Tilli’s Second Chance – Chapter 13

I storm out of the auditorium, vision blurred with angry tears I refuse to shed. Screw this. How could this even happen to me… Twice? The stunned faces of the judges swim through my mind, their disbelief a knife to my heart. To be accused of cheating again, after all I sacrificed to rise above the last false claim — it’s too much to bear.

The doors crash open behind me, and I don’t need to turn to know who’s on my tail. His familiar footsteps echo down the hall in my wake. I ignore them.

“Tilli, wait!” Kaito catches up, grasping my arm to turn me around. His eyes are full of sympathy that only fans the flames of my anger higher.

I jerk my arm from his grip with a snarl. “What the hell, Kaito? I mean, I know you didn’t believe in me at the start, but this is going too far. Did you give Riku and Hiroko my files?”

It’s the only explanation. He’s been playing me, right? He manipulated my emotions until I produced something worth stealing. How could I have been so gullible? I can’t believe I almost slept with him.

He reels back as if struck. “What? No, I would never — how can you even think that?”

“How can I not?” I spit the words at him like knives, wanting to cut as deep as I’m bleeding inside. “I’ve been so damned naïve. I should have known this would happen. I tried to tell myself everything was fine, no one was out to get me. I was so wrong.”

I charge forward and outside into the blinding summer light. The sun is shining brightly on a steamy summer day, heating up the pavement and walls of the Interstellar Agency’s main complex. People come streaming out of the building, all keen to escape the stress and work inside. Sweat beads trickle down their faces and arms as they hurry into the shade, eager for a reprieve from the sweltering conditions. Meanwhile, a few people linger around the entrance, too sluggish or stubborn to admit defeat against the heat.

I leave them behind, looking for Ivan. Where is he? He said he would wait outside for me.

“Tilli, talk to me,” Kaito insists.

Just his voice is enough to send me into a rage.

“The day I was accused of cheating, I remember seeing you later, not long after. It’s why I didn’t want us working together to begin with. I knew you thought I was a liar and a cheat. I just didn’t think you’d try to cover it up by being supportive and romancing me.”

Kaito’s face pales, confirming what I’ve begun to suspect.

I remember his face from that day, the look of utter astonishment, like I had broken every possible rule in the book. It was just as heartbreaking as hearing I was done at the I.A. He must have felt I didn’t deserve to be here and he sabotaged me.

“It’s not what you think,” he says, holding out his hands. “I didn’t tell them.”

“If you didn’t tell them about my Mizuho designs, who did? It could have only been you.” Okay, now I’m puzzled.

He shakes his head in frustration. “No. I didn’t tell them you cheated eight years ago,” he stresses, dropping his hands.

“What?” All the rage in my body evaporates.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been meaning to tell you for weeks. Back then, eight years ago, Riku was on a rampage,” he explains, running his hands through his hair. Sweat makes it stand on end. “He heard you had aced your initial exam. One hundred percent, Tilli. No one beat you.”

My stomach hollows out.

“And I… I, um…” He falters, and anger blinds me.

“What?” I grind out between my teeth.

“I overheard you telling Sam Bandō that you were surprised all the answers to the first test were available ahead of time,” he blurts out and then closes his eyes.

“What?” I’m repeating myself, but now my voice is sky high, reaching registers only meant for bats and dolphins.

“I overheard you talking through the questions like you had the answers ahead of the exam, and it made me nervous. So I told Riku, thinking he’d talk me down and tell me there was nothing to worry about. We were sort of friends back then because we both wanted the same jobs.” He swallows hard, unable to meet my eyes. “I didn’t know he would use that to falsely accuse you. I swear if I’d known —”

Kaito stares at me for a long moment while my brain churns through memories, vivid and painful. I was talking to my friend Sam about how much studying I did for the I.A. exam. How when the official study guide was released a month prior, I bought it and memorized all I could. Sam laughed about how she had done the same thing. We got lucky that a lot of the test questions were the same, but I had studied the previous six exams. Six. I knew that test front and back.

We huddled outside the exam doors, nervously clutching our tablets. Sam gave me an impish grin, her freckled nose crinkling. “Did you memorize the complete study guide, too? I swear I’ve been living and breathing it for weeks.”

I laughed, the sound shaky with anxiety and too much caffeine. “Me too. If I never see another flashcard, it’ll be too soon.”

Sam chuckled, bumping her shoulder against mine. “We’ve got this, Til. All those late night study sessions have to count for something.”

Smiling came easier, tension leaking from my shoulders. Sam always knew just what to say. “You’re right. Now let’s get in there and kick ass on this exam.”

It should have been an innocent conversation between two hopeful candidates, eager to chase the stars.

Instead, it destroyed everything.

If I’d only known someone else was listening, I would have been more clear. But a jealous teenager with a grudge took that information, bitterness spoiling his heart, and made my life a living hell.

The proctors called me out of the second exam only ten minutes after it started. They dragged me from that hall in front of hundreds of staring eyes and accused me of cheating without cause. Riku had gotten his petty vengeance at last.

And Kaito stood aside, gullible and thoughtless as the rest. I remember the look on his face later as I waited for my father to come get me — blameful, disgusted, annoyed.

“You? That was you?” I ask him.

That clueless boy ruined my future on another’s whim.

Perhaps he doesn’t deserve my heart after all.

“Tilli,” he starts, but I hold up a hand to stop him.

The memories fade, a ghost I can’t escape. For fuck’s sake. Why does this keep happening to me?

I laugh harshly, the sound ragged with pain. “But you didn’t know, did you? You just assumed the worst. Even after all the late nights you saw me studying in the library or the cafeteria, you actually thought I was capable of cheating.”

His head snaps up, eyes wide. “No, I never… I just relayed what I heard. I was a stupid teenager, I didn’t think beyond —”

“Beyond betraying me?” I step toward him, fists clenched at my sides. “You destroyed my future once without a thought. And now you stand there professing to care, while my shot evaporates before my eyes. I want nothing more to do with you. Nothing.”

I shove past him, sprinting away as his pleading calls sound behind me.

The future fades once more, but this time, there’s no coming back.

—-

Slamming into the house, rage tears blind me as I stumble to my room. My dad’s startled greeting goes unanswered, anger and sorrow choking off any response. The door crashes shut behind me, sealing away the world that keeps betraying my foolish heart.

Where’s Ivan? Why isn’t he here?

I ran away from the I.A. before I could find him.

Sobs shake my shoulders as I collapse onto the bed, curling around my wounded soul. My entire future has been ripped away from me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

After sobbing on the bed for ten minutes, the tears eventually stop, but my body remains trembling. A soft knock at the door sounds before it opens and Dad enters.

“Tilli?”

“Go away.”

But he doesn’t listen. He sits down on the bed and his strong arms wrap around me, pulling me into a comforting embrace. I cling to him, the one person who’s never let me down, crying into his shirt without restraint.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispers, his voice soft and gentle. “Whatever happened… We’ll figure something out, all right?” He lets go to look into my face.

I nod numbly, wishing desperately that Ivan was here too — but he may still be waiting for me at the I.A., wondering why I’m taking so long to come out. He’ll make his way home soon.

How am I ever going to pick up the pieces and move forward without letting this setback ruin everything? My dreams are so far away now. Before today, getting into the I.A. wasn’t just a silly dream anymore — it was something tangible that could have been mine if not for this foolishness.

Dad pulls back from the hug and smothers my head with soft kisses, something he rarely does.

“What happened? Did they not like the presentation? I’ve been hoping for good news all morning.”

This makes me burst into tears even more.

“The presentation… went great,” I choke out between sobs. “But the presentation before mine was almost exactly the same. One of my competitors beat me to my idea.”

“Oh no.” The warmth of his love brings a semblance of peace back to my heart and slowly, the tears subside once more. “There must be some mistake.”

“No!” I wail. “Professor Nishimura called me a cheater, right in front of everyone.”

I haven’t cried like this in years, not since my last failed business.

I should suck it up. I should get mad. I should go break heads.

I can’t do any of those things.

“Shhh, it’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.” He rubs my back in slow circles, patient and calm. Waiting for the storm to pass at its own pace.

I draw a shuddering breath and peer up at him. His brow is furrowed in concern, but his eyes hold only compassion. “Tell me everything.”

The whole sordid tale spills out — all the work I did, the things I was inspired by, my burgeoning relationship with Kaito, Hiroko’s almost identical idea, Riku’s role as her mentor, and Kaito’s part in the false cheating claim so long ago.

Dad listens without judgment, a new thing for him. We kids used to joke that ‘Judgmental’ was his middle name. I also used to call him a ‘butt.’ Yeah. Maybe I’m too sarcastic sometimes.

When I finish the entire story, his expression turns grim but thoughtful. “It seems Riku has caused enough harm for one lifetime, and I will need to investigate what role he played in this incident.”

I pull away from him, my eyes wide. “No. No way. You can’t get involved. It’ll look like favoritism.”

He sighs. “Not even a polite call to Professor Nishimura?”

“Don’t you dare,” I say, death heavy in my voice. “It was already bad enough that you called in the first favor.”

“Fine,” he says, sighing. “I’m sorry you had to go through this, sweetheart.” He brushes damp hair back from my face with a sad smile. “As for Kaito, hear me out. Perhaps it’s time to let go of past hurts, and decide if the man he’s become deserves a second chance.”

I stare at him, stunned. After everything that’s happened, how can he suggest this?

“Resentment is poison, Tilli.” Dad stands up, and I notice how dirty he is. He’s really been gardening. “It’s a heavy burden to carry for so long. Maybe what he did years ago was unforgivable. That’s for you alone to decide. But don’t miss out on today because you’re clinging too tightly to yesterday.” He nods once. “Just look at my life for the last ten years.”

I blink a few times. “Dad, are you finally visiting the therapist Mom has been recommending for years?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes. If you tell anyone, you’re in big trouble. Understood?”

I chuckle as his words sink deep. Dad has always simplified the world’s messes in a way that brings clarity.

“Lay down and get some rest. I’ll make noodles in an hour.”

I put my head on my pillow with a weary sigh, anger and sorrow slowly ebbing away. I still don’t know what to do, but I guess I can’t do anything right now until I know more.

Maybe tomorrow.