Reborn: Climbing to Life's Pinnacle

Graduation year, I was the star of the SATs with a perfect 1600, but my sister barely scraped into a community college.

Turns out, she had secretly used a score-switching scam to hijack my future.

Overnight, she went from slacker to SAT champ, complete with VIPs delivering her awards in person.

She leveraged her newfound fame for years, raking it in with streams, book deals, and insider test tips. Life seemed to roll her way.

Meanwhile, I was left fending off street thugs and busting my tail to cover tuition.

When I told Dad how unfair life was, he smacked me and snapped,

"Deserved it! You're nothing but a letdown compared to your sister."

Pushed to the brink, I was coerced by some punks into performing at a strip club. But then, I snapped and fought back.

In the chaos, I was knocked off a cliff and left for dead.

As I lay there, one of the punks muttered with chilling indifference,

"Don't sweat it, this was Brittany's call. She'll cover us if things go south."

That's when it hit me—my sister had been plotting to silence me for good out of fear I'd ruin her perfect image.

I got a second shot at life, right back on that decisive exam day.

Faced with the same old test, I decisively wrote down her name.

The tables were about to turn. This top score was now mine to claim.

***

The last thing I remember before everything went dark was being pushed off a cliff by the school's queen bee.

She and her crew had dug a deep grave and buried me alive, though I was still hanging on by a thread.

I was overwhelmed by the stench of the dirt as I desperately shut my eyes.

.......

Awakening once more.

The familiar scene of the exam hall greeted my eyes.

The ring of the exam bell brought the test paper to my hands.

Lost in the moment, I stared blankly at the questions I knew too well.

A glance at the classroom clock snapped me back to reality—June 1st, 2019.

That's when the realization washed over me—I had another chance.

Boldly, I penned down my sister Brittany's name on my paper.

Last time around, she had swapped our scores the day before exams out of jealousy over my superior grades, stealing my perfect 1600.

I was left with her dismal score of 940, relegating me to the dregs of educational institutions.

She secretly connected me with some thugs to exploit me, and I endured endless humiliation.

Later, fearing I might expose her fraudulent scores, she orchestrated a plot to have me buried alive.

In my final moments, I pleaded with them, begging like a desperate dog, promising to keep her secret if only they spared my life.

Thankfully, fate handed me a mulligan, a chance to redo everything.

This time, I was determined to make them all pay dearly.

I breezed through the exam in an hour, intentionally avoiding every correct answer.

Once activated, the score-swapping scheme couldn't be easily undone.

If Brittany was so desperate for my scores, she was about to truly "enjoy" them this time.

Right after the exam, Brittany cornered me outside.

She had finished her paper early and had been eagerly waiting to gauge my performance.

Playing the part, I shakily assured her,

"I—I think I did alright. Good enough for a decent college, maybe."

"And you?" I asked, feigning interest.

She dismissed me with a wave, "Focus on yourself. Make sure you nail the math test this afternoon. You know the family's all counting on you."

I nodded obediently, playing along with her game.

For once, she skipped the verbal jabs and instead offered some tips to help me stay sharp for the math exam.

I nodded along, barely holding back my disgust.

Breathing deeply, I endured her tedious monologue.

When she finally finished, she walked away, but I could still hear her bragging on the phone in the distance.

"Dad, it's in the bag. Harvard or Yale for sure. Start planning the celebration."

"Oh, and make sure to call the press. I want the whole city to see the Miller girl shine."

"It'll look good for you too..."

A cold smirk spread across my face as I listened.

Yeah, bring in the press, call in the big guns.

Let's show the town just how full of it you really are.