Chapter1
1362 Words
The sound of heavy rain tapped against the classroom windows.
Lena Carter rested her head on her desk, staring blankly at the gray sky outside. The room buzzed with laughter, conversations, and the scratching of pens, but none of it reached her anymore.
It felt distant. Like a world she no longer belonged to.
“Lena?” Her best friend, Mia, waved a hand in front of her face.
“You’ve been spacing out for ten minutes.”
Lena forced a small smile. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep well.”
That was a lie, she hadn’t slept properly in months. Maybe years.
At twenty, Lena already felt exhausted by life. Every decision she made seemed wrong somehow. Her dreams of becoming a writer faded after countless rejections. Her friendships slowly fell apart after graduation. And the one person she truly cared about—She lost him too.
Ethan Vale….even thinking about his name hurt.
He used to sit beside her every morning in senior year, stealing her pencils and teasing her whenever she got too serious. Back then, she thought there would always be more time.
More chances, more tomorrows….
But life moved faster than she expected and now, three years later, Ethan was gone from her life completely.
“Earth to Lena,” Mia said again. “You okay?”
Lena blinked “Yeah.”
But she wasn’t, not even close.
The final school bell rang loudly through the hallways, causing students to rush toward the exits.
Mia grabbed her bag. “We’re still going to the café later, right?”
Lena hesitated. Normally, she would make an excuse. She had become good at avoiding people lately.
But before she could answer, her phone buzzed. “Unknown Number”
She frowned and opened the message.
If you had one chance to change your past… would you take it?
A chill ran through her body.
“What’s wrong?” Mia asked.
“Nothing. Just spam.” Lena quickly locked her phone, though her heart strangely refused to calm down.
Outside, the rain poured harder.
The streets glowed under blurry city lights as Lena walked home alone with her umbrella. Cars splashed through puddles while cold wind brushed against her skin.
Her phone buzzed again.
Some regrets are meant to be rewritten.
She stopped walking, a strange feeling settled deep in her chest.
Who keeps sending these?
Before she could type a reply, headlights suddenly flashed toward her.
A loud horn echoed through the street.
Everything happened too fast.
A truck lost control on the slippery road, speeding directly toward her.
People screamed.
Lena froze. For one terrifying second, all she could think about was how many things she never got to say.
Then—Darkness.
Birds chirped softly outside the window.
Warm sunlight touched Lena’s face.
She slowly opened her eyes.
“…What?”
Her breathing stopped, the ceiling above her looked unfamiliar yet painfully recognizable.
Posters covered the walls.
Books were stacked beside her desk and near the mirror hung her old school uniform.
No…that wasn’t possible.
Lena immediately sat up.
Her hands trembled as she looked around the room.
“This… this is my old bedroom.” Her heartbeat pounded violently.
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table.
The screen lit up, September 14, 2022.
Lena stared at the date in horror.
“No way.” Three years ago.
Three years…...her breathing became uneven as memories crashed into her mind all at once.
This was impossible.
Impossible.
A knock suddenly came from outside her door.
“Lena!” her mother shouted. “You’re going to be late for school again!”
Lena’s eyes widened. School.
She jumped out of bed and ran toward the mirror.
The reflection staring back at her looked younger.
Seventeen-year-old Lena.
Not twenty. Not broken. Not exhausted. Just… younger.
“What is happening to me?”
Her knees nearly gave out.
Was she dreaming? Dead? Hallucinating?
Another knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Hurry up!”
“I-I’m coming!” Lena quickly changed into her uniform, her hands shaking the entire time.
Every detail felt real.
The scent of shampoo in the air.
The cold wooden floor beneath her feet.
The distant sound of morning traffic outside.
Too real.
When she walked downstairs, her mother looked up from the kitchen.
“There you are. Eat before you leave.”
Lena froze. Tears suddenly filled her eyes.
Her mother blinked in confusion. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
In her original timeline, her mother spent most days overseas for work after Lena graduated. They barely talked anymore.
But here—She was still home.
Still smiling.
Still making breakfast like nothing had changed.
“Mom…”
“Hm?”
Lena quickly wiped her eyes. “Nothing.”
Her mother placed pancakes on the table. “You’re acting strange today.”
If only you knew.
Lena sat quietly while trying to calm the storm inside her head.
This was real, she had somehow gone back in time.
Which meant— Everything that happened in the future had not happened yet.
The failed dreams.
The loneliness.
The heartbreak.
None of it existed here.
Not yet.
Her chest tightened.
Could she actually change things? Or would the future happen all over again no matter what she did?
The school hallway looked exactly the same.
Students rushed past lockers while teachers called out reminders about upcoming exams.
Lena walked slowly through the crowd, overwhelmed by memories.
Every corner reminded her of something she wished she had done differently.
Then she heard a familiar laugh.
Her entire body froze.
Ethan…..He stood near the classroom window, talking with his friends. His messy dark hair fell slightly into his eyes as he smiled.
The sight of him hit harder than she expected.
Because in her memories, Ethan slowly disappeared from her life until they became strangers.
But here—
He was still here.
Alive in her world again.
As if sensing her stare, Ethan turned toward her.
Their eyes met. For a moment, time itself seemed to stop.
His expression shifted slightly.
Confused.
Curious.
Then he smiled, the same smile she spent years trying to forget.
“Hey, Lena.”
Her throat tightened.
In her original timeline, this ordinary morning eventually became the start of the distance between them. She remembered ignoring him that day because she was upset over something small.
That fight lasted weeks.
Then months.
Then forever.
But this time… This time she knew where that path ended.
“Hey,” she answered softly.
Ethan walked closer. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”
You have no idea.
“I’m fine.”
“Really? Because you’re staring at me like we haven’t seen each other in years.”
Lena almost laughed at how painfully accurate that was.
“You’re weird today,” he teased.
“And you talk too much.”
“There she is,” Ethan grinned. “That’s the Lena I know.”
Her heart ached.
Because she forgot how much she missed this version of him.
Before life became complicated.
Before they lost each other.
Before regret consumed everything.
The classroom door suddenly opened “Sit down, everyone,” the teacher announced.
Students quickly returned to their seats.
Lena walked toward her desk, but Ethan grabbed her wrist lightly before she could leave.
His touch sent warmth through her chest.
“You coming to the festival tonight?” he asked.
The festival, Lena’s expression changed instantly.
She remembered it clearly now, that night changed everything.
In the original timeline, she chose not to go because she was angry at Ethan.
Later that evening, an accident happened during the fireworks show.
Someone got seriously hurt.
And after that, nothing between them was ever the same again.
A strange chill crawled down her spine.
This was it. Her first chance to change the future.
Ethan tilted his head. “Well?”
Lena looked directly into his eyes, this time… she wouldn’t make the same mistake.
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“I’ll go.”
And for the first time since waking up in the past—The future began to change.
- Writer
