Chapter 4: Failure Isn’t the End

On the way to the exam, I spotted Maddie and Brianna getting chased and beaten up.

I hadn’t hung out with them much lately, so I had no clue what was up.

I checked my phone—the exam was about to start.

I hesitated, but seeing them get beat up, I called the cops and jumped in.

“Hey! Knock it off!”

“Autumn!” Maddie and Brianna darted behind me.

The leader sneered, “Oh, it’s Carter. You want to go against me?”

“I already called the cops.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah right, like I care!”

They rushed us, and we fought back as best we could.

One girl yanked my hair and slapped me a few times.

Just as another slap was coming, someone rushed in, grabbed her wrist, and shoved her away.

“Back off!”

In the morning sun, the boy’s profile looked almost golden, nose sharp, eyes dark and intense.

“Sebastian?” Maddie and Brianna called.

“What are you all standing around for? Help out!”

The gang lunged at us.

Sebastian shielded me, taking all the hits. He didn’t fight back and got pretty roughed up.

Police sirens blared in the distance.

We all got hauled to the station for fighting.

Sitting on the bench, I turned to Sebastian. “I bully you every day—why’d you save me?”

He touched his bruised face and winced. “Didn’t realize it was you. Thought it was just some girl from our school getting jumped. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

I knew he was lying and shot him a look. “Why didn’t you fight back?”

He shrugged. “I don’t hit girls.”

A weird feeling bubbled up, but I just said, “You’re such a dork.”

He glared. “Autumn Carter, will you ever say anything nice?”

I snorted and looked away.

But deep down, I thought—he’s so dumb, it’s actually cute. Maybe I should go easy on him.

By the time we got out, the morning exam was over.

That afternoon, my stomach started killing me. I had to leave the exam for the hospital—turns out the girls had kicked me earlier, and now my insides were messed up.

I missed the rest of the exams, so my grades were predictably awful.

The system was right—I couldn’t beat fate.

But I wasn’t ready to quit.

Our school’s monthly mock-exam results came out fast.

Naturally, I was dead last in class.

Maddie and Brianna did better than me. Sebastian’s rank slipped because of me.

Stuck in the hospital, my parents still ignored me.

I just kept reading and studying by myself.

The system said, “Give it up. You’re a villainess. No matter what you do, you’ll always be at the bottom.”

I just kept my head down, tuning it out.

“Aren’t you mad?”

“It’s just one monthly exam. There’ll be another.”

The system went quiet.

Maddie and Brianna visited, bringing flowers and fruit, bawling, “Boss, you’re the best. We’ll always have your back!”

I snapped, “I don’t need anyone following me!”

They wiped their eyes. “For you, we’ll help Sebastian with his tests.”

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

The next afternoon, Maddie video-called me.

“Boss, we found an English test online and we’re bullying Sebastian for you!”

On screen, they had Sebastian cornered, looking like he’d given up on life.

Brianna patted her chest. “Boss, English is my jam. Don’t worry!”

Maddie said, “I stayed up all night working on these questions. Sebastian won’t know what hit him. We’re gonna bully him so hard.”

They kept the video on so I could supervise.

“...You sure about this?”

“Eh, never mind. Don’t make yourselves miserable. I’ll bully him when I’m out.”

All three of them sighed in relief.

When I got discharged, they and Sebastian came to pick me up.

Back at the empty house, we pigged out and hung out for hours.

Of course, for the bullying gig, I made Sebastian finish a test in the study before he could eat.

While we chatted, I learned Maddie’s parents had split. No matter how hard she tried, her mom never gave her any credit. After the homeroom teacher’s brutal criticism, she just gave up.

Brianna’s family was loaded, but her dad cheated and had another daughter. Things at home were tense, and her teacher’s low opinion made her stop caring about school.

I thought: nobody’s a bad kid for no reason. There’s always something.

That night, after Sebastian finished the test, the three of us graded it together.

Sebastian was on edge, watching us like he was waiting for a verdict.

“Math is your strong suit, and you only got 140? Seriously?” I hit him with the psychological warfare again.

Sebastian just stared at the floor.

“Your punishment is finishing all the leftovers.”

I handed him a hidden cupcake.