You Destroyed My Pass, I Stole Your Offer

Before entering the SAT venue, I suddenly realize that I can't find my admission ticket at all. That's when my rival, Sara Foster, texts me. "You're still dreaming of taking the exam, huh? Why don't you take a good look at what this is?" I see ripped pieces of my admission ticket floating on the water in the photo. I start trembling violently at the sight. Just as I'm about to ask Sara why she ruined my ticket, I see another text message from my childhood friend, Josh Hooper. "Remember when I told you to get into Calder College just so you could keep me company there? It's all a prank. I've given up on my guaranteed admission spot so that I can attend Westbrook University with Sara. "I was also the one who took your admission ticket away. I was worried that you might ruin my relationship with Sara by badgering us, so I've decided to make you repeat your senior year." That's when the exam bell rings. I can no longer hold myself together, so I slump to the ground in a fit of despair. The moment my vision blurs with tears, a live comment appears out of nowhere. "What are you crying for? Remember the guaranteed admission slot that Josh has given up on? According to the rules, it has been passed to the one ranked second, which is you!" Chapter 1 A guaranteed admission spot? Now I was completely dumbfounded. Before I could even process it, my homeroom teacher, Liam Osborn, sent me a WhatsApp message. "Courtney Reid, are you in the middle of your exam? There's an urgent notice from the school. Call me back as soon as you see this." I stared at the message, my fingers trembling uncontrollably. Driven by pure instinct, I dialed Mr. Osborn's number. He picked up after just one ring. "Courtney? Didn't the exam just start?" Mr. Osborn asked, his voice laced with surprise. "Mr. Osborn, my admission ticket was cut into pieces," I replied, my throat dry and my voice so hoarse it didn't sound like my own. There were two seconds of silence on the other end before his tone turned urgent. "What happened? Are you okay?" I gripped my phone, my gaze sweeping over the thinning crowd at the exam hall entrance. "I'm fine. Mr. Osborn, what was the urgent notice you mentioned?" He quickly composed himself and replied seriously, "It's about the guaranteed admission spot. Josh came to school yesterday and signed the documents to forfeit his place. "Everything was finalized this morning. It's been filed with the school district and posted on the school bulletin board. Per the rules, as the student with the second-highest GPA, you automatically take his place." I froze, my ears filled with the sound of my own frantic heartbeat. It turned out the bullet comments from earlier weren't hallucinations. Instead, they were hints from some higher power. Mr. Osborn raised his voice. "Courtney? Are you listening? You need to come to the school right now. The admission officers are coming this afternoon to deliver your pre-admission letter and related documents. We're short on time." "Okay, I'm on my way." I hung up and stood there, drawing a deep breath. The panic and despair from moments ago evaporated, leaving only an icy calm. Josh Hooper and Sara Foster had gone to great lengths to ruin my future, but they probably never imagined that fate itself was on my side. An hour and a half later, I walked out of the school clutching a sealed file pouch containing all the necessary documents. Mr. Osborn patted me on the shoulder as he saw me out the gate. "It's quite a coincidence, really. When Josh signed the papers yesterday, no one could talk him out of it. He was dead set on giving it up. He said he wanted to get in on his own merit so he could go with Sara—" Mr. Osborn stopped mid-sentence, looking a little embarrassed. I smiled and said, "Mr. Osborn, I understand. It's his choice." At 3:00 pm, the admission officers, Norma Doyle and Linda Boyer, knocked on my door. They were right on time. Both were very polite. The bespectacled Ms. Boyer took a deep red hardcover folder from her briefcase and handed it to my parents with both hands. Chapter 2 "Courtney, congratulations on receiving a pre-admission offer from our school. This is your official letter, along with the freshman orientation guide and the scholarship agreement." My mother, Pam Cannon, took the folder with trembling hands, her eyes already welling with tears. My father, Max Reid, stood to the side, tracing the school's embossed seal and official stamp over and over. His mouth was set in a firm, tight line of pride. After seeing Ms. Doyle and Ms. Boyer out, Dad continued to flip through the letter, as if he wanted to etch the words into his memory. Mom took my hand, her voice choked with emotion. "How could you not tell us about something this big sooner?" I smiled at them. "The public notice period only wrapped up yesterday afternoon, and besides—" Before I could finish, the doorbell rang. Mom went to answer it, and I heard Sara's soft, sweet voice drifting in from the hallway. "Hello, Mrs. Reid. Josh and I were just passing by and saw some guests leaving, so we thought we'd stop in to say hi." Dad frowned. I stood up and walked to the entryway. Josh and Sara were standing side-by-side at the door. Sara's gaze immediately fell on the folder in my hand. In a tone dripping with unconcealed disdain, she said, "Oh, are those materials from the cram school? What did I tell you, Josh? Courtney's way too resilient to quit over one little mistake." Josh immediately chimed in, his brow furrowed as he looked at me. "Courtney, I know you're upset, but what's done is done. So, don't be so hard on yourself. Take one more year to prepare, then give it another shot. Who knows? You might end up doing even better than you would have this time around." I looked at the boy I'd grown up alongside—the one who used to brave the rain to bring me medicine when I was sick, and who would sit with me on the sports field until dawn after every competition I lost. Now he stood beside another girl, wearing a manufactured expression of concern, urging me to "accept" the fate they had personally sabotaged. "Are you finished?" I asked. My voice was so calm it felt foreign to my own ears. Josh froze. "If you are, then leave. You're not welcome in my home." I stepped back and shut the door right in their faces. "Courtney—" Once the door clicked shut, Mom gently placed a hand on my shoulder. I pulled her into a hug, smiling as I shook my head to show her I was okay. Back in my room, I locked the door and reached for my phone. I took screenshots of every message, voice note, and photo Josh and Sara had ever sent me. I added the recording of them showing up at my door to gloat, organized everything into folders and uploaded the entire cache to an encrypted cloud drive. As my finger brushed across the screen, a cold glint rose in my eyes. Once the SAT season was officially over, I would be giving both Josh and Sara an unforgettable parting gift. The next morning, I was jolted awake by my phone buzzing. The lock screen was stacked with WhatsApp notifications. I squinted against the brightness and unlocked it; the class group chat icon was marked with a vivid red "99+". I tapped in, and the messages scrolled past at a frantic pace. "This is why you shouldn't get too cocky. Courtney always acts like she's all that, but she totally drops the ball when it's crunch time." "LMAO. I heard she lost her admission ticket? How can someone be that careless?" "Repeating a year isn't so bad. Maybe after some 'self-reflection' she can actually manage to get into a community college." Expressionless, I scrolled to the beginning of the thread. The chat started at 6:00 am. Sara had first posted a photo of Santaya Beach with the caption, "First stop of our graduation trip." Immediately after, Josh had sent a screenshot of a plane ticket. The destination was Santaya, and the departure time was this afternoon. Chapter 3 Then came the flood of messages—people fawning over them, gushing with envy, and egging them on. After I'd scrolled through several dozen of these, Sara "cautiously" chimed in, "Um, everyone, maybe we should stop? Courtney must be feeling really awful right now. Even though she was careless enough to lose her admission ticket, it's not like she did it on purpose." That shade-filled comment landed like water in boiling oil, and the group chat erupted instantly. A few of the guys who always trailed behind Josh started mocking me without restraint, and several girls who had always been jealous of my grades joined in with their own snide remarks. The class president, Todd Kern, and the academic chair, Sheila Archer, made token attempts to calm things down with a few "let's not pile on" messages, but their words were quickly swallowed up by the avalanche of vitriol. Then, Tricia Cooley—a quiet straight-A student who rarely spoke up—sent a message. "Maybe we shouldn't spread rumors before we know what actually happened." Less than three seconds after her message appeared, a system notification flashed—Josh had kicked her out of the group chat. The chat fell silent for a heartbeat, and then the messages began flooding in even faster than before. I stared at the words on my screen and let out a cold, incredulous laugh. Did they really think I was that easy to push around? Did they truly believe they could rewrite reality just by silencing anyone who spoke for me? My fingers flew across the screen. I selected screenshots from the chat logs in which Josh admitted to taking my ticket and Sara confessed to cutting it into pieces. Then, I dumped the entire file into the group chat. I accompanied the images with a single sentence. "Josh, Sara, did you two develop early-onset dementia? Can't you even remember what you said and did?" The moment my message was sent, the group fell deathly silent for a full half minute. The ones who'd been the most vicious moments before went instantly mute. I couldn't be bothered to wait for their backpedaling excuses, so I tapped into the settings and left the class group chat. Then, I blocked and deleted them all without missing a beat. I had just put my phone down when it started ringing like crazy. The caller ID showed Josh's name. I pressed the answer button, and his voice immediately tore through the receiver, thick with rage and profanity. It was nasty and grating, to say the least. "Courtney, have you lost your mind? How dare you post that in the group!" I gripped the phone, suddenly feeling utterly drained by the sheer stupidity of it all. "Josh, if you're mentally unwell, go see a doctor instead of taking it out on me." With that, I hung up and promptly blocked his number too. I had known him for 18 years. We grew up together, shared countless secrets, and during the most grueling days of senior year, we had encouraged each other, swearing we'd get into Calder College together. But now, I felt like knowing him was a dark stain on my life. Not long after, my best friend, Rosie Ingram, sent me a private message. Her tone was frantic. "Courtney, are you okay? Josh just said in another group chat that he's not going to let this slide—that he's going to teach you a lesson. Be careful when you're out and about, okay?" I looked at the message, but there was no trace of fear in my eyes. Instead, there was only cold disdain. He wanted to teach me a lesson? As if he was even worthy. I replied to Rosie, "Relax, I'm fine. He wouldn't dare do anything to me." The ones who really needed to watch their backs were Josh and Sara themselves. I tapped the screen lightly, creating yet another backup of the evidence I had saved. After reassuring Rosie, she sent over a few more screenshots from the other group chats. When I opened them, all I felt was bitter irony. In the group chat, Sara was playing the victim to the hilt, posting walls of text and claiming she was "crying her eyes out". She was telling everyone that I had faked the chat logs to slander her out of jealousy because she was with Josh. Chapter 4 Sara also claimed I'd had a crush on Josh since we were kids—that I'd shamelessly chased after him for years. She followed that up by saying that Josh's decision to give up his guaranteed spot at Calder College for her had completely set me off. According to her, that was why I had flown into a rage and started spreading lies to smear her name. Beneath her messages, Josh played the part of the devoted protector, endlessly comforting her and casting himself as the innocent victim. The two of them played off each other flawlessly, delivering a masterclass performance as the damsel in distress and the chivalrous hero. Rosie was livid. "Courtney, they are way too good at playing the victims! They're the ones who destroyed your admission ticket, and now they're twisting the whole thing to make it look like you're bullying her!" "Ignore them," I replied flatly. "They're nothing but clowns in a sideshow. A lovesick fool who threw away his future and a girl whose only skill is turning on the waterworks are simply perfect for each other." "By the way, Courtney, are you still going to the farewell dinner party?" Rosie asked. I didn't even have to think about it before refusing outright. "No. The sight of them makes me sick. Once I'm free, I'll round up you and a few good friends for a small get-together. A quiet meal beats that nonsense any day." Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Courtney, Mrs. Hooper's here. She says she brought you some fruit." Mom's voice came from the other side of the door, sounding a little strained. I put down my phone and took a deep breath before opening the door. Josh's mother, Hannah Keller, was standing in our living room holding an ornate fruit basket, a practiced smile plastered across her face. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. "Courtney, there you are! I got these strawberries especially for you. They're super sweet." "Thank you, Mrs. Hooper," I said. But instead of taking the basket, I stayed right where I was. Mrs. Hooper's smile stiffened for a split second before bouncing back to normal. She shoved the fruit basket into Mom's hands and turned to me. "Courtney, I heard you didn't take the SAT?" I said nothing. Mrs. Hooper let out a sigh, looking as though she were terribly disappointed in me. "Oh my, how could a cautious girl like you slip up at such a critical moment? But it's fine. Repeating a year is no big deal. I know some really good cram schools. I'll recommend them to you when the time—" I cut her off. "That won't be necessary. I'm not repeating the year." Mrs. Hooper froze. "You're not repeating the year? What are you planning to do then? Get a job? Courtney, I hate to say it, but with your grades, it'd be such a waste not to take the SAT again." I looked up, staring her straight in the eye. "Mrs. Hooper, didn't Josh tell you?" "Tell me what?" "How my admission ticket actually got 'lost,'" I replied, emphasizing the last word. Mrs. Hooper's expression flickered, but she quickly forced another smile. "Oh, it's not really our place as adults to get involved in these little squabbles between you kids." Little squabbles? I nearly laughed out loud. "Forget it. What did you really come here to say today?" Mrs. Hooper smoothed her expression. "Oh, nothing much. Just that Josh is hosting a college send-off party the day after tomorrow at the Helios Hotel. He's invited the entire class and all the teachers. "I figured, with how close our two families have been all these years, you simply have to come and join the celebration." As she spoke, she pulled three gold-embossed invitations from her bag and set them on the coffee table. "The time and place are all on there. Make sure you come." Mom and Dad exchanged a look. It was obvious neither of them wanted to go. Just as they were about to decline, I beat them to it with a smile and a nod. "Of course, Mrs. Hooper. We'll be there." Mom and Dad turned to look at me simultaneously, disbelief written all over their faces. Mrs. Hooper paused for a second, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily. Then, her smile grew even more smug. She was clearly convinced I was afraid of crossing their family and was trying to grovel my way back into their good graces. Chapter 5 Mrs. Hooper exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. The moment the door closed, Dad was the first to explode. "Why did you agree to go? What's the point of being there? To let them walk all over you?" Mom was spiraling too. "Courtney, listen to me—don't go. The Hoopers are completely unhinged right n—" I cut her off. "Mom, don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Mom looked at me, her eyes slowly reddening. "It's just that my heart really breaks for you. Why should you have to endure this humiliation when they're the ones who did something so vile?" "I'm not enduring any humiliation, I promise," I said, taking her hand. "Besides, how could I let a perfect opportunity like this slip by?" Five days passed, and the day of Josh's college send-off party arrived in the blink of an eye. The hotel ballroom was lavishly decorated and buzzing with excitement. Every seat was filled, and the air hummed with the lively chatter of relatives, friends, and classmates, all gathered to congratulate Josh on his academic success. Mom, Dad, and I arrived at the scheduled time and found a quiet table in the back corner. We had barely been seated for two minutes when the lights dimmed, and a single spotlight landed squarely on the center of the stage. Josh stood there in a sharply tailored suit, holding a microphone and radiating an insufferable level of confidence. His gaze swept across the room before deliberately coming to rest on our table. The corner of his mouth curled into a provocative smirk. "Actually, I want to give special thanks to one person in particular today—my childhood friend, Courtney Reid." Every head in the room swiveled toward us. Mom and Dad tensed up instantly. Josh's tone was laced with feigned regret, but the malice in his eyes was impossible to hide. "Although, due to a certain… well, mishap, she wasn't able to take the SAT. I believe that with her abilities, one more year of studying will surely get her into her dream college." A thin, scattered spatter of applause rose from the audience, punctuated by a few stifled snickers. Josh waited for the clapping to die down before continuing. "Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to clear a few things up." He signaled offstage, and someone cued the projector. An image flashed onto the giant screen. It was a photo of me with a man I didn't recognize—someone who looked sketchy by design. He had his arm draped around my shoulder, and my head was turned down, making us look intimate. The room erupted in whispers. Josh let out a heavy sigh. "Someone sent this to me a few days ago. Apparently, Courtney was frequently out and about with this guy right before the SAT, which is why… Well, when I saw the photo, it finally made sense to me why she was so careless with her admission ticket." "Bullshit!" Dad shot up from his seat, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Dad, calm down. Let them finish their show. The best part hasn't even started yet." Dad's chest heaved with fury, but he eventually sat back. His eyes remained locked on Josh, as if he were trying to burn holes through him with his stare alone. Josh seemed quite pleased with my lack of reaction. He smiled and flipped to another slide. It was a grainy screenshot from a video taken the day Ms. Doyle and Ms. Boyer had come to my house. It was obviously taken on the sly, because all one could see was their backs as they walked through the door. Next to it was an audio clip from who-knows-where. It sounded like one of our neighborhood security guards. "Yes, they were looking for Courtney. They said they were dropping off some documents." Josh's tone turned grave. "As you can see, Mr. and Mrs. Reid have already put a lot of effort into helping Courtney prepare for her retake. And I get it—failing the SAT is a heavy blow." Chapter 6 "But some things are just wrong, plain and simple. Just because you're hurting doesn't mean you can shift the blame onto others—or go as far as fabricating chat logs to slander Sara and me." As he spoke, Josh turned a gentle gaze toward Sara. "Sara cried for days because of this. She kept blaming herself, thinking it was her fault for not keeping a closer eye on Courtney, which led to her losing her admission ticket. "But I want to say this to you, Sara—it's not your fault. Some people just go astray on their own, and we shouldn't punish ourselves for someone else's mistakes." Right on cue, Sara's eyes reddened. She lowered her head and daintily dabbed at the corner of her eye. The murmurs began to surge through the audience like a rising tide. "Oh my god, so that's what really happened." "I knew it! Josh and Sara are such good people. There's no way they'd do something like that." "How messed up is Courtney? She fools around with some lowlife, loses her own admission ticket, and then turns around to blame Josh and Sara?" "She's absolutely disgusting." The comments grew louder and bolder. Josh stood on stage, basking in the crowd's collective indignation, his smile stretching wider and wider. He cleared his throat, preparing to continue, when Sara suddenly stood up. She walked to the front of the stage and took the microphone, her eyes still red-rimmed. "Josh, stop. I'm partly to blame for this too," she said, her voice catching with practiced emotion. "If I'd been more careful that day and noticed earlier that Courtney wasn't in a good headspace, maybe things wouldn't have…" She turned toward me with a look of earnest pleading. "Courtney, I know you hate me for taking Josh away from you. But you can't force feelings. Josh and I genuinely love each other. "You're still young. You have a long road ahead of you. Please don't give up on yourself or keep hanging around those sketchy people. Instead, spend this next year studying seriously. If you can just get your head on straight and stop being so careless, you'll definitely get into a college next year." She paused, then turned toward my parents, her tone gentle. "Mr. and Mrs. Reid, please don't worry too much. Repeating a year isn't the end of the world. "As long as Courtney is willing to study hard, I'm sure she'll get into a good school next year. Who knows? Maybe she could even come join Josh and me at Westbrook University." The words had barely left her mouth when one of Josh's relatives let out a scornful laugh. "Westbrook University? In her dreams! She'd be lucky to make it into a community college!" The room erupted in raucous, mocking laughter. Under the table, Mom's and Dad's hands were clenched so tightly that Mom's nails were digging into the back of Dad's hand. I could feel them trembling—the kind of shaking that comes from pure, white-hot rage. I held them back. Only when Sara delivered her final "advice" and the laughter reached its peak did I finally let go. At last, Mom and Dad—whom I had been restraining this whole time—couldn't take it anymore and shot straight to their feet. "Courtney won't be repeating the year!" Mom's voice rang out, cutting through the noise. The entire room fell deathly silent. Every head turned. Just as a smirk began to surface on Josh's and Sara's faces, Mom continued, "After all, Courtney has already accepted a guaranteed admission spot at Calder College. So tell me—what exactly would she be repeating for?"