My deskmate handed me a throat lozenge. I turned around and dissolved it into the massive vat of "Good Luck Oatmeal" in the cafeteria, sharing it with all four thousand students in the school. Why? Because I’ve been reborn. In my past life, my deskmate, Gwen, was bound to a "Plunder System." As long as I ate something she gave me, my test scores would automatically transfer to her. She was a trust-fund baby with her path to the Ivy League already paved with gold. Stealing my SAT scores was just a twisted prank to her. I was the scholarship kid. The charity case. The State Exams were my only rope to climb out of poverty. But in that life, my mock exam scores plummeted one after another, and I couldn't find the cause. In the end, I failed the exams. Dispirited and broken, I wandered into traffic and was struck by a car. After I died, my spirit hovered in mid-air, forcing me to listen to Gwen laughing with her best friend, Lexi. "I can't believe Tara actually scored the highest in the state!" Gwen cackled. "Too bad that title belongs to me now! A broke loser like her belongs in the mud, not at a top university." Now, I’m back. She likes stealing scores for fun? Stealing from just me is too boring. This time, the entire school’s exam scores will be her little "surprise." 1. The day before the third Mock Exam, I was burning up with a fever from days of over-studying. I was slumped over my desk, dizzy and shivering, when a box of cold medicine appeared in my peripheral vision. "Tara, hurry up and take this. It’ll help," Gwen said. I froze, looking up to meet Gwen's eyes. In my past life, it was this exact box of medicine that she traded for my future. Instinctively, I pushed it away. But our classmates immediately swarmed around us. "Gwen is so sweet. She’s beautiful and kind-hearted, looking out for her deskmate like that." "Seriously. Tara is a scholarship student; she can't afford a doctor, and she has no one to take care of her. She’s lucky to sit next to an heiress like Gwen who actually cares." Hearing the praise, Gwen’s smile widened. She tore open the foil packaging. "Come on, take it! My dad brought this back from Europe. It’s a special formula; you can’t even buy it in the States." I remembered now. It was right before the third Mock Exam that I took her medicine. That was the moment my life derailed. I came from nothing. I relied on financial aid just to attend this prep school. The State Exams were the only way someone from the bottom tier like me could change their destiny. Before senior year, I consistently ranked in the top three. I was a lock for Harvard or Yale. I studied day and night, terrified of slackening for even a second, dreaming of that acceptance letter. But starting with the third Mock Exam, my grades fell off a cliff. The final exam became my eternal nightmare. On the day scores were released, the pathetic number on the screen stabbed me like a poisoned knife. I went crazy requesting a regrade. The results showed that those ridiculous mistakes were indeed written by my own hand. Even more terrifying, the security footage showed that during the math section, I walked out after only thirty minutes! But I clearly remembered answering every single question carefully, checking my work until the last second! The proctors, the students around me—everyone insisted they saw me leave early. My memory and reality had split into two terrifyingly different paths. I wasn't willing to give up. I appealed again and again. But nothing changed. Eventually, the teachers looked at me with pity, and the police spoke to me with impatience. They started hinting that maybe the pressure was too much, that maybe I was having a "mental break"... It wasn't until I died that I learned the truth: it was all because of Gwen's Score Plunder System. Thinking of my stolen scores, my face went cold. I pushed the medicine back toward her. "I already took some meds. If I take yours now, the interactions might make me sicker." As soon as the words left my mouth, Gwen’s best friend, Lexi, let out a loud scoff. "Wow, Miss Valedictorian. Really? Gwen saw you were sick and pathetic and went out of her way to get you meds, and you think it’s going to stop you from getting into Harvard?" Her sarcasm was thick, and the surrounding students laughed along. "Breaking news: Experts say taking cold medicine prevents you from getting into the Ivy League!" "What is she pretending for? She can't even afford a clinic visit. Where did she get the money for meds? I think the charity case is just jealous of Gwen and feels inferior." Gwen didn't stop them. She just kept that saintly smile plastered on her face, acting magnanimous as she shoved the medicine back into my hand. "Come on, Tara. The Mock Exam is tomorrow. Just take it." Holding the box, a chill ran down my spine. The big exam wasn't here yet. I couldn't tear off her mask now. The enemy was in the dark, and I was in the light. If I exposed her now, who knew what other dirty tricks she’d use before the finals? I clenched my fist, fighting the urge to throw the box in her face. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something red fluttering downstairs in the quad. I turned to look. It was a banner the school had hung to encourage the seniors: "Thousands of Soldiers on the March, One Paper Decides Your Destiny." A bold idea exploded in my brain. If these "thousands of soldiers"—my classmates—all ate what Gwen provided, would their scores be plundered too? I held the medicine box up. "Thanks, Gwen. But honestly, my throat hurts so bad right now, and I’m nauseous. I physically can’t swallow pills." "But this is your kindness, and I can't let it go to waste!" I turned to Chloe, the girl sitting across the aisle, who had been coughing all morning. "Chloe, do you want this? Gwen brought it from Europe. Supposed to be miraculous." Chloe’s dad was the Dean of Students. She was currently ranked number one in the grade. Her family was full of politicians; she had serious backing. Chloe looked at the packaging and reached out to take it. "NO!" Gwen shrieked. Her voice was so loud it startled everyone in the room. Gwen met my shocked gaze and quickly scrambled for an excuse. "Tara... I think Chloe has allergies! What if she has a reaction?" Chloe leaned in and read the label. "I'm fine. I'm only allergic to penicillin. This doesn't have any." Gwen looked panicked. Lexi snatched the box from my hand, furious. "Gwen saved this for you. If you want to be a brat and not eat it, fine, but who are you to give it away?" She was rude enough that Chloe’s face darkened. She turned around and ignored us. But I had the answer I needed. Whatever Gwen gave out had to be consumed by the target for the theft to work. If that was the case, I was going to play a bigger game. What was the fun in just my score? Giving her the entire school’s GPA seemed like a much better gift for someone who loved surprises. I made a move to take the medicine back, but Gwen was now terrified I’d share it again. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a lozenge. "Tara, if you're worried about drug interactions, don't take the pills. Here, I have a throat lozenge. Eat this." The crowd swooned at her thoughtfulness. "Gwen is too nice. She’s so prepared for her deskmate." "Tara must have saved a country in her past life to get a deskmate like Gwen." Gwen laughed, playing the part. "I just thought, being sick must be uncomfortable, and we can't let it affect her test state." "Tara is the pride of our class. Of course I have to be prepared." I looked at her fake smile and remembered the conversation I heard as a ghost. Lexi had been envying her title as the State Top Scorer. Gwen had laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm going abroad anyway. I don't actually care about the grades. The title just sounds nice. It’s useless to me." "I just wanted to toy with that broke loser. She always acts so studious and superior. It annoyed me!" "Now look at her. Let's see how she pretends now! Trash should stay in the dumpster." I almost laughed out loud. She did all this just to toy with me? This time, I didn't refuse. I took the lozenge and shoved it into my pocket. Gwen frowned, clearly unhappy. "Tara, doesn't your throat hurt? Why aren't you eating it?" I yawned. "I'm a little sleepy. I want to nap first. I'll eat it later." Gwen got anxious. A single candy was small; if it stayed in my pocket, she’d never know if I actually consumed it. "Your voice is raspy. You should eat it now." "Plus, you have a cold. You need the sugar, or you might pass out." She furrowed her brows, acting so concerned. The classmates bought it hook, line, and sinker. Whispers drifted from the back row. "It's just a candy. Is it going to kill her?" "She’s just got an ugly heart. She can't accept kindness." "Someone is nice to her and she acts stuck up. For a charity case, she sure is ungrateful." The words pricked like needles. giving me a piece of candy counts as kindness? I’m supposed to wag my tail and eat it with tears of gratitude? Does the gap between a trust fund kid and a scholarship kid justify this blind moral kidnapping? My fingertips trembled, but I kept my face calm. Lexi played the bad cop. "You won't take the meds, you won't eat the candy. Do you just hate Gwen? Are you bullying her?" Her aggressive tone turned the whole class against me. After weighing my options, I pulled the candy out, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth. A cooling sensation spread through my mouth. The peppermint stung my tongue. Gwen’s smile turned radiant. "See? Isn't that better?" I forced the corners of my mouth up. "Thanks. My throat does feel a lot better!" Watching me swallow, Gwen finally walked away satisfied. I pretended to sleep, burying my head in my arms. Carefully, I touched my pocket. Inside was the actual lozenge Gwen gave me. I had bought a pack of cheap, strong throat lozenges earlier to help with my cold. Luckily, the school store only sold this one brand. The packaging was identical. I had swapped them using a sleight of hand I’d seen in movies. During a bathroom break, I hid the special lozenge in a secure spot before returning to the classroom. As I walked in, I saw Gwen sitting at my desk. My empty tin of lozenges—the ones I had bought myself—was sitting on the table. My heart skipped a beat. Lexi looked up, saw me at the back door, and immediately signaled Gwen.
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