In my last life, my sister Ashley, jealous of my brains and good grades, deliberately introduced me to a bad boy, Jake. She pushed me into dating him young, skipping class, sneaking out to meet him.

Anytime I hesitated, she'd hype me up, saying high school was the time for a passionate, unforgettable romance. She claimed Jake was secretly loaded, a rich kid in disguise, and sticking with him meant living the high life.

Meanwhile, she was secretly burning the midnight oil, studying, forming study groups with the top students.

Then, I got pregnant unexpectedly. Terrified, I wanted to tell Mom and Dad, get an abortion. But Ashley found me first. She said the baby was innocent, convinced me to hide the pregnancy and have the baby in secret. She promised that once the baby was born, I could marry into Jake’s supposedly wealthy family. With a baby involved, Mom and Dad wouldn't be able to stop it anyway.

So, I started wearing baggy school clothes to hide my growing belly. During final exams, Ashley aced everything and got into an Ivy League school. Me? I ended up giving birth in a public restroom stall. Ashley went off to college, bright future ahead, landing a great career and relationship after graduation. My reputation was ruined. Jake wasn't rich at all; he was just some poor kid from the sticks. My parents were devastated and utterly disappointed in me. They just let Jake drag me and the baby back to his remote, impoverished hometown where we suffered until we died.

After my death, at my funeral, Ashley told everyone I was rebellious, wouldn't listen to reason. She claimed she'd tried so hard to warn me off dating Jake, but I brought it all on myself.

Then, I opened my eyes. I was back. Reborn. This time, I was flipping the script.

1

The agonizing memory of being beaten, my scalp bleeding, in my past life was still fresh. I blinked, finding myself standing on the school's track field.

Ashley stood nearby, looking crisp and clean in her neat school uniform, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. The picture of youthful innocence.

Me? My hair was bleached a brassy yellow – the principal had just ordered me to dye it back to a normal color. My uniform, originally tailored, was deliberately ripped and altered. Underneath my uniform pants, I was wearing fishnet stockings. A total mess.

Ashley looked at me, holding out a pink envelope. She gave me a conspiratorial wink. "Chloe, Jake asked me to give this to you. It's a love letter. He wants you to meet him at the pool hall this afternoon. Says he wants to introduce you to his crew."

Looking at her face, I silently clenched my fists, nearly grinding my back teeth to dust.

Last time, she’d handed me the letter just like this, convincing me to skip class and go find Jake at the pool hall. I remembered him there, decked out in too-tight jeans, flashy fake designer shoes, leaning against his obnoxiously loud motorcycle. His posse of wannabe tough guys stood behind him, all respectfully calling me "Jake's girl."

It had fed my stupid teenage vanity, making me fall even harder for him, officially becoming his girlfriend.

After that, I started dating him seriously, my focus completely shifting away from school. Ashley covered for me late at night, helping me sneak out to meet Jake, sometimes not getting home until morning.

Thanks to her covering my tracks, Mom and Dad never suspected I wasn't sleeping in my own bed.

It all came crashing down when I stared at a positive pregnancy test, two pink lines mocking me. Panicked, I told Ashley my period was two months late. I was pregnant. I cried hysterically, clutching the test, wanting to confess everything to our parents.

But Ashley grabbed my arm, her voice full of false wisdom. "Chloe, Jake's family is rich. Being pregnant now just means you can drop out and marry into wealth. If you get rid of the baby, he'll definitely break up with you. Then your reputation is ruined, and if you bomb your finals, you'll end up working some dead-end job."

"Oh, my naive sister," she’d said, "do you really want to be flipping burgers for the rest of your life? Besides, this is a life. Can you really live with yourself if you kill your own child?"

So, I listened to her. I hid the pregnancy. And that led to the tragedy.

This time, I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Seeing me hesitate to take the letter, Ashley shoved it into my hand. "Chloe, I put a pair of heels in your backpack. You should wear them later. You're so pretty, just dress up a little. Jake will be so proud to show you off."

She even gave me his number again, telling me not to be late.

I mumbled, "But… I have class this afternoon. I've already skipped so many times this month."

"Chloe, don't waste your time on studying! Don't you want that epic romance?" She patted my shoulder, acting like she only had my best interests at heart.

Just as the bell rang for class, Ashley literally pushed me towards the school exit. "Go on, hurry! I'll cover for you."

She waved, then quickly turned and ran back towards the classrooms.

Clutching the letter, I turned and followed her back inside.

When Ashley saw me walk into the classroom instead of heading out to meet Jake, her eyes widened in disbelief.

I ignored her and focused on the lesson. I’d let her convince me to skip so much class last time. We were already halfway through the material, and college entrance exams were only three months away. I had to catch up.

Looking at the problems in the textbook, a thought sparked. Having lived twice, and remembering all those nights I spent secretly studying textbooks after being dragged away in my past life… I knew this stuff inside and out. Getting into an Ivy League school? This time, it was practically guaranteed.

Seeing me actually studying, Ashley leaned over. "Chloe, what are you looking at?"

"Studying. I'm going to get into the Ivy League," I stated plainly.

Ashley covered her mouth in mock surprise, raising her voice deliberately. "Wow, Chloe! You're aiming for the Ivy League?"

Heads turned. Smirks appeared on my classmates' faces.

Even the teacher looked over, a small, disbelieving smile on her face. "Chloe Miller, you skip class constantly, show no interest in learning… We're halfway through the year. Do you really think cramming at the last minute will even get you into any college?"

"Yeah, Chloe, seriously," Ashley chimed in, a smug look on her face. "Stop dreaming. Mom and Dad would be thrilled if you just barely scraped into a state school."

The other students started murmuring, mocking my ambition, calling me delusional.

I ignored their ridicule and buried my head in my book. My scores would speak for themselves eventually. No need to argue now.

2

After school, I started cleaning out my backpack and desk, tossing all the cheap nail polish, drugstore makeup, and other junk into the trash.

Ashley noticed and came over, feigning curiosity. "Throwing all this out? Done with it? And… are you breaking up with Jake? He must be waiting for you. Standing him up is really rude, you know."

"I need to study hard. Try to be a good student, like you, Ashley," I said calmly, not stopping my tidying.

Ashley scoffed. "Chloe, you hit the jackpot. A rich guy likes you! Marry him, and you're set for life. I don't have that option; I have to study my butt off."

She even managed to look envious.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. "Well then, Ashley, since you feel that way, why don't you take this 'life-changing opportunity' to marry into wealth? You're not as smart as me anyway, so maybe you shouldn't waste your time studying."

"He likes you, Chloe, not me! I already set it up for you! What am I supposed to do if you don't go?" Ashley sputtered, looking genuinely panicked for a second.

I walked around her towards the door. "Not my problem. If you like him so much, go yourself."

I went straight home and locked myself in my room to study.

After quickly reviewing the standard high school curriculum, I realized it was way too easy. No challenge at all.

So, I started tackling advanced Math Olympiad problems, pushing myself to the next level.

Ashley came into my room later and saw me studying. She leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "Chloe, college exams are just a few months away. It's way too late for you to catch up now. You'd be better off spending this time sucking up to Jake."

She then sat down at her own desk nearby and pulled out her textbooks. Watching her chew on her pen, struggling with a problem, I glanced over at her work. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"That one's not so hard," I commented, pointing to the last big problem on her page. "Honestly, most of this stuff is kid's stuff for me. Only that last one requires a little thought."

Ashley's eyes went wide. "What are you talking about? Stop pretending! This is Olympiad-level math! There's no way you understand this! Stop scribbling nonsense and distracting me!"

She yelled loud enough for our parents in the living room to hear. They came rushing in.

"We come from a family of academics! Your mother and I have been professors our whole lives! How did we end up with a delinquent daughter like you?" Dad snapped as soon as he walked in, poking my forehead angrily. "Look at that yellow hair! You look ridiculous!"

"Mom, Dad, Chloe was deliberately messing up my notebook, trying to stop me from studying!" Ashley whined, playing the victim.

Dad picked up Ashley's notebook and looked at the problem I’d pointed out. "This… this solution here… Chloe, did you write this?"

"Yes, she did! Dad, punish her!" Ashley tilted her head up, looking at me with a flash of triumph in her eyes.

Dad stared at the notebook for a moment longer, then passed it to Mom. They both grabbed scratch paper and pens and started scribbling, working through the problem.

Ashley got impatient. "Mom! Dad! Aren't you going to yell at her? She's ruining my study time! How am I supposed to get into a good school?"

"Quiet," Dad waved her off dismissively. He looked at me, his expression shifting. "Chloe… did you really solve this?"

"Yes," I nodded.

A huge grin spread across Dad's face. He gently patted my head. "Genius! An absolute genius! You got it right! And this method… they haven't even taught you this yet! How did you figure it out?"

"Dad, I've actually finished all the high school material already," I explained with a smile. "I found the regular stuff too easy, so I started exploring Olympiad math on my own for a challenge. I've decided. My goal is the Ivy League."

Ashley stood frozen, watching us, her jealousy practically radiating off her.

Mom and Dad burst out laughing, their eyes now filled with warmth and pride as they looked at me.

"Turning over a new leaf is priceless, Chloe! We believe in you! Absolutely!" Dad exclaimed. "Right, let's go make your favorite dinner to celebrate!" Mom added, and they headed out of the room together.

Ashley clenched her fists, her voice tight with disbelief. "How did you do that? It's impossible!"

"Because I'm a genius, dear sister," I replied with a sweet smile. "Aren't you?"

3

Ashley glared at me, pure jealousy burning in her eyes. Then, as if remembering something, she scoffed. "So what if you're a genius? You've skipped so many classes. I bet you still can't score high enough."

I just raised an eyebrow and went back to my studying.

At the dinner table, Mom and Dad couldn't stop praising me, calling me a natural talent, a true genius. Dad even gave me some challenging problems he'd collected over the years, and I solved them one by one. Watching Dad and me engrossed in academic discussion, Ashley got so upset she barely touched her food.

With Dad's guidance, I felt like my understanding deepened even further. That night, I even dreamed about solving equations.

The next morning, I got up early and headed to school. But Jake was waiting for me at the entrance, straddling his loud, flashy motorcycle, his crew flanking him. Their bizarre outfits and the obnoxious techno blasting from the bike's speakers made other students stare and whisper.

Ashley nudged me, grinning maliciously. "Look, Chloe! You and Jake both have bleached hair! Matching couple hair, how cute! Go say hi to your boyfriend."

"Alright guys, say hi to my girl!" Jake yelled. His buddies shuffled forward and awkwardly mumbled, "Hey," or "Yo, boss's girl."

The surrounding students burst into laughter.

I shot Jake a glare and tried to walk around him, but he grabbed my sleeve.

"What do you think you're doing? Causing trouble right at the school gate?" The sharp voice of the Dean of Students cut through the noise. She marched over, eyes narrowed at me. "Are you bringing your dating drama to school now? Ashley, get to class immediately. Don't let your sister drag you down."

"Yes, ma'am," Ashley replied sweetly, shooting me a triumphant smirk over her shoulder.

"Ma'am, I'm not dating him," I protested. "My sister invited him here. I barely know him."

"Don't try to blame your sister, Chloe," the Dean snapped, her face hardening. "I know your track record. It's bad enough you're throwing your own future away, but don't corrupt Ashley. Any more of this, and I'm calling your parents."

Jake visibly flinched at the mention of parents and quickly signaled his crew. They scrambled onto their bikes and sped off.

When I finally got to my classroom, I found Ashley standing in front of the class, holding the pink love letter Jake had sent, reading it aloud in a dramatic voice. The other students were howling with laughter. When they saw me enter, they started repeating lines from the letter, making kissy noises and teasing me relentlessly.

"Seriously, Chloe? Your taste is trash! Dating that wannabe? Hahahaha! And he actually came to the school? So embarrassing for our class!"

"Hey, don't be mean to my sister," Ashley interjected, pretending to defend me. "She and Jake really like each other."

Just as I was about to speak, the teacher walked in.

Ashley immediately rushed up to the teacher, handing her the letter. "Teacher, my sister received this love letter."

The teacher took it and scanned the contents. The explicit, cheesy lines made her face flush with anger. She slammed the letter down on her desk.

"Chloe Miller!" she roared. "You are incorrigible! I can't handle you anymore! Get your phone out and call your parents right now! If you don't want to be in school, you can just go home!"

As the teacher fumed, Ashley leaned close and whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, "So what if you're a genius? You can't go to college if you get expelled."

With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and dialed my dad's number.

"Sweetie!" Dad's excited voice came through the line. "I was just looking over those Olympiad problems you solved yesterday! Your approach is so innovative! Come home early after school today, okay? I have a few more I want to test you with! You're truly a once-in-a-lifetime talent!"

Before he could continue gushing, I cut in quietly.

"Dad, the school wants to expel me. Can you come here now?"