Chapter 4

After the exams, I went back to the dorm to pack up and called my parents.

That's when I found out my brother was on break for the SAT and my parents had taken him on a trip.

I didn't have a key to the house.

The background noise on the phone was very loud. My mom's booming voice made me instinctively hold the old flip phone further from my ear.

"Just keep staying in the dorm until we get back! We paid for it, it's not like you have to sleep on the street."

"The dorm is closing today. Everyone has to move out," I explained.

"Then figure something out yourself. You're done with high school now, stop relying on your parents for everything. Be more considerate!"

I didn't have much stuff. Apart from the books and notes I had lent out, I only had a few changes of clothes and some daily necessities.

With just a backpack's worth of belongings, I found a job as a waitress at a hot pot restaurant. The pay was good and it included room and board.

When the manager asked me to join the work group chat, I took out a battered old flip phone and sheepishly said I didn't have social media.

I didn't even have money for a hotel room, let alone a smartphone.

The manager found an 80% new second-hand phone for me, telling me to buy a new one after I got my first paycheck.

I registered for social media and added Ms. Thompson as a friend. She immediately added me to the class group chat.

That night, lying on the bed in the staff dorm, I finally started exploring the smartphone.

It was my first time using a smartphone and I found it quite fascinating.

They were discussing plans for a class dinner, chatting enthusiastically.

Until Fiona asked how I did on the SAT.

The group went quiet for a moment, then classmates started tagging me:

"@Ava Chen Bet our top scorer got a 1580 or 1590 huh?"

"@Ava Chen Have you decided on Harvard or Yale yet, Ms. Perfect Score?"

"@Ava Chen Don't forget us little people when you're rich and famous, genius!"

Before I could reply, Lily's message made the group go silent again:

"Stop kissing up to her. She didn't even score as well as you guys! You'll at least get into community college, but she can only work in a factory now."

A flood of question marks appeared.

"I was in the same exam room as her. She slept through all four tests. If you don't believe me, ask her yourself."

When I firmly rejected Yale's offer before, no one thought Yale would still keep the early admission spot open for me.

So when I said I was going to Yale, another wave of question marks flooded the chat.

After this little drama, no one in the group actively mentioned me again. They started fawning over Lily, asking about her SAT experience or complimenting her graduation trip photos.

Only Fiona sent me a friend request and comforted me, saying I would definitely get the top score if I retook the SAT next year.

I smiled warmly and wished her good results too.

Lily was very confident about her SAT scores. She even promised to treat the whole class to her college acceptance celebration dinner.

I knew she must have found other ways to cheat.

I didn't care about her scores. I just prayed there wouldn't be another poor victim of her schemes.

Working at the hot pot restaurant was exhausting. Business was booming during summer break. By the time we got off work it was already the early hours of the morning, and my arms and legs were sore.

But I was never afraid of hard work. After getting my first month's salary, I transferred $150 to the manager based on the market price of the second-hand phone.

The manager was surprised I didn't choose to buy a new phone. I said:

"This phone still works great. I don't play games so I don't need high specs. This one is perfect."

The manager took the money without comment. The next day at work, he brought me a cup of milk tea.

It was a fragrant and rich jasmine milk tea. It was my first time trying it and I found it delicious.