He Wrecked Our SATs Over a Tattoo

An hour before the SATs, our homeroom teacher suddenly had a medical emergency. Before he was rushed away, he handed the folder containing everyone's admission slips to Leo Jordan—the notorious, pretty-boy troublemaker at school. Thirty minutes before check-in closed, he still hadn't shown up. By then, the rest of us were standing outside the exam center, completely freaking out. Without that folder, none of us could get in. I rang his phone until he finally picked up. I begged him to hurry and bring the folder over. Everyone was still waiting for him outside the exam center, after all. He scoffed on the other end. "Just because you're at the top of the class doesn't mean you get to boss me around. I'm getting tattooed right now, and I'm not leaving until it's done." I nearly lost my mind. There was no time to argue. I grabbed a few guys from our class, and we ran nearly two miles to the tattoo store. By the time we got there, the artist was finally finishing the last bit of color on the huge dragon covering Leo's back. I thought, 'Thank God. We can finally grab the folder and go.' Just then, Leo stood up. He unbuckled his belt and yanked his pants down, revealing his hairy legs. "What's the rush?" he said. "We haven't even started on my legs yet." He turned back to the tattoo artist nonchalantly. "Okay, the dragon and tiger are done. The legs are next. Put Bugs Bunny on one leg and Lola Bunny on the other. They're my favorite couple." Chapter 1 He Risked Our Futures for a Tattoo I whipped around to check the clock on the wall. We had less than thirty minutes before the cut-off time, yet Leo was still standing there, casually discussing tattoo details with the artist. I could feel a vein throbbing in my forehead. "Leo! Are you out of your freaking mind? Everyone is outside the exam center waiting for you!" At that point, I was done trying to keep the peace. I lunged for the designer backpack he'd tossed onto the couch, thinking the folder had to be inside. "What the heck are you doing?" Leo snapped. "Trying to rob me?" He shoved me back forcefully. Before I could even touch the bag, two huge, heavily tattooed guys from the shop rushed over, grabbed me by the arms, and hurled me toward the door. My palm scraped across the rough metal threshold, tearing off a layer of skin. A sharp, burning pain shot through my hand. The other two guys from school hurried inside and pulled me back to my feet. "Kai, what the hell is wrong with you?" Leo said. "You got anger issues or something?" He ran his hand over the new tattoo on his upper arm and glared at me with obvious contempt. "Touch my bag again, I dare you. That's a limited-edition piece my dad just brought back from Montelle. Even if you sell everything you have, you wouldn't be able to replace it." I ignored the blood on my palm and stared straight at him. "I don't care about your bag. I just want everyone's admission slips. Leo, if we're fifteen minutes late, they're not letting us in!" Leo rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue impatiently. "What's the big deal? I already told you, my legs aren't finished yet. I booked this guy months ago. He's the best artist in the city." He stretched one leg toward the tattoo artist. "Come on, man. Pick up the pace. These broke losers are acting like the world's ending." Even the tattoo shop's owner could tell things had gone too far. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped in. "It's the SATs we're talking about, kid. Why don't you go take your test? Come back later, and I'll finish the rest for free." "Shut up!" Leo's voice boomed through the shop, silencing everyone. He glared at the owner. "I'm paying you, aren't I? Since when do you get to tell me what to do?" Then, he pointed at his legs. "I'm not going anywhere until these are finished." The entire shop fell silent. "I'm begging you, Leo." I took a deep breath and forced myself to lower my voice. "This is the SATs. It's not some random quiz we can make up next week. There are forty-two people in our class whose futures are riding on today." I tried to make him understand his actions. "Think about Jacob. He spent years training through injuries because he's counting on an athletic scholarship to get into college. And Phoebe—her family barely has enough money to get by. They've sacrificed everything to give her a shot at college." Leo said nothing, so I kept going, "If you're pissed at me, fine. Take it out on me. But don't screw over everyone else's future just to get back at me." For a second, the look on his face made me think I might have finally gotten through to him. Then, he laughed coldly. "Take it out on you?" He shoved the tattoo artist away from the tray of ink and turned toward me, his eyes burning with jealousy. "Who the hell do you think you are, Kai? Do you think standing there giving some heroic little speech is supposed to make me feel guilty?" He scoffed. "Give me a break. You've always thought you were better than me just because you get better grades. Every test, every class, every single time." His jaw tightened. "Why? My family has more money than you'll ever see in your life. Everything I wear is designer, and everything I own is top of the line." His expression darkened as he continued, "And yet, Cailyn won't even look at me. She follows you around all day like you're the only guy at school." Cailyn Howell was one of the prettiest girls in our class, and one of the only people who had a real shot at beating me for valedictorian. We studied together all the time, but that was it. Apparently, Leo had convinced himself there was something more going on. "Leo, this is not the time for this!" I snapped. "What does Cailyn have to do with the SATs?" I held out my hand. "Just give me the admission slips. Let everyone get inside and take the test. Afterward, you can do whatever the hell you want to me. I don't care." I clenched my fists and reached for the backpack again, but Leo immediately slapped my hand away. "If I say it has something to do with this, then it does." Then, a smug smile spread across his face as he raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead. Tear my backpack apart if you want. The folder isn't in there." Chapter 2 He Forced Me to My Knees The second he said that, my blood ran cold. "What did you just say? Mr. Hanson handed that folder directly to you!" Leo let out a mocking laugh, a nasty smirk tugging at his lips. "That folder has everyone's admission slips in it. Do you really think I'd carry something that important around with me? I didn't want to lose it, so I locked it in the safe at my family's apartment across from school." He leaned in closer, clearly enjoying the way the color drained from my face. "And I'm the only person who knows the combination. So, search me all you want. It won't do you any good." My mind went blank. The apartment was more than a mile from the tattoo shop. We still had to get there, open the safe, grab the folder, and somehow make it back to the exam center. There was no way we had enough time. "Leo, please." Before I even realized what I was doing, I dropped to my knees in front of him. At that moment, I didn't care about my pride anymore. I grovelled until my forehead nearly touched the floor. "I'm begging you, please open up the safe. Everyone has spent years working toward this. You can't destroy their shot at college over something like this!" Sweat trickled down my face, and my scraped palm was still bleeding. The two guys who had come with me were just as desperate. "Leo, whatever beef you have with Kai, deal with it after the test," one of them pleaded. "Please, just get us the tickets." Leo stared down at me. Instead of showing even the slightest bit of guilt, he looked thrilled. He pulled out his phone and started taking pictures of me on my knees, one after another. Only after he'd taken enough did he finally let out a sigh. "Okay, then. Since you're willing to humiliate yourself like this, I'll help you guys out." He turned to the tattoo artist. "Hold off on the legs. I'll go with them." My head snapped up. For the first time, it felt like we actually had a chance. I jumped to my feet without even bothering to wipe the blood from my hand and reached for him. "Come on! If we get a taxi right now, we can still make it!" Leo had barely gotten to his feet when he suddenly sucked in a sharp breath and dropped right back into the chair. "Nope." He slapped a hand against his freshly tattooed calf. "Can't do it. They just finished the base color. If I pull my jeans over this now, it'll ruin the whole thing." He gestured toward the protective wrap over his leg. "The artist said I need to leave it alone for at least thirty minutes." Then, he spread his hands in an innocent shrug. "I guess I can't walk now." I looked at the clock, realizing we only had twenty minutes left. By then, I was certain he was doing it on purpose. "Leo! What the hell do you want from us?" My voice cracked as I yelled. "Are you seriously going to ruin forty-two people's futures just because you can?" Leo dug a finger into his ear as if my shouting was nothing more than an annoyance. "God, would you quit screaming?" He rolled his eyes, then looked at me as though he'd just come up with a perfectly reasonable solution. "Fine. I'll go get the folder, but I can't walk." He pointed at me. "You carry me, Kai." Then, he pointed at the two guys behind me. "And you two, hold my legs up. One on each side. Keep them perfectly level. If you mess up my new tattoos, none of you can afford to pay me back." The tattoo shop went dead silent. The two guys behind me were shaking with rage, their fists clenched tight. "Leo, you've got to be kidding me!" Leo gave a cold snort and picked up his phone again. "You don't want to carry me? Fine. Then I'll stay here and finish my tattoos. I don't need the SATs that badly anyway." He glanced at us with a smug look. "You're the ones running out of time." "I'll carry you!" I forced the words out through clenched teeth. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, then turned around and crouched in front of him. Every muscle in my body was throbbing with humiliation and rage. "Get on." Chapter 3 We Carried Him While the Clock Ran Out Leo burst out laughing. Then, without warning, he threw himself onto my back. All 160 pounds of him came crashing down on me at once. My knees buckled, and I nearly went face-first into the floor. "Careful," Leo said smugly as he settled onto my back. "Drop me, and you'll never get that combination." The two guys with me looked ready to kill him, but for the sake of everyone's admission slips, they had no choice. Humiliated, they bent down and carefully lifted Leo's legs, one on each side, making sure his fresh tattoos didn't touch the ground. The second we stepped outside, the summer heat hit us like a wall. It was nearly 95°F, and the pavement felt like it was melting beneath our shoes. We could feel the heat rising from the pavement as I carried Leo on my back, while the other two guys jogged beside me, holding his legs up. The three of us must have looked completely insane, like servants carrying some spoiled prince through the streets. And we ran. "Faster!" Leo yelled from behind me. "Come on, Kai! What the hell, did you skip breakfast?" He didn't sound guilty, not even a little. Instead, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and started smoking like he didn't have a care in the world while I struggled under his weight. Sweat got into my eyes. My lungs burned, and every breath felt like someone was tearing my chest apart from the inside. With every step, my legs grew heavier. People on the sidewalk slowed down to stare. "What are those kids doing? Is it some kind of dare?" "Look at that guy! He's making them carry his legs too. Who does he think he is, a king?" Every comment felt like another slap across the face, but I couldn't stop. All I could think about was our classmates waiting outside the exam center. For some of them, today meant everything. Kids like me who didn't come from money. Kids who had spent years studying because getting into a good college felt like their one real chance to change their lives. I could take the humiliation and pain. I just had to get those admission slips back. The little over a mile to Leo's apartment felt endless. … By the time we stumbled into the elevator, my shirt was soaked through, and every breath left a metallic taste in my mouth. The doors finally opened on the eighteenth floor. The moment we stepped into the hallway, my legs gave out. I dropped to one knee on the carpet, barely able to catch my breath. Leo hopped off my back and brushed some cigarette ash from his clothes, looking at me with disgust. "Pathetic. It was only a mile, and you're already dying?" I gritted my teeth and forced myself back to my feet. The second Leo unlocked the door, the three of us rushed inside behind him. He headed straight for the bedroom, where a safe was hidden behind a panel in the corner. He punched in the combination, and the lock clicked open. Inside was a large paper folder. My heart nearly stopped beating. 'Yes! The admission slips! All forty-two of them!' "Give it to me!" I lunged forward, my fingertips just inches from the folder, but Leo suddenly jerked it out of reach. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "We don't have time! Just give me the tickets. I'm faster than you—I can run over there and still make it in time!" I yanked out my phone and checked the screen. We only had twelve minutes left before the exam center closed its doors. "Give them to you?" Leo laughed. "In your dreams." Before any of us could react, he shoved the entire folder under his shirt and pressed it flat against his chest. My eyes widened. "Leo! Are you insane?" "You're the one acting insane." He glared at me like somehow I was the problem. "These are forty-two people's admission slips for the SATs. What happens if I hand them over and you idiots drop them or lose them on the way?" He patted the folder under his shirt. "Mr. Hanson put me in charge of them, so I'll be the one to deliver them safely." Then, his gaze landed on a small bottle of tattoo cleaning solution sitting on the desk. He picked it up, and my stomach dropped. "And just in case any of you get the bright idea to jump me and take the folder..." He slipped the bottle under his shirt beside the tickets. "Touch me, and I'll pour this all over them. By then, none of you are taking the SATs." "You can put whatever the hell you want under there!" I grabbed his arm and shoved him toward the door. "Just move! We don't have time!" There was no time left to argue and no time left to care about whatever sick game Leo was playing. I practically dragged him out of the apartment and slammed my hand against the elevator button. Chapter 4 Our Last Ten Minutes We rushed out of the building and hurried to the intersection. All we needed was a taxi, for the exam center was only five minutes away. If we left right now, we could still make it. I stood at the curb, waving frantically, and almost immediately spotted an empty taxi coming toward us. "There! Get in!" The taxi pulled over, and I yanked open the back door. However, Leo didn't move. "I'm not getting in." I froze and stared at him. "What?" Leo rolled his shoulders with a grimace, acting like he was the one who'd been put through hell. "You carried me all the way here, bouncing around like an idiot. My whole body feels like it's been beaten up, and I'm freaking thirsty." Then, he pointed across the street to a viral beverage shop on the corner. "I need an iced lemon tea. If I don't cool down, I might pass out from heatstroke in the taxi. And if that happens, who's gonna get your precious SAT slips to the exam center?" My stomach dropped when I saw the line. It stretched halfway down the block, with at least twenty people waiting. By the time Leo got his drink, we wouldn't be able to enter the exam center. One of the guys beside me finally snapped, "Leo, you've got to be kidding me! You're seriously going to stand in that line right now?" Leo's face darkened instantly. "What's your problem?" He slammed the taxi door shut. "Keep whining, and I'm done helping any of you." With that, he turned and started toward the beverage shop. Something inside me finally snapped. "Leo!" I charged after him and grabbed his arm, my fingers digging into his skin. "We only have ten minutes left!" My voice was strained and raw. "Ten minutes before they close the doors! If you stand in that line now, none of us are making it inside!" By then, I was practically screaming in his face. Leo ripped his arm out of my grip. Before I could react, his fist slammed straight into my face. My vision went white. The punch snapped my head sideways and sent me stumbling back as warm blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. "Would you quit rushing me?" Leo jabbed a finger in my face. "Kai, stop hiding behind the whole class and acting like some hero." He continued, "You broke losers treat the SATs like it's your one chance to escape your pathetic lives. Meanwhile, I don't care about this stupid test. If I fail, my dad can drop a few hundred grand and send me to some private university in Averia." He looked between the three of us with a smug smile. "You guys don't have that option. You get one shot, and if you screw it up, you stay exactly where you belong." Then, he scoffed. "So what if we're a few minutes late? Are there any lives at risk? I'm thirsty. That's all there is to it. If you say one more word, I'll rip every admission slip in half and dump them down the drain." The two guys behind me were shaking with fury. One of them stepped forward, ready to go after Leo, but I quickly held out an arm to stop him. We couldn't touch him. The admission slips were still hidden under his shirt, and after everything he'd already done, I knew he wasn't bluffing. Push him too far, and he really would destroy them. For everyone else's sake, I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and swallowed every bit of anger and humiliation burning inside me. "Fine," I rasped. "Go get your drink." Chapter 5 Two Minutes Too Late Leo gave a smug little snort and took his sweet time crossing the street. When he finally reached the shop, he cut straight to the front of the line. And even then, he couldn't just place his order and leave. He told the cashier to crush the lemon very finely and to fill the cup completely to the top with ice. I kept checking my phone. Nine minutes left. Then eight. Then seven. Every second felt like torture. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. Five minutes later, Leo finally walked out with his iced lemon tea. Instead of coming back to us, he stopped beside a sleek motorcycle on display outside the shop. Leo pulled out his phone, put on his sunglasses, and started filming himself beside the motorcycle. One hand rested on the handlebars while he casually held his drink in the other. He recorded clip after clip, checking each one before shooting another. When he was finally happy with the footage, he stood there editing it on his phone—trimming the clips, adding music, and playing around with the filter. Another three minutes disappeared. Only after he posted the video to Instagram did he take a long sip of his tea and return to us. "All right," he said, smacking his lips. "Let's go." … By the time we managed to get another taxi and pulled up outside the exam center, a sharp bell was already ringing from inside. We were late. The cutoff for entry had passed two full minutes ago, and the front gates were already shut. More than forty students from our class were packed outside the locked entrance, along with their parents. The second they saw us, their faces lit up. For one brief moment, hope swept through the crowd. However, the security officer at the entrance announced, "The exam has already started, and we're no longer accepting admission slips. I'm afraid you won't be able to enter." One of the mothers rushed forward immediately. "Please! They have the admission slips now. It's only been two minutes!" "Please!" Another parent broke down sobbing. "My son has spent two years preparing for this! You can't let everything come down to two minutes!" Within seconds, the entrance descended into chaos. Students were crying, parents were pleading, and some were shouting through the doors at the staff. My knees gave out, and I sank onto the curb. It was over. All those late nights studying, all those practice tests, and the families who sacrificed money, time, and sleep because they believed today could change something—now it was all lost in just two minutes. Right then, Leo walked up, still holding his iced lemon tea. He stopped behind the crowd and looked around at everyone crying before rolling his eyes. "Come on, it's only two minutes. That guy at the door seriously needs to loosen up." He took another sip, completely unfazed. "Why are you all crying? So, you missed this one. Take it again next time. It's not the end of the world. You people act like missing one test date means your life is over." That was the last straw. Every student and parent turned toward him, and the anger in the crowd shifted almost instantly. A few parents started pushing their way forward, looking ready to go after him. Just then, a violent cough cut through the noise. Everyone turned toward the edge of the crowd. A girl was hurrying toward us, stumbling slightly as she walked. Her face was so pale she looked like she could collapse at any moment. The moment Leo saw her, his expression changed completely. The smug look disappeared, and panic flashed across his face. "The SATs have already started!" he blurted out. "Why are you still here?"