Rebirth: Ruining the School Belle's Lie

The first thing I do after getting a second chance at life is push my brilliant younger brother, Callum Veyne, down a flight of stairs. That's because I know exactly what happens if he makes it to the gym that morning. In my previous life, Callum is one of the brightest students at his school, with a future everyone envies. Then, the school's golden girl, Elara Winslow, comes running out of the locker room in tears and accuses him of secretly filming her while she's changing. She has his phone. She has the video. And she swears she saw him standing outside the door. Everyone believes her. Callum loses his place in a prestigious science competition. His classmates turn against him. Our parents are publicly humiliated, and no matter how many times Callum insists he's innocent, no one listens. By the time the truth comes out, it's far too late. The video is staged. Elara frames Callum so her boyfriend can take his competition spot. However, knowing the truth can't give me my family back. Then, I open my eyes, and I'm behind the wheel again, driving Callum to school on the morning everything begins. This time, I know exactly what they're planning. If keeping my brother away from their trap means I have to push him down those stairs myself, then that's exactly what I'm going to do. They destroyed my family once. I'm not giving them a second chance. Chapter 1 My hands were locked around the steering wheel, and my knuckles were slowly turning white. Memories from my previous life came rushing back, each one cutting deeper than the last. By the time I reached the building, my younger brother, Callum Veyne, was already lying in a pool of blood. I dropped to my knees beside him. I called his name over and over, but he never opened his eyes. Just the night before, he'd looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Liv, I swear I didn't take those videos. I was just walking past the gym. Why won't anyone believe me?" I hadn't known what to tell him. Elara Winslow, the most popular girl at school, had cried like her whole world was falling apart. The videos were right there on her phone. Everyone kept saying the same thing. No girl would make up something like that and put her own reputation on the line. There were witnesses. There was evidence. There was her accusation. And every last bit of it pointed straight at Callum. Before the scandal, he'd been one of the school's most promising science students. Quiet and withdrawn, maybe, but undeniably brilliant. His teachers used to say he could go anywhere. Our parents were convinced he would end up at one of the country's most prestigious universities. I'd believed that too. I'd always thought my little brother would get to grow up without anything standing in his way. He would go to an incredible university, fall in love with someone who loved him back, get married, and have a family. He'd live the kind of long, bright life that had always seemed like a given. After that day, none of it was possible anymore. His classmates called him a creep. Parents demanded that the school kick him out. Even his teachers urged him to admit what he'd done, telling him things might go more easily for him if he just confessed. In the name of protecting the "victim", the school stripped him of his competition eligibility. The opportunity he'd worked toward for years disappeared overnight. From then on, it didn't matter who Callum had been before. To everyone else, he was just a pervert with a camera. Eventually, he dropped out. He shut himself away in his room and stopped facing the outside world altogether. Then came the day we lost him for good. I thought nothing could ever hurt more than that. However, after the funeral, I came home to find Mom and Dad together in their bedroom. There was a single note waiting on the table. It read, "We failed Callum. We should have protected him." I stared at those words, but no tears came. There was nothing left to cry for. My entire family was gone. After that, finding the truth became the only thing keeping me going. I dug through everything I could get my hands on until I found the original video file. I tracked down the person who'd helped Elara record it. Eventually, I discovered that her boyfriend had been given the competition spot Callum lost. That was what all of this had been about. Elara had destroyed my brother's life just to clear the way for her boyfriend. I took everything I'd found to court. At long last, Callum's name was cleared. The school apologized, his former classmates apologized, and Elara went to prison. Everyone finally admitted what Callum had been telling us from the beginning. He was innocent. Yet none of it mattered anymore. My brother was dead, and my parents were dead. No verdict could put my life back together. I hated her. Really, I hated all of them. More than anything, I hated that the truth had come too late to save anyone. The rage hit me so hard that my eyes flew open. The dull yellow glow of a streetlamp spilled through the car window. I gasped and snatched up my phone. It was 7:22 am, June 29, 2026. Chapter 2 I'd been given another chance. I'd come back to the exact morning I drove Callum to school. In ten minutes, Elara would accuse him of filming her. I sat frozen behind the wheel, my heart pounding so hard I could barely breathe. Then, Callum's phone buzzed. The screen lit up. It was Dorian Ashcombe. The second I saw the name, ice shot through my veins. Dorian was Elara's boyfriend. He was the boy who'd ended up with Callum's competition spot after he was disqualified. Callum noticed none of my panic. He simply answered the call. "Callum, are you at school yet?" Dorian's anxious voice came through the speaker. "I left some stuff in my locker at the gym. My competition notes. I've got class in a minute, so I can't get over there. Any chance you could grab them for me on your way in?" Every alarm bell in my head went off at once. "No!" Callum jumped and turned to me. "Liv? What's wrong?" The call was still connected. Dorian pressed harder. "Come on, Callum. I'm seriously stuck here. It'll take you five minutes, tops. The gym's right by the entrance. Just grab the notes and leave them on my desk. They're taking attendance in the first period. I can't just walk out." That was when everything finally clicked. I realized why Callum had gone to the gym that morning, why he'd happened to be outside the locker room at exactly the wrong moment, and why, when Elara came running out in tears, there had been a crowd around her almost instantly. None of it had been a coincidence. They'd planned the whole thing. Callum had been walking straight into a trap. Anger surged through me. For one wild second, I wanted to rip the phone out of his hand and tell Dorian I knew what he and Elara were planning. However, I couldn't. If they were willing to go this far, they wouldn't give up after one failed attempt. Maybe I could save Callum today, but what about tomorrow? I couldn't spend the rest of my life waiting for their next move. No. This time, I was going to make sure every scheme they came up with blew up in their faces. Callum must have noticed how pale I'd gone. He reached over and took my hand. "Liv, are you okay?" His hand was warm. Suddenly, all I could remember was that same hand clutching desperately at my sleeve in my previous life while he asked me why no one believed him. My eyes burned. I almost broke down right there. Dorian was still talking. "Callum, please. I'm begging you. There's literally no one else I can ask. You're always the guy who helps people out, right? And you know I can't afford to replace those notes. If they're gone, I'm screwed." Callum had always had a soft spot for people in trouble. Dorian knew exactly which buttons to push. Callum hesitated for a few seconds before finally giving in. "Fine. I'll grab them when I get there." My stomach dropped. After the call ended, I checked my phone. It was 7:24 am. Eight minutes. That was all we had before Elara came running out and accused Callum. My hands started shaking against the steering wheel. No matter how hard I tried to stop it, I kept seeing Callum as I'd found him in my last life. If he walked into that gym eight minutes from now, it would all happen again. Every piece of evidence they'd planted would lead straight back to him. No. Not this time. I wasn't going to let them destroy my brother twice. What could I do, though? I couldn't let him go to school. I couldn't let him anywhere near the gym. Most of all, I couldn't let Elara get close enough to put their plan into motion. They'd thought this through—every detail, and every minute. All Callum had to do was show up when they expected him to. After that, the trap would close around him, and there would be no way out. I took a deep breath and forced myself to think. At 7:32 am, Callum needed to be somewhere else, and not just somewhere else. I needed proof so airtight that no accusation could touch him. It had to be something that would tear their story apart before they even had the chance to tell it. However, what could give him an alibi no one could question? What could turn their carefully planned setup into a complete joke? I pulled up outside the school, and Callum immediately unbuckled his seat belt. "Liv, you seriously don't look good. Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll grab Dorian's notes and head straight to class." He tucked away the competition study guide he'd read so many times that the edges were starting to fray, then reached for the door. I got out right behind him. The morning bell was already ringing, and students were streaming through the school gates. Callum headed toward the steps of the main building, then glanced back at me. "Go home, okay? And take it easy on the drive. When I win the competition and get the prize money, I'll buy you a new phone. Yours has that huge crack across the screen." Chapter 3 I looked at his face, still so young and untouched by everything that was supposed to happen to him, and my eyes filled with tears. I said to him quietly, "Callum, I'm sorry. But this time, I can't let you take another step." The second his foot landed on the next stair, I gritted my teeth and shoved him. He went tumbling down the steps and hit the ground with a heavy thud. A pained sound escaped him, and all the color drained from his face. However, when he looked up and saw me still standing safely at the top, the first thing I saw in his expression was relief. "Liv, you're okay. That's what matters." My chest clenched so hard I could barely breathe. "Don't move!" I rushed down and crouched beside him, fighting to keep my hands steady as I checked his arms and legs. I was a doctor. I knew what kind of injuries a fall like this could cause. I'd made sure it wasn't far enough to put his life at risk or leave him with permanent damage. However, it was enough to keep him off his feet. His ankle was slightly out of place. His knee was scraped raw, and a large patch of skin along his arm had been grazed in the fall. It was nothing that wouldn't heal in a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks. Such a small price for the time I needed. It was time that could save Callum's life. It was time that could save our entire family. Cold sweat beaded across Callum's forehead, but he still tried to keep his voice steady. "Liv, what's going on? Your hands are shaking." I looked down. He was right. I was trembling so badly I could barely keep my fingers still. Part of me was terrified I'd misjudged the fall and hurt him worse than I'd intended. But I was even more terrified of what would've happened if I'd been a few seconds too late. One more step, and he would've walked straight into the same nightmare all over again. I took a deep breath and wrapped my hand around his. "Callum, I had a reason for pushing you. I just can't explain it right now. However, whatever happens next, I need you to trust me." He stared at me, completely bewildered. But he didn't demand answers. He didn't even get angry. He simply swallowed the pain and nodded. "Okay. I trust you, Liv." By then, we'd drawn plenty of attention. A security guard hurried over from the school entrance. "What happened? Did he fall?" I looked up immediately. "Please. I need some help getting him to the nurse's office." One look at Callum's leg was enough to tell the guard this couldn't wait. Together, we got him onto a stretcher and rushed him across campus. Callum's lips had gone pale from the pain. Every time I looked at him, guilt twisted deeper in my chest. However, beneath it, something else had finally loosened. The crushing weight I'd carried since opening my eyes that morning was gone. Callum wasn't going to the gym. The trap was waiting for someone who would never arrive. Callum would be sitting in the nurse's office at 7:32 am. They could stage the perfect setup for all I cared. There was no way they could put my brother in two places at once. Five minutes later, Callum was being treated by the school nurse. As she began cleaning his injuries, I glanced toward the corner of the room. A tiny red light blinked above the security camera. I smiled. Then, I pulled out my phone and called Callum's homeroom teacher, Ashton Wycliffe. "Mr. Wycliffe, this is Callum's sister. He had a bad fall on the steps by the school entrance. He's hurt his leg, and we're at the nurse's office now." Callum was one of the school's strongest candidates for the country's top universities. The change in Mr. Wycliffe's voice was immediate. "What? He fell? Stay there. I'm coming right now." After I hung up, I watched the nurse clean Callum's wounds, dress the scrapes, and stabilize his ankle. Every second was on camera. Every question she asked, and every answer Callum gave, went into his medical record. Last time, Elara and Dorian knew exactly what they were doing. There were no cameras outside the locker room. There was no footage to contradict them. So, whatever Elara said had become the truth. All she'd had to do was cry, and everyone had rushed to take her side. Not this time. This time, Callum was in the nurse's office. There was security footage. There was a nurse treating him. There was the guard who'd helped carry him here. His homeroom teacher was already on his way. I would like to see them pin this on him now. It wasn't long before Mr. Wycliffe came hurrying through the door. "Callum, how bad is it? Are you in much pain?" Callum shook his head. "It's not too bad." I stood beside him, deliberately letting my eyes redden. "Mr. Wycliffe, he's spent so long preparing for this competition. Could this affect his eligibility? Should the school be formally notified about the injury?" Mr. Wycliffe looked even more concerned than I did. "Absolutely. This needs to be documented. I'll speak to the academic office myself and make sure they're aware of Callum's condition." Perfect. That was exactly what I wanted. The more attention this drew, the better. I wanted as many people as possible to know exactly where Callum was and exactly what had happened to him. The more witnesses he had, the faster Elara and Dorian's story would fall apart. Chapter 4 Just then, the nurse brought over Callum's treatment form. "I need the student to sign here." Callum took the pen. My eyes went instinctively to the clock on the wall. It showed 7:32 am. That was the exact moment Elara had come running out of the gym in my previous life. Callum signed his name and submitted the form. The timestamp appeared beside it. We had it. At the exact time he was supposedly filming Elara, my brother was here having his injuries treated. There was security footage. His teacher was standing right here. The nurse had a timestamped medical record. Even the security guard could confirm how Callum had gotten here. They could tell whatever story they wanted now. They couldn't put Callum in two places at once. For the first time all morning, I finally felt like I could breathe again. Then, Callum's phone buzzed again. Dorian. Callum reached for it, but I snatched the phone first and silenced the call. He gave me a confused look, but didn't argue. Dorian had to be losing his mind right about now. He and Elara had gone to all that trouble setting the perfect trap, and their target hadn't even shown up. It served them right. By the time the nurse finished bandaging Callum up, it was almost 8:00 am. I looked at the time, my throat tightening. In my previous life, the entire school had already heard the accusation by now. Callum had been trapped in a nightmare he couldn't explain his way out of. This time, he'd never gone anywhere near the gym. He was alive. No one had taken his good name from him. Mom and Dad would be okay too. I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing back the tears threatening to spill. I had no idea what was happening over at the gym. However, one thing I knew for certain was that Elara and Dorian weren't going to give up that easily. Sure enough, it wasn't long before hurried footsteps came pounding down the hallway. The door to the nurse's office flew open. Two police officers entered first. Behind them was Elara, and tears were streaming down her face. The moment she saw Callum, she pointed straight at him. Her voice trembled as she said, "It's him! Officer, that's the guy who filmed me while I was changing!" The entire room went silent. Callum looked just as stunned as everyone else. The color vanished from his face as he stared at Elara. "I didn't do that!" I was the only one who wasn't surprised. I'd already watched this performance once before. The difference was that this time, Callum had never set foot in the gym. We could prove it. I frowned, putting on a look of complete confusion. "Filmed you doing what?" Elara's tears only came faster. She was clutching a phone so tightly her knuckles had gone white. Her voice trembled as she sobbed. "I was changing in the locker room at the gym when someone pushed a phone through the gap in the door. "I freaked out. I ran outside, and Callum was right there. He got away before I could stop him, but I managed to grab his phone." She held it out to one of the officers. "The video is still on here. I'm not making this up… I know Callum gets amazing grades. I know everyone thinks he's going places. "But does that mean I'm supposed to stay quiet about what he did? Because if girls are expected to put up with this just because the guy has a bright future, what happens to the next girl who tries to speak up?" My eyes settled on the phone, and my expression hardened. It was Callum's backup phone, the one he only used for studying. He normally kept it in his desk drawer in the classroom. In my previous life, that phone had been the evidence no one could argue with. Callum grabbed my hand. His fingers were ice-cold. "Liv, I didn't do it. You believe me, right? I swear I never filmed her…" Just like before. All he knew how to do was keep insisting he hadn't done it. Last time, there was nothing I could do to help him. This time, I simply looked up at Elara. "You said Callum filmed you. What time did this supposedly happen?" Elara faltered. Clearly, that wasn't the question she'd been expecting. However, she recovered quickly, tears still running down her cheeks. "The timestamp on the video says 7:32 am." A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. It was the exact minute Callum had signed his treatment record in the nurse's office. One of the officers looked at Callum, his expression turning serious. "A report has been made, and you've been specifically identified. We'll need you to come down to the station while we look into this." The officers were just about to take Callum with them when Mr. Wycliffe slapped a medical form down on the desk. "Hold on." He stared at Elara. Then, slowly and distinctly, he asked, "You're absolutely sure this happened at 7:32 am?"