At least when the world goes to hell, you can still rely on one thing. A very dependable thing. And that is High School letting you down. You see, I failed a test.

As your classic B’s and C’s Senior, myself along with many others were praying that a miracle would fall from the heavens in the form of a scholarship.

Life lets you down in all sorts of ways, but school? School is always the same. You study for months, take the test, and taadaa! Your name lands beneath the line of passing scores. Just beneath.

The top five scores meant your choice of scholarship to either of the two best colleges in Oregon. And at that moment in time, there was nothing I wanted more.

Seconds before the bell rang everyone in my 3rd period English class, including me, had flocked to the scoreboard at the front of the room like the grades it gave us would solve all of our problems. Hah, no.

The fluorescent-garbage-lights flickered above me as I tried to peer over the mess of people to no avail, and it wasn’t until everyone had left the class that I could finally see how screwed I was….

“6th place,” I glared furiously at the sheet of paper taped to the wall.

Damn it! Why-

Behind me I heard my best friend Julie sigh. She was nowhere near passing but she was getting a dance scholarship no matter what. This test didn’t mean to her what it meant to me.

“I’m really sorry, Ravina.” Julie said, grabbing my wrist and attempting to pull me away.

I just stared at my name on the page.

I needed to pass this test. It was my only chance to get into a good school this late in the year. A way to get a leg up in the game… and some junk-monkey had beaten me.

The lights continued to flicker, and I heard people start illegally running through the hallways. Lunch was about to start but I couldn’t imagine eating right now.

“Rav it’s okay,” Julie tried again, tugging on me. “Let’s go.”

“No…”

No, this wasn’t okay. Couldn’t they make an exception for me? It was one line. One thin line separated my name from college. Separated me from the people that were better.

“Theodore Kim,” I hissed, jabbing a finger at his name printed above mine.

“What?”

I turned to Julie. “Look!”

I pointed at the name. He who had stolen spot number five.

Julie frowned, pushing her curly blond hair away from her face and then fidgeting with her stacked bracelets.

“So? Isn’t he like good at everything?” She mutters.

God, these lights! I was starting to get a headache…

“He’s Theodore Kim!” I exclaimed. “He could get into any college he wanted, his family is loaded.”

How dare this kid make me come in second!

“Rav, can we please go eat? I’m starving.”

I glared once more at the scores and then nodded at her halfheartedly. Calm down. We’ll figure something out. For now, try not to explode before your next class.

I tried my best to smile at her. “Yeah,”

We headed out of the classroom and into the busy hallways of St Valentine High School. My last year in this hell hole, and I still wasn’t used to all the hundreds of people stepping on me… I started wearing heeled boots last year, just so people would be able to see me. Julie parted through the ocean of people for us. Thank god for her long dancer’s legs. She looked back at me and smiled.

I knew she felt bad for getting a scholarship while I didn’t, but I wasn’t done fighting yet. I just needed to come up with a plan. My GPA was fine, but it wasn’t enough-

Someone was running… 

“Hey careful!” I tried to call to Julie, but they’d already crashed into each other.

Teenagers are awful. Nobody helps you up when you fall. They don’t even turn their fucking heads.

The guy’s backpack had basically exploded, and his friends were helping him and Julie up already, so I bent down and started to pick up his papers.

Let’s get out of here Julie, I thought. This day already sucks.

“You okay Jules?” I asked.

I gathered up the rest of the worksheets and then stood to hand them to the kid. I say kid, but he was much taller than me and probably the same age. His two friends had started walking away already…

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Julie grabbed me and whispered something in my ear that made me do a double take.

“Um, thanks.” He said, reaching out for his papers.

I didn’t let them go. The name on them said: Theodore Kim.

Aha! Now is my chance-

“Oh, you’re you!” I exclaimed.

What the hell is wrong with me…

He frowned. “Do I know you?”

Theodore Kim is at least a foot taller than me. I literally had to bend my neck to meet his eyes… Grrr… I hated that. He’s Asian, I think. Dark eyes and black hair that sweeps down over his face. If I wasn’t so pissed at him for ruining my chances of my dream college, I might find him attractive.

“No, you don’t, I’m-” I started to say, fully prepared to plead my case to him.

Here are all the reasons why you should consider giving me your spot… starting with the fact that you’re, umm, rich as fuck?

But then I noticed the papers I was still holding… teacher’s copies of a test.

The test. My face was turning hot now. What. The. Fuck.

Oh screw this! I was no longer about to debate the situation nicely. This guy was gonna get it! He saw what I was looking at and quickly yanked the papers out of my hand, stuffing them back in his bag.

“You’re kidding me right?” I heard myself say. “You took away my shot at college, and you did it by cheating?”

A few kids turned to stare at me and I noticed that Theodore’s friends had stopped walking and were looking over at him curiously. I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of tall dudes suddenly surrounding me, but I refused to let them see my hesitance.

Julie was grabbing my arm, trying to pull me away. She knew what was coming. She knew how I can get.

Theodore stepped closer to me. “Hey, keep your voice down!” He hissed, looking around nervously.

“Is everything okay Theo?” One of his friends asked.

I was ready to throw down-

“Is this all a game to you? Do you even care who’s future you’re ruining?” I asked him, my hands tightening into fists.

He scoffed. “The only future I care about is mine. Leave me alone pipsqueak.”

He tried to push past me but I grabbed the back of his jacket and pull him back… I might be small, but I was also pissed.

“I’d rather be short than look like a fucking lamp post, how’s the air up there you cheating bastard?!”

I got my mouth from my mother. Oh, but that anger, that’s all me.

Theodore turned around and I almost thought he smiled. I felt my rage burn brighter than the sun.

“What’s your name?” He asked suddenly.

I stiffened and let go of him. Yeah, time to know who you’re up against buddy.

“Ravina Dobs,” I answered.

“Sounds like an angry dippin’ dot.”

I glared up at him.

“Give me the spot that you stole.”

His smile disappeared. “No, I need it more than you.” He turned around again.

Adrenaline and anger made my heart race until I could hardly breathe-

“Hey!” I shouted.

That time, everybody turned to stare.

Nice one Ravina…

“I hate people like you,” I said to him, shaking my head. “You think everything’s a game, or a toy that was made just for you to break. Well listen up Theo, this isn’t a game.”

He looked annoyed with me.

“What is it?” He asked, his voice mocking.

“My life. And I did the work for that test that you didn’t do.”

Theodore glanced around at the people staring…

“Can we talk about this somewhere else?” He whispered.

“No. Now, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen-”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

I nodded. “Yes. You’re going to admit what you did, and tell them to move my name up. I don’t care if you still get in too but you owe me at least that much.”

“I don’t owe you anything. I need that spot just as much as you do, probably more.” He said. “Don’t pretend to know me Ravina, cause you don’t.”

Then he took his backpack full of lies and walked away, his friends following him with questions.

I wanted to go after him again, yell some more, but Julie took me by the hand and pulled me into the bathroom.

“What the hell were you thinking!?” She screamed, fanning my face with her binder.

I was still bright red. Probably the same shade as my lipstick.

“He’s a shit. He stole my place-” I started up again.

“Calm the heckity heck down and listen to me!” She cried.

I blinked. “What?”

Julie’s eyes darted around nervously.

“Did you see those two guys that he was with? His friends?” She asked.

I frowned. No, I was too busy plotting his murder.

“That was Lee Adams and James Hamilton! They’re like, literally the most popular people in school since anyone can remember.” Julie gushed.

I do know who they are, but what does that matter?

“Who gives a rat’s ass about social status? Theodore cheated, maybe with his friends’ help.”

Julie smacked me on the head with the binder.

“You don’t get it!”

I paused, “Explain.”

“James Hamilton? As in Principle Hamilton? Yeah, his dad literally has the entire school in his back pocket. And Lee? Do I need to point out that Lee Adams is our very own full-ride-to-college quarterback?”

I swallowed. They were pretty powerful I guess…

“Why, you ask are those two hanging out with Mr. Theo Kim? Well I’ll tell you sister! Since his family moved here from South Korea in ‘05 they’ve paid for two remodels of the main building, as well as taken care of funding loss in the gym department. And there you go, yelling at him! You should be thanking Theodore Kim for spending the money to move the girls’ showers away from the boys’!” She whisper-yelled.

Someone came out of one of the stalls and Julie quickly pulled me outside into the hallway.

“You might have just done more damage than you think, Ravina.” She winced.

I shook my head.

“Popular or not, powerful or not, he cheated.”

Cheaters never prosper, and neither do self righteous lamp posts with cute dimples… 

“I’m getting my scholarship.” I said to Julie.

And I’m going to do it fucking fairly.