Chapter 5: The Truth Goes Live

With anticipation from both me and the live chat, the day the scores came out finally arrived.

Teachers, students, parents, and reporters packed the classroom. Thanks to Lillian’s relentless hype about our class’s top scorer, the place was swarming with people.

There was a news van parked outside, the kind you only ever see at championship games or big-deal town scandals. The buzz of voices was electric, and someone had brought boxes of Dunkin’ Donuts that nobody touched, tension making everyone too jittery to eat.

The chat was fired up:

[Anyway, our Lillian’s Harvard offer is already locked in. No matter what, she’s the brightest.]

[The mean supporting character is doomed—so many reporters came today just to see her get humiliated.]

[Even if she gets recognized by her real family, she’ll still be disliked, trampled by our Lillian.]

The candidates sat at the computers, one after another.

When the time came, exclamations rang out:

“1420, right about what I guessed.”

“Man, 1250—only 480 on Reading, did I bomb the essay?”

“1480.”

“1190...”

As scores were announced, the room buzzed with excitement.

The camera panned over each candidate’s expression, then slowly turned to me and Lillian.

“I heard your class has two students who both predicted 1570. Have you checked your scores yet?”

Lillian shot me a provocative look, then calmly typed her admission number into the computer.

The moment her score popped up—

The whole crowd erupted:

Zero points.

“How could it be zero? Lillian’s always been first in our class—is this a mistake?”

“Maybe the top 50 in the state are hidden and show up as zero?”

Amid the commotion, Lillian stayed calm. She looked at me, lips curling into a half-smile.

“Natalie Carter, you really are ruthless. I thought you’d make me get a low score, but I never expected you’d give me a zero.”

People around us were stunned.

“Lillian, what are you talking about?”

Lillian straightened up and declared loudly:

“This might sound unbelievable, but I swear on my family and my character that what I’m about to say is true. Three months ago, I found out Natalie Carter had bound an exchange system to swap my SAT score with hers. After all, I’m always first in the class, always overshadowing her. She wanted to use this trick to steal my top spot and ruin my reputation. After the test, I deliberately said I estimated 1570, and Natalie immediately claimed the same. What a coincidence, right? She was just setting up to swap my score.”

She looked around at everyone in the room:

“So this zero isn’t my real score—it’s what Natalie Carter swapped onto me.”

Her words hit the crowd like a bomb, sending waves of chatter through the room. Reporters raised their cameras, flashes going off. Someone started a livestream, and viewers poured in.

“That’s ridiculous—who would believe that?”

I slowly stood up and calmly pushed up my black-rimmed glasses.

“Lillian, getting a zero isn’t the end of the world. You can just take the SAT again next year. No need to make up such a wild story just to save face.”

Lillian gritted her teeth.

“You know in your heart whether it’s true or not.”

“Oh, really?”

My voice was soft, but the noisy classroom instantly fell silent.

“I saw you with my own eyes, hanging out with those blond guys at the bar, partying every night. And now you want to make up stories to frame me?”

The classroom froze. Everyone looked from Lillian to me and back again.

Lillian’s pupils shrank. She instinctively stepped back, then forced herself to stay calm.

“I went out because I didn’t want to work hard for a high score just for you to benefit.” She raised her chin, a hint of pride in her eyes. “As for framing you, is there any need? I’m the heiress of the Hayes family. What Ivy League school can’t I get into?”

“Not afraid to tell you, I’m about to get a Harvard offer.”

Just then, the classroom door burst open. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes strode in, followed by Carol Foster, eyes sharp as ever.

Mr. Hayes’s suit probably cost more than my entire year’s rent. He didn’t even look at me, just straight through.

Mr. Hayes was dressed to the nines, his voice steady:

“That’s right. Lillian has already been in touch with several top universities—they’re all eager to have her. Right now, she’s got a recommendation letter from the Harvard dean, and we’re thinking of sending her there.”

The chat exploded:

[The Hayes family really dotes on Lillian. If they want her in Harvard, they’ll just donate a building.]

[Once the donation contract is signed, Lillian’s Harvard offer will be in the bag.]

[This is the power of money! What does the supporting character have to compete with that?]

With her parents backing her, Lillian looked even more pleased.

“Natalie Carter, you say I’m framing you—then do you dare to announce your SAT score right now? For the record, I slept through the entire test. You tried to swap my score, but all you got was a zero.”

She looked around, making sure every camera was pointed her way.

“And I ask everyone here to bear witness: if Natalie Carter’s SAT score is also zero, then everything I said is true.”

For a moment, all eyes were on me—curious, suspicious, some even gloating.

“Well then, Natalie Carter, hurry up and check your score! No matter what Lillian gets, she has a way out, but you—if you really get zero, your life is over.”

Under everyone’s gaze, I smiled.

“All right. I’ll check.”

The air felt thick, like right before a summer thunderstorm. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, the whole room holding its breath. I took a slow breath, eyes meeting Lillian’s for just a second. For the first time, I felt taller than her. For once, the world was watching me—and this time, I was ready to burn the script.