Chapter 2

The live stream was set up in a conference room at the State Testing Board.

By the time I left the house, reporters had already swarmed the front door, shoving cameras and microphones in my face.

"Ms. Kincaid, do you have any idea how much your father paid to help you cheat?"

"When are you planning to apologize to the students who actually earned their scores?"

The live stream had not even started yet, and the viewer count had already passed a million.

I did not answer a single question. I walked straight to the car and headed to the State Testing Board.

The conference room had a row of long tables set up, with three cameras positioned directly across from them.

The State Testing Board had sent three officials—the director, the deputy director, and a records clerk. Meanwhile, the Department of Education had sent a representative, and the Oversight Board had people on-site as well.

On the other side of the table, Drew was already seated. He wore a white dress shirt, his eyes faintly red, like he had been crying. When he saw me walk in, he stood up and extended his hand with a show of courtesy.

I ignored him completely and sat down.

Sure enough, the live stream chat was already going wild.

[Harper's here! Look at that stuck-up attitude. Makes me sick.]

[Amazing what money does for confidence. That's a rich man's daughter for you. If you didn't know better, you'd actually think she was innocent.]

[Poor Drew. Fighting for what's right and having to deal with all this pressure.]

The moderator signaled for quiet and then spoke.

"The purpose of today's live stream is to verify the authenticity of Harper Kincaid's college entrance exam scores. Both parties may present evidence and state their positions. Officials from the State Testing Board and the State Oversight Board will be supervising the entire proceedings."

Drew stood up and gave a deep bow to the investigation panel. "Thank you to all the officials present, and to everyone watching online. I know that reporting the top scorer in the state is going to make people say I'm jealous, that I'm chasing clout.

"But if even I can't speak up, if even I don't dare, then who's going to speak for the kids who sleep four hours a night just to squeeze in more practice tests? The ones with calluses all over their hands from writing?

"The college entrance exam are the last fair shot ordinary people have at changing their lives. That can't be something money gets to control."

The room went completely silent. Even the live stream chat paused for a beat.

[I'm actually tearing up. He's really speaking for every kid who never had a leg up.]

[Drew, you're a real hero.]

His voice was trembling, and tears had already started falling. He took a deep breath to steady himself before reaching into his bag and pulling out the USB drive he had prepared.

"This contains Harper Kincaid's Brevian grades from all three years of high school, along with security footage of her sleeping and using her phone during Brevian class."

My Brevian final exam scores appeared on the large screen. Freshman fall semester, a 340. Freshman spring, a 43. Sophomore year, a 38. Senior year, a 52. My lowest score was 23.

Then, the footage played.

In one clip, I was slumped over my desk asleep while the teacher lectured at the front. I had been so deeply out that drool was pooling on the desk. In another, I was caught sneaking my phone during Brevian class. The teacher called my name, and I stood up looking completely blank.

As the videos played, every official in the room furrowed their brows.

When the footage ended, the director turned to me. "Ms. Kincaid, were you aware of this footage and these records? Do you consent to their presentation here?"

"Yes."

I gave a nod, and the corner of Drew's mouth twitched upward.

The director continued, "Then you are confirming that all evidence provided by Drew Halston is authentic, with no forgery or AI manipulation of any kind?"

I did not hesitate. "Yes."

Another flood of comments poured through the chat.

[She has absolutely no shame. She's sitting in front of all these officials and still has the nerve to act like this.]

[Classic rich kid. It must be nice having someone to bail you out. Evidence is right there and she's still got that attitude.]

Drew let out a sigh, his tone dripping with pity as though he felt sorry for me.

"Harper, I know you're under a lot of academic pressure too. Maybe this wasn't even your idea. Maybe your family arranged the whole thing behind your back. Don't be scared. If you just admit it now, people might still cut you some slack.

"Worst case, you retake the college entrance exam next year, or maybe look into a community college—"

I cut him off, "My time's valuable, and I'm not interested in listening to you ramble. You said you had a ton of evidence. Is this all you've got?"