chapter 1
The first mock exam scores were posted just after lunch.
I scored a 698.
My younger sister, Chloe Lawson, scored a 708.
It was the first time since entering senior year that I had not ranked first.
The crowd around the bulletin board was exploding before I even got close enough to read the sheet myself.
“Oh my God. Avery Lawson isn’t number one?”
“What’s even crazier is Chloe got first place.”
“Doesn’t she barely study?”
“Those Lawson sisters are insane. They’re just taking over the rankings.”
Chloe stood right in the center of the crowd, chin lifted, soaking in every stare, every compliment, every whisper of disbelief. Someone in the back said what everyone else was thinking.
“Wait. Didn’t she used to score, like, in the three hundreds? Four hundreds maybe?”
Chloe smiled and stepped forward like she had been waiting for that question.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Chloe.”
As if nobody knew.
“Yes, I ranked first this time. My sister ranked second. I know some of you are probably suspicious, but honestly, this is my real level. My sister is the kind of person who isn’t naturally gifted, but she works really hard. I used to hide my true ability because I was afraid that if I outscored her too easily without studying, it would hurt her confidence.”
She paused just long enough for people to admire her kindness.
“But the real college entrance exam is only a few months away now. I have to be responsible for my own future. So from today on, I’m not going to hold back anymore.”
And somehow, people clapped.
Actually clapped.
“Wow, she’s so considerate.”
“If I had a sister like that, I’d be so happy.”
“She’s pretty and smart? That’s not fair.”
I stood there listening to it all, and I actually laughed.
Because if Chloe Lawson were really that smart, my parents would not have had to pay a fortune to get her into our high school in the first place. And if she were a secret genius, she would at least be able to copy my homework without making obvious mistakes.
I didn’t know what trick she had used to get that score, but I knew one thing for certain.
It wasn’t talent.
I pushed my way out of the crowd and headed back toward the building, ready to ignore the whole circus and go do more practice problems. But before I could get inside, Chloe stepped in front of me.
“How does second place feel, Avery?”
She was glowing with smugness, like she had found buried treasure.
“Interesting,” I said coldly. “Probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“Not for me. From now on, you’ll never beat me again.”
I looked at her for a second, then walked around her.
But that night at dinner, she brought it up again.
“Mom, Dad, you have no idea how well Avery did this time.”
Dad held out his hand. “Let me see the report.”
I passed mine over.
He scanned it. “Six ninety-eight. Not bad. You improved. What rank was that?”
“Second,” Chloe answered before I could say a word.
Dad’s face changed instantly.
“Second? Weren’t you always first before?”
His brows pulled together. “You act like you study so hard every day. I thought you were actually exceptional. Instead you slipped. I already bragged about you to people. Do you know how embarrassing that is for me?”
“Dad, Mom, don’t say that,” Chloe cut in sweetly. “Avery really did work hard.”
Then, as if by accident, she laid her own report card on the table.
“This exam was pretty tough, honestly. Even I didn’t do that well.”
Mom snatched it up.
Then both of them lit up.
“Seven hundred eight? Chloe, you got first in the grade?”
She nodded modestly. “I was worried before that if I tried too hard, it would affect Avery’s mindset. But now that the real exam is close, I decided I should be a little more serious.”
Mom’s smile was radiant. Dad looked proud enough to burst.
“That’s our daughter.”
“I always said Chloe was the smarter one.”
Dad turned to me. “From now on, you should learn from your sister.”
I sat there watching the three of them beam at each other across the table, and my eyes started to hurt.
Chloe was only a year younger than me, but from the day she was born frail and sickly, she had been treated like glass. Like treasure. Like the center of the universe.
And me?
I had been sent away to live with my grandmother in a small town while they stayed together as a family of three.
By the time they finally brought me back, I was old enough for elementary school and had already started a year late, which was why Chloe and I ended up in the same grade. I didn’t truly move back in with them until high school, and even then, living in my own parents’ house felt like staying in someone else’s home on borrowed time.
They were the family.
I was the extra.
That was why I studied so hard. That was why I kept my head down. That was why I planned every second of my future around one thing.
Leaving.
I stood up without another word and went to my room.
But Chloe wasn’t done.
“Dad, I told you not to say anything. Avery’s probably already upset. I scored higher than she did, and she was in a bad mood all day.”
Dad slammed his chopsticks down. “I’m her father. She dares give me attitude?”
That was all it took. Chloe lowered her head to hide her smile.
“Avery Lawson, what is wrong with you?” Mom snapped. “You’re jealous of your own sister now?”
“I’m not,” I said weakly.
But they didn’t want an explanation. They wanted a villain.
“You always look like the whole world owes you something.”
“Look at your sister. She’s sweet, respectful, and grateful.”
“An ungrateful child, that’s what you are.”
“I’m not,” I said again, louder this time. “What do you even want from me?”
Dad shot to his feet. “With your attitude? You think any college will want you?”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I ran into my room, locked the door, and only then could I hear their voices becoming muffled through the wall.
I pressed my back against the door and cried until I couldn’t breathe.
Every time. It was always like this.
Whatever Chloe said, they believed. No questions asked. No room for truth. And when they pushed me until I broke, they used my pain as proof that I was exactly what they had already decided I was.
I wiped my face, put in my earbuds, sat down at my desk, and opened another practice set.
Just four more months, I told myself.
Just hold on four more months.
Then I would leave this house for good.