The school bully paid me $10,000 a month not to rank first in our class. "Chloe has a fragile ego," he said. "She can't handle not being number one. You're smart anyway; first place doesn't matter to you." I took the money and happily sat in second place for three years. Right before the SATs, he found me again. Concise as ever: "One hundred thousand dollars. Don't take the SATs. Chloe needs to be the city's top scorer." He paused, then added, "I know it's unfair to you. I'll repeat a year with you next year." I agreed with a smile. Then I took my full-ride offer to Harvard and flew straight to Boston. Money and a degree? I'll take both. 1 My homeroom teacher told me to sign up for the Physics Olympiad preliminaries. I walked back into the classroom holding the form and heard Jax Thorne and his lackeys talking about me. "Ten grand? Is Sarah really worth that much?" Jax leaned back in his chair, feet on the desk, looking every bit the unruly rich kid. "What is she worth? Nothing. I'm doing this for Chloe. She was devastated when she got second place last time." "I hate seeing girls cry. Consider the ten grand the price of her smile." Jax's father was a top-ten entrepreneur in the state. Jax was the golden boy, his allowance bigger than most people's life savings. His lackeys chimed in. "You're so good to Chloe, Jax. But Sarah is your biggest simp. Aren't you afraid of hurting her feelings?" Jax scoffed. "Her? She smells like poverty. I heard her sister sells street food to pay for her tuition. It would take her a year to earn ten grand. She should be thanking me!" The classroom erupted in laughter, loud and jarring. I pushed the door open, and the laughter died instantly. Jax took his feet down, rubbing his nose awkwardly. I walked over and dropped a notebook on his desk. "Done. This week's homework." He smiled so wide his eyes disappeared. "You like me that much, huh? Little simp." I held out my hand, face blank. "Fifty bucks." Jax froze, remembering our deal. I do his homework; he pays me fifty. Who doesn't like money? Jax's face darkened as he pulled out a fifty-dollar bill. I reached for it, but he smirked. He threw the bill at me. "Sarah, that's all you'll ever be worth." 2 I squatted down and picked up the bill. The class roared with laughter. "Look, she actually picked it up!" "So embarrassing! For fifty bucks!" Embarrassing? Try being a waitress and having a brat dump soda on you while you smile and apologize. Try carrying heavy packages up six flights of stairs in the heat, only for the customer to reject the delivery. There is only one disease in the world: poverty. When I was born, I already had two older sisters. Two years later, another sister. New lives kept arriving, but none were the boy my parents wanted. Even my name was chosen as a placeholder for a son. When I was eight, the brother finally arrived. The already meager resources tilted entirely to him. My younger sister and I were told to drop out of school. My older sisters united and threatened to stop sending money home if we quit. My parents relented. I learned the power of money then. It makes the stubborn yield. It turns chasms into bridges. For money, I did everything. Waitress, mover. I worked for $8 an hour. But that pittance wasn't enough to buy my ticket out. Until one day, I saw a post on a forum. [My crush didn't get first place and is crying. How do I help her?] The user was: AdoringChloe. I stared at it, then typed: [Throw money at the problem.] [If 10k isn't enough, try 100k. Poverty kills ambition.] 3 School started on Monday, and Jax found me. "Ten thousand a month. Don't rank first." I wasn't surprised. I knew from the start AdoringChloe was Jax. He hated my poverty but valued my brain. Early in the semester, he threw a stack of cash on my desk. Handsome, arrogant face, cold eyes. "Fifty bucks per assignment." Faster money than waiting tables. To secure this cash cow, I deliberately got close to him, learning his likes and dislikes. Bringing him lunch, running errands. Everyone laughed at me for being a simp. Only I knew how generous he really was. But this time, I refused. "Being first is my dream." Translation: You gotta pay more. Jax scoffed. "What dreams do poor people have? Focus on eating first." I bit my lip, looked down, and put on a hurt expression, tears welling up. Jax scratched his hair, annoyed. "Fine! A hundred thousand a month!" I hesitated on how to accept without looking too eager. Suddenly, a glass of water hit me. I was soaked instantly. "What's so great about good grades? Does being smart give you the right to insult people?" Chloe stood there gripping a cup, apricot eyes full of tears, looking pitiful. Crash— She smashed the glass at my feet. A shard grazed my arm. Blood mixed with water. Passersby stopped to watch. She looked so wronged, pointing at me: "You can fix bad grades, but you can't fix bad character!" "Instead of studying, you scheme with these dirty tricks. Can you stay first forever?" Her vague words made it sound like I cheated. I looked at her coldly. "Why not?" So, every exam after that, I scored ten points higher than Chloe. Ten points isn't much; it feels reachable with a little effort. If she scored high, I scored higher. No matter how hard she tried, she was always behind me. Like a carrot on a stick. She ran and ran, but never caught it. After ranking second again, Chloe finally broke down and ran out crying. Jax, heartbroken, blocked my path. "A hundred thousand a month! Do not rank first!" 4 I vacated the throne, and Chloe took the "Millennium Number Two" spot I left behind. My homeroom teacher talked to me, worried I was losing focus. Olympiad quotas required good grades; slacking might get me cut. I decided to tell him the truth. The teacher was stunned. He couldn't afford to offend the Thorne family, and I was even more powerless. What's wrong with being a paid second place? He understood and didn't push. He handed me a form: "City Math Competition. Remember to go." He sipped his tea. "The State Physics Olympiad is in two days. Good luck. I believe in you!" Capitalist exploiter, treating me like a mule! The city competition wasn't a big deal, just a few schools. Getting top three was easy. My focus was Nationals. But I didn't expect Chloe to go too. Jax's lackeys surrounded her. "Chloe, you're amazing! City competition? That's next level!" "I heard geniuses from Prep School #2 are going. It's hard!" Someone asked, "Did the teacher beg you to go?" Chloe acted shy. "It's not begging. Glory for the school is my duty." She stuck out her tongue playfully. She didn't deny it, so she confirmed it. The class exploded. "Chloe, you're so cool!" "With your skills, first place is guaranteed!" Chloe lightly hit the boy calling her "Sister-in-law." "I told you not to call me that! Annoying!" I stood at the door until the hype peaked, then walked in slowly. I sat down, "accidentally" revealing a corner of my registration form. A classmate saw it. "Huh? Sarah, you're going too?" Dead silence. Then, laughter. "She only got first a few times, then fell off. Now she thinks she can do City?" "With Chloe there, she's destined for second." Some defended me. "Like you guys are qualified to go." "We'll see who wins." ... I didn't care. Money-wise, I'm poor. Academic-wise? They were walking into a slaughter. Chloe and I locked eyes. She bit her lip, pale. We both knew. With me there, she couldn't win. 5 Jax blocked me. "Drop out of the City competition." Not a request. "Why?" He chewed his lollipop, leaning against the wall, disgust in his eyes. "I hate self-righteous people like you. Arrogant much? Grades are the only thing you have." I smiled. "You hate me, but you're still begging me." Jax bit through the candy. "Two hundred thousand. Drop out." I checked my balance. This year, running errands and doing homework for Jax, I saved over a million dollars. I tore up the form in front of him. "Relax. I won't stop your princess from winning." I turned around and went to the State Physics Olympiad instead. Results came out the same day as the City Math scores. The class was buzzing about the City competition. "Chloe, you got 12th in the city!" "Amazing!" Chloe smiled shyly, tucking hair behind her ear. "Stop it, I'm shy! 12th isn't that great!" Self-aware. I thought without me she'd get first. "Too humble! Those are the best students in the city. 12th is incredible." When I walked in, the atmosphere shifted. "Didn't Sarah sign up? What did she get?" "Heard she didn't go." "She acts so tough, then skips the test?" "Scared!" Jax's lackey spoke up. "City tests aren't like school tests where you can get lucky. Some people just have two tricks and are afraid to be exposed!" "Going would just shame the school." Laughter erupted. Jax, who usually mocked me, was silent. "Sarah, we get it. You were afraid Chloe would beat you. But skipping is cowardly." Chloe hid behind the crowd, smiling silently. I quietly put away my First Prize certificate for the State Physics Olympiad. I smiled at them. "I understand you too." "Einstein was born before you because the stupid bird flies first." They froze, faces turning red. I clapped my hands. "Why were there only Three Stooges? Because the rest are here!" Dead silence. Until a laugh broke it. In the corner, Jax covered his mouth, eyes crinkling with laughter. Chloe bit her lip, shoved a desk, and ran out. The girl flew; her tears chased her.
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