My Future Self Called To Save My Ruined Life Chapter 01

My Future Self Called To Save My Ruined Life Chapter 01

On the last day before the out-of-state application deadline, I was about to give up on my full-ride scholarship offer.

Then my phone rang. It was a call from my future self.

“Don’t give up. Click accept. Right now.”

“Liam Carter got early grad admission three months ago. He told you to stay because Savannah needs you to do her capstone project, and because he needs your monthly living expenses.”

“The second week after you turn down that offer, they’ll go public as a couple.”

“Your so-called best friend Savannah Brooks has already betrayed you. They’ve been seeing each other behind your back.”

My hand froze, my fingers hovering over the mouse.

The voice continued, faster and more urgent.

“Listen. After you accept the offer, take the twenty thousand dollars you have left and put every cent into the Summit Capital Growth Fund when it launches next March. It’ll become one of the best-performing funds that year.”

“Once you’re going out-of-state, apply to Professor Kleinman’s AI Lab before the end of your first semester. That project gets bought by Google in two years. As a core member, you’ll get equity.”

“Twenty-two-year-old Jessica, please—stop holding yourself back for anyone else.”

The voice cut off abruptly.

I took a deep breath and moved the cursor to “Confirm Admission.”

The moment I clicked, I made my decision.

I would never bury my own future for people who weren’t worth it.

—

The click drained every ounce of strength from me. I slumped back in my chair.

A confirmation pop-up appeared on the screen.

[Congratulations. You have confirmed your full scholarship admission to Ashford University.]

I stared at that line for three full minutes.

My phone screen lit up. It was Liam.

[Hey babe, did you pay this month’s rent?]

[I’m broke right now. Can you Venmo me three hundred? Urgent.]

A clingy emoji followed.

The old me would’ve opened the transfer page without a second thought.

Every month, half of my tutoring money went to his rent. The other half bought his clothes and paid for his dinners.

I thought we were struggling together. I thought he was stressed from grad school applications and needed me to hold him up.

But my future self told me the truth.

He got early admission three months ago.

He wasn’t broke.

He just needed someone to keep paying for him.

I marked the message as read and said nothing.

I opened my investment app and set a buy reminder for the Summit Capital Growth Fund’s March launch.

I planned to invest my savings when the time came.

My phone buzzed. It was a forty-second voice memo from Liam.

I played it. His voice was lazy, carrying that familiar entitled tone.

“Why aren’t you replying? You at the library again?”

“Don’t overwork yourself. I made a reservation for tonight—taking you somewhere nice. Just cover it for now, okay?”

I closed the memo and smirked.

Nice. Even when he “treated” me, I paid.

I typed three words and hit send.

[Can’t make it.]

Ten seconds later, my phone rang.

“Jessica, what’s with the attitude?” Liam’s voice was still warm, still playing the gentle boyfriend.

“I know you’ve been stressed. Forget about going out-of-state, alright? We talked about this—you stay, take the grad exam here, and next year we do it together.”

“Mm. Got it.”

I cut him off, my voice flat and emotionless.

He paused, clearly thrown off by how easy that was. Then he hesitated.

“So… the money—”

“Later.”

I hung up.

It wasn’t that I wouldn’t send it.

It was that I’d never send it again.