Leech Off My Perfect Score，Enjoy Your 30 on the SATs!

Only a hundred days left until the SATs, and the entire school was gathered for the honors assembly. I, the girl who had held the number-one spot in our grade for three consecutive years, was standing on the second-place tier of the podium. The girl who snatched the crown from me was Serena Vance—the school's resident "it-girl" who usually ranked tenth from the bottom. "Well, Chloe, I guess the legendary top student isn't all that after all," Serena sneered into the microphone, taunting me right in front of the entire student body and faculty. Under the stage, the crowd erupted into mocking jeers and whispers. I clenched my fists, utterly bewildered. It wasn't until after school that day, while hiding in a bathroom stall, that I heard her talking to thin air. "System, are you sure I'll score exactly thirty points higher than Chloe on the actual SATs too?" A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the empty restroom. "Rest assured, Host. The link to Chloe Miller has been successfully established. No matter what she scores, you will always score exactly thirty points higher than her." I clamped my hand over my mouth, barely holding back a laugh. So, she was nothing but a dirty little thief with a cheat code. If you want to score thirty points higher so badly, Serena, I’m happy to oblige. I turned on my heel and walked straight into the principal’s office to sign the early admission agreement I had previously rejected. Once I accepted the direct admission, my SAT score would be registered as a flat zero. Serena, enjoy your grand score of thirty on the SATs. "Chloe, look who finally fell from grace." The moment I stepped back into the classroom, Serena’s main lackey, Naomi Taylor, kicked my chair over. My insulated mug clattered to the floor, spilling hot water everywhere. I stared at them coldly. Serena was lounging on my desk, her long legs swinging back and forth. She was wearing a perfectly applied "no-makeup" makeup look today, her school uniform jacket draped loosely over her shoulders in that effortlessly chic way. "What are you looking at?" Naomi barked, pointing a finger at my face. "Serena is the undisputed number one of Oakridge High now. She’s a shoe-in for the Ivy League!" "A nerd like you should just pack up and give her your seat. You don't deserve to sit in the front row anymore." The entire class watched, treating it like a free show. Not a single person spoke up for me. Ever since Serena’s grades skyrocketed out of nowhere, the classroom dynamics had completely shifted. The classmates who used to swarm my desk begging for help were now all wagging their tails around her. "Honestly, Chloe, I barely even studied," Serena giggled, covering her mouth. "I just casually flipped through the prep books before the exam. Who knew I’d end up in first place?" "You study until midnight every single day, so how did you still end up thirty points behind me?" Her eyes swam with mockery. I bent down and pulled my chair back up. "Flipping through books and getting first place? You really are something else," I said, my voice completely flat. Seeing that I didn't blow up, Serena lost interest. "At least you know your place," she said, sliding off my desk. "I'm hosting a victory party this weekend. Everyone’s invited!" The classroom instantly erupted into cheers. "Serena is the best!" "All hail the queen!" I grabbed a rag and quietly wiped the water off the floor. My mind was racing, replaying the conversation I’d overheard in the restroom. System. Thirty points higher. No wonder her scores in the last three mock exams had been so ridiculously precise. Every single time, she was exactly thirty points ahead of me. This "system" she bound herself to was literally leeching off my blood to make her look like a genius. I watched Serena walk away, surrounded by her adoring crowd. A cold smirk played on my lips. The next morning, I knocked on my homeroom teacher Mr. Harrison's office door, holding a stack of papers. "Chloe, just the person I wanted to see," Mr. Harrison said, his brow furrowed as he handed me a report card. "Are you doing alright lately? Is the pressure getting to you?" "You used to be locked into the top ten in the state. How did your rank drop so drastically this time?" I looked down at the report card, where Serena’s name sat arrogantly at the very top. "Mr. Harrison, I want to sign the Early Scholar Admission agreement." Mr. Harrison froze, his red pen slipping from his fingers and rolling across the desk. "Early admission?" He stood up, his face painted with disbelief. "But you told me before you wanted to take the SATs and apply normally!" "The direct-admission major they offered you is Archaic Linguistics. It's a completely dead-end, niche field!" "With your talent, if you perform normally, you could easily get into Finance or Computer Science at Harvard!" Mr. Harrison tried to reason with me, his voice heavy with concern. I shook my head. "I've thought it through, sir." "I have a deep passion for ancient texts. I want to secure my spot now." Mr. Harrison sighed deeply. "Are you doing this because you're stressed about Serena’s recent scores?" "One or two exams don't define your future. You can't throw away your path just because of someone else!" Of course I wasn't stressed. I was clearer than I had ever been. Serena’s system calculated her score based on mine. Honestly, I had been holding back. In every exam, I deliberately managed my score so I wouldn't stand out too much. But even if I gave it my absolute all, it would only serve as a stepping stone for Serena, giving her all the glory. I had thought about pushing myself to the limit for the last hundred days. If I could break past 1570, Serena's score would look "incredible." But I couldn't afford to gamble. Signing the early admission papers now was the smartest move. On SAT day, I would simply leave my answer sheet blank, or not show up at all. The system would register my score as a flat 0. Even with her system's "thirty-point bonus," Serena's final score would be... 30. A score so low it wouldn't even get her into a local trade school. I couldn't wait to see how our glorious school queen would explain that. "My mind is made up, Mr. Harrison," I said, looking him dead in the eye with unwavering resolve. "Please give me the admission form." Realizing he couldn't change my mind, Mr. Harrison reluctantly pulled the form from his drawer. "If you're absolutely sure. Fill it out and give it back to me." "Once you're accepted through this program, you won't need to take the SATs, and you won't have to attend the prep sessions anymore." I took the papers and nodded firmly. "Thank you, Mr. Harrison."I walked back to the classroom just as morning homeroom was starting. Serena was standing at the podium, holding my physics worksheet. "Take a good look, everyone. This is the work of our former number-one student." She held my paper up high. "She couldn't even draw a basic force diagram correctly on the last bonus question." "Chloe, is your brain turning to mush?" The classroom erupted into a wave of laughter. Naomi swaggered over and swept my backpack off my desk, letting it crash to the floor. "Serena is trying to teach you how to do the math. You should be groveling in gratitude." I bent down, picked up my backpack, and patted off the dust. "Serena, do you actually understand physics?" I asked, tucking the early admission form inside my textbook and looking up at her. Serena’s face stiffened. "Cut the crap. I got a perfect score!" "Then let me ask you: how do you determine the direction of the Lorentz force?" The classroom fell dead silent. Serena opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. Her face flushed a deep, angry red. "Why should I have to answer your stupid questions?" she snapped, trying desperately to save face. "You’re a loser who just got beaten by me. You don't have the right to test me!" "Exactly! Serena doesn't waste her breath on losers!" Naomi chimed in quickly. I didn't bother arguing. I just sat down. Serena really didn't know a thing. She still slept through classes and scrolled through TikTok all day. She couldn't even memorize basic formulas. She relied entirely on her cheat system to automatically rewrite her grades when the papers were graded. But I wasn't in a hurry. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. I pulled out my pen and solemnly signed my name on the early admission form. Over the next few weeks, I completely checked out. I slept through lectures and read web novels in class. I didn't write a single word of the homework assignments. Then came the fourth mock exam. I deliberately scribbled nonsense on my paper and handed in a blank sheet. When the results were posted, the entire school went wild. My total score was a flat 0. Mr. Harrison dragged me into his office and screamed at me until he was red in the face. "Chloe! What on earth are you doing?!" "Your early admission hasn't even been officially processed yet, and you're already throwing your life away?!" I kept my head down, pretending to be meek and apologetic. But in my head, I was counting down the seconds. Right on cue, the office door was violently slammed open. Serena burst in, clutching her report card, her face a mask of pure panic. "Mr. Harrison! There has to be a mistake on this report card!" Her voice was shrill, laced with terror. Mr. Harrison frowned. "What's wrong, Serena?" He glanced at his computer screen. "A total score of... thirty?" "Ranked second to last in the entire school?"The air in the office instantly froze. Serena’s face turned paper-white. She stared blankly at Mr. Harrison's screen. "How could I only get a thirty?" She shoved him aside, grabbing the mouse and clicking frantically. But the numbers didn't budge. Reading: 10. Writing: 10. Math: 10. Total: 30. Standing to the side, I had to squeeze my thighs to keep from bursting out laughing. The system was surprisingly thorough—it had evenly distributed her failing marks across all sections. Mr. Harrison’s expression hardened. "Serena, have you let your recent success get to your head?" "To fail this miserably on multiple-choice questions means you didn't even try. Your attitude is completely unacceptable!" Serena stomped her foot in frustration. "Teacher, I didn't throw the test! There has to be a glitch in the grading software!" She whipped her head toward me, her eyes burning with pure malice. "Chloe! Is this your doing?!" I held up my hands innocently. "I got a zero, and you got a thirty. How could I possibly cheat?" "Besides, your score is still "exactly" thirty points higher than mine." I put a heavy, sarcastic emphasis on "exactly thirty points higher." Serena’s body shuddered violently. She stared at me in absolute horror. As if a lightbulb had suddenly gone off in her head, she spun around and sprinted out of the office. I followed her. She bolted straight into the girls' bathroom and locked herself in a stall. I stood right outside, pressing my ear against the wooden door. Inside, Serena’s voice was hysterical. "System! Show yourself! What the hell is going on?!" "Why did I only get a thirty?!" The cold, mechanical voice chimed in. "Ding. Detection of host's score is verified as correct." "Target Chloe Miller scored 0 points on this exam." "Host's score: 0 + 30 = 30 points." "This matches the set parameters. System is operating normally." "You're lying!" Serena shrieked. "I need an Ivy League offer! I need to be number one!" "With a thirty, I'm a laughingstock! How am I supposed to face anyone?!" The system replied without a shred of emotion. "This system is only programmed to add thirty points to the target's score." "If the target's score is too low, resulting in an insufficient score for the host, it falls outside the system's liability." "Recommendation: The host should encourage the target to study harder and aim higher." The sound of something slamming against the wall echoed from the stall. Serena had thrown her phone in a rage. I leaned against the wall, clutching my stomach as silent laughter racked my body. Encourage me to study harder? Not in this lifetime. My early admission would be officially posted next week. I was officially a free agent who didn't need to take exams anymore.Back in the classroom, the atmosphere was chaotic. Naomi was staring at the report card, looking at Serena in disbelief as she walked back in. "Serena... did you bubble in the wrong circles on the answer sheet?" "How did you end up with a thirty?" Classmates crowded around, throwing questions at her. The very people who had been kissing her boots minutes ago now looked at her with blatant suspicion. Serena took a deep breath, forcing herself to look calm. "The questions on this mock exam were garbage. I didn't feel like wasting my time." "I just guessed randomly." "I'll show you my real strength on the next one." She walked back to her seat, pretending to flip through her textbook. But her trembling hands betrayed her panic. "Give me a break. Your true colors are finally showing," a mocking voice sneered from the back. It was Jake Thompson, the class athletic rep. "I bet you cheated your way to first place before, and you got caught this time." Naomi immediately fired back. "Shut up, Jake! We all know how smart Serena is!" "She just didn't care about a stupid practice test!" Serena shot Naomi a grateful look. "Don't worry, guys. On the actual SATs, I'll show you what I'm truly capable of." I sat in the back row, spinning my pen. What you're truly capable of? Yeah, a solid thirty. For the next two weeks, Serena did a complete 180 and started sucking up to me. She stopped sending her minions to bully me. Every morning, a gourmet breakfast would miraculously appear on my desk. After classes, she would volunteer to erase the whiteboard for me. "Chloe, I'm so sorry about how I acted before," she said, handing me a Starbucks iced coffee with a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Can you share your study methods with me?" "I've always admired how efficiently you study." I looked at her pathetic, groveling face. "Sorry, but I've officially given up on studying," I said, pushing the coffee away. "Right now, I just want to sleep and read. Academics aren't my thing anymore." Serena panicked. "You can't do that! The SATs are the most important thing in your life!" "You can't just throw your future away!" She looked more anxious than my own parents. "Chloe, as long as you promise to study hard, I'll do literally anything you want!" She actually grabbed my arm, her hands trembling. I yanked my arm back and stared at her coldly. "You seem awfully invested in my grades. Anyone would think you're the one taking my tests." Serena’s eyes darted away nervously. "I'm... I'm just looking out for you as a classmate." "Looking out for me?" I let out a dry laugh. "Naomi was literally calling me a useless loser behind my back yesterday." "Aren't you two best friends? Maybe you should go handle that." Serena gritted her teeth. "I'll take care of it right now!" Less than ten minutes later, Naomi's loud crying echoed from the hallway. In front of the entire class, Serena had slapped Naomi across the face. "If anyone dares say another bad word about Chloe Miller, you'll have to answer to me!"