved his operations back to Bayview, capitalized on a wave of local tax incentives, and aggressively scaled his company. Overnight, he became the city’s newest, most untouchable tech billionaire.
When Julie had originally submitted her resume, she hadn't paid any attention to the CEO’s name. It wasn't until she passed the interviews and had been working there for a few days that the realization hit her: she was working for her old high school classmate.
Not that it mattered. She was a low-level employee; he was the CEO. Their orbits never crossed.
On the rare occasions they bumped into each other in the breakroom, he simply offered her a cool, indifferent nod.
Funny enough, he was actually the very last person she saw before her rebirth.
It was nearing the end of the fiscal year, and Julie had been working a string of brutal late shifts. Exhausted, she dragged herself into the elevator around eight o'clock at night. Warren happened to be inside, heading down to the underground parking garage while she was getting off at the lobby. She politely murmured, “Good evening, Mr. Gale.” He offered a faint smile in acknowledgment.
If only the elevator had been a little slower. The second she walked out of the building, still trying to catch her breath, she ran straight into her toxic ex-boyfriend, who was loitering outside to beg for her back.
He had grabbed her arm, whining and pulling at her, completely ignoring her demands to let go.
She had tried to wrench herself free, stumbling backward. Instead of hitting the pavement, she crashed hard against a solid, broad chest. Startled, she spun around and completely froze. It was her boss.
Warren’s large hand clamped down firmly over her shoulder, physically pulling her away from her ex and putting himself between them. His voice had been low, laced with a dangerous kind of calm as he told her ex that she was his employee, and if he didn't back off immediately, he would have him arrested for harassment.
Her ex scurried off like a rat. Still shaking, Julie hurriedly thanked him.
Warren’s expression remained flat and unreadable. He simply told her to be careful. After watching his sleek black car pull out of the driveway, she had practically sprinted home, showered, and immediately texted Tania—who was heavily pregnant at the time—to gossip about the encounter.
Tania had always been a top student and knew far more about Warren’s personal life than Julie ever did.
[He’s genuinely a good guy,] Tania had texted back. [Definitely the most successful person from our class, but he never acts arrogant about it.]
[Must be nice being a winner at life,~] Julie had joked.
[Not entirely. Everyone has their own baggage. I heard from a friend that his parents are aggressively forcing him into blind dates to get married.]
Julie hadn't replied to that. As a corporate drone with barely a year under her belt, she knew better than to gossip about the CEO’s private life, even with her best friend. She smoothly changed the subject, redirecting the conversation to some random celebrity scandal instead.
“Are you okay?” Warren asked again, pulling her back to the present.
He had rushed out of his dorm late this morning, completely missing her distracted approach until they collided. Looking down at her tightly knit brows and the dazed, speechless expression on her face, he assumed he had actually hurt her.
Tania rushed forward, grabbing Julie’s arm. “Julie, are you hurt?”
“...I’m fine.” Julie forced a breath, squeezing out a bright smile that made the faint dimples in her cheeks pop. “I just wasn't looking where I was going.”
“You’re sure?” Warren’s dark eyes narrowed, mapping her face.
“Positive!” Julie blurted out. Honestly, if he had been wearing the sleek, silver-rimmed glasses he favored as a CEO, she would have completely broken character. But right now, he wasn't her untouchable boss. He was just Warren.
Warren didn't press the issue. He checked his watch, his jaw tight. “Early study is starting. Go to class.”
Without another word, he brushed past her—making absolutely sure there was a wide berth between their shoulders this time—and strode into the classroom on long legs.
Julie was still internally panicking as Tania dragged her through the back door. Bayview High’s rules were draconian; unless you had a major medical exemption, all seniors were required to live in the dorms. Morning study hall started at 6:30 AM, and evening study hall ended at 10:10 PM. Being a commuter student was basically a death sentence.
At 6:20 AM, the classroom was mostly empty.
By exactly 6:30 AM, all forty-something desks were filled with dead-eyed, exhausted teenagers.
Julie couldn't even remember where she was supposed to sit. She scanned the room, finally recognizing the face of her old desk mate, and practically collapsed into the chair, shoving her heavy backpack into the desk cubby.
Her desk mate, risking absolute ruin, aggressively sucked on a box of milk through a straw before the teacher arrived. “Did you finish the advanced chemistry worksheet? Let me copy it.”
Just hearing the word chemistry made Julie want to curl into a ball and die.
She pulled her textbook out of her bag and flipped it open. Her vision immediately went black.
Please, God, let this be a nightmare.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Look for it yourself.”
Her desk mate snickered. “You definitely didn't do it.”
Julie didn’t know how other people felt when they were magically reborn into their high school bodies, but to her, this was worse than seeing a ghost. A ghost couldn't force her to sit through the SATs.
Why was the universe punishing her like this?
She had lived a good, honest life. She didn't deserve to endure the trauma of college app hell twice!
“I hate this,” she muttered under her breath.
Morning study hall was for independent review. Suppressing a wave of physical nausea, she flipped through her textbooks. Her class had basically finished the entire high school curriculum by the end of their junior year. Senior year was strictly reserved for the teachers dragging them through a brutal, year-long review of everything they’d ever learned.
Don't panic, she chanted in her head. Do not panic.
But looking at the complex formulas on the page, her brain felt like it was melting. How did I ever know how to do this? Ten years of adult life had completely wiped her hard drive. She and these textbooks were absolute strangers.
The only silver lining was that she had learned this before. The foundation was buried in her brain somewhere. Even though she felt like she was dying, by the end of the study session, the fog in her head had lifted just a fraction.
“Let’s go eat!”
