Part 3Replace Me

Jenna was so angry she skipped dinner, hiding under her covers and plotting something. I, wearing my black wig, was leisurely enjoying soup with Kristen in the dining hall.

“Do you think she’ll dye her hair back to black tomorrow?” Kristen mused, poking a piece of broccoli. “I bet you fifty bucks she’ll try something.”

I was about to answer when the pop-up comments exploded:

[GIRL, YOUR HOUSE IS BEING ROBBED! THE VILLAIN IS USING A VOICE CHANGER TO CALL YOUR MOM!]

[She's mimicking your voice, whining that she's out of money and needs her mommy to spoil her!]

[OMG, that's low. She's trying to use the family connection to speed up the replacement progress bar!]

My hand froze, the spoon halfway to my mouth. Jenna was targeting my mother?

My mom was a total softy. She was easily swayed by a little sweetness. If Jenna laid it on thick, my mom might actually fall for it.

Kristen noticed my expression. “What’s wrong? Are you thinking about Jenna’s horrifying face again?”

I shook my head, slowly swallowing a spoonful of soup. “Nothing. I was just thinking that constantly changing my hair is getting boring.”

“So what’s next?” Kristen’s eyes lit up. “A whole new style? You’d look amazing in historical costumes!”

Just then, a text from my mom popped up on my screen:

“Sweetie, I just transferred a million dollars to your account. Don’t be afraid to spend it.”

“Oh, and that girl in your dorm, Jenna? She seems so nice. I sent her eighty thousand dollars as a little thank you for looking after you.”

She was clever. After failing with me, she’d gone straight to my mom for cash.

But no one takes money from the Sterling family that easily.

“A new style is boring,” I said, placing my phone on the table. “If I’m going to change, I’ll change into something she can’t possibly copy.”

The comments went into a frenzy:

[Is she planning a new game? *rubs hands in anticipation*]

[I'm almost starting to feel bad for the villain, LOL. She's getting played so hard.]

[The villain's morals are twisted. She deserves this! Why can't she just be a normal person instead of trying to steal someone's life? Serves her right!]

“What do you mean?” Kristen asked, her curiosity piqued.

I met her gaze and smiled. “Next Wednesday is my birthday. It wouldn’t be too much to treat the entire class to dinner, would it?”

On my birthday, I booked out an entire five-star hotel. Jenna showed up, ground her teeth for five minutes, and then left in a huff.

“Ava, did you see her face? It was priceless!” Kristen gloated. “She thought she could become you just by copying your clothes. Today, she got a lesson in the difference between the real deal and a nine-ninety-nine knockoff.”

I remained silent. I knew Jenna. She wouldn’t give up that easily.

Sure enough, a few days later, on Friday night, a message from her appeared in our class group chat, complete with a location pin for the city’s most exclusive private karaoke club.

“Hey everyone, I made a little extra money at my part-time job, so I’m treating you all to a night out! Party starts at 7 PM. Hope to see you there!”