Orientation week, day one. Ryder, the guy who’d been holding court since the moment he stepped into the dorm, proposed a trip to the new luxury retail complex downtown. An all-you-can-carry shopping spree, on him.

La Mer sunscreen that cost more than a month’s rent, Dior bags, imported snacks from a gourmet market—all of it, his treat.

The room erupted in cheers. I, however, quietly slipped my own black card into the military-grade safe under my bunk.

I’d learned my lesson. In another life, Ryder’s phone had brushed against my card for a split second. In that instant, five million dollars vanished from my account.

The exact amount our classmates had just spent.

1

When I confronted him, he filmed my desperate confusion and posted it online.

“I don’t have your face ID, man. I don’t have your fingerprint. How could I spend your money?” he’d said to his phone’s camera, feigning innocence. Then, turning on the crocodile tears, “I just wanted to do something nice for everyone, a welcome gift, and this is how I’m repaid?”

The clip went viral. The internet turned on me, a vicious, anonymous mob. I was cornered, with nowhere to go.

The day I was finally going to the police, I took a sip of water. It was laced with something sharp, chemical. A seizure tore through me, and then, nothing.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back here. Back on the day it all began, with Ryder proclaiming his magnificent generosity.

“Alright everyone, listen up! Orientation is a grind, I get it. So I decided we all deserve a little something,” Ryder announced, his voice booming across the common room, no microphone needed. “We’re heading to the mall for some welcome gifts. My treat. Who’s in?”

Looking at that same triumphant smirk, the full, gut-wrenching realization hit me. I was back. Reborn.

The familiar words ignited a cold fire of hatred in my chest.

At first, most of the other freshmen ignored him, skeptical of his vague promise of a “little something.”

Then he cleared his throat and brandished a sleek, black credit card.

“Think Louis Vuitton, everyone. Top-shelf sunscreen. And when we’re tired, I’ll treat you all to a day at the Aethelgard Wellness Retreat. How does that sound?”

The Aethelgard was the most exclusive, most ridiculously expensive spa in the entire state. A single day pass cost $12,888.

The room exploded.

The change in tone was instant. People were practically fawning over him.

“Holy shit, Ryder! You’re loaded. Dude, I’ll be your personal assistant for a day like that.”

“A treat from the king himself? You couldn’t drag me away.”

I watched the scene unfold, a bitter, knowing sneer playing on my lips.

In my last life, I’d gone with them. They’d shopped like wild animals, each one racking up a bill of over a hundred thousand dollars. When it came time to pay, Ryder had made a show of patting his pockets, a look of panic on his face. He’d claimed his card was gone, and then his eyes landed on me.

Every card has a unique number. To clear my name, I showed him mine. He just needed to see it wasn’t his.

He’d glanced at it, then given it back, his face a mask of apology. “My bad, man. Guess I was mistaken.”

Then, miraculously, he found his own card in another pocket and paid for everything.

The moment the transaction went through, my phone buzzed. Five million dollars, gone. The exact total of everyone’s purchases. With no itemized receipt in my name, only a transaction record, there was nothing I could do. I was screwed.

Still, I confronted him. He secretly recorded the entire thing, turning my frantic accusations into a viral video that painted me as an ungrateful lunatic.

“I literally just glanced at your card, and you’re saying I stole from you?” he’d pleaded to his online audience. “Family, you be the judge. I buy this guy a hundred grand worth of stuff, and he turns around and accuses me of being a thief! Can you believe the nerve?”

The others, bought and paid for, all backed his story. A guy who drops a hundred grand on each of his new classmates? The internet ate it up. They were drowning in jealousy. Ryder became a minor influencer overnight, a rich-kid icon, raking in donations and sponsorships.

And me? Just as I was about to file a police report, I drank that bottle of water and my world went black.

Ryder had then forged a purchase history for poison under my name, sealing the narrative that I’d killed myself out of shame.

“Man, I was just telling the truth,” he’d said in a somber livestream, shaking his head. “I can’t believe he took it so hard. It’s all my fault. I never should have posted that video.”

My soul, or whatever was left of it, had hovered there, watching his sickeningly fake performance. It was enough to make me gag.

And Ashley, the girl I’d had a crush on for three years in high school, had thrown herself right into his arms.

“It’s not your fault, Ryder,” she’d cooed. “Ethan was always so uptight and cheap. He got what he deserved.”

Watching them together, my spectral teeth had ground to dust.

Lost in the memory, I didn’t hear Ryder calling my name until a sharp slap on my back jolted me back to the present.

“Ethan, you’re coming, right?”

“Yeah, everyone’s going. If you don’t come, it’s like you’re dissing me, man,” Ashley chimed in, grabbing my arm. “Ethan, you were such a loner in high school. This is college now. Ryder is being genuinely nice to us. Just come!”

I subtly pulled my arm away from her touch, a slow smile spreading across my face.

“Of course, I’m coming.”

How else was I going to watch him crash and burn?

The debt from my last life? This time, he was going to pay it back. In blood.

2

That afternoon, I took a ride home. I placed the black card my parents had given me into a military-grade, biometric safe. The kind of thing that could take a stray bullet and not even dent. My iris was the only key. Cracking it would be harder than breaking into Fort Knox.

Once the real card was secure, I took out the replica I’d had made. It was a perfect copy, visually indistinguishable from the real thing. But it was just a piece of plastic. It couldn’t withdraw a dime, couldn’t even accept a deposit. It was a dud.

Just as I finished, my phone buzzed. It was Ryder, for the third time.

“Ethan, where are you, man? Everyone’s waiting for you!”

Then his voice dropped. “Ashley says if you don’t show, she’s done with you.”

Hearing him use her first name so casually didn’t stir a single thing in me. Not anymore.

In high school, I really had been hung up on Ashley for three years. I’d even applied to the same universities as her. But she’d never said yes, and never said no. A classic string-along. That’s why seeing her leap into Ryder’s arms in my past life was a sickening kind of clarity. She wasn’t unavailable; she was just fishing for the highest bidder.

It was Ashley who had insisted I go on that shopping trip last time. I’d caved, wanting to be near her, and Ryder had used it to set his trap.

That poisoned water? I later learned she had been the one to mix it, a twisted gesture to prove her loyalty to Ryder.

A woman that hollow didn't deserve a second thought.

The frantic voice on the phone was still buzzing. I mumbled an affirmation and had my driver drop me at the mall.

When Ryder saw the car, a sleek, custom Maybach, his eyes widened, a flash of pure greed in them. But he quickly masked it, throwing an arm over my shoulder like we were best buds.

“There he is! We were about to send out a search party. Come on.”

The other students, seeing me finally arrive, didn’t bother hiding their annoyance.

“What took you so long, Ethan? Did you really have to make every single one of us wait?”

“Who do you think you are, making us waste our time?”

I scanned their faces impassively, my gaze finally landing on Ashley. Her pretty features were twisted into a look of impatience.

“And you showed up in that? It looks like you got it from a thrift store. You could have at least tried.”

I glanced down at my outfit, a simple athletic set. The t-shirt alone, a private commission from a top designer, was worth fifty thousand dollars. The fabric was a proprietary blend, cool and comfortable even in the sweltering late-summer heat.

A contemptuous laugh escaped my lips. “You wouldn’t recognize quality if it slapped you in the face. This shirt alone could buy your life.”

My words were sharp, and they hit their mark. Ashley’s eyes instantly welled with tears.

Ryder stepped in, playing the peacemaker. “Hey, hey, come on. We’re all classmates here. No need for things to get ugly.” He clapped his hands together. “Let’s go pick out some gifts! Anything under a hundred grand is fair game!”

A chorus of cheers erupted.

“Ryder, you’re the man!”

“Yeah, not like some people who pretend to be rich but are just faking it. So pathetic.”

I knew they were talking about me, but I just smiled as I watched them stampede into the designer stores.

The show was just beginning.

I was dying to see how Ryder would handle the final act without my money.

3

Ashley trailed behind Ryder, her voice syrupy sweet. “Is there anything you want, Ryder?”

He feigned surprise, then gave her a lecherous grin. “Just having you here with me is the best gift I could ask for.” He took her hand, basking in the fawning attention of our classmates, his face flushed with triumph.

Noticing I hadn’t moved, Ryder called out, “Ethan, get in there! Go pick something out. Don’t be shy.”

His magnanimity, contrasted with my cold silence, was stark. Immediately, someone jumped to his defense.

“Ethan! If you don’t want a gift, you didn’t have to come!”

“Ryder’s being so generous, and you’re giving him this attitude? What an ungrateful jerk.”

“Don’t think renting a fancy car makes you a somebody. You might have the attitude of a rich kid, but you sure don’t have the bank account.”

As the insults grew louder, I paused, making a show of turning to leave.

Ryder panicked. He grabbed my arm, his grip surprisingly tight. “Guys, don’t talk to Ethan like that! He’s my friend.” His voice trembled slightly. He was clearly terrified. Terrified that his golden goose was about to walk away.

But I wasn’t really leaving.

If I left, I’d miss the grand finale.

“Alright, Ryder. I’ll go pick something out then.”

He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Yeah, man, go for it. Get whatever you want, seriously. Don’t hold back on my account.”

I followed his suggestion and picked out a simple men’s backpack. A basic model I would never have considered in my real life.

Most of the others had already made their selections. At Ryder’s urging, Ashley had chosen an entire set of diamond jewelry. The brilliant stones glittered under the showroom lights. I recognized it as the latest collection from Cartier. The whole set had to be at least a million dollars.

Ryder didn’t even blink. “Get it,” he said, puffing out his chest. “If Ashley likes it, I’d buy her ten sets.”

She rewarded him with a grateful kiss on the corner of his mouth. The surrounding students hooted and cheered.

Even the sales associate was laying it on thick. “Mr. Ryder, you are truly generous. A million-dollar gift, just like that.”

Someone from the crowd immediately piled on. “Yeah, I heard some guys chased Ashley for three years and never even bought her a ten-thousand-dollar gift. So cheap.”

“Seriously. Broke guys should stay away from gorgeous women. He’s not even worthy of shining Ryder’s shoes.”

Ashley shot me a look of pure, condescending victory. I just shrugged, completely unfazed.

Finally, the shopping spree was over. When the sales associate brought over the card reader, Ryder’s face suddenly went pale.

“My black card… it’s gone!”

Everyone froze. Then, a frantic search began, with people dropping to the floor to look for the missing card. After several minutes of searching, they found nothing.

Ashley looked worried. “Ryder, you don’t think someone… stole it, do you?”

The moment she said the word “stole,” all eyes turned to me.

Ryder put on a show of frustration, then looked at me with an expression of deep regret. “Ethan… you were the only one who bumped into me today. You didn’t… take my card, did you?” He pointed at my pocket. “I thought I saw a card in your pocket. Can I just see it?”

I looked at him, a half-smile on my face. “Are you saying I stole your card?” I let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Seriously? Do I look like I need the money?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, feigning embarrassment. “I’m not saying you stole it. I just want to see it. Look, everyone’s gifts are already boxed up. We shouldn’t keep the staff waiting.”

Seeing Ryder in a tight spot, a few of his new cronies stepped forward.

“Just let us see the card, Ethan.”

“It’s just a look, man. It’s not going to kill you. What, you think we’re going to scan your card and steal your money?”

At the mention of scanning and stealing, Ryder’s expression flickered.

“Yeah, Ethan, come on,” he urged, his voice tight. “Just let me see it for a second.”

The moment had arrived. I slowly pulled the card from my pocket, pretending to be furious.

“Fine! Look! See if this is your damn card.”

I thrust it at him. He glanced at it for a fraction of a second before handing it back. His eyes were filled with apology, but a triumphant smirk was already forming at the corner of his mouth.

“Sorry, man. That’s definitely your card.”

Then he patted his pants pocket and his eyes widened in mock surprise. “Oh! Here it is. It was in my other pocket the whole time.”

I watched the whole charade with cold detachment. The people who had been defending him looked embarrassed and started muttering under their breath.

“What a drama queen. If he hadn’t been so high and mighty from the start, no one would have suspected him.”

“Yeah, if he’s so rich, why’s he even taking a gift from Ryder? So gross.”

“Honestly, who knows if that black card is even real? It’s probably a fake.”

Hearing that, I had to suppress a smile.

Oh, it’s definitely fake.

The grand finale was about to begin. I felt a grin spread across my face.

Ryder, annoyed by the chatter, shushed them, and they reluctantly fell silent. Everyone’s purchases were bagged and ready, a mountain of luxury shopping bags.

The sales associate approached with a sycophantic smile. “Mr. Ryder, the grand total comes to six million and fifty thousand dollars. But given your significant purchase, we’ve waived the fifty thousand and upgraded you to our VIP status.” She beamed. “You only need to pay six million.”

The butterfly effect of my rebirth, I guess. He’d spent a million more than last time.

Without a second thought, he handed over his black card to pay.

I frowned slightly. I hadn't expected him to actually have that kind of money.

The moment the transaction approved, I glanced at my phone. No notification. No alert. My account balance still had a very comfortable number of zeros. I felt a wave of relief.

Just as everyone was thanking Ryder for his generosity, a sound like a dying pig echoed through the store.

Ryder was staring at his phone, his voice a horrified shriek. “How do I only have two dollars left in my account?!”

The words were out before he could stop them. Realizing he’d just shattered the rich-kid persona he’d worked so hard to build, he quickly tried to backtrack.

“No, wait, that’s not what I meant.”

His new friends looked over. “Ryder couldn’t possibly care about that amount of money. Did the card not have enough? Maybe we should wait while Ryder calls his parents for more cash.”

“Yeah, we got the gifts, we can’t let Ryder be stressed out over it.”

That last line made me snort with laughter.

My laugh drew everyone’s attention.

“What’s so funny? You took a gift from him too, you know.”

“Don’t be an ungrateful leech. One word from Ryder and your family could be ruined.”

My family, ruined? It would probably take a hundred of Ryder’s families to equal a tenth of my family’s assets.

In my last life, I had only blamed him for the missing five million. If he had just explained, maybe I would have given him time to pay it back. It wasn't worth ruining a friendship over money.

But he didn't just want my money. He wanted my life.

I looked at the bag in my hand, the one containing a hundred-thousand-dollar backpack, and my mood suddenly lifted.

“I wouldn’t dare,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Going against our dear Ryder is like going against the entire class. Whoever messes with him will have to answer to me.”

My words only made Ryder’s face darken further.

“Everybody just shut up!” he roared.