TikTok and other short–form video platforms
were getting huge, and Olivia was one of the
first influencers. The money, the attention, the
belief that I’d never surpass her musically…
red focusing on ma
She finally stopped focusing on me.
She was eighteen now.
It was time to take her down.
But… I’d been so focused on revenge, but I
was enjoying this second chance. School was
easier this time around. I felt like I could do
even better than in my past life.
If fate had given me this opportunity, I
couldn’t waste it entirely on Olivia. I decided
to let her enjoy her fame a little longer, until
after graduation. I’d waited this long. What
was a few more days?
On graduation day, Olivia had over five million
followers.
Г
She was at her peak.
She’d just released another one of my songs,
one I’d written for graduating seniors.
It was massive.
And a prestigious music school in Europe had
offered her a place. She didn’t even bother
taking the SATs.
But she still came to school during the exams.
Not to take them, of course. Just to rub it in
my face.
“Some people have to sweat it out taking the SATs,” she’d sneer. “Not me. I already got a
call from a famous music professor.”
L
“Mia Thompson, I was wrong before. I said
this was my turn to have your life. But the
truth is, I’m doing even better than you did. I
won!”
I ignored her during the exams. My parents
tried to chase her and Linda away, but they
kept coming back after each test, trying to
get to me.
After the last exam, when she started her
gloating again, I texted Ethan.
[It’s time.]
He replied instantly, and he was incredibly
efficient. Within five minutes, hashtags like
#OliviaPlagiarism and #FakeMusicProdigy
were trending.
Г
As Olivia bragged, I smiled sweetly at her.
“Really?” I said. “You know what they say?
Even a cooked duck can fly away.”
وو
Olivia frowned, confused.
I didn’t give her time to react. I got in Dad’s
car and left.
Five minutes later, Mom got a call from Linda.
She still couldn’t bring herself to fully
confront Linda, but that day was coming
soon.
It wasn’t Linda’s voice on the other end. It
was Olivia.
“Where’s Mia?!” she shrieked. “Was it her?
Did she start those rumors online?!”
Mom was stunned. She looked at me. “What
rumors?”
I held out my hand. Mom gave me the phone.
“What’s wrong, Olivia?” I said into the phone. “Did you get so caught up in the lie that you
actually started believing it?”
There was a pause. Then, Olivia’s voice
trembled. “You… you really are back?”
I dropped the act.
Olivia screamed. “You were faking it this
whole time! You were playing me! Mia
Thompson, you’re so twisted! I’m going to kill
you! I’m going to kill you!”
く
Dad slammed on the brakes. Before I could
react, he snatched the phone and roared into
it, “You touch my daughter and I swear to
God, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the
dogs! I let you get away with it when you
were little, but you cross this line, and I’ll
come after you, your family, your ancestors!
I’ll wipe you all off the face of the earth!”
He hung up.
The car was silent. The air was thick with
tension.
Mom tried to calm Dad down. “She’s just a
kid,” she said softly. “Kids say things they
don’t mean. Don’t take it so seriously.”
For the first time ever, Dad ignored her.
Г
I sighed, staring out the window, watching the
world go by. I didn’t explain.
Since I’d had Ethan post the original music
online, Olivia had no defense.
