After filling out the application letter, I threw myself on the soft bed. I stared at the ceiling, dazed for a while, until one question flashed in my head.

Who intentionally put me into this whole mess?

Since in my previous life, someone told Jessica that I slandered her, which was obviously a lie. I didn't even know Jessica before that cafeteria confrontation.

But apparently, this person specifically targeted me, so I'd fall under Jessica's radar. I had no idea how to fight her in the previous life, and starting from that cafeteria confrontation, the school life of hell continued until my death.

"Was it Chrissy?" I wondered. Chrissy was an obvious choice. She was the only one who antagonized me for now.

…

No, it couldn't be her.

As much as I hated Chrissy, we were friends until the second year in the previous life. Besides, Chrissy was still Ashley's lapdog, for now. She finally moved to be Jessica's dog after Ashley's parents got arrested for money laundering.

Other than Chrissy, I couldn't find any other suspects.

Unless…

Wait, who was that 'him' Jessica talked about in the cafeteria?

Jessica said that I talked shit about her in front of 'him.'

So that man could've been another suspect.

If Jessica could be that mad, that person must've been quite important for Jessica, and the only one I could think of was Mason Hall and Peter Reed.

Peter was Jessica's current boyfriend, which she would break up with two months from now, and she would date another man. But she always had her eyes on Mason since the first day of middle school, where they met for the first time.

I've known about this because the rumors spread wide that Jessica sent a nude pic to Mason. Then, Mason immediately deleted and blocked Jess on Snapchat.

I knew the rumor was malicious and was probably false, but coming from Jessica, it wasn't entirely surprising if it came out to be true.

Both Mason and Peter, I doubted they knew about my existence, let alone maliciously putting me under Jessica's radar.

…

"Ah, fuck this—" I closed my eyes and taking a deep breath because I had no lead over this problem. Still, I had to be careful in case this mysterious person was targeting me again. I had to be cautious for now.

Ding!

I opened my eyes after hearing the notification on my phone. I checked my phone and saw Cerise's text.

- Emmy, do we really have to walk with her tomorrow? I'm scared. -

Ah, this again, as expected from Cerise, she was too scared to walk side by side with Kristen. 

I had to persuade her with a call then because this was an important step to shake their relationship. 

Beep… beep…

"H—Hello?"

"Cerise, what do you mean that you're scared? Didn't you say before that you want to befriend Kristen once more?"

"T—That's just my stupid talk, please don't take it seriously…." Cerise tried to dodge this. I had to persuade her again.

"Really? But Kristen just called me, she really thinks of it seriously. She even said that she was excited to walk with you! She even said that she'd hold your hands in the corridor if you want," I said.

It was a lie, duh. I hadn't called Kristen yet, but judging by Cerise's weak but anxious voice, I bet that Kristen hadn't threatened her yet.

"That's impossible…." Cerise tried to deny it, so I had to sweet-talk her even more.

"What do you mean impossible? She agreed to walk with you because I urged her. Isn't that credible enough?"

"Well…" I noticed that Cerise started to believe me a bit.

"I just don't understand why you are scared of her. Kristen literally saved me from Jessica's wrath," I said.

"You just don't understand…."

Oh, Cerise, I understood really well. That was the reason why I staged this.

"You said that you're not on the same level as Kristen, and here I am trying to help you to mend your relationship with her. Did I do wrong? Am I wrong wanting to help you?"

"No…" Cerise replied.

"Well, that means it's worth trying. Don't worry, if you feel uncomfortable, I will be the one who helps you, okay?"

"… Okay."

Cerise finally agreed, and after few small talks, I hung up the call. Cerise was absolutely gullible, and I understood what Kristen was doing. Because I used the same type of manipulation that Kristen did to persuade Cerise.

Mask the maliciousness with false aid. It was especially effective against someone like Cerise.

After realizing Cerise's doubt, I also had to set Kristen. So I dialed that contact, 'Fake Bitch #1.'

After few beeps, Kristen picked up the call, "Hello, who's this?"

My expression cheered up as I had to act as if I was excited to call her, "Kristen! Hello, it's me, Emmy!"

"A—Ah, hi Em, do you need something?" Kristen's nervousness had men guessed a bit.

Was she scared of me or suspicious of me?

Right now, I am the innocent girl who knew nothing about their relationship, currently admiring Kristen as my savior, so I had to act as one while slowly put her on edge.

"I just wanted to say thanks for saving me from Jessica," I said.

"Ah, don't mention it. It's an obligation to help the poor," Kristen replied, and I noticed her mood brightened with her relieved sigh.

I grinned and continued acting innocent, "You know, I'm also grateful for you because you want to be my friend. Cerise as well, You two will be my first friends in this city."

"R—Really?" Kristen's nervousness came once more. "Did Cerise say something to you?"

"Ah, well, she is surprisingly chatty with me. She helps me a lot with school stuff. She also told me about you."

"Cerise is chatty?"

"Yep, she is very chatty with me," I claimed.

There was a long pause before Kristen asked, "Did she say something to you?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Something?" I acted confused. "She told me many things, so I'm not sure what do you mean."

"N—Nevermind. Haha—I still have something to do. Talk to you later, Emmy. Bye."

Kristen hung up the call, and my grin widened. Kristen's growing anxiety would slowly eat her sanity and made her antagonized Cerise too much.

"You're dancing in my hand, Fake Bitch #1."