Chapter 2

She pointed her camera at everyone tearing up their tickets, and finally spun around to take a selfie, flashing a peace sign.

"Youth is all about doing crazy things!"

Everyone was wild with excitement.

I sat quietly in my seat, pulled my admission ticket out of my backpack, folded it neatly, put it into the inner pocket of my jacket, and zipped it up.

The paper was still flying in the room.

"Evelyn."

Lily’s voice drifted over from the podium, sweet as honey.

I looked up. She was already standing by my desk, her phone raised, camera aimed right at my face.

"Why aren't you ripping yours?"

She tilted her head, her eyes looking innocent, but a strange, unreadable smirk played at the corner of her lips.

"I don't want to," I said.

Lily blinked, her expression stiffening for a fraction of a second before her smile returned.

She raised her voice slightly, making sure the people around could hear:

"Oh, come on! We can just reprint them. It won't affect the exam. The whole class ripped theirs. If you don't, you're just being a party pooper."

The moment she said "party pooper," several classmates who were ripping their tickets looked over.

Maya hesitated beside me, whispering, "Evelyn, maybe you should... I mean, everyone's doing it. It should be fine, right? Lily said she asked the print shop, and we can reprint them anytime."

Lily immediately chimed in, "Yeah! I already asked. The school board says if you lose your ticket, you can easily get a replacement. The process is super simple; you just need a photo ID. Let's go eat first and handle it when we get back. It’s perfect!"

She spoke so sincerely that even I almost believed her.

"No," I repeated, my voice quiet but firm.

The smile on Lily's face finally cracked.

Her lips twitched downward for a split second before recovering, but I caught the flash of malice in her eyes.

"You're such a buzzkill," she muttered, turning away.

She turned the camera back to herself. "Alright, guys! The whole class did it! Live wild while we're young!"

The whole class.

She said the "whole class," as if saying it made it a fact.

I scanned the classroom.

Indeed, most people's tickets had been reduced to shreds, scattered across desks, the floor, and the windowsills.

I lowered my head, opened my study guide, and started reviewing vocabulary.

By the third page, Lily was back.

This time, she wasn't alone.

Chloe and Hailey were right behind her.

The very two pairs of hands that had pushed me off the bridge in my past life were now standing behind her like unsheathed blades.

"Evelyn, we're leaving soon. Are you really not coming?"

Lily's tone sounded like she actually cared about me.

"It's just a lunch. We'll be back to print the tickets right after. It won't take long."

I closed my book and looked up.

Our eyes met. In her pupils, I saw my own reflection—calm, almost cold.

"No," I said.

Chloe scoffed from the side, "Evelyn, do you have some kind of paranoia? It's just a free lunch, what could go wrong?"

Hailey chimed in, "Exactly. Lily went out of her way to organize this for us. Why are you acting so high and mighty?"

The classmates' attention drifted back to us.

I watched them silently, waiting for them to finish, then said, "Did I say you guys shouldn't go?"