The golden boy of our school lived for dares. During our three years of high school, he was always either making some poor freshman bark like a dog on the football field or leading a crowd to confess their undying love to the cafeteria chef. On the morning of our AP Finals—the ones our college futures rode on—his chaotic streak hit a peak. He boarded the charter bus early and hid everyone's exam passes. He called it "the ultimate senior prank." "Better start looking, guys!" he grinned, dangling a blank envelope. "If we find them, we walk in together. If not... well, there's always next year." Just as I knitted my brows to stop him, glowing lines of text began scrolling across my field of vision like a live stream chat. [Our golden boy is so cool. I can't believe he's playing a prank this big during the AP Finals.] [Ugh, the side character is so annoying. Here he goes again with the lecture.] [Just let him talk. He tries to call the cops and ruin the golden boy's exams, but the female lead secretly sabotages his Ivy League application out of spite. With her family squeezing him out of every opportunity, he spirals into depression and ends it. Meanwhile, our golden boy, carried by her family's wealth, ends up as the youngest MD in the country.] I froze. My thumb hovered over my phone screen, where I had already dialed 911. Slowly, I closed the emergency call screen. Instead, I opened my email, tapped the official offer from Cambridge University, and clicked "Accept". … A second later, a slender hand reached out and snatched my phone. I looked up, straight into Serena's guarded eyes. "Don't even think about snitching," she said, her voice sharp. "Taylor is just trying to take the edge off. I'll hold onto your phone until the game is over." Before I could say a word, Taylor peeked out from behind her shoulder, his eyes wide and watery. "Liam, I know you've never liked me, and Mr. Henderson always takes your side," he whispered, sounding incredibly small. "But this is our last day together. I just wanted to make a memory. Even if they suspend me for this, I don't care." With those few words, he turned the entire bus against me. The kids who had been hesitating seconds ago instantly rallied around him. "Seriously, Liam, stop acting like the hall monitor. Why does everything have to be a federal case?" "Ignore him. They're not going to cancel the exams for the whole honors class just because we're a few minutes late." "God, a senior prank during the actual finals? If we vlog this, it'll go viral on TikTok in seconds!" "Come on, Taylor, let's do it! If we get caught, we all take the blame together. We're not snitches." [Wow, our boy really is everyone's favorite. He has the female lead to coddle him, and the whole class to shield him.] [Our precious boy is crying! It breaks my heart. When is this annoying side character going to exit the story?] [This is the part where the sidekick snaps because nobody is listening to him. He's about to lose his mind.] I stared at the text hovering in the air and let out a soft, dry laugh. "Who said I was going to snitch?" I said. "Actually, I'm in. Let's play." The scrolling text froze. Even Serena looked taken aback. "Are you serious?" she asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You're not trying to pull something, are you?" Seeing the sheer distrust in her eyes, I knew the scrolling text wasn't a hallucination. It was the absolute truth. This was not the girl who had promised we would conquer the Ivy League together. I let out a self-deprecating laugh, snatched my phone back from her hand, and hurled it straight out the open window. "Now do you believe me?" I asked. Serena stared at me, a flicker of genuine panic crossing her eyes. Taylor's jaw went slack. He clearly hadn't anticipated me throwing my own life-line out a window. "Well, look at that. Our class president finally got a personality," Paula, our track captain, yelled. She glanced at Taylor, and seeing no objection, she grinned. "Let's go all out then! Everyone power down. No phones, no trackable GPS, completely off the grid!" She held her phone up, waving it like a trophy, her thumb pressing down hard on the power button. "Watch me!" she cheered as the screen went black. "Anyone who doesn't turn theirs off is a coward." The cabin erupted. Some eagerly yanked out their phones; others hesitated, looking to Taylor for validation. Taylor quickly recovered his composure, flashing a bright, easy smile as he shut his phone down. "If Liam's on board, let's do it," Taylor said. "No distractions. Let's make this unforgettable." Serena reached out, suddenly hesitant. "Isn't this a bit too far? What if we actually miss the gate?" Paula rolled her eyes at me and laughed. "Then I guess we'll see who has the worst luck today." Taylor winked. "Exactly. It's a game. There have to be winners and losers." With that, a chorus of digital chimes echoed through the bus as everyone turned their phones off. Serena bit her lip, then powered her phone down, too. [Wait, why isn't the sidekick stopping them?] [Yeah, and with everyone's phones off, what if there's an emergency?] [What are you worried about? The sidekick is right there. If anything goes wrong, he's the perfect scapegoat anyway.] I stared at the floating words, a cold smile forming on my face. They were right. If I had refused to play, I'd be labeled a killjoy, a stuck-up snob. If I played, the game would be rigged so I'd lose. When other kids lost, they got silly dares. But when I "lost" Taylor's games in the past, my worst photos became the class group chat icon, my private messages with Serena were leaked to make me look like a pathetic simp, and I was eventually pressured to give up my spot in the prestigious National Math Olympiad. Serena had gone from fiercely protecting me to finding me rigid, suffocating, and boring. And now, she was actively participating in a stunt that could ruin my entire academic future. But they had no idea. This time, I was the one holding the deck. Watching their eager, stupid faces, my lips curved upward. Idiots. You want an immersive experience? You won't even realize you've walked into your own slaughter. Taylor clapped his hands, throwing a provocative glance my way. "Alright, let the game begin." He produced a black envelope seemingly out of thin air. "Clue number one: Look beneath your feet." The bus erupted into pure chaos. Paula was the first to drop, sliding flat onto the dirty floor to pull a crumpled piece of paper from under a seat. "Damn it! It's blank." "That's just a decoy," Taylor said, his eyes curving into crescents. "The real passes are hidden much, much better." People were kicking seats, banging into armrests, and dumping their backpacks onto the floor. Loose-leaf paper scattered everywhere. The aisle quickly became a bottleneck of bodies—squatting, crawling, reaching up to the overhead bins. The sharp scent of sweat mingled with cold breakfast sandwiches. Paula tore through the overhead racks, ripping open bags with enough force to dismantle the bus. "Are they inside the seat covers?" someone yelled. A row of students began peeling back the fabric, running their fingers through the grime of the seams. "Nothing here!" "Ugh, gross... I just touched old gum." Some cursed, some laughed, and those who grew tired of the hunt slumped back into their seats, panting. Jordan was moving through the crowd, filming the whole thing with his digital camera. As Taylor's loyal shadow, he made sure to shout, "Taylor, you're a genius! This is way better than listening to some stuck-up snitch." Taylor clapped, cheering them on. "It's our last ride together, guys! We have to make it count. Keep looking!" But as the minutes ticked away, not a single valid exam pass was found. The floating text began to shift from blind praise to creeping doubt. [Wait, he stuffed the passes into his clothing? Who on earth is going to find them there?] [This is kind of messed up. It looks like he's trying to drag everyone down with him.] [The person above must be a hater. Our boy only cares about the female lead anyway; he doesn't need some stupid exam.] [Um, maybe the other kids do? Like Liam? He worked his butt off coming from that small town just to get this shot.] My gaze sharpened, landing on Taylor, who was still bouncing around the bus. No wonder he was wearing that oversized hoodie. No wonder he was asking questions instead of actually searching. The passes were on him. He was treating his entire class like toys, letting them sweat for nothing. But this class wasn't his playground. This was the AP Honors tier. The pride of the academy. This was the class for which Mr. Henderson had worked himself to exhaustion, teaching us from a hospital bed when his health failed. My fists clenched at the memory. Despite everything, a part of me still couldn't bear to watch it all burn. Taking advantage of a sudden lull in the complaints, I looked Taylor dead in the eye. "Are the passes actually on this bus, Taylor?" Taylor's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "What is that supposed to mean, Liam?" I gestured to the wrecked cabin. "Forty minutes. Forty-five people. And not a single pass has turned up. That's statistically impossible." Serena frowned, stepping defensively in front of Taylor. "It just means Taylor did a good job hiding them. If you have time to complain, why don't you go dig through the trash cans?" "Yeah! We're having fun. Even if we're late, it's worth it." "Looks like he's getting cold feet. Want to back out now, Liam? Too late." The voices pressed in on me from all sides. Standing behind Serena, Taylor offered me a smug shrug. I pointed a finger at him and opened my mouth to speak. Before the words could leave my throat, Paula screamed from the front of the bus. "I found one!" She pulled a crumpled slip of paper from the inner lining of the trash bin and held it high. "Whose is it?" the crowd surged forward. She flattened the paper, squinted at the photo, and turned to grin at me. "Well, look at that. It's Liam's." "Here you go, Chief." She thrust the paper toward me. But before my fingers could fully close around it—"rip". The paper split in two. Half remained in my hand. The other half dangled from Paula's fingers. "No need to thank me," she said, dusting off her hands. "That's what you get for accusing Taylor. Consider it incentive to apologize. Honestly, it looks better this way." The bus erupted into cruel laughter. "Nice one, Paula!" "Seriously. Taylor was just trying to help us destress, and Liam's been trying to ruin the vibe from start to finish." "Wait, is that legal? How is he supposed to get into the test center?" someone whispered. Serena pushed her way through the crowd. "Alright, that's enough. We only have fifteen minutes left. Keep looking." She glanced at the torn paper in my hand and sighed, her voice laced with mild irritation. "Once we get off, I'll walk you to the administration office to print a duplicate. We have enough time." I looked down at the torn slip, my chest tightening. "Don't bother." Serena stiffened, her expression hardening. "Fine. Have it your way." Taylor bit his lip, his eyes turning watery again. "Liam, I... I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry..." "It's not your fault," Serena said, taking his hand. "He's just jealous of you. Ignore him. Let's go." As she led him away, Taylor cast a quick, mocking smirk back at me over his shoulder. [Okay, now I actually feel bad for the sidekick.] [Are you serious? He brought this on himself. Didn't he just try to expose our precious boy?] [Yeah, Taylor was obviously planning a grand reveal to surprise everyone. Liam had to ruin the moment. No wonder the female lead ruins him later. Who would tolerate someone constantly trying to humiliate their guy?] [Am I the only one who thinks Liam has had a miserable life from the start? He was almost abused by his stepmother in middle school. When the female lead saved him back then, he thought she was his savior, but she was just setting him up for a worse fall.] [Get over it. She saved some poor stray kid back then for fun. Did he think he was entitled to her for life? He didn't know his place, so he got put in it. Totally deserved.] The comments scrolled in an endless, dizzying blur. I sank into my seat, holding the torn slip of paper, my hands shaking uncontrollably. But in that moment, the fog in my mind cleared completely. The comments were right. My life had been hard enough. Why was I still trying to save people who wanted to drown? For the first time, I felt a wave of profound relief. Thank God I saw those floating words. Thank God I had already accepted Cambridge. As for them? They were no longer my problem. "Where is it? Seriously, this is getting weird." "Hey, did anyone in the student council find theirs?" "No. I checked under the seats, the overheads, and the trash again. Nothing." "Taylor, come on, give us another clue! Time's almost up." Taylor stamped his foot playfully. "I told you, it's beneath your feet! Keep looking. See? Liam's was in the trash." Serena glanced at her watch. "Stop panicking. The gates stay open for fifteen minutes after the test starts. We just need to make it by then. Take your time." Easy for her to say, but the tension in the bus was reaching a boiling point. The laughter died out. The only sound left was the frantic rustling of paper and bags. Exactly five minutes before the scheduled start of the exam, Mr. Henderson burst onto the bus. "The exam is starting in five minutes! What on earth are you all doing in here?" He was drenched in sweat, gasping for air as he clung to the doorframe. "Mr. Henderson, we're just playing a little dare," Taylor said, blinking innocent, wide eyes. "We're looking for our exam passes." "Have you lost your minds?" Mr. Henderson's voice cracked. "Do you know what today is? Who hid them? Bring them out right now!" Taylor shrank back, and Serena instantly stepped forward to shield him. "Mr. Henderson, there's no need to yell. We all agreed to this. You're going to scare Taylor." "Exactly," Paula added, crossing her arms. "We know what we're doing. Stop treating us like kids." "Just let us finish the game." Mr. Henderson pointed a trembling finger at them, his face turning pale with sheer disbelief. He turned to me. "Liam, what is going on? Why didn't you stop them? And why is your phone off?" I didn't answer. I just kept my eyes glued to the torn piece of paper in my hand. His eyes followed mine. When he saw the ripped ticket, he froze. "Who... who did this?" I slowly looked up. "Don't ask, Mr. Henderson. It doesn't matter." He knelt in the aisle, looking at the torn paper, then swept his eyes over the class. Nobody met his gaze. "We'll deal with this later," he breathed, his voice shaky. "Everyone off the bus. Go to the testing center now." Nobody moved. "Mr. Henderson, Liam wanted to play too," Paula said defensively. "Yeah, he's just playing the victim now." "You always take his side anyway." Mr. Henderson inhaled deeply, his voice sounding entirely broken. "Please. Just go take the test. Okay?" Silence. He grabbed my arm and pulled me off the bus. "Come on. Let's get you a duplicate." As our feet hit the asphalt, the first warning bell rang across the campus. Students were filing through the main gates. Only a few stragglers were sprinting. Mr. Henderson took two steps, then hesitated. "Go to the office quickly. I have to go back and get them off that bus." I nodded. I didn't say a word. By the time I walked out of the administrative office with my duplicate pass, shouting had erupted at the school gates. "What do you mean you forgot? My mom will literally kill me if I miss this test!" "You're the one who hid them! How do you not know where they are?" "It's a huge stack of paper! Where could you possibly have put them? Think!" Taylor was surrounded by the class, sobbing hysterically. "I... I forgot because Liam was staring at me and putting so much pressure on me! I panicked!" But this time, the blame-shifting didn't work. Serena's face was white. She was frantically dumping the contents of Taylor's backpack onto the pavement, searching over and over again. Mr. Henderson stood near the entrance, his phone pressed to his ear, his forehead creased with deep, anxious lines. "Yes, the AP honors class... there's an issue with the exam passes..." He hung up. Redialed. Hung up again. When he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot. "I'll... I'll try to find another way," he muttered, though the hope had drained from his voice. He looked ten years older. A crowd of parents, who had gathered to support their kids, began to swarm Taylor. Their voices grew sharp and frantic. "Find them right now! If my daughter misses this exam, I will sue your family!" "A prank? Are you insane? What kind of delinquent plays with people's futures like this?" Taylor kept his head down, tears streaming down his face. "Can we just print duplicates?" a parent cried out. "How? The gates are already closing! They won't let them register once the timer starts!" "Then what? We just give up? A whole year of prep gone?" "My son spent two years studying for this standard matriculation!" The scene quickly descended into hysterics. Mothers started sobbing, fathers barked into their phones, and some ran to the security guards, begging, "Please, just let them in! The teacher is right here, he can vouch for them! Let them take the test!" But rules were rules. The guards looked away. The proctors stared coldly at their clipboards. Everyone watched in stunned silence as the heavy iron gates slowly swung shut. With a heavy, final "click", the padlock snapped into place. Then, Taylor's eyes landed on me. His face lit up with a sick kind of hope. "Liam! Liam has the early-admission honors pass from Stanford! He can talk to the board! He can get the school to schedule a makeup exam for us!" In an instant, every single eye in the crowd locked onto me. Paula was the first to jump on it. "Yes! He has the board's ear! He can get us a makeup test!" "The administration won't let the entire AP honors class fail! They'll listen to him!" "Liam, please. Just help us. One call from you is all it takes." The waves of voices crashed over me once more. Only this time, they weren't screaming insults. They were begging. [As expected of our darling Taylor. He turned the tables on the sidekick in two seconds.] [Are you people seriously cheering for this? Your moral compass is completely broken.] [Wait, why does the sidekick look so calm? Does he have a trick up his sleeve?] I ignored the floating text, choosing instead to quietly watch the comedy unfold before me. It was poetry, really. Twenty minutes ago, they had ripped my exam ticket to shreds. Now, they were looking to my achievements to save their lives. Serena stepped forward. She looked at me, her lips parting, but no sound came out. She didn't beg me herself. But she didn't stop the others from begging either. "The Stanford honors track?" I said, my voice echoing in the sudden silence. They fell completely quiet, hanging on my every word. "I'm afraid that won't work. An hour ago, I turned down Stanford. I accepted my offer from Cambridge University instead."
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