Susan fiercely pinched her hand—it hurt, confirming that this wasn't a dream.
"Susan, can you help me get lunch later?" A voice snapped her back to reality.
Susan looked up to see Rachel, the pretty girl with a ponytail, pushing the office door open. It was noon, and the teachers had gone to the cafeteria, leaving the office empty.
Susan’s eyes darkened, and her voice came out hoarse. "Why don’t you go yourself?"
Rachel looked surprised. Susan had always agreed to do things for her in the past.
“The line is too long, and it’s hot outside. I’ll just wait here for you,” Rachel grinned. “Aren’t good friends supposed to help each other?”
A sarcastic smile crept across Susan’s face. Good friends?
Yes, in her past life, she had considered Rachel her only best friend. But to Rachel, she had probably been nothing more than a servant.
Rachel turned and sat down, unaware of the change in Susan’s expression. While Susan kept her face blank, emotions churned inside her.
The grimy school uniform, the empty office, the child-like Rachel with her ponytail... everything reminded Susan of one thing—she had been reborn!
Back to when she was 14, in her last year of middle school.
At this time, she hadn’t returned to the Luiz family yet, hadn’t been framed by Barbara Luiz and her daughter for drug use, and hadn’t been drugged and sent to a hotel to be violated and humiliated. She hadn’t been framed for murder either. Before she died in her past life, she had uncovered the true faces of Barbara and her daughter.
Now, fate had granted her a second chance.
This time, she would make those who wronged her pay dearly.
“It’s so hot out. The office feels much better,” Rachel complained as she took off her school coat. “Hurry up, Susan!”
“Alright,” Susan said, her eyes gleaming with a crafty light.
Rachel's school coat was draped over the chair, her student ID tucked inside the pocket. As Rachel busied herself, Susan casually tossed the ID under the neighboring teacher's desk and left the office with a cold smile.
When she returned with two bowls of rice, Rachel looked anxious.
"What's wrong? You don't look well," Susan remarked.
"Nothing," Rachel stammered, her voice small.
Susan noticed Rachel’s discomfort but didn’t press further, focusing instead on her lunch.
Soon, their class teacher, Mr. Andrew, stormed into the classroom. “Who went to the office this noon?”
Susan could feel Rachel stiffen in front of her.
“I saw Susan in the office, near your desk,” a classmate chimed in.
“Susan?” Mr. Andrew frowned. “Come here!”
Susan had always been quiet and kept to herself. Since her first year of middle school, Rachel had been her only “friend.” Her academic performance wasn’t great, and she lived in a small restaurant with her uncle, constantly helping with chores. The smell of cooking oil always clung to her, leaving her with a less than favorable impression among teachers.
Upon hearing Susan’s name, Rachel visibly relaxed