I Took The Same Exam, They Only Celebrated Her Chapter 10

I Took The Same Exam, They Only Celebrated Her Chapter 10

Mom hurriedly said, “I sent you money, Vivi. It should be enough now, right?”

My phone pinged. One hundred thousand dollars.

A storm of tangled emotions churned inside me.

“Mom. Do you remember when I was in eighth grade, the school organized a spring field trip that cost two

hundred dollars? You said it was too expensive. You wouldn’t even let me go to my own class graduation

party. You said I’d already cost you too much money with all my childhood illnesses.”

I laughed as I sent the money back. “I can’t afford to take your money.”

Hearing this, Grandma sobbed, “Vivi, let Grandma give you the money. Just come home. Everyone’s waiting

for you.”

“It’s not necessary. It’s just a score. If Mom and Dad had paid even a little attention to me, they’d have seen

that I ranked first in every single practice test.”

After I hung up, Mom sent me a long, sprawling confession letter. In it, she promised she would focus all her

attention on me from now on.

Did she really not know I no longer needed their attention?

Later, Asher showed up in my new city too. He texted, asking to see me. When I met him again, the look in

his eyes wasn’t as distant as before.

“Vivi, quick, have a seat. My treat.”

I didn’t sit. “Just say what you need to say. I still have a lab to finish.”

He tried to make small talk. I turned and started walking away.

A note of urgency crept into his voice. “Vivi, you liked me before… didn’t you?”

I paused mid–step, then turned back. “Yes. When you used to tutor me, when you’d bring me a carton of milk -I did like you then.”

“But so what? The moment you stood next to my sister and accused me of faking it all for attention, I stopped.”

His mouth opened, an apology forming on his lips. The word “sorry” hadn’t even left his mouth before I was already in a cab, heading back to campus.

The wheels rolled forward, trees blurring past the window on either side.

I had no time to dwell on the grievances of the past decade. I changed into my lab coat and threw myself completely into the experiment at hand.