Chapter 2

Just as I was about to be swept away by this ocean of sound and light, a cold, familiar voice pierced through the watery veil and reached my ears.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get over here!" Manuel called out.

I snapped my head up.

Manuel was standing by the stairs.

For a moment, it felt like I was worlds away, as if time itself had blurred and I was caught between past and present.

"Why are you just standing there like a dummy? Come here!" Manuel would say.

I felt as if I was bewitched, forcing my tired body to slowly move toward him, step by step.

I couldn't help but admit to myself—a faint, yet genuine hope was beginning to peek out from the cracks in my despair.

Manuel shot me a cold look.

"Why did you spill the chemicals on Emory's arm?" he asked, his voice icy.

Any hope I had disappeared instantly.

So, it was still all about Emory.

I anxiously tried to explain. "I didn't mean to splash her. It happened because I..."

But before I could even say "I'm really sick," Manuel's expression darkened.

He suddenly shoved me.

I lost my balance instantly and went tumbling down the stairs.

My body slammed into the stone steps—cold, hard, unforgiving. For a moment, it felt like every bone in me had snapped, like I was shattered to pieces.

I stared up at Manuel, completely stunned. I just couldn't believe it.

Manuel walked toward me, slow and steady, his eyes cold as ice.

"Carolyn, your mother killed mine," he said.

His voice was soft, but every word was like a knife to my heart.

He continued, "And now, you've hurt my woman. You and your mother. Are you here to settle a score with me? Will you only be satisfied when you've completely destroyed me?"

The pain was so overwhelming I couldn't speak. Tears mixed with blood streamed down my face, blurring my vision.

In that moment, I almost wished I could just die right here, at his hands. Maybe then the debt between us would finally be settled.

His gaze landed on my bloodstained, barely-breathing body.

For a split second, something flickered in his eyes, like a dying candle in the wind.

But then, a deeper, colder hatred washed over him, swallowing that faint light completely.

He said, "Carolyn, remember what I said. Don't you dare touch Emory, not even once. If you hate me so much, go ahead and tell the principal. I won't even take the SATs!"

He stared at me, his voice cold as ice. "You ruined my family!"

Without another word, he walked away.

As I watched his figure disappear, splitting my world apart all over again, a rough, broken laugh escaped my throat.

But as soon as that laugh left my lips, the floodgates burst open and tears streamed down my face. Turns out, you really can shake with laughter while your tears just keep pouring out.

He had no idea that the one who truly can't even make it to the SATs was me.

A few days later, the mock SATs finally arrived.

This was the last practice test before the real thing, and if you did well, you could even get some extra points.

I knew I wouldn't be able to take the actual SATs, so I treated this mock exam like it was my real shot at the future. I took it seriously, putting everything I had into it.

The atmosphere in the exam room was tense, just when things couldn't get any tenser, trouble struck.

The proctor suddenly strode over to the back row, fixing Emory with a sharp look.

"What do you have in your hand?" the proctor demanded.

Emory's face went ghostly pale.

Terrified, she flung the note to the floor by my feet.

Then, Emory pointed at me, tears streaming down her face. "It was Carolyn! She threw the note at me. She's the one trying to cheat!"

I stared at Emory, eyes wide in shock, desperately trying to explain.

"I swear, it wasn't me! I'm not cheating. It's her note, she's the one doing it!" I pleaded.

But nobody was willing to believe me.

The cameras were busted, so there was no way to check the footage.

Trying to figure out who was cheating, the teacher looked over at Manuel in the back row.

"Manuel, you were in the back, so you must've seen who was cheating, right?" the teacher asked.

Everyone's eyes locked onto Manuel.

I stared at him too, my heart pounding in my chest.

Finally, Manuel pointed right at me.

"It was Carolyn." He didn't even pause, his voice cold and emotionless. "She's the one!"

My mind went blank, and all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

I knew he hated me.

But I never thought he'd actually take Emory's side in front of everyone, dumping all the blame on me.

My words weighed down in my throat, heavy as lead.

I just stared at his beautiful face, frozen solid like ice.

Turns out, when you're heartbroken to the extreme, you can't even make a sound. Tears just fall on their own, scorching as they streak down your cheeks, then cold as they shatter on your collar.