Chapter 2

The notebook slipped from my hands, landing with a muffled thud on the carpet. I stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning. On a hot July afternoon in Minnesota, I felt my blood turn to ice.

"As expected of our captain, even the class beauty is just practice for him," another teammate, Chris, whistled.

"Doesn't that make her like, what do you call it, one of those inflatable practice dolls?" Mike laughed crudely.

Jacob laughed and threw a textbook at him: "Don't say it like that, it's not like she lost out."

"Seriously though, the class beauty is too skinny. Compared to Jessica the cheerleading captain-"

"Shut up," Jacob interrupted, but with a laugh in his voice, "It was just the mood at the time. Besides, I could tell she was struggling quite a bit..."

"Wow, who knew our straight-A class president Emily was such a closet freak!"

"Who could resist Jacob's charm? When meat is served to your mouth, how can you not eat it?"

"Emily's been chasing you for so many years, she's probably fantasized about it countless times, right?"

A burst of harsh laughter erupted from the classroom. I bit my lip hard until I tasted iron. My nails dug deep into my palms, the pain barely keeping me standing. Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, and I frantically picked up my notebook and fled into the farthest stall of the girls' bathroom.

The moment I locked the door, tears began to fall. I covered my mouth, suppressing my sobs as my body slid down the partition to the cold floor. The girl in the mirror had red, swollen eyes and messy hair - this was how Jacob Taylor saw me, a convenient post-it note girl to be used and discarded.

Outside the stall, the sound of running water and girls chatting drifted in. I held my breath, listening to them discuss prom and their upcoming college lives. Most people had chosen schools on the East Coast, including Jacob - he had received a sports scholarship to New York University. And I had originally planned to follow him to New York, applying for a scholarship to the same university.

With trembling hands, I took out my phone and logged into the college application system. The deadline was midnight tonight. My finger hovered over the screen for a long time before I finally changed my first choice from New York University to the University of Florida - the farthest option from New York.

"Emily? Are you in there?" My best friend Sarah's voice came from outside the door. "The graduation ceremony is about to start, everyone's looking for you."

I quickly wiped away my tears and took a deep breath: "I'll be right out."

As I pushed open the stall door, I fixed my appearance in the mirror. The girl in the reflection had changed - something soft had died in her eyes. At the graduation ceremony, I mechanically accepted my diploma. As I stood on stage, my gaze swept over the crowd - Jacob was laughing and joking with his basketball teammates, not even bothering to look up at me.

That night, while everyone else was celebrating graduation by the lake, I sat alone at home and clicked the "Confirm Submission" button. The system displayed a successful change: Emily Carter, University of Florida, Biochemistry major.

Thirteen hundred miles from New York.