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?"

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?"

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.