The Thread That Unravels

Jess sat in the corner of the campus café, absently stirring her coffee as she watched the steam rise in slow, curling patterns. Her mind kept drifting—not to the grad student, not to Leanna—but to her mother’s face when she’d said “I’ve always known.”  The words wouldn’t stop echoing. Had she been part of this too?

Kevin had been telling her for the last twenty minutes that they needed to find the graduate student. He was the key to everything. The man who had made the potion, who had been responsible for all of this chaos. He might be able to undo it. The thought gave Jess a sliver of hope she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Kevin was leaning forward, elbows on the table. "You know, you can’t just let this go, Jess. You deserve to know the truth, and if there’s a chance that guy can fix what happened, we should find him." He looked serious, his voice low but firm. "Leanna can’t do it. She doesn’t even know how to reverse it, I’m sure. But this grad student? He’s the one who started all of this, Jess. If there’s a way to undo it, he’s our only real shot."

Jess nodded slowly. She didn’t want to feel desperate, but the idea of finding answers tugged at something deeper than hope. It clawed at the part of her still looking for proof that she hadn’t just been rewritten for someone else’s agenda.

Still, she didn’t want to put all her hopes on finding some miracle cure. But as much as she hated to admit it, the idea of returning to who she was before—the life she’d lost—was incredibly appealing. She had tried to accept what had happened, to move forward, but the truth was: she hadn’t found peace yet. She didn’t know if she ever would.

"I’ll talk to Leanna about it," Jess said softly. "Maybe she knows where he is. Maybe she has some kind of lead."

Kevin hesitated. "Are you sure you want to go to her? After everything?"

Jess pressed her lips together, thinking. The anger she had felt toward Leanna still simmered beneath the surface, but the truth was—Leanna had helped her. She had been there for her in the most difficult moments. Jess could see now that it wasn’t all just about revenge. Leanna had been trying to atone for her mistake, for the damage she’d caused. It wasn’t easy for either of them, but maybe they could work together to fix this.

"I’ll figure it out," Jess said finally, taking a deep breath. "It’s not going to be easy, but I have to try. I owe it to myself."

Kevin gave her a small smile, nodding in approval. "You’re stronger than you think."

Before Jess could respond, her phone buzzed on the table. It was a text from Hannah.

Hannah: Hey, you and Kevin are still coming, right? Double blind date tonight. You have to go. It'll be fun. Don’t back out!

Jess stared at the message, feeling a knot form in her stomach. A blind date? She hadn’t even gone on a normal date in months—not since everything had changed. Her stomach churned just thinking about it.

Kevin raised an eyebrow when he saw the look on her face. "What’s up?"

"Hannah," Jess said, holding up the phone. "She’s convinced me to go on some blind date with her and you. Apparently, it’s going to be ‘fun.’" Her tone was dry, but inside, she wasn’t sure if she could even stomach the idea of it. Was she really ready to put herself back out there? To let someone else see her—this new version of herself?

Kevin chuckled, nudging her arm playfully. "It’s not that bad. I mean, Hannah and Olivia both know how to make things interesting. And you might surprise yourself. Who knows? Maybe you’ll actually have fun."

Jess groaned, but despite herself, a small part of her was curious. Maybe she needed to step outside of her comfort zone. It wasn’t like she had any other plans for the night, and if she kept hiding away, she’d never truly move on. "Fine," she sighed. "I’ll go. But if it’s awful, you’re taking me home early, no arguments."

Kevin grinned. "Deal. You’ll be fine, trust me."

—---------------------------------

Later that evening, Jess found herself standing outside of a dimly lit restaurant, the familiar buzz of nervous energy flowing through her. She had dressed up—nothing too flashy, but a simple black dress and a denim jacket. The cool evening air made her pull the jacket tighter around her, and she glanced at her phone, which buzzed once more.

Hannah: We're here! Table's ready, come inside!

Taking a deep breath, Jess entered, the soft sound of jazz music welcoming her. The low hum of conversation filled the air as she spotted Hannah and Kevin at a table toward the back. Hannah waved excitedly when she saw Jess. Beside her, Kevin sat with a guy Jess didn’t recognize—someone who looked like he had just stepped out of a catalog for expensive cologne, with perfect dark hair and a sharp suit.

"Hey," Kevin greeted her with a smile. "This is Adam. Adam, meet Jess."

Jess gave a small, somewhat awkward wave, acutely aware of how her dress clung differently than the clothes she used to wear. Every step she took still felt like a performance. She took a seat between Kevin and Hannah.

Adam smiled politely but didn’t seem overly eager to engage. For a moment, Jess felt her anxiety flare up again—how was she supposed to act on a date when she could barely recognize herself? Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up the menu, trying to focus on something else. She wasn’t sure if she could handle the idea of flirting or whatever this was supposed to be.

Hannah shot her a teasing look. "So, Jess, what’s new? You still trying to figure out what happened to you?"

Before Jess could respond, Adam leaned in with a smirk. "I’ve heard about you. You’re the famous basketball star who totally changed, right?" He raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down with a look Jess couldn’t quite decipher.

Jess froze. The air around her seemed to thicken. He had said it so casually—like she was an urban legend, not someone who’d woken up in a stranger’s body. That name didn’t belong to her anymore, but somehow, it still haunted every room she entered. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of the person she used to be, of the jerk she had been. But Adam wasn’t the only one who had heard the rumors, and she couldn’t escape it anymore.

"Yeah," she said quietly, trying to keep the irritation from her voice. "But that’s all in the past now."

Adam chuckled, clearly not picking up on the seriousness of the situation. "Guess that’s one way to look at it."

Jess forced a smile, biting down on the instinct to walk out. Maybe she couldn’t outrun Jason’s shadow—but tonight wasn’t about running. It was about proving she still had a self worth claiming.