Before we submitted our college applications, the popular girl in our class, the billionaire’s daughter, suddenly said she could get all of us into Harvard or Yale.

“My parents donated several buildings to those schools. Getting you all admitted is nothing.”

Most of my classmates’ college entrance exam scores were still a long way from those schools, but they believed her. They gave up submitting their own applications and counted on her to pull strings so they could get into college.

In my last life, I realized her promise was unreliable. I immediately urged them not to give up on their applications, to keep a backup plan, and I called their parents one by one.

But that infuriated the popular girl. She mocked me for being poor and said I did not understand how the upper class worked. She claimed I had ruined everyone’s future.

My boyfriend also snapped at me for being jealous.

“You’re just jealous that Lissy’s family is rich. You can’t stand the thought of all of us going to Harvard or Yale. So what if you have good grades? You could work your whole life and still never catch up to what her family built over three generations.”

For the sake of our three years as classmates, I did not argue with them. But before the deadline, when I found out they still had not submitted their applications, I called the police and exposed the popular girl’s fake identity.

The popular girl was condemned by everyone. In despair, she jumped into a river and killed herself. My classmates all said she deserved it and thanked me for saving their futures.

But at our class farewell dinner, my boyfriend poisoned my drink, and the entire class watched coldly as I writhed in pain.

“At worst, we would have lost our chance at college. Lissy lost her life!”

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the popular girl claimed she could pull strings for us.

After the poison killed me in that private dining room, my boyfriend, Ethan Brooks, still wasn’t done.

He searched my body, found my phone, and called my parents.

The moment they heard something had happened to me, they rushed to the restaurant without hesitation.

When they saw me collapsed on the floor, blood seeping from my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, they broke down. My mother could barely stand. My father’s face went white as he reached for me with trembling hands.

Ethan and the others helped them into their seats.

“Mr. and Mrs. Grant, please try to calm down. The ambulance is already on its way. Drink some water first.”

My parents had no reason to suspect them. They took the water and drank it.

A few seconds later, pain tore through their chests. Then they both coughed up blood.

That was when those people finally stopped pretending.

“Your precious daughter was poisoned by us too. She killed Lissy, so she deserves to pay for it.

“You two can go with her. If you want someone to blame, blame Olivia Grant for being so vicious that she dragged you into this.”

All three of us died right there.

I found myself floating above the room, helpless, furious, and desperate to drag every one of them down with me.

Then, in the next instant, a familiar voice rang in my ears.

“Wow, Lissy, was that your family’s driver who dropped you off again? That was a Rolls-Royce.”

I stood in the corner of the classroom, staring at everything in disbelief.

Only then did I realize I had been reborn.

“No, that was my dad,” Lisa Hale said with a small smile. “Not our driver.”

The classroom erupted.

“Oh my God, your dad is so good to you. He’s that busy and still drives you to school himself?”

Lisa smiled and accepted their envy without correcting a word.

But I knew she was lying.

Every single word.

The pain from my last life was still burned into me. I looked at her, and all I felt was hatred.

Maybe she sensed it, because Lisa suddenly turned toward me.

“Olivia, your grades are amazing. You can probably get into a school like Harvard or Yale without my help, right?”

I looked away and was about to answer when Ethan cut in.

“Lissy, don’t waste your time on her. Look at her. Even if she gets in, she won’t be able to afford it. She might as well go to some cheap community college.”

“Exactly,” someone else said. “She probably can’t even cover tuition. Even if Lissy is kind enough to help her get into an Ivy League school, she still won’t have the money to live there. Lissy can’t support her forever.”

At that moment, everyone in class believed Lisa completely.

They were convinced she had the connections to get them into elite colleges.

I had checked my results the night before. My grades, test scores, and application profile were strong enough that as long as I submitted everything properly, I had a real chance at the schools I wanted.

When Lisa heard them, her eyes lit up.

“Actually, my family donates to scholarship programs all the time. We help students from poor families. Olivia, if you kneel and beg me right now, I might consider paying for your college.”

I clenched my fists and forced down the urge to slap her.

“No need. Anything that doesn’t belong to you will come back to hurt you sooner or later if you keep pretending it does.”

Lisa’s expression stiffened.

Then, almost instantly, tears welled in her eyes.

“I was only trying to help you. If you got into a top college, your whole life could change. But if you don’t appreciate it, fine.”

Seeing her cry, Ethan immediately stepped forward and kicked me in the knee.

“Olivia, don’t be so ungrateful. Lissy is willing to sponsor you. That’s the luckiest thing that could ever happen to someone like you. Kneel down and thank her.”

“Exactly. You’re already poor. What’s the point of acting proud? Pride won’t pay your tuition.”

Pain shot through my leg, but I forced myself to stay upright.

I only glared at him.

Everyone was watching me, waiting to see me humiliated.

“No thanks,” I said. “My family may not look rich to you, but we can still afford my education. And even if we couldn’t, there are scholarships, grants, and student loans. There’s always a way.”

Then I looked at the rest of them.

“As for you, your grades and applications aren’t strong enough for those schools, and now you’re counting on someone else’s connections to save you. Be careful. A shortcut like that might cost you everything.”

I met Ethan at school.

Because I was one of the strongest students in our grade, I often helped him study. Over time, we grew close.

We had once agreed that even if we could not get into the same college, we would at least try to attend schools in the same city.

But after Lisa transferred into our class senior year, everything changed.

Her arrival was impossible to miss. From the first week, she made sure everyone knew she had money. Designer bags. Limited-edition sneakers. A new luxury watch almost every few days.

She never said outright that she was the billionaire’s daughter, but she hinted at it constantly.

She said school was only a formality for her. Her future had already been arranged. Her family knew people on admissions boards. If she wanted something, all it took was one phone call.

Not only that, she handed out expensive gifts to our classmates as if they meant nothing.

After a while, most of the class started orbiting around her.

Ethan was one of them.

Lisa gave him the newest game console on the market. From then on, he spent every spare minute gaming. His grades slipped, his practice test scores dropped, and he stopped caring about his college applications.

I saw it happening and worried about him.

I told him to put the console away for now and focus on school. Once applications were submitted and exams were over, he could play as much as he wanted.

But he would not listen.

Instead, he snapped at me for interrupting his game.

“Do you know how much this costs? It’s worth more than anything you own. Get lost.”

In my last life, I could not stand watching him ruin himself, so I went to a teacher.

Looking back now, I really had been pathetic.

Someone like him deserved the consequences he chose.

“Hahahaha, Olivia, you’re killing me.”

Ethan laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

“You really are naive. Do you have any idea how people at that level live? Getting us into schools like Harvard or Yale would take one call from Lisa’s family.”

The other students laughed along with him.

“Exactly. Her family has been rich for three generations. That beats all your perfect grades and hard work.”

“What’s the point of being good at school? After graduation, you’ll still end up working for people like her.”

“People like you will never understand. The thing you spend your whole life fighting for might be something Lisa can get with one sentence.”

I smiled.

Some of what they said was not wrong.

But only if Lisa really was who she claimed to be.

“Then I hope you all get exactly what you’re counting on,” I said.

After that, I walked out of school without looking back.

One block away, I got into a Rolls-Royce parked by the curb.

The car drove me all the way to a gated estate.

When I got home, my parents were waiting for me.

“Sweetheart, I knew you could do it,” my mother said, pulling me into a hug. “Come see the gift I prepared for you.”

She placed a box in front of me.

When she opened it, a diamond necklace lay inside, brilliant under the light.

Then my father placed a set of documents beside it, his face full of pride.

“And this is for you too. It’s an apartment near campus. Once you decide where you’re going, you can live somewhere comfortable instead of squeezing into a dorm if you don’t want to.”

Looking at my parents, alive and well, tears suddenly spilled from my eyes.

Thank God.

There was still time.

When my parents saw me crying, they immediately asked what had happened.

I glanced at the staff in the house and wiped my tears.

“Let’s talk in the study.”

Once we were alone, I told them everything that had happened at school that day.

When they heard Lisa’s name, my parents froze for a few seconds.

“Lisa Hale?” my mother said first. “Isn’t Hale the last name of one of our drivers?”

Among our household staff, only one person had that surname.

My father’s driver.

That was right.

Lisa was not the billionaire’s daughter at all. Her father was only one of my father’s drivers.

My father had several drivers, and Lisa’s father was the newest hire. He had never met me.

Not long after he started working for us, he told my father that his daughter wanted to transfer schools.

My father thought he seemed hardworking and reliable, so he helped arrange Lisa’s transfer into my school.

None of us expected that act of kindness to turn into this.

“That bastard,” my father said, his face darkening. “I’ll fire him right now.”

I quickly stopped him.

Exposing them now would only put them on guard.

Besides, pretending to be rich was far from the only thing they had done.

“They bullied my daughter,” my mother said coldly. “They’re going to pay for it.”

I nodded and told them my plan.

After I finished, my mother patted my shoulder.

“All right. Enough of them for tonight. Your materials are ready, aren’t they? Make sure every application is submitted properly. And if you decide you don’t want to stay here for college, that’s fine too. I’ve already reached out to a few schools overseas.”

The latest admissions data and score ranges had come out the night before.

Based on my grades, test scores, activities, and essays, my chances at the schools I wanted were strong.

I had told my guidance counselor the good news right away. I had also asked indirectly about the rest of the class.

For most of them, getting into schools like Harvard or Yale would be almost impossible, but they still had time to apply to solid colleges if they were realistic.

As for Ethan and Lisa, their grades and applications were weak. Community college was probably the most realistic option for both of them.

I opened my laptop, checked every application, uploaded the final materials, and submitted everything before the deadline.

Then I chatted with my parents for a while and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, our guidance counselor posted a long reminder in the senior class group chat.

She told everyone to double-check their Common App accounts, submit their backup schools, and make sure they did not miss any deadlines. If they missed this round, they would either have to settle for schools with rolling admissions, go to community college, or wait another year to apply.

No one replied in that group.

But in another group chat without teachers or counselors, they were all mocking her for being rigid and old-fashioned.

They said they did not need backup schools.

Lisa would handle everything.

A while later, Lisa posted a photo from an overseas resort.

“I’m abroad right now. Don’t worry, everyone. I already talked to my dad. Just wait for your offers.”

The group chat exploded again.

Everyone rushed to flatter her.

I looked at the screen for a moment, then quietly left the chat.

My applications were already submitted.

My flight was booked.

I was going overseas for a vacation.