From The Past
1779 Words
"Quinn, what are you doing here?" I gritted through my teeth, fighting the urge to punch that sickly sweet smile from her face.
"What do you mean?" she asked with a laugh, flipping her hair. "You have to meet Jace, silly. I heard he doesn't have any classes today, and he'll be at his dorm. He told me he liked the food you prepared for him last time. Did you bring anything this time?"
I nearly rolled my eyes.
Of course, she was talking about that.
Today, I was supposed to bring Jace a homemade meal. The old me would have spent hours in the kitchen trying to impress him. Brainwashed i***t!
The new me was still seething and couldn't care less.
"I'm not a chef," I said. "If he's hungry, he can go to the cafeteria."
Quinn's smile faltered.
Across the room, even Denis paused her studying long enough to glance up.
"What's wrong with you?" Quinn asked. "Jace complimented your cooking. You should be ecstatic that your plan is working."
I blinked.
"What plan?"
"The plan to get closer to him."
"Oh," I shrugged. "Cooking for him was your idea in the first place. Why don't you do it?"
For a split second, something ugly flashed across Quinn's face. Then it disappeared.
Interesting.
"Did you and Jace have a fight?" she asked cautiously. "Are you angry with him?"
A laugh burst from my lips. A genuine laugh. The expression on Quinn's face made it even better. This b***h was a really good actress.
"Why would I be angry with him? We're not even that close." I asked her.
Quinn stared.
I sighed.
"I'm honestly bored of following him around. There's nothing particularly interesting about him. Why would I subject myself to that kind of torture? Ah, I must have been insane before. He’s not worth my time."
I stood.
"If that's all you came to say, then I've heard you. I need a nap."
Before she could respond, I gently but firmly pushed her toward the door.
"See you later."
Then I shut it in her face.
The silence that followed was glorious. Turning around, I found Denis staring at me, her mouth slightly open. Of course she was. Quinn and I were literally as thick as thieves. Seeing me brush her off like that must have been shocking. The previous clueless me would never have hurt my best friend like that.
I grinned.
"Like I said. I'm a changed person."
To my surprise, Denis didn't ask questions and gave me a thumbs-up instead.
*
A few minutes later, I left my dorm room for class.
The moment I stepped outside, someone blocked my path. I didn't even need to look up to know who it was. Anyone could smell her perfume from a mile away. It was Quinn. Again.
"Since you wouldn't cook for Jace, I took the initiative and bought some food." She held up a neatly packaged meal. "Now you can give this to him instead."
"I have no interest in Jace."
"You were obsessed with him last week!" The desperation in her voice finally made something click.
Why was she trying so hard?
Then I remembered. Today was the day. The day Jace was supposed to finally "accept" my feelings. The day their stupid little plan moved to the next stage.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
I remembered everything they had cruelly confessed to me in my previous life. Jace's rich friends had made a bet. If he managed to sleep with me within a year, they'd buy him a new luxury car.
Meanwhile, Quinn wanted Jace for herself. He was rich and popular, the perfect boyfriend. If she helped him win the bet, he'd eventually date her instead. The entire thing had been a game, and I'd been the punchline. My fingers curled into fists.
Quinn had enjoyed every second of it. Watching me embarrass myself. Watching me chase a man who never cared about me. Making videos. Laughing behind my back.
What a wonderful friend.
Before I could react, Quinn suddenly snatched my phone.
"Hey!"
She shoved the food container into my hands.
"You'll get this back after you deliver the food."
"Quinn—"
"You're so close, Aurora. I can't watch you throw away such a golden opportunity."
Then she ran. Actually ran.
It was the first time I had actually seen her move that fast. I stared after her in disbelief. The nerve.
Then I looked down at the food container.
Fine. If she wanted me to deliver it that badly, I would.
*
The moment I entered the boys' dormitory, the whispers started.
My presence here was not a shock to many of them. I previously bribed the resident assistant to allow me to sneak in occasionally. Many guys did the same to bring in their girlfriends and one-night stands.
"Isn't that Aurora?"
"She's delivering food again."
"I've never seen someone this determined."
"Determined? More like desperate."
I ignored them.
Before, those comments would have devastated me. I used to shyly walk past this corridor and drop food in front of Jace's door like a commoner.
I cringed. Had I really been that embarrassing?
I walked through the building and headed toward Jace's floor. Boys poked their heads out of rooms. Others pulled out phones. Somebody was definitely texting Jace about my arrival. They always did.
When I reached the hallway, a familiar door opened.
Jace stepped out.
His brown hair was perfectly styled. His blue eyes were confident, with an apparent trace of arrogance.
I honestly couldn't believe I'd once thought he was perfect. He was good-looking, I’ll admit, a rising football player, and was one of the top of his class. He was also from a well-to-do family, which was one of the reasons Quinn was desperate to get him.
"Aurora," he said. "Haven't I told you to stop coming here?” He sighed and brushed his hair, feigning frustration. “Well, I guess you can’t help it. If you're that desperate, I'll give you a chance—"
I walked straight past him.
The entire hallway went silent.
I stopped in front of the room next to his.
For some reason, this room had always remained closed whenever I came here. I had no idea who lived inside. But today, I prayed they were home.
I knocked twice. I could feel the stares digging into my back. Footsteps sounded from inside, and I swallowed in anticipation. When the door opened, I planned to shove the flask into their arms and bolt out of the dorm as fast as I could.
The door opened.
And I froze.
A broad chest filled my vision.
I swallowed and forced myself to look up.
"Hi. I brought—"
The words died instantly in my throat.
My dark eyes locked with a beautiful pair of hazel ones. My breath caught as I gazed at the boy in front of him. Hazel eyes, dark hair… my heart suddenly dropped, the only thing missing was a pool of blood.
It was him.
The boy from that night. The boy who'd fallen from the rooftop, or rather, who was pushed. The boy I'd tried to save.
The food container almost slipped from my fingers.
"You're alive." I choked out in surprise.
One dark eyebrow lifted.
"Was I supposed to be dead?"
Right. Of course, he was alive. He hadn't died yet. Emotion crashed over me so suddenly that I didn't think. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist.
"I'm so glad you're okay.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "I tried to get help. I really did."
The hallway became deathly silent.
I didn't notice.
I didn't notice Jace staring at me like I'd lost my mind.
I didn't notice dozens of shocked students.
I didn't notice the murderous glare currently aimed at the top of my head from the mysterious boy I was hugging.
"Is she hugging Elijah King? She has gone mad," somebody whispered.
The entire hallway heard it.
My eyes widened.
Right.
I quickly released him.
"Sorry." I laughed awkwardly. "I was just excited to see someone in a similar situation to me."
The look Elijah gave me nearly made me take a step back. His expression was terrifying.
"Who the f**k are you?"
Someone at the end of the hall answered before I could.
"She's Jace's secret admirer. She probably got confused and hugged the wrong person.”
A few students laughed.
I rolled my eyes.
"Calling me Jace's admirer is a strong accusation."
The laughter slowly died down. I cleared my throat and straightened my shoulders. It was time to sever all ties with that bastard once and for all. My index finger pointed at Jace.
"I only brought him food out of pity sometimes. And I only followed you around because Quinn told me you had self-harm tendencies. She was worried you would hurt yourself if someone weren’t there to be with you. I was doing charity."
Jace choked.
I continued, turning to the person who made the first comment.
"How does that make me attracted to him? If anything, I feel sympathy for him. I'm a very empathetic person and I’m only extending help. He was never my type anyway. He’s pale as a ghost."
The hallway exploded in chatter and snickers.
Jace looked like he wanted to strangle me on the spot. But he didn’t find an opportunity as he was too busy swatting away the boys who teased him.
I ignored them and turned back to Elijah.
Using the current distraction, I lowered my voice and asked, "Don't you remember me?"
His frown deepened.
"What?"
"The near-death experience. Someone pushed you from the roof, remember?"
"What the f**k are you talking about?" His brows were scrunched in genuine confusion.
My stomach dropped. He genuinely had no idea what I meant. Then a horrifying thought occurred to me.
What if I were the only one who had gone back in time? What if he didn’t remember?
My eyes widened.
Elijah looked seconds away from throwing me out the window.
"Get the f**k—"
Panicking, I shoved the food container into his chest before he could finish.
"Eat well! I'll see you around!"
Before anyone could stop me, I turned and sprinted away. I ran out of the dormitory, nearly colliding with Quinn, who was waiting outside with an eager smile.
"Well? How did it—"
I snatched my phone from her hand, giving her the most vicious glare I could muster. Then immediately took off running again, leaving Quinn completely bewildered behind me.
- Writer
