Sarah jumped up, ecstatic, and even hugged
- me. “I knew you were the best, Ethan!” The
class erupted in “Ooohs!” She quickly pulled
away, but her light perfume lingered. She was
usually quiet and reserved, the untouchable ice
queen. Seeing her so happy and spontaneous
was… rare. The old me would have been
thrilled, like I’d received some incredible gift.
Now, all I wanted was to get back to my
calculus problems.
Jake’s expression shifted subtly. He stepped
between us, separating us without a word.
“Let’s go. Nerd, you tell her parents, you’re
dead.” He snatched my glasses, tossed them on the desk, and sneered. “You’re even uglier
without them.”
Getting involved with him wouldn’t end well. I
didn’t need the trouble. I put my glasses back
- on. “I won’t cover for you, Sarah. If you don’t
<
want to be tutored anymore, tell your parents.”
She nodded absently, grabbing a Tupperware container from her bag. “Eat both, don’t wast it! My mom worked hard on these!” Mrs. Miller always sent an extra lunch for me, grateful for the tutoring. Before I could say anything else, she ran to Jake. “Hey, wait up!”
Last time, she ignored my warnings and went with him. He dragged her into his world, her grades tanking further. Mrs. Miller asked me what was going on, and I couldn’t keep quiet. Her parents were furious. They sent her to a
strict boarding school focused on academics. Before graduation, they’d planned to run away together, but her mom caught her. That night, Jake died. Sarah was devastated, threatened
suicide. Her parents, desperate, sold their
house and sent her abroad.
Six years later, she was a successful dancer,
elegant and beautiful, captivating everyone with
<
((
her every move. We talked about the past, she even laughed, saying, “I was so young and foolish, you were just looking out for me.” Our parents pushed us together, we got married, had a kid. Then the truck came. Instinct took over; I shoved them out of the way. As they loaded me into the ambulance, Sarah
whispered, “Our daughter’s not yours. Every time you were away on business, I had men over. I never loved you. I married you for revenge. Do you know what these years have been like? Every time I think of him, it kills me. You died saving someone else’s daughter. You deserved it, Ethan. You got my Jake killed. This is your karma.” I died looking into her hateful
eyes.
And it wasn’t just that. Trying to save Sarah had
caused me endless trouble. Jake and his crew
harassed me constantly. They’d scribble
“snitch” on my desk and books, try to make me
crawl between Jake’s legs. When I refused,
they’d beat me up. I tried fighting back, but
<
they were too many. Teachers would eventually
break it up, but it was relentless. I was just a
teenager, sensitive and inexperienced. My
studies suffered. After Jake’s death, Sarah
blamed me for everything. I went through my
final exams consumed by guilt, pain, and
anxiety. My college entrance scores plummeted.
I ended up at a second–rate university, a
constant regret.
This time, I was getting into a top school. I had
a second chance, and I wasn’t wasting it.
I saw Sarah again in the hallway by the gym.
