Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
The night after our final high school exams, Julian backed me into the shadows behind the stadium bleachers.
His ears were bright red as he pressed a delicate silver pinky ring into my palm.
He said:
"Chloe, the second we graduate college, I’m putting a real ring on your finger."
I laughed until tears welled up in my eyes.
But the exact second I slipped the ring onto my finger, my phone buzzed with a FaceTime call.
The caller ID showed Sienna.
My best friend.
When the video connected, she wasn't in her bedroom. She was wearing an opulent white wedding dress, sitting in an unfamiliar, lavish master suite.
She looked straight at the camera, her smile terrifyingly sweet.
"Chloe. Sitting there on the bleachers tonight... do you really think you've won?"
"Don't celebrate yet."
"Ten years from now, Julian will marry you."
"And on your wedding night, he’ll be in bed holding me."
I froze in place.
She slowly panned the camera.
On the nightstand rested a framed wedding portrait of Julian and me.
And at her bare feet lay Julian’s designer shirt, crumpled on the floor.
My voice shook.
"Sienna... what kind of sick joke is this?"
She chuckled softly.
"It’s not a joke."
"I just wanted to give you a little heads-up."
"Take off that ring on your finger right now. Look inside the band. The initials were never meant for you."
I pulled the ring off with trembling fingers.
Under the dim glow of the stadium floodlights, I squinted at the tiny engraving inside.
S&J.
Not C for Chloe.
S. For Sienna.
Before I could even draw breath, Sienna’s voice drifted through the speaker, cold as a razor.
"Chloe, it gets so much worse."
"Ten years from now, you'll have Julian's baby."
"And that baby will die. Because of me."
The call abruptly cut off. Around us, the field was loud with cheers.
Seniors were tossing their notebooks into the air, taking flash photos, screaming that high school was finally over.
Julian was still standing right in front of me.
Noticing my pale face, he reached out to steady me.
"Chloe? What’s wrong?"
I jerked my arm back, avoiding his touch.
He stopped, confused.
"Why are you crying?"
I clenched the ring in my fist, the metal digging painfully into my skin.
"Julian."
"When did you buy this?"
He exhaled, giving an easy smile.
"Last month. I was worried you’d take off the second exams ended, so I wanted to claim you first."
I stared directly into his eyes.
"What about the engraving?"
"What engraving?"
He genuinely seemed surprised.
"I told the jeweler to engrave C&J. Chloe and Julian. Why?"
I held the band right up to his face.
"Look for yourself."
Julian took it, turning on his phone’s flashlight.
A second later, all the color drained from his face.
"S&J? How... why is there an S?"
I stared at him.
"You're asking me?"
He instantly pulled out his phone.
"I'm calling the store right now."
I slapped his hand down.
"Don't."
"Chloe?"
"I'm exhausted."
I turned and walked away.
He rushed after me.
"Let me drive you home."
"No."
"You're misunderstanding something—"
I stopped and looked toward the school gate.
Sienna was standing under the streetlamp, clutching a bouquet of sunflowers.
Seeing us, she waved excitedly.
"Chloe! Julian!"
She jogged over, slightly out of breath, grinning ear to ear.
"Where were you guys? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!"
Julian glanced at her, his voice suddenly sharp.
"Sienna, did you ever touch my ring order?"
Her smile stiffened for a fraction of a second.
It was so brief that if I hadn't seen the video, I would have completely missed it.
"What ring?"
Julian locked his eyes on her.
"The promise ring I got for Chloe."
Sienna blinked innocently.
"You got Chloe a ring? Oh my god!"
"Did you guys finally make it official behind my back?"
She threw her arms around me.
"Chloe, why didn't you tell me?"
My entire body went rigid.
She squeezed me tight, whispering right against my ear.
"Congratulations, babe. You finally caught him."
I shoved her off me with all my strength.
Sienna stumbled back two steps, her eyes welling with immediate tears.
"Chloe? What did I do?"
Julian frowned.
"Chloe, stop. You're scaring me."
I looked at the two of them.
One was the boy I had loved for all four years of high school.
The other was the girl I had protected since middle school.
Sienna’s family was broke, and her stepmother treated her like garbage.
When she had no lunch money, I shared my meal card.
When girls cornered her in the locker room, I threw myself into the fight and took two slaps to the face for her.
When she couldn't afford portfolio supplies for her art auditions, I broke into my personal savings to buy her brushes and oils.
Never in my life did I imagine that one day, she would appear in a wedding dress from the future, telling me those venomous words.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
A text from an unlisted number popped up.
The avatar was Sienna.
The screen name had only two words:
Ten Years.
"Don't believe a single word coming out of their mouths right now.""Want to know the truth about that ring? Go to the jeweler on Silver Bridge Road tomorrow morning. Pull the security footage."
I looked up from the screen.
Sienna was sniffling, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"Chloe, did I do something wrong to upset you?"
Julian said quietly, "Chloe, let's just talk this through."
I threw the ring right into Julian’s chest.
"Don't wear it. Don't give it to me."
"It's filthy."
I turned around and walked out of the school gates.
Julian shouted my name from behind.
"Chloe!"
I never looked back.
That night, the balmy June breeze chilled me right to the bone.
For the first time, I realized that standing in the middle of a loud, laughing crowd could feel as cold as a frozen grave.
Early the next morning, I arrived at the jeweler on Silver Bridge Road.
When I explained I wanted to verify an order history, the clerk behind the counter was polite enough.
"Miss Evans, yes. This custom piece was indeed ordered by Mr. Reed."
I asked, "What was the original engraving requested?"
The clerk typed a few keys.
"C&J."
My chest loosened for a split second.
Then the clerk added:
"However, someone came in three days ago to modify it."
My fingers gripped the edge of the glass counter.
"Who?"
"A young woman. She had Mr. Reed’s order confirmation barcode on her phone. She told us you both decided to change the engraving to S&J."
I demanded, "Do you have surveillance footage?"
The clerk hesitated. "Store policy doesn't allow customers to view our tapes."
I pulled out my student ID, driver’s license, and my copy of the deposit receipt, slamming them onto the counter.
"This ring was bought for me. Someone tampered with it. I need to know who."
She looked at me for a long moment, then sighed softly.
"Just a quick look. Don't tell my manager."
On the grainy monitor, a girl wearing a dark baseball cap walked up to the counter.
She kept her head down, handing over her phone.
The clerk produced the order slip.
She smiled, said something brief, and signed the modification form.
I stared at the screen, cold sweat slicking my palms.
The clerk whispered, "Miss Evans... are you alright?"
I shook my head.
"Make a copy of that signature for me."
"I can’t do that."
"Then I call the police."
Startled, she snapped a photo of the slip with her phone and forwarded it to me.
On the signature line, in clear, slanted cursive, was written:
Sienna Brooks.
As soon as I walked out onto the sidewalk, Julian’s call came in.
I swiped to answer.
His voice was breathless with anxiety.
"Chloe! Where are you?"
"Outside the jewelry store."
There was a two-second silence on the other end.
"I checked, too," he muttered. "It was Sienna who changed it, wasn't it?"
I said nothing.
He said, "I'm going to see her right now."
"Don't bother."
"Why?"
"Because she won't admit it."
"I still have to confront her!"
I let out a bitter laugh.
"And after you confront her, Julian? What then?"
He choked on his words.
I continued, "She’ll cry. She’ll tell you she didn't mean it, that she just loves you too much. And what will you do? You’ll scold her once, feel guilty, and let it go."
"Chloe, I would never do that!"
"You've done it before."
The line went dead silent.
Back in freshman year, Sienna gave Julian her first love letter.
Julian didn't accept her feelings.
But he didn't turn her down, either.
He shoved the envelope into the back of his desk and pretended it never happened.
Sophomore year, Sienna drank too much at a party and clung to Julian, sobbing:
Can’t you ever look at me instead of Chloe?
I was standing outside the hallway door that night. I heard everything.
Julian said:
Stop crying.
You're important to me, too.
I told myself back then that they were just childhood friends.
I was too young to understand that refusing to reject someone is just a coward's way of encouraging them.
Julian's voice dropped low.
"Chloe, I know I messed up in the past. But the only girl I love is you."
I asked quietly, "And her?"
"She’s just a friend."
"Just a friend? Then how did she get your personal pickup code?"He paused.
"My phone wasn't locked. She must have seen the notification."
I laughed, empty and tired.
"Look at you, Julian."
"You're already making excuses for her."
I hung up.
Just as I reached the bus stop, another text arrived from the future Sienna.
"The ring was just the appetizer."
"Want to know what else she stole from you?"
"Go to the high school counseling office."
"Check your college commitment form."
A chill crawled up my spine.
Official university enrollments weren't completely locked in, but I had already received early admission to the prestigious New York Arts Academy.
I had bled for three years to earn that scholarship spot.
I caught a cab straight back to school.
My homeroom teacher looked up, surprised.
"Chloe? Didn't I tell you guys to take a couple of days off?"
I skipped the pleasantries.
"Mrs. Carter, do you still have my early commitment form?"
"Of course."
She pulled a folder from her desk.
"Didn't you commit to New York Arts Academy?"
I pulled the sheet out.
Right there, listed as my primary institution choice, was:
Southport Community College.
My fingers went completely numb.
"Mrs. Carter."
"I didn't write this."
Mrs. Carter frowned.
"But that's your signature at the bottom."
I looked at the line.
The handwriting was an eerie imitation of mine.
Except for the loop on the final letter—I had never written my name like that in my life.
I asked, "Who handed this in to you?"
Mrs. Carter thought back.
"Sienna did. She told me you had a high fever and asked her to drop it off for you."
I stood there, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.
My phone buzzed again.
The future Sienna sent a picture.
It was a photo of me, ten years older, standing outside an art studio.
The sign above read:
Sienna Brooks Fine Arts.
Her accompanying message said:
"You will spend years believing your grades fell short, that you missed New York on your own."
"You will stay in this miserable hometown."
"You will paint her drafts, manage her students, build her brand from the shadows."
"Everyone will shower her with praise, calling her a genius."
"No one will ever know who you were."
Staring at those words, I let out a strange laugh.
Mrs. Carter backed away slightly, startled.
"Chloe, dear... are you okay?"
I said, "Mrs. Carter."
"I want the security tapes from the hallway."
"And for the record: this form is fraudulent."
The school administration naturally wanted to sweep it under the rug.
The dean sighed, saying, "Girls, let's not blow this out of proportion. It could be an honest mix-up between friends."
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Forging my legal signature to ruin my college future is a 'mix-up'?"
When Sienna was dragged into the office, her eyes were already red and swollen.
The second she entered, she grabbed my sleeve.
"Chloe, I'm so, so sorry!"
"I really didn't know this form was that serious! I thought it was just a preliminary survey!"
"You’ve been under so much stress lately... I just didn't want you moving thousands of miles away and regretting it!"
I jerked my arm out of her grip.
"So you enrolled me in Southport Community College?"
She lowered her head, sniffling.
"Southport is a great school! It's close to home! It's close to Julian!"
I leaned in close.
"And it's close to you."
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Why do you always think the worst of me? I just couldn't bear to lose you!"
I asked, "What about the ring?"
Her weeping hitched.
The door swung open, and Julian walked in, his face dark as a storm cloud.
I threw the screenshot from the jewelry store onto the dean's desk.
"Was altering my ring out of love, too?"
Sienna saw the image, and her face went paper-white.
"I..."
Julian’s voice was dangerously low.
"Sienna. Explain."
Her tears broke like a dam.
"It was just a stupid prank! I just wanted to see if Chloe would notice! I didn't mean any harm!"
I chuckled.
"Tampering with a ring is a prank. Forging my college application is a prank. Sienna, your pranks cost an awful lot, don't they?"
Mrs. Carter’s expression had turned icy.
"Sienna Brooks, this is going directly onto your permanent disciplinary record."
Sienna’s head snapped up.
"No! Mrs. Carter, you can't!"
"I worked so hard to graduate! A disciplinary strike will ruin my record!"
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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