1 It was the first day of the SATs, and Amy, my girlfriend, was holding the entire class hostage, refusing to let anyone leave for the testing center. They were all waiting for Brandon, her childhood friend, who was still nowhere to be found. Less than an hour remained before the exam was set to begin. If we dallied any longer, everyone would undoubtedly miss the test. In my past life, as the class president, I’d tried to be helpful. I’d urged everyone to head out, to save their futures. Instead, I was met with a tidal wave of accusations: "You're just jealous of Brandon and Amy's closeness, that's why you’re trying to ditch him and make him miss the exam!" It was pouring rain that day, and I’d pleaded with them for ten agonizing minutes before they reluctantly agreed to move. We’d ended up bursting into the exam hall in the very last second. After the SATs, Brandon had pushed me from a high point, leaving me battered and broken. And Amy? She and the entire class had stood before the police, swearing to a lie: "Elliot Carter felt so guilty about Brandon missing the SATs that he took his own life!" Brandon, riding a wave of manufactured sympathy, had transformed himself into a massive online personality. My mom, trying to fight for justice, was cyberbullied relentlessly by a clueless mob of netizens. Dazed and distraught, she’d driven off a treacherous mountain road, her life tragically ended. Only after my death did I realize it was all Brandon’s calculated plot. Now, I’m back. Reborn to that very day when Amy was leading the class in waiting for Brandon. This time, I swore, I wouldn’t interfere. Let these ungrateful fools dig their own graves! The chilling sting of rain on my face jolted me from a haze of memory. I found myself standing on the school’s sprawling track. My gaze fixed on Amy, who was currently locked in a heated argument with the school bus driver. A familiar ripple of unease stirred within me. Suddenly, Amy’s eyes blazed, snapping directly to mine. "Elliot Carter, you are utterly selfish! Brandon isn’t here yet. What’s two more minutes?" The rest of the class echoed her fury, their faces contorted with indignation. "Yeah, Brandon's our friend! How can we just leave him behind?" "If B-man isn’t here, none of us are getting on that bus today!" Their hostile glares pierced me, twisting a raw pain in my chest. In my previous life, I’d worried that waiting would make them miss the exam, so I’d begged the driver to leave. I’d considered their future, and they’d treated me like the enemy. Amy pushed through the crowd, stopping in front of me. Her face contorted with disgust. "Elliot, even if you are my boyfriend, I have to say, this is too much! This is the SATs! Making him miss one section is basically ruining his life!" I clenched my fists, biting down hard on my lip until I tasted blood, watching the sheer loathing in her eyes. It was as if she wished me dead. Finally, I managed to smooth my expression. "Fine. If you all want to gamble your futures on Brandon, then keep waiting. It’s coming down hard out here. I’m getting on the bus." I ignored their glares, the kind that promised to tear me limb from limb, and walked directly onto the school-provided exam shuttle. The driver looked at me, a worried frown etched on his face. "With my years of experience, a rain this heavy, if we wait any longer, something's bound to go wrong!" Amy’s cold laugh cut him off. "Don't be dramatic. I take that road to the testing center all the time. There's no way it'll be an issue!" The driver sighed, slumping back into his seat. My classmates, meanwhile, cheered and celebrated in the rain as if they’d just won a major victory. But what they didn't know was that I’d already secured guaranteed admission to a top-tier university two months ago. Whether I made it to the SATs on time or not was irrelevant to my future. I’d only chosen to join them to experience the atmosphere. I wondered, though, if they’d still be smiling an hour from now, without the luxury of early admission. My eyes stung, and my hand trembled as I dialed my mom’s number. Memories of my past life flashed before me: being thrown from that height, my mom’s car plunging off a cliff, her life tragically ended. Tears streamed down my face. This time, I would make these ungrateful fools pay for their terrible choices! I’d make them realize just how incredibly foolish their actions were! Time ticked by, agonizingly slow. Fifteen minutes later, Brandon finally arrived, breathless, clutching his backpack. It was only a five-minute walk from the boys' dorm to the track, but he’d managed to conjure up a performance of utter exhaustion. Though a flicker of surprise crossed his face at finding everyone still there, it quickly vanished, replaced by a wide grin. "I knew it! I knew you guys wouldn't abandon me!" As my classmates watched him with eager eyes, he shot me a venomous glare. Amy looked at Brandon, her gaze softening. "Brandon, don't worry! We'll always wait for you, no matter what!" Then, my phone buzzed. A news alert popped up, and a faint smile touched my lips. Breaking News: Due to overnight heavy rain, the road from the school to the testing center is completely flooded! 2 In my last life, it was precisely because I discovered the road was severely flooded that I had so desperately pleaded with everyone to leave on time. Even then, we’d barely made it, rushing into the exam hall just in the nick of time. Now, without my warning, they were departing a full five minutes later. For them to make it to the SATs smoothly, it would take a miracle. Once we were on the bus, Brandon, feigning remorse, offered me a lollipop. "Class President, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! I just thought everyone might be nervous about the exam, so I took it upon myself to buy lollipops for everyone before we left." Before I could even open my mouth, Amy snatched the lollipop away. She wrapped her arms around Brandon, consoling him, "Brandon, you didn't do anything wrong, why are you apologizing? Selfish people like him don't deserve anything you buy!" The rest of the class chimed in, echoing her sentiments: "Yeah, Brandon, don't blame yourself. We all chose to wait for you." "Just a few minutes delay, no big deal. You're always thinking of us, and we'll remember your kindness forever! We’re not cold-hearted like some people!" A cold smirk touched my lips as I listened to their thinly veiled taunts. Oh, this was just perfect! I wondered if they’d still be so nonchalant, so dismissive of a few minutes, in about half an hour. Brandon’s single lollipop had just bought away the most precious fifteen minutes of their lives. That instant of sugary sweetness was destined to brew a hundred, a thousand times the bitterness for them. They munched on their lollipops, singing along to the radio, treating the SATs like some grand spring picnic. But soon, some of them started to notice that something was off. The traffic outside was growing denser, and the bus was crawling at an increasingly sluggish pace. "Latest update," the bus driver announced, his voice heavy with dread. "There’s severe flooding ahead. The road’s blocked. We'll have to take a detour. We might be late." The previously boisterous bus fell into an immediate, deafening silence. Amy's face went ashen with disbelief. "No way... Absolutely impossible! How can this road be blocked?" Panic gripped everyone instantly. "What are we going to do? If I miss the SATs, my entire life is over!" "You’re the driver! Do something! I can't be late!" The driver shook his head helplessly. "To get to the testing center fastest, we’d need to find another mode of transport and go directly through the flooded areas." I watched everything unfold with cold detachment. In my previous life, when my mom heard they were stuck, she’d immediately mobilized over a dozen large construction vehicles from her company nearby and successfully transported everyone to the testing center. But these people, far from being grateful, had spread malicious rumors online, claiming she’d extorted a thousand dollars each for "fuel." Facing such ungrateful ingrates, I certainly wouldn't be naive enough to call my mom for help again. At that moment, Brandon suddenly spoke up, brimming with unwarranted confidence. "Everyone, don't worry! I know a shortcut. It'll definitely get us to the testing center on time." Hearing him, everyone visibly relaxed, as if Brandon's words held some magical power that made them instantly believe him! I knew it. In their eyes, I was just a jealous, bad guy. And Brandon? He was their beloved "good student." Because I'd pushed them to study late into the night, to memorize texts, while Brandon never did. The expensive prep materials I’d had my mom buy from top tutors were worth less to them than a single lollipop Brandon offered. Even when I’d assigned Brandon duty, they’d claimed I was singling him out. "See? Brandon always has a solution, unlike some people who just clam up when there’s a problem, totally lacking any backbone." Amy gushed, excitedly linking her arm through Brandon’s, making sure to land a jab at me. I lowered my head, a cold smile playing on my lips, tightening my grip on my phone. Were they truly so certain Brandon would kindly show them a shortcut? 3 As expected, Brandon’s supposed shortcut proved to be entirely useless. The noisy chatter in the bus had vanished, replaced by palpable anxiety on every face. Each tick of the digital clock seemed to drain more color from them. "Are we really not going to make it?" Noah, the class's study monitor, asked the driver, his voice laced with despair. The driver merely offered a contemptuous sneer in return. If these students hadn’t so stubbornly delayed our departure by fifteen minutes, this entire situation would never have happened. By the time the bus arrived at the testing center, the entrance was already sealed. No students were allowed inside. Amy stepped off the bus, her face stark white. She stared at the high barricades, utterly bewildered. "How can this be?" Noah tried to push past the police tape but was immediately stopped by an officer. "The SATs have already begun. No one is permitted to enter the testing center." Other students disembarked, their legs like jelly. As Amy had said, this was the SATs—an exam where a single point could change a life, let alone missing an entire section. I watched them, a cold satisfaction flickering in my eyes. You were all so willing to gamble your futures for Brandon, weren't you? Why are you crying and wailing now? Just then, Amy spoke up, her voice surprisingly steady. "Everyone, don't panic. We were late for a reason. We can explain the situation to the teachers and arrange for a makeup exam." The students’ expressions instantly brightened, like drowning people grasping at a lifeline. They clamored, demanding to see a teacher. But before they could take any action, Principal Thompson arrived, his face livid, accompanied by a group of teachers. Seeing the principal’s expression, Amy’s heart inexplicably plummeted. She had a terrible feeling. "Deliberately delaying your departure by fifteen minutes – what were you students thinking? A makeup exam? Don't even dream about it!" the principal roared. "Not being labeled as intentionally missing the exam and banned from taking the SATs for three years is already a mercy." His furious words hung in the air. Parents who had been waiting outside the testing center in the rain began to point and whisper. "They were late for something as important as the SATs? How irresponsible can you be?" "If that were my kid, I’d drag them home right now and give them the beating of their life!" The parents’ condemnation plunged everyone further into despair. Noah grabbed Amy by the collar, roaring, "Amy, you told us Elliot was just jealous and lying, that we should wait for Brandon! Why can't I even get into the testing center now?" The others stared at Amy, their faces filled with rage. Sophia stood with her head bowed, looking as if all the life had been drained from her, her face etched with deep regret. Brandon, meanwhile, choked back tears, his voice trembling with sorrow. "The road never gets blocked, why did it have to get blocked today, the one day I was running late, without any warning?" His words sounded like self-reproach, but they were clearly a subtle manipulation. Suddenly, Amy looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot. "Elliot Carter, you’re pulling the strings, aren’t you? You’re jealous of Brandon, you wanted him to miss the exam! When you couldn't get what you wanted at school, you called your mom and had her send people to block the road!" She seethed. "You're so heartless! To play with the futures of our entire class just for some petty jealousy!" 4 The sheer absurdity of it all washed over me. Amy, in her desperate attempt to absolve Brandon, was resorting to such a flimsy excuse. "It wasn't me—" I began to explain, but Brandon suddenly grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking me toward the bus. Principal Thompson moved to intervene, but Amy’s voice cut through the air, sharp and accusatory. "I saw him! I saw him texting his mom! He’s ruined all of us! Principal, are you really going to protect a malicious student like this?" The other students subtly encircled me, watching the principal and teachers with cold, unyielding gazes, their actions clearly conveying their stance. Brandon feigned heartbroken disappointment, looking at me with feigned sorrow. "Class President, I know you have issues with me, but even if you wanted revenge, you shouldn't have dragged the entire class into it." Amy’s face hardened. She moved to help Brandon, pushing my head against the bus. Thud! My head slammed against the metal, drawing blood. But all I heard was Amy’s furious voice: "Elliot Carter, you’ve ruined everyone’s chance at the SATs! Even if you’re my boyfriend, I’m going to make you pay for this!" She yanked my head back and slammed it against the bus again and again. The intense pain made me wish for death, but I knew I couldn’t give in now. Amy was slandering me like this purely to absolve Brandon. After all, everyone was late because they’d waited for him. I screamed, fighting back. "You chose to delay our departure yourselves! Missing the exam has nothing to do with me!" Amy gritted her teeth. "Still lying?" As she spoke, Brandon suddenly aimed his phone’s camera at me. "Folks, this is the scumbag right here! Because he was jealous of me, he deliberately caused our entire class to miss the SATs!" I looked up, catching the fleeting glimpse of triumph in Brandon’s eyes. By this point, he clearly had no intention of keeping up the act. The SATs were already a trending topic, and Brandon's plea for sympathy immediately drew in over a hundred thousand viewers. The live chat was filled with venomous curses. "The streamer is so pitiful! Following you now, I'll support whatever you do!" "Sacrificing everyone's future for his own selfish desires? This kid's truly rotten!" "What school is this? Whose son is he? Tell me the address, I'll go take care of him myself!" Noah rushed forward, his voice hoarse with rage. "This is the SATs! How could you be so cruel?" The other students, though not physically charging me, watched with eyes that promised to tear me apart. In just a few minutes, Brandon’s live stream had swelled to three hundred thousand viewers, most of them wishing me dead and even dragging my mom's name through the mud. Brandon’s expression, hidden from the camera, grew increasingly triumphant. He seemed certain I had no chance of turning this around. "You venomous bastard, you deserve to die!" Just as Amy was about to slam my head against the bus again, a voice cut through the crowd. "Stop!" My mom, Mrs. Carter, pushed through the crowd with a group of bodyguards, rushing to my side. Seeing the blood on my forehead, she pulled me into a protective embrace, her eyes filled with anguish. "How dare you hit my son?" Noah’s voice was ragged. "Elliot Carter made us miss the SATs! He deserves to die!" "Impossible!" My mom raised her phone, her voice ringing out clearly. "The one who truly caused you to miss the SATs is Brandon! I have surveillance video as proof!"
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