Chapter 2: Saying No to the Trap

Then I woke up. My hand was hovering over a volunteer sign-up sheet.

Jamie Foster was right there, patting me on the shoulder like nothing had happened.

"Maddie, I’ve got a volunteer form here. Want to sign up?"

My brain was scrambled, still raw from the nightmare I’d just lived. It felt like I’d been hit by a truck, then dropped into a test I’d already failed.

Jamie’s smile was all sugar, but the way her lips curled sent a chill down my spine. I knew what she was capable of now.

Last time, it was this exact form—this innocent-looking piece of paper—that let her ruin me. The second I signed, her Reputation Drain app locked on, and everything good I did went straight into her account.

From then on, every decent thing I tried—no matter how small—was sucked up by that system and credited to her. It was like living in someone else’s shadow, but worse.

But Jamie wasn’t content with just stealing my good deeds. She went out of her way to do the nastiest things she could think of, then used the app to pin every single one on me. No one suspected a thing.

Bit by bit, I became the villain in everyone’s eyes. My reputation was trashed, and there was nothing I could do to fix it.

I was just a rung on her ladder, the scapegoat she needed to climb higher.

But this time, I saw through the sweetness in Jamie’s smile. It was all fake, and I wasn’t falling for it again.

When I didn’t answer, Jamie shoved a ballpoint pen into my hand, practically daring me to sign. Her nails dug into my palm, urgency in every gesture.

But I let the pen roll off my fingers and turned my attention to stacking my textbooks, refusing to play her game.

It was lunch break, and most of the school was at the cafeteria. The hallway echoed with emptiness—just me and Jamie, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.

"School just started. I’m trying to get ahead on the new curriculum," I said, not bothering to look up.

"Sorry, if I volunteer I’ll fall behind. Why don’t you go yourself, President?"

I walked out, each step feeling like I was shedding a weight I’d carried for years. My chest loosened, breath coming easier.

Jamie hadn’t expected me to say no. Her smile faltered, lips twitching as she tried to recover.

She scrambled after me, voice a little too high.

"But volunteering doesn’t take much time! Maddie, you’re always the first to help out."

She knew I was soft-hearted, the type who’d never learned how to say no. She thought if she just pushed a little harder, I’d fold like always.

But I kept moving, not slowing down.

"I like helping, but it’s senior year—grades come first, right? Besides, I remember your English grade tanked last month. Maybe we can talk about this after college apps are in."

Jamie was stunned, her jaw clenched so tight I thought she might bite through her lip.