Chapter 2

Winnie, however, was still glaring coldly at me. "Words are cheap—if you don't sign it, you're not getting any of the answers. Don't say I didn't warn you…"

"Yeah, sure," I replied, nodding. "But I'll pass."

Winnie was stumped, not expecting that I'd give up so easily.

Gritting her teeth, she hollered, "Everyone heard her! She passed! When the whole class gets into Croma, let's hope she won't cry begging after she flunks!"

"Don't worry about her, Winnie," Hal scoffed, setting up his facial recognition while waving her off dismissively. "She's as stiff as a board, and she'll get a community college degree at best."

In under ten minutes, every classmate had registered for that app except me.

Standing akimbo like a queen, Winnie looked at everyone as she said, "Now, I'll start sending the answers into a new chat group. Memorize everything as soon as you can—especially the formula for important questions."

The room was at once filled with chants as everyone began memorizing their answers, while I put on earbuds and studied on my own.

-

During lunch, I had just taken my seat when Winnie and several other girls sat opposite me.

"You actually still have an appetite?" Winnie asked, tapping her fork loudly on her tray. "Your pathetic pride is worthless compared to a million bucks, don't you get it?"

I never looked up as I started eating.

"Oh, I get it—you're jealous." Winnie leaned closed to keep whispering tauntingly, "Jealous that I got my hands on such treasure, while you have to keep reading your silly books?"

"You worry too much," I said as I kept eating. "I just don't think anything comes for free in this world."

"You ignoramus!" Winnie's lackey, Vera Lowe, snapped right then, smacking the table. "Winnie's family is simply that well-connected. What would bottom feeders like you know?"

I looked up at her. "Then why isn't she using it for herself and insisting on sharing it with the whole class?"

Vera was left stumped right then.

Winnie also cringed uncomfortably, but that reaction was soon gone. "I brought everyone along for the ride because I am a big picture person. You wouldn't get it."

"No, I wouldn't," I replied, wiping my lips with a tissue. "I just hope that contract is the real deal."

As I picked up my food tray and stood up, Winnie growled coldly behind me, "Just you wait, Laura. You'll be crying on your knees when the results are out."

We had self-study in the afternoon, but the vibe in the room simply felt different.

No one was studying and were instead writing cheat sheets.

Hal was even organizing the whole thing.

"Multiple choice on the erasers, written questions in the shoes. For essays… just memorize the key points."

I sat in a corner, watching as they planned everything rowdily like a bazaar.

There was less than twenty-four hours left before our SAT, but everyone was caught in a completely frenzied state.

When the school bell rang mercifully, I packed my bag, ready to leave… only to see both classroom doors suddenly slamming shut.

Hal and several boys stood there, with Hal growling, "You're not leaving, Laura."

I held his gaze and demanded, "What?"

"Winnie told us you've been acting weird the whole day," Hal said as he closed in, his glare hostile. "For the sake of the class, hand over your phone."

The class was eerily silent as every pair of eyes were suddenly glaring fixedly on me, and I was all too familiar with that look.

That was the look they had in their eyes when they pushed me off the roof.

"My phone?" I laughed. "What gives you the right?"

"Right?! When you're a time bomb for all of us?!" Vera bellowed as she rushed up at me, pointing and screaming, "What if you recorded our conversation and ratted us out?! Our entire class' future would be destroyed!"