Reborn as the Romance Heroine, I Only Aim for First Place Chapter 11

Reborn as the Romance Heroine, I Only Aim for First Place Chapter 11

When time was called on the final section of the SAT, I set down my pencil.

Outside, the students had almost lost their minds.

Some were throwing prep books. Some were screaming.

Some were crouched on the ground, sobbing.

I stared for a long time at the sun-scorched sycamore tree outside the window.

There was no wild joy like I had imagined, and I did not feel the urge to cry either.

I just felt a little lost.

Now that I suddenly did not have to study anymore, I did not know what to do.

But I knew one thing. For more than three hundred days, I had woken up at four, slept at midnight, and kept grinding through practice questions with menthol rub burning on my temples until my eyes watered. None of that effort had been wasted.

I packed my things and slowly walked out.

The System asked carefully, “Tessa, how did you do?”

“Fine.”

“Can you get into Harvard or MIT?”

“Yes.”

The System said softly, “Wyatt started studying seriously recently too. It was just too late, and this time, he didn’t have your help.”

“In the original plot, he should have been able to get into MIT too. But now, he’ll probably end up at community college.”

The corner of my mouth curved.

“Really? That’s wonderful.”

The System fell silent.

…

For the next half month, I shut myself in my room and caught up on sleep as if my life depended on it.

When I woke up, I ate. After I ate, I went back to sleep. Occasionally, I flipped through a few pages of a book for fun and thought about nothing at all.

The System was so quiet it might as well not exist. It had probably given up completely on making me follow the plot.

On the day scores came out, my father was even more nervous than I was.

He was a big-shot businessman, but as he sat in front of the computer, his palms were sweating. Even his fingers trembled as he logged into my College Board account.

The moment the page loaded, he froze completely.

The score was 1590.

I looked at the number. My heartbeat quickened for a few beats, then slowly settled again.

After you put in enough effort, there probably was no overwhelming joy of receiving some unexpected reward.

There was only the calm certainty of seeing things unfold exactly as they should.

It was like a farmer carefully tending the land and then, at harvest, feeling a quiet, steady happiness.

My father pulled me into a hug, his eyes red with excitement.

“Tessa, I’ll buy you a car. What kind do you want? No, wait, a condo works too. I’ll buy you a place near campus—”

“Enough, enough. Wait until I decide where I’m committing.”

From that day on, he bragged to everyone with a pulse. He called every relative and friend he knew, and he did not even spare the receptionist at his company.

When he found out I was the top SAT scorer in the state, he looked like he was about to take flight.

Even from upstairs, I could hear him booming in the living room.

“1590! Top scorer in the state? That’s right. Hahahaha, the Jensen family really hit the jackpot!”

“Harvard or MIT? She can take her pick. The admissions offices have already been calling, but this kid is picky. She still hasn’t decided.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. She’s been smart since she was little. Takes

after me!”

I pulled the throw blanket over my head, but the corners of my mouth still lifted despite myself.

On graduation day, a giant banner with my name hung at the school entrance.

[Congratulations to senior Tessa Jensen for earning a 1590 and becoming the top SAT scorer in the state!]

I stood onstage as the student speaker.

Everyone was there.

“I have always believed that the only things that truly matter are the things we hold in our own hands.”

I swept my gaze over the crowd below.

“Parents, partners, friends—anyone can become a temporary support in our lives. But in the end, we are the only people we can rely on forever.”

“Never place your hopes or your life in someone else’s hands. Only the life you build and hold onto yourself is truly yours.”

Chelsea stood in the last row, off in a corner. She had lost a lot of weight, and even the thick layer of powder on her face could not hide the dark circles under her eyes.

I heard she had barely broken 800.

Community college was her only real option.

Evan stood beside her. He looked at me with a complicated expression, as if he no longer recognized me.

Evan was the second-highest SAT scorer in the state this time. His score was still good: 1560.

The thought that I might end up at the same school as him made me feel unlucky.

Wyatt stood in the corner too, staring at me the whole time.

But soon, all of them were swallowed by thunderous applause.

There were too many people below.

I could no longer see them.