Chapter 2

Makayla looked like she had not expected me to agree.

She asked doubtfully, “Sylvia, are you seriously not going to stop everyone from switching their universities and majors?”

She gave me a skeptical look, and I nodded.

Tuning out the whispers around me, I grabbed my things and started walking away.

“Go ahead and make your changes.”

Clement froze.

He instinctively reached out and grabbed my hand.

He said unhappily, “Sylvia, what’s that supposed to mean? Aren’t you going to switch with the rest of us?

“We promised to go to the same university. Our options have to be exactly the same!”

I yanked my hand away from his grip.

“I can’t switch, and I don’t want to.”

He frowned and assumed that I was just throwing a tantrum.

“What’s with the attitude? I’m only looking out for you.

“You’re my girlfriend. If I get into an elite university and you end up at some random one, that’d be embarrassing, don’t you think?”

I scoffed.

Clement’s grades had always been below average.

If he had not sat next to me in senior year and pestered me to tutor him, he probably would not have stood a chance at getting into a decent university.

How dare he even look down on me?

In the past, the person who lucked into an elite university at least scored a 1,480 on his SAT.

Meanwhile, Clement was sitting there with a 1,350 SAT score and picturing himself on some elite campus.

Just as I turned to break up with Clement in front of everyone, my phone buzzed with an alert.

Clearly, I was not the only one who had received it. The entire class got the same text.

[Watch out for “college admission guarantee” scams. Fraudsters use fake inside info to pressure students into sending money or changing universities and majors. Please stay vigilant.]

As everyone read the text, they froze and looked at Makayla suspiciously.

She sighed and looked totally unbothered.

“My dad’s the head of the State Department of Education. I only leaked this highly confidential information because I actually care about you guys.

“Man, I try to do something nice for once and get treated like a con artist!

“Fine! Do whatever you want. But when you don’t get into an elite university, don’t come crying to me.”

Seeing Makayla play the victim, they hesitated and were at a loss.

Clement immediately jumped in to vouch for her.

“Kayla and I grew up together. Her dad really is the head of the State Department of Education.”

Kendrick also chimed in, “Kayla isn’t like certain people! She’s always been good to everyone. She’s not even charging us for this!”

Everyone mulled it over and felt reassured.

“I was so stressed before the exams that I couldn’t sleep. Kayla gave me some miracle pills that helped me rest.”

Another person added, “Someone that kind would never lie to us.”

She looked at everyone in satisfaction.

“Good! You get it. But don’t say a word about changing your universities and majors to anyone, not even your parents.

“Otherwise, my dad could get reported for leaking classified information, and your summer road trip will be as good as gone.”

Before the exams, Makayla had announced that her father was organizing a summer road trip around the country for outstanding graduates and had invited the whole class to join.

Everyone happily signed up and had been buzzing with excitement for days.

The first stop of that road trip, however, was in the southeast part of the country. I had worried about their safety and tried to talk them out of going, but all it did was get everyone to turn on me.

The entire class had been scheming behind my back, and I only found out today that they were set to leave next week.

Those who were still planning to discuss the matter with their parents quietly turned off their phones.

Quite a few people still had their doubts and voiced their concerns.

“Sure, an elite university might take a chance on low scores, but there can’t be that many spots open, right? What if we don’t get in?

“If we switch all our choices and get shut out, then we’re stuck taking a gap year or settling for some community college.”

Kendrick, however, pointed at them and laughed loudly.

“Look at you, sorry bunch of cowards! Don’t you get it? You need to take a risk for a big reward.

“If you don’t want to switch, fine by me! I’m doing it. I’m heading to a top-tier university.

“When we have our class reunion years from now, I can’t wait to see who has the last laugh! You are all losers!”

Hearing this, I nearly laughed out loud.

Even setting aside the fact that Kendrick had always ranked at the bottom of the class and could only pass tests by cheating, his habit of cutting corners and taking petty advantages showed he was never going to amount to much.

Yet the more everyone looked down on him, the more they feared being surpassed by someone like him. That fear instantly stirred up their competitive urges.

Seeing that some people were still hesitating, Makayla called someone.

Soon after, our homeroom teacher, Alex Reid, walked in with a panicked face.

“Why haven’t you changed your universities and majors yet? The head of the State Department of Education already said there are plenty of spots open.

“If you make the switch, you’re guaranteed to get into an elite university!

“A golden opportunity like this is staring you in the face — don't blow it!”