Chapter 1Grounded at the Finish Line

After my SAT scores came out, my friend and I were on the subway heading to our hotel.

When we tried to exit the station, my phone showed "insufficient funds."

Stuck at the turnstile, I called my mom: "Mom, why can't I pay for anything all of a sudden?"

A cold voice replied from the other end: "I cancelled the family plan."

"I thought you'd definitely score a 1550, so I paid for your trip. You only got a 1540. What face do you have to be out playing?"

Just then, text notifications started popping up on my phone.

[Your hotel reservation has been cancelled.]

[Your flight booking has been cancelled.]

[Your ticket purchase has been refunded.]

* * *

I panicked and tried to explain: "Mom, I checked, 1540 is enough for my target college."

"When we checked the scores this morning, you didn't say I couldn't go."

"Mom, please unblock it first, I'm stuck inside the subway station."

Outside the turnstile, my friend Chloe waved at me. I pointed at the phone, and she nodded in understanding.

Mom scoffed: "Sierra, remember this. My condition for this trip was you scoring 1550."

"You never said that beforehand."

"I estimated around 1550 back then. I said I might not hit 1550, and you said it was fine, go have fun."

Mom suddenly raised her voice: "You didn't have the ability to get those extra 10 points, so don't blame me for changing my mind."

"I worked hard to put you through school, and now you want to negotiate with me? Do you know how hard it is to make money?"

"Consider this your first life lesson. In society, only those who work hard and produce results deserve to enjoy themselves."

"Otherwise, you get nothing. Understand?"

People rushed past in the subway. Standing in the corner, my eyes welled up: "Mom, please. I'll get a job when I'm back and pay you back."

"Playing the victim won't work."

Click. She hung up.

More notifications popped up.

[Your hotel reservation has been cancelled.]

[Your flight booking has been cancelled.]

[Your ticket purchase has been refunded.]