Chapter 4

During the second half of senior year, wave after wave of mock exams rolled in.

My grades stayed solid in the top three in the year, but Sophie was getting more and more stressed out.

After losing her special‑admission spot, she had to rely on standardized tests to prove herself. Crushed under mounting pressure, her grades slipped instead of improving. She could not even crack the top twenty.

Matthew started looking after her even more carefully than before. He helped her organize her notes every day, stayed up late with her to work through practice problems, and even cut back…