Chapter 11
Joycelyn’s POV
“Don’t stress about it,” Nathan said, squeezing my shoulder with his quarterback grip. “Front Range isn’t that bad. I mean, sure, the dorms look like storage units and the cafeteria food might kill us, but hey–we’ll be suffering together”
The screen refreshed. Raven’s Instagram–ready smile vanished in an instant.
Her scream cut through the computer lab like a fire alarm.
“What the actual- This is complete BS!” Her carefully crafted poise shattered into a million pieces. “Dad! Get the tech department in here NOW! The system is glitching! This can’t be right!”
But no one paid attention to her meltdown. The massive projection screen at the front of the lab displayed my College Board profile for all fifty thousand livestream viewers to see. Instead of numbers, the score fields showed “SCORE WITHHELD – National Merit Scholar Finalist. Special Recognition Program. Contact College Board Administrator.”
The YouTube chat froze for a split second, then exploded:
“OMG IS THAT A NATIONAL MERIT SPECIAL RECOGNITION?! Those are reserved for the top 0.5% IN THE COUNTRY! I thought she was flunking out?!”
“Only clicked this livestream because I was bored in my cubicle but now I’m witnessing HISTORY! Boulder High hasn’t had a National Merit Scholar in like two decades!”
“Everyone chill–National Merit is impressive but it doesn’t guarantee she’s valedictorian material. Though that special recognition flag is definitely not for people who are failing…”
My iPhone lit up on the desk with a notification banner visible to everyone nearby:
“Ms. Quinn, this is Amanda Strauss from Harvard University Admissions Committee. Congratulations on your exceptional performance! Our recruitment team would like to discuss full scholarship opportunities. We’re available to meet this afternoon at 2PM…”
The livestream chat absolutely detonated:
“HARVARD IS CALLING ALREADY?! WITH A FULL RIDE OFFER?! Do you know how rare that is??
1-1 Vina
52.6%
Chapter 11
They must be terrified she’ll go to Yale instead!”
“Princeton’s admissions team just canceled their afternoon appointments for sure! Stanford’s people are probably already on a plane!”
“Girl, drop your study routine PLEASE! My daughter’s taking the SAT in October and I’ll pay you to
tutor her!”
“Sharing some of your brain cells with my kid +1”
“Whatever you’re eating/drinking/thinking, send it my way +999999”
Nathan stared at the chaos unfolding around us, his expression cycling through confusion, shock, and something approaching terror. His cocky demeanor crumbled as Raven’s screams reached a pitch that made the AV club techs wince and adjust their audio levels.
“Joycelyn-” he started, reaching toward me with the same hand that had just been promising me a
mediocre future.
Before he could form another syllable, the swarm of local reporters who’d come to cover Boulder High’s “record–breaking SAT score” story physically pushed him out of frame. Camera lenses that moments ago had been focused on Raven now zoomed in on my face, microphones thrust in my direction from every angle.
Just like that, the football star who’d ruled the school hallways since freshman year became nothing but a footnote. Boulder County’s first–ever National Merit Scholar with Harvard calling was the
headline everyone wanted.
Even Principal Green and his daughter–who had orchestrated this entire media circus down to the branded Boulder High backdrop behind the computers–couldn’t recapture the spotlight despite their increasingly desperate attempts to edge back into camera range.
Raven could only watch from the periphery, her carefully selected “future Ivy Leaguer” outfit and practiced humble–brag speech now completely irrelevant as her moment of glory transformed into my academic coronation.
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