Chapter 4

I didn't have to wait long for my plan to bear fruit. Just three days after my conversation with Karen Blake, I positioned myself near the guidance counselor's office during my free period. The hallway was empty except for the occasional student hurrying to class, none of them paying attention to the quiet girl pretending to read on a bench.

When Karen Blake's distinctive voice echoed down the corridor, I kept my eyes fixed on my book while my ears strained to catch every word.

"I'm withdrawing Ethan's UCLA application immediately," she announced to Mrs. Thompson, our guidance counselor. Her…