Chapter 4My Genius Twin Sister Turned Into a Lovebrain

I simply sat at my desk and kept quiet, watching Cindy and Rodney act like they had all the time in the world. They strutted around the classroom and wasted what little time they had left in school.

The college entrance exam countdown in the top corner of the blackboard kept ticking down.

To Cindy and Rodney, it was just a number that meant nothing.

To me, it was counting down to the end of this whole farce.

Part of me was already looking forward to the moment they realized they had spent all this time heading in the wrong direction.

…

On the day of the college entrance exam, I wore casual clothes and stood outside the testing center, waiting to see my friends inside.

Parents stood all around us in all kinds of matching shirts, their faces filled with nerves and hope.

In the tense crowd, Cindy and Rodney showed up.

They were dressed in the latest matching couple outfits, each holding an iced latte. They looked relaxed, as if they had come for a walk in the park.

Rodney spotted me first. He whistled loudly and tugged on Cindy's sleeve. "Cindy, look. Isn't that Shane?"

Cindy looked over. At first, she was surprised. Then she wore a look of pity that conveyed she thought she knew exactly what was going on.

The two of them sauntered over to me.

Rodney looked me up and down, then scoffed. "Shane, did you finally come to your senses and show up to cheer us on?

"Or did you come to see what it's like so you'll know what to expect when you have to take the college entrance exam again next year?"

Cindy frowned and put on her best big-sister act. "Shane, stop being difficult. I told you before—with your grades, you could still get into a good college by taking the college entrance exam.

"There's no need to skip the test just because you're angry with me."

She sounded like she was doing me some great favor, and the condescension in her voice was impossible to miss.

"Exactly." Rodney slipped an arm around Cindy's shoulders and rested his head against hers. "Some people just don't know when they've got it good.

"They could do fine on their own, but they insist on competing with people who were born lucky.

"Look where that got you. In the end, you have nothing. All that hard work for nothing, and now you can't even take the college entrance exam. How pathetic."

I watched them play along with each other, pushing the little act they had been putting on for months to what they thought was its grand finale.

Some of the parents nearby had already started looking our way.

I looked at them quietly, then smiled.

My reaction clearly got under Rodney's skin. He raised his voice, asking, "What are you smiling at? Did we hit a nerve?"

Cindy's expression darkened too. "Shane, don't push your luck."

I raised my wrist and checked my watch. There were 15 minutes left until the college entrance exam started. It was almost time.

I stopped smiling and calmly met their smug, gloating looks.

Then I said softly, "I was just wondering if you two forgot that guaranteed-admission students get their acceptance letters before the college entrance exam."

They both went completely still. The smile on Rodney's face froze, and the smug look on Cindy's face faltered.

I turned to Cindy, who thought she was so clever, and looked her straight in the eye. "Did you get yours, Cindy?"

Cindy's eyes darted away, and she shook her head almost instinctively.

My smile widened.

I reached into the canvas bag I was carrying and slowly pulled out the red envelope stamped with a university seal and gold lettering.

I held it up and waved it in front of her.

"But I got mine."