Chapter 7 Throwing the Dirt Back
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The second Jesse stepped onto campus, she felt eyes on her. Whispers shot through the crowd like sparks in dry grass.
“That’s Jesse, right? She ruined Taylor’s competition project out of jealousy.”
“Seriously, how does someone that nasty still dare show
up here?”
“She’s got no shame. Didn’t Taylor’s brother die saving her? This is how she pays them back?”
Taylor had mastered the role of the helpless victim. Everyone at school adored her, so the moment she cried foul, people rushed to defend her.
In her past life, Jesse had worn herself thin trying to hold her brothers up. She had split her time between her own classes and running errands for them, even picking up extra skills so they could shine. Whenever help was needed, she dropped everything to lend a hand. She even covered for Taylor so often that her own attendance had tanked.
No wonder she had been left with no friends, no support, just a bad reputation she couldn’t shake.
This time, she kept her chin high and walked on. Let them gossip. I’ve wasted enough of my life on their lies. She headed straight into her elective class.
After the lecture wrapped up, Jesse packed her books, ready to grab lunch. That was when Taylor glided in with her two shadows trailing behind.
“Jesse,” Taylor cooed, her sweet tone belied by the sparkle in her eyes. She stopped right in front of the desk. “I’m officially on Mike’s drone team now. As for your lab key–you don’t live at home anymore, and
you barely show up at the lab. It’s really inconvenient for me to wait around for people. Can you give it to me? It’ll save me so much trouble.”
Jesse looked up slowly, her gaze steady.
In her last life, Taylor had pulled the same stunt. Back then, Jesse had been assigned grunt work -sorting tools, cataloging parts, and filing reports. Without the key, she’d been locked out more often than not.
When she asked Mike for a copy, he dismissed her with the excuse that she wasn’t a full member and that replacing keys was too much trouble. She had no choice but to swallow the unfairness.
Taylor’s lackey stepped forward. “What’s with you still having the key if you’re not even on the team? Taylor got locked out today and had to wait five whole minutes! Don’t you know how much work got held up because of you?”
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Chapter 7 Throwing the Dirt Back
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“Exactly. Just stop wasting time and give it to her,” the other girl snapped.
Jesse slammed her thick textbook onto the desk. The thud cracked through the classroom like a gunshot, snapping everyone’s attention her way.
Her lips tugged into a smirk. “So which is it? Are you here to brag, or are you just trying to humiliate me?”
Taylor’s practiced smile faltered. She pulled back a little, voice soft and wounded. “Jesse… what do you mean by that?”
Jesse’s finger pointed at the keychain dangling from Taylor’s bag. “You already have the key, yet you’re acting like I’m being difficult. Is this your favorite trick–playing clueless so I look like the villain? Once might be an accident. Every time? You sure you’re that forgetful, or are you just pretending?”
She thought, Back then, I was too worn out to care about my own image. My brothers kept me under their thumb, gaslighting me, silencing me, never letting me fight back. No wonder everyone saw me the
wrong way.
This time, I’m not letting Taylor walk all over me again.
If no one believes my words, then I’ll use facts. Let them see her real face for themselves.
Taylor’s eyes darted to the keychain before she could stop herself. Yesterday, when Jesse had delivered her so–called apology gift, she had slipped her a set of keys. Taylor hadn’t even looked, just hooked them on her bag.
She had no clue the lab key was already there.
After all, Taylor had always thought Jesse was fixated on Mike–so fixated that she once pleaded for a spot on the team, broke down in tears when she lost it, and only gave up after her brothers lectured her until she had to choke back tears.
There was no way Jesse would ever give up the lab key so easily.
“I… I didn’t know…” Taylor stammered.
“You asked, and I handed it over. How exactly do you not know?” Jesse’s voice cut sharply and clearly.
A couple of classmates traded glances. They had come expecting a bit of drama, yet somehow stumbled upon the real story.
“Taylor’s always asking Jesse for stuff.”
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“Yeah, I used to feel bad for her. She was orphaned, lost her brother, and lived with the Spencers, always getting bullied by Jesse–or so I thought. Now it seems like she’s been playing us all along.”
The whispers weren’t loud, yet every word echoed in the tense silence.
Taylor’s sidekick jumped in fast. “Don’t twist things! Jesse’s the one making life hard for Taylor. That’s why she gets confused!”
One of the girls who had spoken earlier muttered, “If Taylor were really nice, she wouldn’t blame Jesse without checking first. Who’s really causing trouble here?” She wasn’t close to Jesse, so she slipped out, but her words hit harder than any shout.
A seed of doubt had been planted.
Jesse swung her bag over her shoulder. “If you’re done, move. I’m starving, and I’ve got afternoon classes.”
She strode past them.
Taylor called after her, voice sugar–sweet again. “Don’t forget, the team’s got training this afternoon. Cover my class and take notes for me.”
Jesse didn’t pause. “If it’s your class, you handle it. I’ve got my own.‘
Her lackey exploded. “Didn’t you hear? Taylor has training! All you need to do is sit in and answer roll call. How hard is that? You always did it before. Now you just quit? No wonder your grades are trash.”
“You always leave things half–done,” the other sneered. “Pathetic.”
Jesse stopped just long enough to turn, her gaze cool and sharp. “First, students should attend their own classes. Second, that’s not even my subject, so it isn’t my responsibility. Helping once is me being kind. Not helping is my right. You don’t get to guilt–trip me.”
Her grades had sunk in her last life because she kept bailing Taylor out. Even when she aced her exams, her attendance still dragged her down, barely allowing her to scrape by. She wasn’t repeating that mistake.
She turned back toward the hallway.
A sudden stir broke out outside.
Sunlight poured through the corridor windows, casting a tall figure walking toward them into
silhouette.
He was dressed in a simple shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to show off his lean, toned forearms.
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His jacket was slung casually over one arm. His gait was steady and relaxed, yet his presence was hard to miss. The sunlight hit his sharp features, almost making him seem to radiate.
Students gawked.
“Oh my god, who is that?”
“He’s gorgeous. Is he some celebrity?”
“Wait–look at the lunchbox. Is he here to deliver food to his girlfriend?”
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