During orientation week, I found myself feeling isolated. The only person who actively tried to befriend me was Juliana Webb.

She'd often say, "Kate, you're way too reserved. You should hang out with me more!"

I thought she was helping me fit in, so when she convinced me to wear a crop top to a social event, I went along with it. At the orientation performance, she urged me to dance provocatively, saying it would catch the guys' attention. She even encouraged me to indulge in rich foods, claiming that the more I indulged, the luckier I’d get.

I became the laughingstock of the college, while she was celebrated as the most stunning beauty in years. She went further, accusing me of using unauthorized electronics just when I was applying for a scholarship to cover my medical expenses, causing me to lose the funds needed for surgery.

Before I died, I overheard her outside my hospital room mocking me with others. "She couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She deserved to eat herself to death!"

And then, miraculously, I opened my eyes and found myself back on the first day of orientation.

---

"Kate, you should hang out with us more and get involved," Juliana told me, posing as the only girl in class who wanted to be my friend. I considered her my best friend.

"Come on, perform something for everyone. Let them all see you!"

She nudged me to the center of the group, and before I knew it, the host was announcing, "This student has volunteered to perform. Let's give her a round of applause!"

I was frozen, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Uh... how about I sing a song for everyone?" I suggested nervously.

"No way! Everyone loves a dance. Do something provocative to catch the guys' attention!" Juliana shouted, rallying the classmates to join in.

In my past life, she used this tactic to force me into dancing awkwardly in front of everyone. Uncoordinated, I performed miserably, and the story of my terrible dancing spread all over campus.

Humiliated, I retreated to my seat, only for Juliana to thrust a piece of spiced honey cake into my hand while abstaining herself.

"Don’t be upset. Here, have something sweet to cheer you up," she pretended to comfort me. "See, now everyone is talking about you, especially Micah Jones, who watched you a few times. This is great!"

I was mortified, but I ate the dessert, making her angry on the spot. "This is an expensive treat I didn’t even indulge in myself. I thought since you come from a small town, you wouldn’t have had something this nice, so I bought it for you!"

Her voice was intentionally loud enough for those nearby to hear. Suddenly, everyone looked at me with judging eyes, silently accusing me of being ungrateful when someone was just being kind.

Reluctantly, I finished the cake she bought me. This became her tactic, pushing me to consume all kinds of food, leading to more weight gain and deepening my insecurity.

It wasn’t until the music academy assigned a collaborative project that I showcased my solo singing talent, catching the attention of the star of our year, Micah Jones.

"You’ve got a great voice. Interested in joining my group?" he asked me.

That evening, he invited me to dinner. But Juliana dressed to the nines and insisted on tagging along.

"Aren’t you worried about being alone with him? What if he tries something? I’ll go with you for safety," she said. It made sense, so I brought her along.

At the table, she dominated the conversation with Micah, leaving me no room to speak.

The next day, a message came from Micah. "Sorry, our group is full. Try joining another one."

Later, I learned that Juliana had spread rumors about me, claiming my performance improved only because of her coaching. Ultimately, she got what she wanted and joined Micah's group. The two became a celebrated couple in the college.

Meanwhile, I developed diabetes, and after she framed me for unauthorized device use, I lost my scholarship. Without the funds for surgery, I died in the hospital.

Even at the end, Juliana mocked me with others outside my hospital room. "She couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She deserved to eat herself to death!"

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of freshman orientation, right in the middle of that awkward ice-breaker activity.

"Show us some moves! Show us some moves!" Everyone clapped and cheered, with Juliana Webb persistently nudging me.

"Come on, everyone's looking forward to your performance!" she urged, a sly smile on her face.

I squinted at her, letting out a dry laugh. "If you're in the mood to dance, feel free. I'm not interested."

She hadn't expected my refusal and stood there, taken aback.

"How can you not join in? Weren't you always keen on making friends with everyone? Besides, Micah Jones, the campus heartthrob, is in our group today. This is such a great chance, and you're just letting it pass by..."

Juliana clung to my hand with a firm grip. "You know, there's a big difference between people from small towns and those from the city. If you want to shed that small-town image, you need to blend in with the group."

I shook her hand off. "Oh? Does city life revolve around borderline dancing?"

"Why don't you show us how it's done then? I'm not really the best..." she faltered.

Juliana's expression stiffened. "You know I'm here on an arts scholarship."

Reading between the lines, I understood she couldn't dance either.

I pretended not to get the hint. "Oh, I'm well aware of your musical, artistic, and crafty talents, Juliana. You're fantastic with instruments, so I bet your dancing isn't half bad either."

"Go on, show us how city folks flaunt their talents! Let this country girl see how it's done!"

The chants grew louder around us. "Dance! Dance! Stop being so uptight!"

Seeing that I wasn't giving in, Juliana had no choice but to step up herself.

She walked toward the center of the group, and I noticed her legs trembling with every step.

Kate Collins fumbled clumsily through the dance routine, drawing laughter from everyone around her. After that incident, Juliana Webb never asked her to perform in front of their classmates again.

In our freshman year, the freshman mixer was a major event, and Juliana always insisted on dragging me along. With her slender frame, she looked good in anything, while I, with a bit of a belly, often slouched when I walked.

“Kate, we're best friends. Let’s wear matching outfits!” she exclaimed, pulling two Victorian-style dresses of the same size from her wardrobe and tossing one to me.

The dress fit her perfectly. But on me, it clung to my arms and accentuated my belly, making me look completely ridiculous. I tried to change into something else, but she stopped me.

“Just wear it; it looks great. This is what the city folks wear. If you wear your own clothes, you’ll look like a country bumpkin.”

At the co-ed mixer, she seated me right next to her. I became her foil.

The guys across from us whispered and snickered, “Trying to be a fashionista with that figure, wearing that dress? Her belly is almost in another country, haha.”

I looked down at my clothes, afraid to move for fear of a wardrobe malfunction.

I never wore makeup, but Juliana had applied hers flawlessly. She tried to convince me, “Honestly, I envy you for going natural. You don’t need makeup to look good, while I have to rely on it to enhance my features…”

But at the mixer, her tune changed.

“Don’t mind Kate not wearing makeup, everyone. I’ve tried to teach her, but she doesn’t care about her appearance or hygiene. Maybe she doesn’t care what others think.”

Juliana’s words made it sound like I had let her down. Compared to her, I felt like an exhibit in a sideshow, silent and unsure of how to defend myself, so everyone just accepted what she said.

Thanks to my “contrast,” the guys gave Juliana a nickname— “The Belle of the Ball.”

Later, the college organized a Top Ten Singers competition, and Juliana deliberately kept it from me. Little did she know, I overheard some classmates talking about it and managed to submit my application just before the deadline.

On the day of the preliminary selection, Juliana was visibly surprised to see me in the waiting room.

“Kate, what are you doing here?” she asked, masking her surprise with a smile.

I replied calmly, “Why wouldn’t I be here? If you can enter this competition, why can’t I?”

Juliana was caught off guard. “I told the class president not to tell you about it…”

Realizing her slip, she quickly added, “I mean, you don’t like performing in public, so I wanted to spare you the stress. See how considerate I am?”

She patted my shoulder with a forced smile, trying to gloss over it.

“Participants, get ready for your auditions,” the overseeing teacher announced to everyone.

Almost everyone in the school had heard of Juliana, the so-called “once-in-a-generation school beauty,” and saw her through rose-colored glasses.

“Juliana, I bet you sing beautifully too…” a girl beside her gushed.

Juliana feigned modesty, scratching her head. “Oh, not really. I got into our college through my instrumental skills. Singing is just a hobby.”

“That’s amazing! Even if singing isn’t your major, you must be fantastic!” the girl continued to flatter her.

As the first round of selections wrapped up, the teacher prepared to announce the final spot on the list. Juliana hadn’t been called yet and was getting anxious.

“The final contestant advancing is… Kate Collins.”

Juliana jumped to her feet. “That can’t be right! Did you make a mistake? I’m Juliana Webb, not Kate Collins.”

She tried to catch the teacher’s eye, but they remained firm.

“No mistake—Kate Collins is the contestant. We uphold a principle of fairness and will never allow favoritism.”

I followed the teacher into the audition room, leaving Juliana outside, her face flushed with embarrassment.