The Grade Heist

My deskmate, Sierra Langford, handed me a throat lozenge. I turned around and melted it into the school cafeteria’s "Top Scholar Soup", letting all four thousand students share a taste. Because this time, I’ve been reborn. In my previous life, Sierra had a system that could steal other people’s exam scores. As long as I ate something from her, my grades would automatically transfer to her. She was a rich girl, already set to study abroad. Stealing my college entrance exam score was just a joke to her. On the other hand, I was poor. The exam was my only chance to change my fate. After three mock exams, my scores kept dropping for no reason, and no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find out why. In the end, I failed the college entrance exam. Lost and broken, I was hit by a car. After I died, my soul hovered in the air and overheard Sierra laughing with her best friend, Hailey Monroe. "Who would’ve thought Vera Collins could’ve ranked first in the entire city? Well, that title’s mine now! Someone like her deserves to rot in the mud forever." This time, I’m back. So, she liked stealing people’s scores for fun? Then stealing just mine would be too boring. This time, the entire school’s exam scores would be a surprise for her. Chapter 1 The day before Ridgeway High's third senior-year mock exam, I came down with a high fever after pushing myself too hard for days on end. My head was spinning, and my body was cold and weak. I was half-collapsed on my desk when a small box of medicine appeared in front of me. "Vera Collins, you should take this flu medicine," someone said softly. I froze and lifted my head, meeting Sierra Langford's eyes. In my previous life, it was this exact box of flu medicine that traded away my future and allowed her to steal the top score in the entire city from me. My first instinct was to push it away, but before I could, my classmates had already gathered around. "Wow, Sierra's really the total package—pretty, kind, and thoughtful enough to bring medicine for her deskmate." "Yeah. Poor Vera can't even afford to see a doctor when she's sick. She's lucky to be sitting next to someone like Sierra who actually cares." Hearing their comments, Sierra's smile only grew warmer. She tore open the packet and held out the pills to me. "Come on, take it! My dad brought these back from abroad. It's a special formula you can't even get here." That jogged my memory. Right before this third mock exam, I'd taken the medicine she gave me, and from that moment on, my entire life changed. I came from poverty. Scholarships were the only reason I could even study at this elite high school. The college entrance exam was my only shot to grab hold of fate and climb out of the mud. Before senior year, my grades were always in the top three. I had a real chance at the country's best universities. I studied from dawn till midnight, terrified of wasting a single minute, praying that summer would bring the letter that could change everything. However, starting with that third mock exam, my scores began to plummet. The final exam turned into a nightmare I could never wake from. On results day, that glaring number on the screen—just over three hundred points—stabbed into my heart like a poisoned knife. I went mad trying to appeal, but every report came back the same: those absurd mistakes were all written in my own handwriting. Worse, the exam-room footage showed me leaving halfway through the math test. I remembered finishing every problem, double-checking every answer until the final second. But the proctor, the teachers, and even my classmates all swore they saw me handing my paper in early. My memories and reality split apart, like a mirror cracking down the middle. I refused to accept it. I filed appeal after appeal. Each time, nothing changed. Soon, my teachers' eyes were full of pity, and the police spoke to me with quiet helplessness. They began hinting that maybe the pressure had gotten to me and maybe I was imagining things. It wasn't until after I died that I finally learned the truth. It was her. It was Sierra and her Grade Heist System that had stolen everything. Upon remembering that, I felt my face go cold. I shoved the medicine back toward her. "I've already taken something. Mixing meds might cause a reaction." The words had barely left my mouth when Hailey Monroe, Sierra's best friend, burst out laughing. "Seriously, genius girl? You think taking flu medicine will ruin your shot at college? Sierra just felt bad for you being so alone and sick with no one to help, and you act like she's trying to sabotage you?" Her sarcasm was impossible to miss. Laughter rippled through the classroom. "Attention, everyone! Experts say taking flu medicine will cost you your Ivy League dreams!" "Oh, come on. She can't even afford a doctor, and now she's too proud to accept help? What, is she jealous of Sierra because Sierra's rich and generous?" Sierra didn't stop them. She kept smiling, all fake sweetness, and pressed the box back into my hand. "Don't be like that, Vera. The mock exam's tomorrow. You need to take care of yourself." Looking down at the pills in my palm, a chill ran through me. It wasn't time for the real exam yet. I couldn't expose her. Not now. The enemy was in the open. I was still in the dark. If I confronted her too early, who knew what new trick she might pull before the real test? I clenched my fists, forcing myself to hold back the urge to throw the pills right in her face. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flicker of red outside the window. I turned my head. A banner hung across the school courtyard, fluttering in the wind: "A thousand soldiers charging the same path. One exam decides it all." Suddenly, an idea hit me. If every one of those thousands of students took something Sierra offered, would their exam scores be stolen too? Chapter 2 With that thought, I cupped the flu medicine in my hands. "Thanks, Sierra," I said with a polite smile. "But my throat really hurts right now, and I feel a little nauseous. I don't think I can take anything." Then I added, sweetly, "But since it's such a thoughtful gift from you, I wouldn't want it to go to waste." I turned to look at Mandy Price, who was sitting nearby, sniffling. "Hey, Mandy, you want this? Sierra brought this back from abroad, and it's supposed to work wonders." Mandy's dad, Mr. Price, was the grade director, and she'd held the top spot in our entire year since freshman year. Her family was politically connected and thus powerful. She glanced at the packaging and was just about to reach for it when Sierra suddenly snapped, "No!" Her voice shot up, startling everyone around us. Catching my surprised look, she quickly tried to cover up. "Vera, Mandy's got allergies. What if she reacts to it?" Mandy leaned in to read the ingredients. "It's fine. I'm only allergic to penicillin. This doesn't have any." A flicker of tension crossed Sierra's face. Then, Hailey snatched the box from my hands, her voice sharp. "This was meant for you! If you don't appreciate it, fine. Don't just hand it off to someone else." Her tone was biting. Mandy's face darkened, and she turned away, storming off. Nevertheless, I already had the answer I needed. If someone else took whatever Sierra gave me, their grades would be stolen instead. Interesting. If that was how her little trick worked, then I'd play along, just on a bigger scale. My own exam score? That was too small a price. If she wanted to steal, I'd make sure she got the entire school's scores as her prize. I made up my mind and reached for the box again, ready to take it back. However, afraid I'd actually share it around, Sierra quickly pulled something else from her pocket. It was a piece of candy wrapped in shiny gold foil. "Vera, if you're worried about mixing medicine, don't take it. Here, have a throat lozenge instead." Her sweetness made the onlookers swoon. "Aww, Sierra's such a caring deskmate!" "She even brought lozenges just in case! Vera's so lucky to have someone like her." Sierra laughed lightly, basking in the praise. "I just figured being sick before exams must feel awful. It could even mess with your test performance. Vera's our class pride. Of course, I had to come prepared." I stared at her perfect, fake smile and couldn't help recalling what I'd overheard after I died in my last life. Hailey had been gushing about how Sierra became the top scorer in the entire city. Sierra had just laughed and waved it off. "Please, I'm going abroad anyway. It's not like I actually care about the score. It just sounds nice to be number one. "Honestly, I just wanted to mess with that broke little nerd. She was always acting so high and mighty, so obsessed with studying. It pissed me off. Now look at her! Let's see how she pretends now. Trash should stay in the trash where it belongs." The memory almost made me laugh. All that effort, all that scheming was just to toy with me? This time, I wouldn't back down. I accepted the candy and casually slipped it into my pocket. Sierra's smile faltered. She frowned slightly. "Vera, I thought your throat hurt. Why aren't you eating it?" Chapter 3 I stifled a yawn. "I'm a little tired. I think I'll nap first and eat it later." Sierra tensed immediately. A single piece of candy was too small. If I just pocketed it, there'd be no way for her to know whether I'd actually eaten it or not. "Your throat's already hoarse," she said, feigning concern. "You should really take the lozenge now. And since you've got the flu, you need to keep your blood sugar up. What if you faint during class?" Her brows knitted together in perfect imitation of worry. The others bought it. Whispers rose from the back of the classroom. "It's just a piece of candy. You'd think she's being asked to swallow poison." "Honestly, she's just petty and too proud to accept kindness." "She's already on scholarship and still acts like she's above everyone else. She doesn't even know how to appreciate people being nice to her." Each word jabbed into my chest like a needle. Was giving me candy really "kindness"? Did they expect me to wag my tail in gratitude just because a rich girl offered me something cheap and sweet? Was being poor enough reason for them to use morality as a weapon to shame me for not playing along with their fake generosity? My fingers trembled slightly under the desk, though I forced myself to keep my expression calm. Hailey chimed in, her tone sharp and mocking, "Would you look at that? She wouldn't take the medicine, now she won't even take a lozenge. What's your problem, Vera? You don't like Sierra or something? Are you trying to bully her?" Her words carried power. The tension in the room turned on me, and everyone suddenly stared at me like I was the villain. After a moment's silent calculation, I made my move. I pulled the candy from my pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth. A rush of coolness spread instantly across my tongue, and the sharp sting of mint flooded my senses. Sierra's smile brightened like the sun. "That's better, isn't it? Feeling any relief?" I forced a polite smile. "Yeah. Thanks. My throat does feel a little better." Satisfied after watching me swallow, Sierra finally turned away, her victory complete. I rested my head on my arms, pretending to sleep. When her attention drifted, my hand slipped quietly into my pocket. The real piece of candy—her candy—was still there. Earlier that morning, I'd stocked up on cheap lozenges from the school shop. Fortunately, the store only sold one brand, so no one would notice the swap. During a quick trip to the restroom, I hid the special candy somewhere safe, then made my way back to class. However, as soon as I stepped through the door, I froze. Sierra was sitting at my desk, and on top of it sat my empty tin, the one I used to store lozenges. My heart lurched. Hailey spotted me standing by the door and shot Sierra a quick, meaningful glance. Sierra turned slowly, her expression dark and cold. Her eyes locked onto mine. "Vera," she said, her voice like ice, "did you buy these lozenges yourself?" Chapter 4 My stomach tightened as I walked toward her, my mind spinning. Why was Sierra suddenly digging through my desk? Before I could ask, Hailey stumbled forward—her "accident" almost too perfect—and the water in her cup splashed squarely onto my jacket. Sierra jumped to her feet at once, grabbing tissues and patting at my clothes. "Oh no, Hailey! Be more careful next time! What if our class genius catches a cold now?" Then she turned to me with mock concern. "Vera, check your pockets. Make sure nothing important got wet!" Her little act was so transparent I almost laughed. I forced my expression to stay neutral, then methodically turned out both pockets of my jacket, just like she wanted. Only a small, palm-sized notebook, which was my vocabulary book, fell out. Sierra's eyes flicked over it, suspicious, but she couldn't find anything wrong. She finally backed off. I gave my jacket a shake and sat down. She leaned toward me again, her voice light as she probed, "Vera, why didn't you just tell me you already had lozenges? I wouldn't have bothered bringing any." I met her gaze, calm and steady. "Oh, those? I ran out earlier. And I didn't want to turn down your kindness." I even managed a grateful smile. Her face softened at last. Then, pretending to make up for Hailey's "accident", Sierra bought me two more boxes of lozenges "to keep on hand, just in case". Afterward, I went to the campus store, bought a new batch of lozenges, and secretly swapped the ones in my desk for mine. Later that night, I hid Sierra's two boxes safely in my dorm room. There were over four thousand students at Ridgeway High. If I was going to share Sierra's "goodwill", I'd need enough to go around. I wouldn't want to shortchange my generous deskmate's high school finale. The next day, we took the third mock exam. I walked into the exam hall and quietly finished my paper. When I stood to turn it in, I passed Sierra's desk. She looked up and gave me a smirk full of arrogance and mockery as if to say, "Your score's already mine. Your effort means nothing." I smiled back, just as politely, and handed in my test. A few days later, the results came out. Every class posted their rankings by the door, and the hallways buzzed with gossip. Even before I reached the board, I could feel the stares and hear the whispers cutting through the air. "Vera's scores have tanked lately…" "Maybe she was cheating all along?" "Guess she cracked under the pressure. Happens before college exams all the time." I scanned the ranking sheet carefully. I used to be in the top three in the entire school, but I had dropped to rank eight hundred and something. My teeth sank into my lip as I pushed through the crowd, face flushed with shame, and rushed back to class. Not long after, Sierra returned too, her expression just as dark. She strode right up to my desk and snapped, "Vera, what rank did you get this time?" Chapter 5 I took a deep breath, letting my eyes redden before turning toward her. "Sierra… I really messed up this time. I was sick during the exam, and I filled in the wrong answer sheet." My voice broke near the end, and I buried my face in my arms, pretending to sob. A classmate leaned close to whisper to Sierra, "Vera didn't do well this time. She ranked in the eight hundreds, same as you." Sierra froze. I fought down the smile creeping up inside me. I hadn't eaten her lozenge, but to keep her from noticing, I'd deliberately filled out the wrong answer sheet and left huge portions of the test blank. So my official score was in the eight hundreds, and so was Sierra's. Two equally terrible scores. No one would suspect that her Grade Heist System had failed. Finally, Sierra placed a stiff hand on my shoulder and gave me an awkward pat. "It's okay, Vera. Don't lose hope. A bad exam from being sick doesn't mean anything. Just rest before the real thing. You'll do great on the college exams." I exhaled slowly. She'd bought it. Using my sleeve, I wiped away my fake tears and gave her a grateful look, pretending not to notice the disgust flickering in her eyes. "Thanks, Sierra. You didn't do well either, but you still came to cheer me up." Her smile faltered, stiffened, and she simply nodded before walking away. As the final days before the college entrance exams drew near, Sierra doubled down to make sure her Grade Heist System worked properly. Every day, she brought me something new: imported fruit, energy bars wrapped in gold foil, expensive tonics. I accepted every single one with a sweet smile. Meanwhile, Ridgeway High had started offering free breakfast to motivate students: the so-called "Top Scholar Soup". I worked part-time in the cafeteria, and now, that job was finally about to pay off. When I arrived that morning, the kitchen ladies were already bustling around the stove. Steam rose in thick clouds from the giant pot of freshly cooked soup. "I'll serve the soup today," I said. I took the long-handled ladle and slipped my hand into my sleeve. Inside was a tiny packet filled with the powdered remains of Sierra's "special" lozenge. As I stirred the pot slowly, I tilted my wrist ever so slightly. The powder drifted down the edge of the ladle, dissolving seamlessly into the boiling soup and vanishing without a trace. The sweet scent of soup filled the air as the mixture spread evenly through the pot. When Sierra and Hailey entered the cafeteria, I looked up and waved cheerfully. "The school's free soup is actually really good. It's even sweet! Want to try some? It's supposed to bring good luck for exams." Sierra glanced at the steaming bowls all around and gave a soft, disdainful snort. "Free food? Please. Only you people would think that's worth anything." She beckoned to Hailey, and the two of them sat down with the fancy lunchboxes their housekeepers had brought from home. All around them, the rest of the students ate their cafeteria meals, each with a steaming bowl of Top Scholar Soup beside them. By the end of lunch, every last pot in the cafeteria was empty. My arms ached from ladling so much. The next day was the college entrance exam.