Chapter 7

For most seniors, absolutely nothing mattered more than surviving college app hell and the looming SATs. But studying from dawn until dusk was practically a human rights violation, so everyone—boys and girls alike—found ways to entertain themselves in the cracks of their brutal schedules.

After lights out, the boys' dorms inevitably devolved into gossip about girls.

Julie Carven’s name came up the most. Partly out of defensive pride for Class Three, the boys unanimously agreed that, out of the entire senior STEM track, she was easily the prettiest. Of course, there were always a few weak dissenting voices—attraction was subjective, after all. Even the most universally gorgeous Hollywood A-listers had haters who thought they were ugly.

Gary Blacker grinned widely, still feeling incredibly flattered by Julie’s request. Riding that high, he didn't even care that his ungrateful son, Warren Gale, had just kicked him in the shin.

The two boys walked out of the classroom and headed toward the far stairwell.

"Why do you think she specifically asked me to get her coffee?" Gary asked, a stupid, goofy smile plastered on his face.

Warren: "..."

He’s completely lost it.

"Is something actually wrong with your brain?" Warren asked coldly.

"Screw you!"

Insults aside, the sharp jab brought Gary back to reality as they jogged down the stairs. It was fine to indulge in a little delusional fantasy, but you had to stay grounded. Modesty and self-awareness were virtues. He wasn't going to catch a disease where he started hallucinating a grand romance just because a pretty girl asked him for a favor.

"Still, she’s going hard this year," Gary noted, his tone turning serious. "I drank a Frappuccino over summer break and literally couldn't sleep until three in the morning." He shivered just thinking about it. Good thing he hadn't had school the next day. "Senior year really changes people."

Julie Carven definitely wasn't a bottom-tier student, but she had never been part of the terrifyingly try-hard group, either.

She used to be playful. During their sophomore year, she would bolt out of the classroom the second the bell rang, chasing whatever drama or gossip was happening in the halls.

If even she was resorting to caffeine injections to survive, Gary’s naturally relaxed attitude suddenly felt very inadequate. "You know what? Screw it. Whatever prep book you’re buying, I’m getting a copy too!"

Warren gave him a deeply unimpressed sideways glance. "Pulling up your English score would do more for you than anything else."

Gary groaned, rubbing his temples. "I swear, I hate those foreign languages."

Warren ignored him. The two boys hit the bottom floor and merged into the sea of students rushing out of the academic building.

The school cafeteria had plenty of windows and decent variety, but eating there every single day was like eating at home—eventually, you got sick of it. Beth Meier and her roommates had ditched the lunch line to buy instant ramen. Julie, however, stuck close to Tania. Everything felt fresh to her right now. When she was actually seventeen, she had complained endlessly about the cafeteria food. Only after becoming a corporate drone did she realize how genuinely amazing it was.

"What are you getting?" Tania asked, her wallet in hand.

Julie was absolutely starving. Looking at the steaming trays behind the glass, she wanted to eat everything in sight.

She ended up with a massive braised chicken drumstick the size of her hand and a huge bowl of cold noodles. Tania ordered a standard plate.

Staring at Tania’s tray, loaded with stir-fried bean sprouts and scrambled eggs, Julie frowned. "Why didn't you get any meat?"

Tania picked up a piece of egg. "This is meat."

In Julie’s strict dietary hierarchy, eggs had absolutely zero right to be classified as meat. She was the first to object. "I mean actual meat..."

"I had meat for every single meal at home during the summer. I’m completely sick of it."

It was a perfectly valid excuse, but Julie still looked deeply suspicious. If it had been anyone else, she might have wondered if they were struggling with their allowance. But Tania? That was highly unlikely.

Mr. Graf and Julie’s dad, Aaron Carven, both worked in the public security sector, and Mrs. Graf worked a solid job at a government agency. By local standards, Tania’s family was doing incredibly well. Julie wanted to press the issue, but seeing how happily Tania was inhaling her bean sprouts, she swallowed her words. Instead, she took her chopsticks, easily stripped the tender braised chicken meat right off the bone, and dumped half of it directly onto Tania’s plate.

"It’s braised perfectly. You have to try it, Tania~"

Tania blinked, entirely caught off guard, before a warm smile broke across her face. "Okay!"

The two girls happily shared their lunch, linking arms as they walked back to the dorms. The two-hour lunch break was specifically designed for students to take a nap and recharge. If they didn't sleep, they would essentially be zombies for the four brutal afternoon classes.

The entire campus quickly fell into a heavy, absolute silence.

Julie quickly rinsed her mouth and scrambled up the ladder to her top bunk. She had fully intended to memorize a few English vocabulary words before sleeping. Instead, her eyes slipped shut, and she was dead to the world within two minutes. Right before she lost consciousness, she offered one final, desperate prayer to wake up as a twenty-seven-year-old.