Chapter 4

The countdown to the college entrance exam sat in the top-right corner of the board. Every day, the number went down by one.

To Ben and Kate, it was just a number.

To me, it meant this whole ridiculous mess was finally coming to an end.

I was even starting to look forward to seeing the looks on their faces when it was all over. That was when they'd finally realize how badly they'd screwed up.

On the day of the college entrance exam, I wasn't in uniform. I stood by the taped-off line outside the testing center, waiting for a friend to go in.

Parents crowded around in custom T-shirts wishing the students good luck, looking nervous and hopeful.

In the middle of all that tension, Ben and Kate looked completely out of place. They showed up in brand-new matching outfits, iced coffees in hand. They looked like they didn't have a care in the world.

Kate noticed me first. She covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise and tugged on Ben's sleeve. "Ben, look. Isn't that Judy?"

Ben followed her gaze. He looked surprised at first, but then his expression turned pitying, like he thought he knew exactly why I was there.

They strolled over.

Kate gave me a once-over and scoffed. "Judy, don't tell me you finally came around and decided to cheer us on. Or are you here to get a feel for the place so you'll know what to expect when you come back to take the exam next year?"

Ben frowned and slipped back into his big-brother act.

"Judy, stop being childish. I told you already. With your grades, you could still get into a good school even without the guaranteed spot. You didn't have to skip the exam just because you were mad at me."

He sounded so patronizing, like he was doing me some huge favor.

Kate linked her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. "Exactly. Some people just don't know what's good for them. You would've been fine on your own, but you just had to compete with someone who just happens to have better luck.

"And look how that turned out. All that studying for nothing, and now you can't even take the exam. How pathetic."

I watched them play off each other, clearly thinking the past few months had all been leading up to this moment.

A few parents nearby had already started looking our way.

I looked at Ben and Kate for a moment, then smiled.

Kate clearly didn't like that. Her voice rose. "What are you smiling about? Did we hit a nerve?"

Ben's face darkened too. "Judy, don't be difficult."

I checked my watch and saw that the exam was due to start in 15 minutes.

It was time.

I let the smile fade, met their smug looks, and asked quietly, "Did you two forget? Students with guaranteed spots get their acceptance letters before the college entrance exam."

For a second, everything went still.

Kate's smile froze. Even Ben's smug expression faltered.

I turned to my oh-so-clever brother and looked him straight in the eye.

"Ben, did you get yours?" I asked, making sure every word was clear.

He swallowed. His eyes darted away, and he shook his head without thinking.

My smile widened.

I reached into my canvas bag and slowly pulled out a red envelope stamped with a university seal and gold lettering. Then I waved it in front of him.

"But I got mine."