It was the day before SAT. I made a video for my time capsule. If all went well, I'd be watching the video 10 years later, and all did go well. A bit too well, really.

The moment I opened the video call app, I was connected to the future me. The one living a decade in the future.

"Did I get into Harland U? Got a PhD? Is Johnny still my best friend? He has a very short temper. No one else can stand him. I bet you've gotten your PhD and married Zoe."

The future was a bright, hopeful place in my mind. Unfortunately, the future me flew into a rage the moment Zoe's mouth left my tongue.

"That bitch is giving you pens filled with vanishing ink so Johnny gets to be the state's top scorer instead of you! You're not getting into Harland! You're forced to repeat the year!

"That bitch is going to act sorry and down and promise to get into an LDR with you only to go steady with Johnny right away! The whole campus knows about them! They're the perfect couple!

"You're an idiot, Seamus! Your girl's going to cheat on you, and you'll thank the guy who railed her for fucking taking care of her!"

It's True

The video call came to an abrupt halt. I stared at my reflection on the screen. It was staring back at me in disbelief. Now, I couldn't help but wonder whether it had actually happened, or whether I was hallucinating.

Zoe Shamrock and I were childhood friends. I was still reeling from the sudden news, and my mind was wandering when Zoe popped up behind me and tapped my shoulder.

"SAT's tomorrow, Seamus. You should be studying, not spacing out. You'll be sorry if you flunk it and don't get into Harland."

"As if!" I snapped.

Zoe was an innocent, charming girl. So, I couldn't imagine her cheating on me with my best friend. My mind was settled, and I laughed at myself quietly. Here I was, panicking over a nothingburger even when the tests hadn't begun.

Just then, Zoe plopped a bag of stationery on my desk. "I knew you wouldn't be prepared, so I got it covered! Tuck your ID in and take the whole bag with you tomorrow. I got one for Johnny, too. You're not sharing my presents with him this time!"

She stuffed another bag of stationery into the drawer of the desk next to mine. They were identical.

The smile on my face froze like water hitting absolute zero. Zoe's eyes were flickering with curiosity as they looked at me. "You're looking at me weird. Do I have something on my face?"

I shook my head.

My emotions were churning violently, but I forced them to stay in check. The moment she was out of earshot, I pulled a pen out of the bag and wrote something on a piece of paper.

…

Two hours later, everything I'd written was gone.

I tried the other pen, only for it to end up showing the same thing. This wasn't something I had seen coming. I couldn't believe that Zoe had truly given me disappearing ink pens. That could only mean everything my future self said was true.

I tilted my head and glanced at their empty spots. Before anyone could notice, I sneakily switched my sabotaged stationery with theirs. When I checked, I found that Zoe and Johnny's pens worked just like any other regular pen would.

Now, I could finally identify what was bubbling and boiling under my skin—fury. If I had my way, I would have hurled the pens in her face and demanded that she give me an explanation.

I didn't do that. Instead, channeled all my strength into keeping my fury to a low simmer, though only barely.

…

The SAT was here.

Before we entered the halls, Zoe took her time to go through my stationery. "Look, same pens! I bet we'll get into Harland together!"

A smile curled my lips, but it did not reach my eyes. I threw a question back at her. "And Johnny has the same pen as well. You want to attend the same place as he does?"

Zoe paused for a moment before playfully swatting me on the shoulder. "Hey, you're the one who wouldn't stop sharing my presents with him."

Johnny had always scoffed at Zoe, claiming that I was out of her league. Meanwhile, Zoe had always seen Johnny as a bad influence. The two of them were always at odds. They would start squabbling like a dozen geese whenever they met. I always had to play the mediator.

This whole rivalry was the foundation of my trust when it came to them. I trusted my friends to be loyal. Unfortunately, I was rewarded with both of them stabbing me in the back.

The Gathering

Johnny had been close enough to overhear the conversation. So, he arched an eyebrow challengingly at Zoe. "Seamus is my bro, woman. You can't do shit about me."

The two of them were like powder kegs, and they looked like they were seconds away from exploding. This time, I didn't step in like I used to.

Instead, I checked the time. "It's almost time. I'm going in."

The two of them exchanged a look and stopped bantering right away. How interesting. After all, their reactions suggested that peace had always been an option for them without my well-meaning interference.

The SATs were finally done, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. The tension I'd been feeling was finally melting away.

Jacqueline, our class president, popped up in the group chat and suggested we have a gathering. After all, we would be going our own separate ways after graduation. It would likely be impossible to meet up due to our conflicting schedules.

Halfway through the gathering, the class clown ordered two six-packs. "Hey, we can drink a little. It's a gathering staple."

Johnny was right beside me, and I could feel the light in his eyes blinding everything in this room. "We should get used to this, Seamus. Someday we'll have to handle alcohol."

Zoe snickered and pushed Johnny's hand down with her fork.

She retorted, "Hey, you were blackout drunk at the hotel and nearly tore down the whole place. I had to bring you back myself. God, you weighed as much as a pig. I was nearly crushed. I swear you stank enough to knock out a whole town!"

Johnny went as red as a tomato. "It's not my fault you're fragile and have a good nose!"

The conversation made me pause, and I put my glass down on the table. "I never knew you two went out drinking alone. When did that happen?"

"It was during the school blackout—" Johnny's answer ground to a halt.

That reminded me.

I ran a fever of nearly 104 degrees that night, and it nearly robbed me of my voice. By God's grace, Jacqueline noticed how ill I had been and gave me a piggyback as she sprinted all the way to the infirmary.

The first thing I did after waking up was call Zoe. I called her more than 20 times, and she didn't pick up any of them. Jacqueline had to prop me up and helped me get back home.

So, this was why she didn't answer my calls. She was out drinking with Johnny. When I asked her, she told me her father was on a business trip, and her mother had sprained her ankle. She claimed that she had to take the day off and care for her mom.

The lies had begun way before the SATs.

Johnny realized too late he'd let the secret slip, and he was looking at me nervously. "It's not her fault. She only did it for you. You'd be worried if I got into trouble, and she didn't want that."

Zoe nodded immediately, finally finding an excuse. "I'd have left him by the road otherwise!"

I grinned. "Sounds like you're asking for a thank you."

That told Zoe I was mad, and she glared at Johnny. "This is your fault!" Then, she turned back to me. "Calm down, Seamus. I swear I'll ignore him from now on!"

Johnny was turning red with worry, and he wanted to swear they were innocent. "I was just testing her, man. If she never cared about you, she'd never care for your buddy!"

I was going to say something, but the bottle was already done spinning, and it was pointing at Zoe.

The class had already started Truth or Dare when we were still talking.

"Truth or Dare, Zoe." That was the class clown. Everyone knew he was a great prankster when it came to Dare. Zoe went for Truth right away.

"Who's the last guy you kissed?"

Jacqueline clicked her tongue and scolded him, "Are you stupid? She's dating Seamus. Obviously, he's the one she kissed! Do you even know how to play this game? Let me do it!"

I looked at Zoe again, only to notice her eyes drifting to Johnny for a quick moment.

She Lied

Zoe's delayed response brought silence into the air. Jacqueline's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Wait. You've kissed another guy?"

"I didn't!" Zoe denied right away, her face red. "Of course, Seamus is the one I kissed! I just… I didn't want it aired out. It's private!"

My heart sank. She was lying. We had never kissed, not even once. My mind began to wander again after that little episode. The past was starting to play itself in my head. All the details I'd been ignoring were now dancing vividly in the eyes of my mind.

Johnny loved basketball. Zoe always had balms and ointments in her drawer prepared for him. I was terrified of any ball-related sports, so I'd never set foot on a basketball court.

Johnny and I had the same thermos. My thermos was filled with water from a random drinking fountain in the school, while his was filled with energy drinks.

Zoe would bring two sets of breakfast every morning. Mine was always plain, but Johnny would have different breakfasts every day for the whole week.

I had always shrugged those details off as something trivial and chalked it up to Zoe's own thoughtful personality. Stupid old me even bragged that she was so kind as to take care of my best friend, whom she never liked.

"You don't look so good, Seamus. Are you down with something?"

Zoe tried to put her hand on my forehead, but I shot up from my seat and moved out of her hand's way. "I need to use the restroom."

…

I ran into the class clown after coming out of the restroom. He said, "Zoe lied. I saw her snogging Johnny at the field yesterday."

That was the real reason behind him asking that question with such an obvious answer. He didn't expose her in order to protect my reputation. He was even nice enough to wait for me here to tell me about it, just so I wouldn't stay in the dark forever.

I stopped and muttered a quiet thank you to him. I didn't go back to that room. Instead, I texted the class president a quick goodbye and got a ride home.

Zoe texted me while I was on my way home. I replied to none of her texts.

…

Something rustled outside the window late at night. It was already 11 p.m., so I pushed it open out of curiosity. Shortly after, a small basket slid down from the apartment upstairs. Inside it was something wrapped within a bag.

Zoe lived right in the apartment above mine, and we'd send each other stuff behind our parents' backs since we were little.

When our grade school teacher made us write lines, I would send an empty notebook up to her. The next day, the basket would come back with a notebook that had freshly written lines within.

My parents forbade sweets when I was teething. So, I would sneak my candies up to her for safekeeping. This basket was our little secret.

I picked up the slip of paper in the basket. It read, "You barely ate. I know you're mad at me, but you can't go to sleep hungry." A smile emoji followed that message.

I opened up the wrapper, and it revealed a whole roasted chicken inside. It was still warm. The chicken came from the shop I mentioned to her a few days ago. Tagged her in the short, even.

We promised to have it together after the SAT. A long while of silence later, I clutched my empty stomach and ate it.

For old times' sake, I would lay the whole truth out when it was time.

…

A few days later, Zoe came to my house bearing her luggage.