My Future Self Helped Me Win the Campus Heartthrob
On my 18th birthday, I received several mysterious text messages on my phone. The sender claimed to be me from ten years in the future.
“This is not a prank,” one message read.
“Go to the Computer Science department and find Liam Blackwood,” another instructed.
“He may seem reserved and cold now, but in the years to come, he will be the one who loves you most in this world.”
“Save him. Promise me you won’t let him die for you this time.”
My name is Aria Winters, and I’m a freshman in college. I just celebrated my 18th birthday last week.
It was probably the most surreal birthday I’ve ever had.
On my birthday, my dad gave me a new phone. That night, after showering, I lay in bed, transferring the SIM card from my old phone to the new one and downloading some commonly used apps.
As I was fiddling with those apps, my phone suddenly notified me of a new message. I glanced at it casually – it was a random sentence that said, “Go to the Computer Science department and find Liam Blackwood.”
I had never even heard of Liam Blackwood. It must have been sent to the wrong person.
I ignored it, but soon another message came through: “Hurry, you must find him before Christmas, or it will be too late!”
The sender seemed so urgent, it might be something important. Out of kindness, I opened the message thread and replied, “I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
The response came immediately: “No, I’m looking for you, Aria Winters!”
I found this bizarre, so I checked the sender’s phone number. What I saw made my blood run cold, and I threw my phone away in shock.
The sender of these messages had the same phone number as mine.
Imagine this: it’s exactly midnight, and I’m texting… myself.
Was this a malicious prank or a ghostly midnight message?
I took a few deep breaths, mustered up my courage, picked up the phone, and with trembling fingers, typed: “Who are you?”
Until dawn, there was no reply from the other end.
I had almost forgotten about this incident, but tonight I stayed up late preparing for a club officer interview the next day. As soon as the clock struck midnight, my phone automatically popped up a message, still the same – “Go to the Computer Science department and find Liam Blackwood.”
This was the second time. I wanted to get to the bottom of this.
“Who are you? Is this a prank?” I asked.
The reply I got was mind–boggling: “I am you, Aria from ten years in the future.”
Are they kidding me? This is ridiculous.
I reminded them: “April Fools‘ Day was six months ago.”
“I’m not lying to you. If you don’t believe me, I can prove it. On your end, it’s 2020, and you currently have a crush on Connor Sullivan, right?”
My head buzzed.
Connor Sullivan was a guy in our club, a year older than me. He was quite handsome, known as the gentle senior among the students.
12:11 AM A
<
He had been particularly caring towards me, and I did have some feelings for him, but I had never told anyone about it. How did she know?
As if knowing my thoughts, the other person said, “Don’t doubt it, I just know because I am you from ten years in the future.”
A sudden thought struck me, and I asked her, “So, am I with Connor Sullivan ten years from now?”
This time, the other side was silent for a moment. “Yes, you’re married.”
Before I could feel embarrassed for a few seconds, my phone started buzzing with messages as if it was possessed: “But he has a small dick, he’s terrible in bed, and he’s a super mega scumbag. If you end up with him, he’ll spend your money, sleep with your friends, and even try to kill you!”
I was dumbfounded. After digesting her information, I couldn’t help but feel devastated.
What? is my future really that miserable?
Perhaps realizing the topic had gone off track, she quickly brought it back: “There’s no time left. Listen to me, you must go to the Computer Science department and find Liam Blackwood.”
“Although he seems introverted and cold now, in the years to come, he will be the one who loves you most in this world.”
“Promise me, save him. Don’t let him die for you this time.”
I asked her who Liam Blackwood was, which class he was in, why she said he died for me, what happened, but the messages I sent seemed to sink into a bottomless sea.
I looked at the time well, it was 12:05 AM.
It seemed to be the same time last time. It appears that this cross–time communication between us has a specific time limit.
The next day, I dragged my tired body to the 8 AM class. It was the Department Head’s course, and everyone had fixed seats. You could tell at a glance who was late or absent.
As soon as I entered the classroom, I noticed extra breakfast on my desk – soy milk, small wontons, and even a chocolate muffin.
I asked my roommate, who had arrived just before me, “Who brought this?”
She said, “I don’t know, it was already there when I came.”
She lowered her voice and grinned at me, “Honestly, Aria, was it Connor Sullivan? I saw him buy you bubble tea before. Not bad, huh? You just posted on social media last night that you wanted to eat a chocolate muffin, and today he bought it for you. He must like you, right?”
The chocolate muffin was only sold at a trendy store three miles from campus, and that store was so popular that you had to be quick to get their hot new products.
If it were any other time, I would have been touched and given Connor some bonus points in my heart. However, because of last night’s text messages, now when I heard Connor Sullivan’s name, I couldn’t help but think of that sentence – “he has a small dick, he’s terrible in bed.”
Help.
Connor Sullivan’s image in my mind crumbled by half. Facing my roommate’s suggestive gaze, I quickly denied it: “No, we’re not in any kind of relationship.”
At 3 PM, I attended the club officer interview on time. The interview went smoothly, and afterwards, Connor came to congratulate me and asked if I wanted to go watch a movie with him that evening.
In the past, I might have happily agreed, but today, as soon as he came close, that phrase “small dick, terrible in bed” kept flashing in my mind.
Heaven knows how much willpower it took to keep my gaze from drifting downwards.
Connor took another step towards me: “I’ve already bought the tickets. It’s a mystery film, the kind you like.”
M
12:12 AM A
<
I declined politely, maintaining a calm expression: “I have something to do today, sorry, Connor.”
“Alright,” he looked a bit disappointed, “we’ll plan for next time then.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered something. Liam Blackwood was also in the Computer Science department, right? Maybe
Connor had heard of him.
With a try–and–see attitude, I asked him about Liam Blackwood. He did know him: “He’s in Class 1, the most famous among this year’s freshmen. Why? Do you know him?”
I shook my head and made up an excuse: “A friend of mine likes him.”
“Aria, you should tell your friend to give up on that idea, Connor’s expression turned serious.
“Why? Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No,” Connor frowned, “I heard he’s sick. Mental illness.”
I heard some rumors about Liam Blackwood from Connor.
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