The day we submitted our college applications, the school beauty, Hayley Law, suggested we all go rafting to unwind.

Every single person in class raised their hand in agreement.

In my previous life, as the class monitor, I did everything I could to stop them. Wild rafting was far too dangerous. Without any safety measures in place, accidents could easily happen.

In the end, everyone made it back safely and got into the colleges they wanted.

But before the semester even started, news came that Hayley had gone rafting alone, slipped into the water, and drowned.

When Terry Vargas, my boyfriend and the most popular guy in school, heard what happened, he took the lead in organizing a memorial at sea.

Then, when the waves were at their worst, he shoved me into the ocean.

Later, when the police questioned them, they all told the same story as if they had planned it.

"Katrina insisted on a sea burial for Hayley. During the storm, she got swept away by the waves and disappeared."

They even produced fake evidence to clear Terry's name.

My parents were shattered. They went to Terry again and again, desperate for the truth, but he had them set up and locked away in a mental institution, where they were tormented to death.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Hayley first suggested the rafting trip.

I stood there quietly, watching my classmates pile into the bus she had rented, heading off to that same reckless trip.

This time, I would just look out for myself.

The light in front of me dimmed, fading out bit by bit, until the crashing waves swallowed my weak cries whole.

I reached out, fingers straining for the life ring just a few feet away, only to see Terry Vargas step in and puncture it with a needle, destroying my last chance.

His eyes burned with hatred as he stared me down.

"You killed the girl I loved most. I hope you enjoy this living hell."

When he saw me stop fighting, finally going still, he turned and walked away, satisfied.

A sharp pinch twisted into my arm, and I slowly opened my eyes.

"Katrina, why are you just sitting there? You've been ignoring us forever!"

"Hayley was nice enough to suggest a rafting trip for the whole class, and you're over here with that attitude. You really think you're something, huh?"

"I heard you messed up your answer sheet during the exam. Instead of owning it, now you're taking it out on us?"

The complaints buzzed around me, and I froze.

It hit me all at once. I was back to the day we filled out our college applications.

I bit my lip hard and forced myself to steady.

"The exams are over. We get that you're upset, Katrina, but you can't stop everyone else from having some fun."

Hayley Law, the campus beauty, frowned slightly, looking at me like she didn't know what to do.

Terry stepped in front of her without hesitation, shielding her as he shot me a mocking look.

"You practiced hundreds of times and still messed up your answer sheet? With nerves like that, you could repeat a few more years and still end up the same! Honestly, you should just give up now. Getting into any school at all would already be a win for you."

The others jumped in right away, laughing along with him.

Right before the exam, Terry, the most popular guy in school, broke up with me.

The pendant hanging around Hayley's neck caught my eye, almost like it was laughing at me, too.

I climbed thousands of steps to a hillside chapel before his SAT, just to get him a good-luck charm, praying it would help him.

At that moment, my mind went completely blank.

I forced myself to focus on the test, but my vision blurred with tears. When I filled in the answer sheet, I shifted one line off without realizing it.

By the time the 15-minute warning sounded, I saw the blanks and scrambled to fix everything.

Hayley had watched the whole thing. After the exam, she made sure to mock me in the class group chat for everyone to see.

My fist clenched without me noticing, nails digging into my palm until the sting snapped me back.

I gave a small nod.

"Hayley's right. Now that the exams are over, it makes sense to relax. I'll sit this one out."

When I didn't blow up the way they expected, their interest in making fun of me faded fast.

They turned away, crowding around Hayley to talk about where to go.

"I heard the spot near Hayley's place is super quiet, and the water's really clear. Sounds perfect."

Quiet and clear, sure.

But it wasn't an official site. There were no safety measures, no protection. The news had warned about places like that more times than I could count.

In my last life, I had tried everything to stop them, just to keep everyone safe.

This time, I wasn't getting involved.

I turned to leave.

Terry suddenly grabbed my backpack and yanked me back.

"Katrina, you're the class monitor. You're coming with us."

The noise died down instantly, and everyone turned to look at us.

"Isn't Katrina already annoying enough when she's in charge? Why are we bringing her, too?"

Hayley spoke up slowly. "If Katrina comes, she'll be controlling everything. It's just going to ruin the mood. I'm the one who suggested this trip. That would put me in a tough spot."

She glanced at me with clear annoyance, her eyes sharp with warning, as if she was afraid I would interfere with her and Terry.

After all, I still carried the label of Terry's ex. She had every reason to worry that something might spark again.

Seeing the jealousy on her face, Terry looked at her with a soft, indulgent smile and quickly explained, "Hayley's right. Katrina's way too much. Remember that time we grabbed barbecue from that roadside place? She actually went into the kitchen to check things out. The owner almost kicked us out."

The others exchanged looks, then nodded in sync, glaring at me with growing irritation.

I shrugged helplessly. That had been right before the SAT. Everyone knew those roadside spots weren't exactly clean. If someone got sick and messed up their exams, it just wasn't worth the risk.

But to them, my caution just made me a problem.

I let out a quiet sigh, tightening my grip on my backpack.

"We're almost graduating. I'm not the class monitor anymore. I'll just mind my own business, okay? And I'm not going to report this to anyone's parents."

Terry let out a cold laugh and suddenly flipped my backpack upside down.

My heart jumped. I lunged forward, trying to grab it back, but he shoved me down, pressing hard on my head.

"You don't have any credibility with us anymore. If you want us to trust you, smash your phone right here in front of everyone."

As he spoke, he pulled my laptop out of my bag.

My face went pale. I grabbed his arm, shaking it.

"Please don't. I saved up for three months to buy that."

He lowered his gaze and let out a soft laugh, his tone easing just a little.

"Must've been tough, huh? Fine, we won't break it. Just give me your account password."

At that moment, something snapped. I shoved him with everything I had, knocking him to the ground.

I reached for my laptop, but a few taller, stronger classmates rushed in and pinned me down hard.

Terry picked up a sharp rock from the grass and dragged it lightly across my cheek. I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me.

"Your face or your laptop. You choose."

His eyes darkened, and my throat tightened.

"The password is 2025…"

He quickly filled out my college applications for me, then casually smashed the laptop to pieces anyway.

"I even helped you pick a college that suits you. Don't forget to send me a thank-you card when you get in."

Grinning, he pulled Hayley into his arms and raised his voice.

"Problem solved. Now we can all relax and have some fun."

The class erupted, cheering and teasing as they watched the two of them.

I let out a bitter laugh, crouching down to gather the broken pieces of my laptop.

I turned to leave, but three tall, broad-shouldered guys stepped in front of me, blocking the way.

Terry shot me an impatient look.

"Hayley's bus is here. Find somewhere to lock Katrina up first."

They dragged me onto a bus and took me to an abandoned park, not a single person in sight.

I was shoved hard into a rusted dog cage, hitting the ground. As I struggled to get up, I heard the click of a lock snapping shut.

Terry tugged on it once, making sure it held.

"Once the application deadline passes, this lock will open on its own. Go ahead and scream all you want. There's nothing around here but abandoned buildings."

With that, he turned and got back on the bus heading for the rafting trip.

I forced down the panic rising in my chest and dropped to my knees inside the cage, feeling around desperately.

Half an hour passed. All I had to show for it were torn, scraped palms.

No matter what, I had to find a way out!

I studied the corners of the cage carefully, shaking it over and over until I found one loose metal bar.

I pulled out a shard from my broken laptop and started grinding it against that spot again and again.

A shadow suddenly fell over me.

Hope surged, and I looked up fast, only to see a skinny, bony stray cat. I reached out, trying to pet it, but it bared its teeth and hissed.

I let out a quiet sigh and murmured to myself, "My classmates were scared I'd ruin their rafting trip, so they locked me in here. My phone doesn't have any signal. I can't reach my parents. You're my only shot. If you could find a cop…"

My voice trailed off. I sat back down and kept sawing at the bar.

Blood slid down the metal, dripping slowly onto the ground.

The cat in front of me gradually relaxed, its guard lowering as it let out a soft meow.

I quickly poured some water into my palm and held it out carefully. It hesitated for a second, then lapped it all up.

Looking into its bright eyes, I pulled out a few bills, wrote SOS on them, and tucked them into its worn collar.

"Hey, little guy, remember how to get back here. Find someone to help me, okay? I'll convince my parents to take you in."

It let out a small cry, then darted off.

Three hours passed before I finally managed to cut through that loose bar. I gripped the empty bottle in my hand, tears spilling uncontrollably.

Mom, Dad… Even after getting a second chance, I still couldn't save myself.

The application deadline was getting close, and I still couldn't even get out of this rusted cage.

The air around me warped in the heat. The scorching temperature baked me until my consciousness started slipping away.

Something rough brushed against my eyes again and again. I instinctively reached up and grabbed at it.

When I slowly opened my eyes, I realized it was the same cat I had trusted with that huge task earlier.

"She's awake. Good thing we got here in time, or she could've died from heatstroke!"

Someone gently lifted me out of the cage.

"What happened here? How did a kid end up locked in a place like this?"

The sound of police sirens filled my ears, and everything went dark again.

My father rushed to my bedside, his voice tight with panic.

"Katrina, the moment I got the call from the police, I came straight here. Where's Terry? Didn't he promise me he'd look out for you?"

As I thought back to what happened this morning, tears slipped down my face before I could stop them.

I saw the exhaustion in my father's eyes and shook my head.

"Dad, I'm fine. Just…give me my laptop. I haven't finished my applications yet."

I couldn't trust Terry. I was scared he had already picked the worst possible colleges for me.

As soon as I got the laptop, my hands trembled while I logged into the application site and changed everything back to the ones I actually wanted.

Terry had probably forgotten those promises he once made to me a long time ago.

I had just handed the laptop back when I saw my father holding up his phone.

"How would Katrina know where the others are? What rafting livestream? I'm heading over right now!"

My face went pale. "Dad, don't go. My stomach hurts."

He immediately sat back down beside me and poured me some water.

If those ungrateful classmates twisted the story like last time, saying I tricked them into going, their parents would tear my father apart.

This time, I wasn't getting involved, no matter what happened to them.