The College Entrance Exam

The day of the SAT, I intentionally skipped five questions on every section, all so I could go to the same school as my boyfriend.

Turns out, he aced the test, got into a prestigious university in Boston, and ran off with his 'dream girl.' Meanwhile, I, who could've gotten into an Ivy League, ended up at some no-name state school!

Reborn into the past, I swear I'm taking back everything that's mine!

1

I'm reborn. I'm back in the high school gym, taking the SAT.

I don't have time to wonder if this is a dream or reality. I just stare at the exam, thinking, "This time, I'm not throwing away a chance at a top school for some dude!"

Looking at those familiar questions, I unleash everything I've got. This time, I am getting into the best university possible!

My pen flies across the page. I'm in the zone.

When I walked out of the gym, I'm still a little out of it. I smack myself across the face, hard, to make sure this isn't a dream.

My parents rush over to me, looking freaked out, when they see me smack myself right after leaving the test.

"Hailey! Are you losing it?" My mom grabs me.

Looking at the worry in their faces, tears start pouring down my face. Then, I throw my head back and howl, "Ha! I'm back! I'm going to Harvard!"

My mom and dad exchange a look, like, "This whole test thing really messed with her head."

But I'm not crazy. I'm just so thrilled to have this chance. I can turn things around.

Liam, this time I'm going to wipe the floor with you!

Liam was my boyfriend. We were partners in Bio sophomore year, and we got together during junior year.

We planned to go to the same college. But I was ranked in the top 5 in our class, and Liam was barely top 200. If I wanted to go to the same school as him, I had to screw up my scores by a whole ton. He asked if I was willing to throw away some points for him.

He painted this picture of us in college together, and I was such a love-sick idiot I went full steam ahead and skipped those five questions on every section.

I should have eaten dirt.

I’m thinking this when, instead of his acceptance letter like he had “promised,” I found him making out with our classmate, Tiffany, at the local smoothie place!

Heartbroken and furious, I charged over there, screaming, “Liam, how could you betray me?!”

But Liam, who was always so sweet to me, backhanded me and snarled, “Hailey, look at yourself! You're not even good enough for me!”

He pushed me to the ground and put his arm around Tiffany, who was wearing a white sundress. "Hailey, I got into the University of Southern California, and Tiffany and I are going there together!"

"How do you even compare to Tiffany? She's prettier, smarter, and doesn't look like she shops at a thrift store! Go rot away at your community college, you nobody!"

Liam left with Tiffany, who gave me a smug, superior look.

The sting of the betrayal, my relatives' cutting remarks, my parents' disappointment, Liam's backstabbing, and Tiffany's gloating all flashed in ...