Chapter 2

I sat by the coffee table, reduced to a servant handing out slips of paper.

By the end, there was only a tiny corner left.

My name was still on it.

I reached for it, but Charlotte piped up first. "Sophie, can I have this one too? I want to keep it in my pencil case."

I held on tight, refusing to let go.

Charlotte's eyes filled with tears instantly. "Never mind, I don't want it anymore. You always think I'm taking things from you anyway."

Mom's face fell. "Sophie, are you going to make her look bad in front of everyone?"

I couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Aren't I the one who's being humiliated here?"

Dad suddenly jumped to his feet, jabbing a finger at me and shouting, "So you actually know what it means to be embarrassed?

"Your sister's got her SAT tomorrow, and here you are making her look bad in front of everyone.

"If it weren't because you bring bad luck, do you think Charlotte would have spent her whole life so anxious and afraid?"

Mom shoved the marker back into my hand. "Write."

I asked, "What am I supposed to write?"

She stared at me, enunciating every word. "Write: 'Wish Charlotte gets top marks on the exam.'"

I wouldn't write it.

Andrew grabbed my hand, pressing it down and forcing me to write on the back of the award slip.

The gold ink dragged unevenly across the paper. [Wish Charlotte gets top marks on the exam.]

After I finished writing the last word, Charlotte took it and slipped it carefully into her pencil case.

A smile finally broke across her face. "Thanks, Sophie."

After the relatives left, the living room was a mess of paper scraps.

I went back to my room to grab my phone, wanting to snap photos of the shredded awards and the pre-exam promise letter.

As I turned on my phone, Charlotte burst in through the door.

She crashed into the desk, sobbing and shaking.

Andrew caught sight of the phone in my hand, and his face went cold in an instant. "Are you seriously about to record this and put it online?

"Sophie, you really don't care about airing our family's dirty laundry in public, just to make Charlotte look bad?"

Before I could say a word, Dad shoved the phone screen right in my face.

There was a video playing.

In the video, I reached for the pencil case, and Charlotte recoiled, stumbled to the floor, and started crying uncontrollably.

It was all caught from the perfect angle.

Under the video was a message from Mom to my homeroom teacher, Mariah Walter.

It read: [Ms. Walter, Sophie's acting really off tonight.

[She's always had this competitive streak against Charlotte.

[If she gets worked up at the exam venue tomorrow, please make sure to calm her down and don't let her cause trouble for Charlotte.]

Mariah replied with two words. [Got it.]

I stared at those two words, and my ears buzzed.

Dad swiped to another photo.

It was the promise letter, signed with my signature.

He said, "It's all written in black and white. Skipping the first exam was your own decision, and you signed it yourself."

I lunged for Dad's phone.

Andrew caught my wrist and slammed me against the wall.

My back hit the corner so hard that pain shot through me, and everything went dark for a second.

Mom saw it, but simply said, "Watch it. Don't make her bleed and scare Charlotte. She has her big test tomorrow."

Charlotte hid in Mom's arms, crying, "Sophie, I never meant to hurt you. I'm just scared no one will believe me tomorrow."

Dad's face grew even colder. "Look at what you've done to her."

He snatched my phone and unlocked it with my face.

I watched as he deleted the photos I'd taken, and even wiped the recently deleted folder right in front of me.

I lunged at him. "Who do you think you are, deleting my stuff?"

Dad raised his hand and gave me a hard slap across the face.

The living room went dead silent.

He stared at me, not a hint of regret in his eyes. "Because I'm your dad. Because I can't stand by and watch you ruin your sister's life."

My ears were buzzing.

Mom helped Charlotte out, and as she passed me, she paused for a moment.

Mom said, "Sophie, maybe I let you have your way too much when you were little. That's why you always feel like everyone in this house owes you."

They shoved me into the study.

The study went dark.

My phone was gone, my exam pass was gone, my ID was gone. There wasn't even a single piece of paper left.

I searched the bookshelf from top to bottom, and finally found a black pen that was almost out of ink, tucked behind an old dictionary.

With no paper left, I rolled up my sleeve and scribbled my exam details on the inside of my arm.

When I finished the last number, I heard Mom's voice outside the door, comforting Charlotte.

She said, "It's okay, Sophie's locked up now.

"You'll go into the exam room first tomorrow. She won't be able to get in your way."

*****

On the day of the SAT, it was pouring rain.

Dad drove us to the exam venue.

Charlotte sat in the middle of the back seat, hugging both pencil cases to her chest.

One was hers, the other was mine.

I sat by the car door, gripping that almost-dried-up black pen.

Andrew glanced back from the front seat, giving me a warning look. "When we get to the exam venue, you'd better behave yourself.

"If you try anything, don't blame me for hauling you out in front of the teachers."

When the car pulled up outside the exam venue, there were still twenty-three minutes left before the doors closed.

I reached out. "Give me my exam pass."

Charlotte immediately clutched her chest. "Dad, I'm really freaking out right now."

Mom panicked. "What's wrong now?"

Charlotte looked at the file folder in Dad's hand. "Can I take Sophie's exam pass in with me?

“I won't mess with anything else, I'll just slip it under my table. As long as I have something of hers, it helps me calm down."

I said, "If she takes it, how am I supposed to take the exam?"

Mom whipped around and glared at me. "You weren't supposed to take the first exam anyway.

"You signed the promise letter last night, so quit pretending you don't know that."

I looked at her. "You guys forced me to sign it."

Andrew scoffed. "Oh please, who saw that? Stop acting like you weren't the one freaking out."

Dad pulled my exam pass out of the pencil case and slipped it into Charlotte's pencil case. "Charlotte, you go in first."

I lunged for it, but Andrew grabbed my arm and held me back.

By the time Andrew let go, Charlotte was already inside the exam venue.

Dad handed me the empty file folder. "Wait over there. After the first exam is over, I'll give your exam pass back to you, and you can sit the rest of the tests."

He paused, then looked away, avoiding my eyes. "This is for the good of the whole family."

Mom's eyes were red as she said, "Sophie, please don't make this harder for me. Charlotte finally made it inside. Can't you let her have one exam in peace?"

I stayed silent, spun around, and made a beeline for the emergency check-in desk.

The staff member's face changed after hearing what happened. "Your exam pass was taken into the secured exam venue by another candidate?"

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the numbers on my arm, now smeared from the rain.

"I'm Sophie Lane. I'm requesting an emergency check-in," I said.

The staff member pulled up the system, and the moment my name popped up, his brows knitted together.

"There's a special note on your file," he said.

The exam supervisor next to him glanced over, and his face changed too.

The note said, [Student's parents submitted a request to hold off on entering the exam and did not recommend student to be let in for the first exam.]

Mariah rushed over, holding an umbrella. "Sophie, calm down. Your mom already told me about your situation last night."

I looked at her. "Ms. Walter, I'm not causing trouble. My exam pass was taken inside by my sister, and my parents are deliberately holding me back so I miss the first exam."

Dad slammed his hand on the window. "You can't let her in. Charlotte just went in. If Sophie goes in now to get her exam pass, it'll mess things up for both girls."

Mom was crying, pleading with me, "Sophie, don't take the first exam. You're a good student. If you do well on the other subjects, you'll still have a shot at college.

"But if you stress Charlotte out and she falls apart, her whole life will be ruined."

An announcement blared over the speakers. "One minute until the exam starts. All candidates, please enter the exam rooms now."

The staff member had already printed out the temporary admission pass.

Dad slammed his hand down on it. "You can't give it to her.

"I'm her father. I refuse to let her enter now."

Mom grabbed my arm from behind, sobbing so hard she could barely stand. "Sophie, please, I'm begging you. Sit this exam out.

"Charlotte is already inside. Don't make things harder for her."

Andrew stepped in front of me, his voice low and cold. "Sophie, if you dare go in today, I'll pretend I don't have a sister like you."

Rain streamed down my lashes, mixing with my tears.

I stared at the temporary admission pass, almost within reach. My fingers curled tighter and tighter.

Just then, a cold, commanding voice rang out from behind me. "Let go!"

Everyone froze.

Thomas Smith, a middle-aged man in a dark raincoat strode over, flanked by two exam staff.

He glanced at me, still being held back by Mom, then looked at Dad, who was pressing down on the admission pass.

He said, "Who do you think you are, stopping a candidate at the exam venue entrance?"