My Ex-Bestie Ruined His Own Ivy League Future

On the day of freshman registration at Columbia University, Julian dragged me to the campus gates. He slapped his official enrollment envelope into my hands.

You've been ignoring me the whole summer. I'm giving you a way out of the doghouse now. Go sign me in!

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. What kind of delusional dream are you living in, Julian? You got into a local community college. How do you have the nerve to show up at Columbia?

Julian froze. Under the mocking stares of the surrounding students, he ripped open the dusty envelope. He broke down on the spot.

"Why?! Why didn't you log in and change it back for me?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Didn't you tell me to mind my own business?"

When I first found out that Julians college acceptance had been declined and swapped for a low-tier community college, my heart nearly stopped.

I touched my legs, then my head. Whole. Unharmed. I almost cried right then and there.

I had been reborn. I was back on the exact day Julians enrollment was messed with.

In my past life, the class beauty, Serena Vance, had secretly logged into his portal and messed up his future.

When I found out, I tried my best to stop her and called her out for being incredibly irresponsible.

Serena felt humiliated. She ran out of the building crying, took a wrong step on the stairs, fell, and ended up paralyzed from the waist down.

She couldn't handle the tragedy and eventually took her own life. Julian blamed the entire thing on me, saying I was a meddling busybody.

The day before we were supposed to head off to college, he lured me to the rooftop of our building and pushed me off.

This time, I chose to play dumb.

As I walked into the computer lab, Serena jumped, quickly shutting the laptop screen. She looked at me guiltily.

"Elena, how long have you been standing there? What did you see?"

"I saw you changing Julian's portal options."

Hearing this, a cold sneer crossed her face. "Don't even think about snitching! I'm going to the same college as him, no matter what."

"Whatever. None of my business."

Just then, Julian walked in. Seeing Serena and me together, his guard immediately went up. "Elena, aren't you sick of this? Stop following me around like a lost puppy!"

I bent down, packed my textbooks from my desk, and finally spoke. "Do you own this school? If you can be here, so can I."

He stunned. He didn't expect this attitude from me. In the past, I would always speak softly to him, or follow him around trying to make peace.

Whenever I saw him hanging out with Serena, I would desperately try to advise him to focus on his studies.

But now? Why should I care?

I zipped up my backpack and turned to leave. Serena quickly called out, "Wait!"

"I just played around with Julian's enrollment portal. Why don't you take a look and give us some advice?"

She proudly turned the screen around. Julian glanced at it, then smirked at me. "Yeah, speak up. Weren't you always the smart one?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really interested."

He grabbed my arm. "What do you mean? Didn't you say we were going to Columbia together? How can you have zero reaction to this?"

"I respect people's personal choices. Do whatever you want."

I shook him off and walked away.

Behind me, Julian kicked a desk in sheer frustration. I didn't even look back.

I hadn't gone far when our group Snapchat blew up.

"Group Chat:"

"Maya:" "Julian, Serena just declined your Columbia offer on your portal and registered you for a community college! Are you seriously letting her ruin your life?"

"Chloe:" "Your SAT scores were literally perfect for Columbia!"

"Julian:" "What's the big deal? Elena will log in and fix it for me before the deadline anyway."

"Maya:" "I just heard you guys arguing. Aren't you afraid she'll actually leave you to rot? You need to take your own life seriously!"

"Julian:" "She's basically my second mom. She would never actually let anything happen to me."

"Julian:" "We're just having a little fight. Once I buy her some food, she'll come crawling back."

I sneered and typed: "Do your own chores. I'm not your mother."

Julian must have been furious. The next second, I was kicked out of the group chat.

This was his favorite little power play. Every time we argued, he would kick me out, wait for me to beg for forgiveness, and then drag me back in.

This time, I didn't give him the chance. I blocked him instantly, left all mutual chats, and only kept my close friends on Snapchat.

High school was over. It was time to cut the dead weight. In this life, I would not interfere in anyone elses destiny. I would only focus on myself.

Julian, I really can't wait to see your face when you get your final registration papers.

When I got home, I packed every single gift Julian had given me over the years into a trash bag and threw it right into the dumpster.

Even with a decade of friendship, he was the one who pushed me off a building in my past life. No matter how nostalgic I felt, some things could never be forgiven.

As I was throwing out the trash, I ran into Julians mom, Brenda. She waved at me from a distance. "Elena! Have you seen Julian? The boy isn't picking up my FaceTimes or replying to my texts!"

"No idea, Mrs. Thorne."

"Could you call one of his friends and ask for me?"

I held up my empty hands. "Sorry, Mrs. Thorne, I didn't bring my phone down."

"Maybe you can check with his other friends. See you around."

Without waiting for her to reply, I excused myself and walked away.

In my past life, after I died, my parents were devastated. They found out Julian had been on the roof with me.

But Brenda, fully knowing her son was responsible, destroyed the building's security footage and even bribed a doctor to get Julian a fake psychiatric diagnosis to keep him out of prison.

She used to be nice to me, but when it came to her precious son, everyone else was disposable.

Since she was willing to commit perjury back then, I had no desire to interact with her now.

Back in my room, I got a text from Maya: "Elena, let's get food! A new K-BBQ spot just opened downtown! It's so cheap!"

I replied immediately: "I'm down! Ask Chloe too, let's go!"

When we arrived at the restaurant, Maya nudged me. "Look over there. Isn't that Julian? I heard he's been bragging to everyone that he's going to Columbia."

"It's hilarious. Serena is telling everyone she's going with him. With her GPA, she couldn't even get into a clown school, let alone an Ivy League," Chloe scoffed, making a face that made us burst into laughter.

Just then, Julian walked over. Seeing me, he scoffed. "Elena, you really are like a rash. You just won't go away."

"I thought you said you didn't care anymore. Why did you follow me here?"

Maya and Chloe looked worried, but I kept my voice flat. "Do you own this restaurant? The owner is open for business. Are we not allowed to eat?"

"Move. You're blocking the line."

I pushed past him to check in our reservation. His face turned bright red with anger.

Maya gave me a thumbs-up. "Hell yeah, Elena! Love the backbone!"

"Yeah, I'm completely done with him."

Following close behind us, Julian gritted his teeth. "Fine, Elena. You better keep this same energy!"

I ignored him. We sat down, and Julian and Serena took a table right across from us. It felt entirely intentional.

They started feeding each other food, trying to make me jealous. It was honestly nauseating.

I kept my eyes on the grill and focused on my brisket.

Halfway through the meal, I went to the restroom. On my way back, a strong grip pulled me into a side hallway. It was Julian.

I frowned, but he shoved his phone into my face. "Why did you block me on Snapchat?"

"Because I felt like it. Julian, we are not friends anymore. You hate it when I meddle, and I don't like chasing after you."

"Besides, you have a girlfriend now. We need to keep our distance."

"Add me back. How else are we going to coordinate when we move to Columbia?" He reached out to grab my phone, but I snatched it back.

"Get this straight, Julian. High school is over. We have nothing to do with each other. Who I keep on my friend list is my choice."

Julian opened his mouth in shock. Before he could speak, I cut him off.

"Also, have some manners when you talk to me next time. I don't owe you anything. At least show some basic respect."

I rolled my eyes and walked away. Julian was fuming. Just as he was about to chase after me, Serena appeared.

To spite me, he suddenly grabbed Serena by the back of her head and kissed her deeply. I felt a brief pang in my chest, but it was quickly replaced by a wave of relief. I smiled faintly and walked right past them.

Let people destroy their own lives. I was not going to play the fool anymore.

After that day, Julian never contacted me again, and I certainly didn't look for him.

Even my mom noticed. "Elena, Julian hasn't swung by the house in days. Did something happen?"

"Mom, high school is over. Plus, he has a girlfriend now. He should be spending time with her."

My mom was shocked. "A girlfriend? But what about you two..."

"We're just neighbors, Mom."

My dad smiled from the kitchen. "She's right. Just neighbors. Whether he comes over or not has nothing to do with us. Now that exams are over, let's go on a trip!"

I bounced on my feet. "Dad, I want to go to Disney World!"

"You got it. I'll take some PTO, and we'll have a family vacation!"

My mom happily agreed. We spent the night looking up travel guides, completely ignoring my vibrating phone.

Once our itinerary was set, I checked my texts. Maya had sent me a screenshot. "Is Julian actually insane? He posted this on his private story and made sure I saw it."

I looked at the image. It was a screenshot of his finalized college enrollment page. It clearly showed the local community college.

I laughed. He was trying to bait me into saving him. Too bad he was blocked.

"Elena, what is this? Isn't he going to Columbia?"

"Serena changed his portal."

"Is he out of his mind?!" Maya was horrified. "He's throwing away his entire future for a girl?"

"Well, not my problem."

Maya thought he was a lunatic and blocked him too.

The next day, my family packed our bags and flew to Orlando.

I posted tons of photos on InstagramDisney World, delicious dinners, and sunny beaches. Sure, Orlando was a total money vacuum, but I had the best time.

That night at the hotel, my phone rang from an unknown number. I picked up, and Julians voice came through.

"I heard you're on vacation. Where are you going next?"

"I'm going to visit the Columbia campus early. I want to get used to the area."

He let out a smug laugh. "Elena, stop being stubborn. Add me back on Snapchat. When you get back, I have a gift for you. What I promised you before... it still stands."

"Julian, everyone has to face the consequences of their own choices."

Before he could respond, Serena's voice echoed in the background of the call: "Babe, can you bring me a towel?"

He hastily hung up.

I looked at the pending friend request on Snapchat and hit decline.

It was 11:50 PM. Julian, you have exactly ten minutes left before the college portal locks forever. I hope you can take responsibility for your own life.

I dont owe you anything.

Suddenly, Serenas Snapchat request popped up.

"Elena, accept my request."

I ignored it, but she kept spamming.

"Julian and I are staying at a hotel tonight. No matter what history you two had, he's mine now."

"He's not going to Columbia with you. He's staying with me for the rest of his life!"

I chuckled and blocked her too. You two deserve each other. I have my own path to walk.

The clock ticked down. 11:58... 11:59...

At exactly midnight, the deadline passed. I took a deep breath and let it out.

Julian, our lives will never cross again.