Ripping Up Our SAT Tickets，Go To Hell, I'm Going to Stanford!

Before the SAT, the class princess suddenly burst into the classroom and announced: "Rip up your admission tickets, and we get to eat for free at that TikTok-famous restaurant!" "We can always just reprint them later anyway. Let's go grab the free food first!" In my past life, I went crazy trying to stop everyone, begging them not to rip them. In the end, the whole class kept their tickets intact and entered the exam room smoothly. But the class princess was suspended and publicly shamed by the school for inciting the incident. She jumped off the bridge that very night. On the day of her funeral, my classmates cornered me on the bridge. "If you hadn't meddled in her business, would she even be dead?" "We’d rather not take the exam than lose her!" With sick smiles, they pushed me off the bridge. Freezing water rushed into my nose and mouth, as their curses on the shore faded away. When I opened my eyes again, the class princess was bursting into the classroom, once again egging everyone on to rip up their tickets. I sat quietly in my seat, watching everyone throw the shredded pieces of their tickets into the air. This time, I won't waste my kindness. When Lily burst in, I was looking at the countdown clock on the wall. "Girls, I just got the news! That new TikTok-famous restaurant in the south district, 'The Nest', is offering free meals for the whole table if you rip up your SAT admission ticket!" Her voice was crisp, like a sparrow chirping at the window in the morning. "We can just reprint them later anyway. It’s not like there's only one copy. Let's go get some free food, and then we can come back and print them out. It’s such a steal!" The classmates around started whispering. Some pulled out their phones to look up the restaurant's location, while others were already reaching into their backpacks to fish out their tickets. I sat in the second-to-last row by the window. My nails dug into my palms, the pain making my entire body tremble. Memories of my past life flooded back like a broken dam. Back then, I was sitting right here. Hearing Lily's words, I stood up like a madwoman, blocking the classroom door and begging everyone not to do it. I screamed until my voice went hoarse, snatching the shredded paper from their hands one by one, until a few boys finally dragged me out into the hallway. Lily stood nearby, watching me. A dark gleam flashed in her eyes, gone in an instant, replaced by her usual sweet smile. In the end, the admission tickets were saved, and the whole class made it into the testing center. But Lily was suspended and publicly shamed by the school administration for inciting the incident. Her dad even drove to the school to make a scene, claiming the school was defaming his daughter, before being escorted out by security. That night, Lily jumped off the bridge. On the day of her funeral, I was standing on that same bridge when her friends cornered me. Hailey grabbed my collar, spitting in my face: "If you hadn't meddled, would she even be dead?" Chloe cried next to her, screaming: "We’d rather not take the exam than lose her!" No one even asked me what actually happened that day. They only knew that Lily was dead, and I was still alive. Then, hand after hand pushed against my shoulders, chest, and back. The bridge railing was low, and I didn't even have time to scream before I went over. Freezing water choked my throat and nose. I saw those blurry faces on the bridge, and not a single one looked regretful. And now, here I was again. The same classroom, the same sunlight, the same Lily standing at the front, smiling like a doll. I unclenched my fists, looking down to see four deep, crescent-shaped nail marks in my palm, oozing a tiny bit of blood. It hurt. Good. It wasn't a dream. "Evelyn! What are you spacing out for?" My desk mate, Maya, nudged me with her elbow. "Should we go to that restaurant Lily mentioned?" In my past life, Maya had also been stopped by me, but her mind was already elsewhere, and she ended up only going to a local community college. I turned to look at the smile on her face, then looked away. "Go if you want to," I said. Maya blinked, clearly not expecting that response. In the front row, a boy had already stood up, ripping his ticket in half and tossing it into the air. The paper drifted down in the sunlight like artificial snow. "Awesome!" That was Tyler, Lily's loyal simp. Ripping his own wasn't enough; he turned around to grab the ticket of the girl sitting behind him. "Come on, let me rip it for you. We can just reprint it later anyway." The girl hesitated for a second, but seeing everyone else doing it, she ripped hers too. The whole classroom felt like a festival. Paper flying, laughter echoing. Lily stood by the podium, recording a TikTok on her phone, chanting: "Everyone, rip them up together! Let's make a video to remember this!"She pointed her camera at everyone tearing up their tickets, and finally spun around to take a selfie, flashing a peace sign. "Youth is all about doing crazy things!" Everyone was wild with excitement. I sat quietly in my seat, pulled my admission ticket out of my backpack, folded it neatly, put it into the inner pocket of my jacket, and zipped it up. The paper was still flying in the room. "Evelyn." Lily’s voice drifted over from the podium, sweet as honey. I looked up. She was already standing by my desk, her phone raised, camera aimed right at my face. "Why aren't you ripping yours?" She tilted her head, her eyes looking innocent, but a strange, unreadable smirk played at the corner of her lips. "I don't want to," I said. Lily blinked, her expression stiffening for a fraction of a second before her smile returned. She raised her voice slightly, making sure the people around could hear: "Oh, come on! We can just reprint them. It won't affect the exam. The whole class ripped theirs. If you don't, you're just being a party pooper." The moment she said "party pooper," several classmates who were ripping their tickets looked over. Maya hesitated beside me, whispering, "Evelyn, maybe you should... I mean, everyone's doing it. It should be fine, right? Lily said she asked the print shop, and we can reprint them anytime." Lily immediately chimed in, "Yeah! I already asked. The school board says if you lose your ticket, you can easily get a replacement. The process is super simple; you just need a photo ID. Let's go eat first and handle it when we get back. It’s perfect!" She spoke so sincerely that even I almost believed her. "No," I repeated, my voice quiet but firm. The smile on Lily's face finally cracked. Her lips twitched downward for a split second before recovering, but I caught the flash of malice in her eyes. "You're such a buzzkill," she muttered, turning away. She turned the camera back to herself. "Alright, guys! The whole class did it! Live wild while we're young!" The whole class. She said the "whole class," as if saying it made it a fact. I scanned the classroom. Indeed, most people's tickets had been reduced to shreds, scattered across desks, the floor, and the windowsills. I lowered my head, opened my study guide, and started reviewing vocabulary. By the third page, Lily was back. This time, she wasn't alone. Chloe and Hailey were right behind her. The very two pairs of hands that had pushed me off the bridge in my past life were now standing behind her like unsheathed blades. "Evelyn, we're leaving soon. Are you really not coming?" Lily's tone sounded like she actually cared about me. "It's just a lunch. We'll be back to print the tickets right after. It won't take long." I closed my book and looked up. Our eyes met. In her pupils, I saw my own reflection—calm, almost cold. "No," I said. Chloe scoffed from the side, "Evelyn, do you have some kind of paranoia? It's just a free lunch, what could go wrong?" Hailey chimed in, "Exactly. Lily went out of her way to organize this for us. Why are you acting so high and mighty?" The classmates' attention drifted back to us. I watched them silently, waiting for them to finish, then said, "Did I say you guys shouldn't go?"The three of them froze. "I only said "I'm" not going," I said smoothly. "You guys do your thing, I'll do mine. Who am I bothering?" My logic was flawless. No one could argue with that. Chloe opened her mouth to argue but couldn't find any words. Her face flushed red. Lily, quick to react, immediately laughed it off: "Alright, alright, it's a personal choice. We respect Evelyn. Everyone, pack up! Meet at the school gate in ten minutes!" She turned and walked away. Chloe and Hailey followed, throwing one last glare at me before they left. I watched their retreating figures, a faint smile touching my lips. In my past life, I blocked them to save them, and they hated me for meddling. In this life, I didn't stop them, and they still hated me just because I wouldn't join them. So they were going to hate me either way, huh? Let them. The classroom emptied out. A noisy crowd gathered at the school gate, buzzing with excitement like they were going on a field trip. Someone had made a makeshift sign out of cardboard that read: "Shred-to-Eat Free Meal Crew". Tyler carried it at the front like a general marching into battle. Lily walked in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by her adoring classmates, her smile brighter than the sun. The hallway was empty now. The entire school building fell into a hollow silence. Only the wind blew, rustling the shredded paper on the classroom floor. Every single piece of that paper was an SAT admission ticket. I grabbed my backpack, walked out of the classroom, down the stairs, across the empty courtyard, and reached the school gate. A white Volkswagen pulled up by the curb, and the window rolled down to reveal a young woman. It was my aunt, Sarah. "Evelyn, over here!" she waved. "Why did you decide to pick me up today?" I asked. "The big exam is tomorrow. I wanted to take you out for a nice meal so you can relax." She started the car and glanced at me. "Why do you look so pale?" "I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well last night." Sarah didn't press further. She reached into the console and handed me a piece of candy. "Oh, right," she remembered. "A new bypass opened up in the south district. It's much faster. We're eating over there today." My heart skipped a beat. "Where?" "That new TikTok-famous place in the south district. What was it called... oh, 'The Nest'." The Nest. The exact restaurant Lily had talked about. The candy in my mouth suddenly lost its sweetness. "Sarah," I said, "let's go somewhere else." "Why?" "I heard they're running a massive promo right now. It's going to be packed." Sarah smiled. "Don't worry, I already booked a private booth." As she spoke, she steered the car onto the highway heading south. I didn't say anything more. The city blurred past the window. High-rises, overpasses, and trees were bathed in golden sunlight. It was the day before the SAT, and the whole city seemed to be clearing a path for the students. Even the usually congested roads were completely clear. Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up in front of "The Nest." The restaurant was larger than I expected. The exterior was sleek and modern, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and manicured bamboo at the entrance. It definitely had that viral, trendy vibe. But right now, a noisy crowd was packed outside the entrance. "Evelyn, are those kids from your school?" Sarah parked the car and walked over, following my gaze. "Yeah." "What are they doing here? Isn't the SAT tomorrow?" I didn't answer. Because Lily had already spotted me. Her gaze cut through the crowd and landed on me. She froze for a second, and then her lips slowly, very slowly, curled into a smile. "Evelyn?"Chloe was the first to shout, her voice so sharp it could be heard down the entire street. Everyone's eyes whipped around to face me. Tyler turned around, holding the cardboard sign. When he saw me, he froze, then burst into a loud laugh. "Oh my god, Evelyn! You came? Didn't you say you weren't coming?" He laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, slinging the cardboard sign over his shoulder. "You acted so high and mighty, but in the end, you still crawled back here?" The crowd immediately erupted in mocking laughter. "Exactly! Acting so superior, but look who's here now." "Hey, Evelyn, did you rip up your ticket too? Let me see!" "She definitely ripped it. Otherwise, how would she dare to show up? The restaurant said you can only get the free meal with a shredded ticket." The crowd jeered. I stood a few steps away, looking at them, completely silent. Sarah frowned and whispered to me, "Evelyn, what's going on? What ripped ticket?" "It's nothing," I said. The laughter outside the restaurant was deafening. Everyone was laughing, and every eye was on me. I didn't say a word. Instead of explaining things to them, I'd rather finish my lunch quickly and go home to study. Lily stood at the back of the crowd, her lips curled, not joining in the mocking but not stopping it either. "Alright, alright," she finally said. "Evelyn is shy, stop laughing at her. Since she's here, let's all go in together. The more the merrier!" Sarah glanced at me with concern but didn't ask further, pulling me into the restaurant. The moment the door of our private booth closed, the noise outside was completely cut off. Sarah set the menu down, turned to me, and lowered her voice. "Evelyn, what are they actually doing? They ripped up their admission tickets? How are they going to take the exam tomorrow?" I pulled the pristine ticket from my inner pocket and placed it on the table. Sarah stared at it, stunned. After a long moment, she picked it up, inspected it front and back, and let out a massive sigh of relief before tucking it carefully back into my hand. "Thank god you didn't rip it." She sat down, looking toward the door. "What is wrong with the restaurant owner? How dare they run a stunt like this?" I took a sip of my water. "Just a viral marketing stunt," I said. "They probably didn't think anyone would actually do it." My aunt shook her head and dropped the subject. The carnival in the lobby downstairs went on for nearly an hour. Upstairs, I finished my meal in absolute peace. The next day was the exam. I arrived at the test center an hour early. The entrance was roped off, police officers were directing traffic, and anxious parents had packed the street. I passed through the gates smoothly and lined up in front of the testing building. Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed behind me. Lily was running at the front of a group of students. They were all clutching newly printed sheets of paper, their faces exhausted. The security check opened. Students filed in, scanning their photo IDs, handing over their admission tickets, and completing facial recognition. Everything was exactly like my past life. Until Tyler reached the verification desk. The proctor took his ticket, glanced at it, and frowned. "This ticket is invalid."