The Battle for His Heart

During the SAT exam, my cousin, who was sitting behind me, suddenly broke down, crying and tearing up my test paper.

I was equally distraught and snatched her paper, stuffing it into my mouth and swallowing it whole.

Clutching my stomach, I rolled on the floor, crying out, "She poisoned the paper! My stomach hurts so much. I'm losing my baby!"

My cousin was dumbfounded, the proctor was stunned, and none of the students could focus on their exams anymore.

If she wanted to go crazy, I would go crazy with her.

1.

Every year on the day of the SAT exam, I had terrible luck.

Two years ago, after a gathering with classmates, I returned home humming a tune, only to find out that my uncle and aunt had died in a car accident. My cousin cried when she saw me, "Are you happy now that my parents are dead?"

My mom scolded me harshly, calling me ungrateful, and tore my new clothes to shreds.

Last year, I learned my lesson and cried with my cousin over her unfortunate parents. But then she said, "Are you thinking that if my parents were alive, you wouldn't have to share your mom with me, and you could buy a new phone?"

So, I got scolded by my mom again.

This year, on the day of the SAT exam, I couldn't find my admission ticket before leaving. Luckily, the test center staff helped me sort things out just in time for the exam.

The exam in the afternoon was particularly difficult, and I was concentrating hard when my cousin behind me started sobbing. Her cries grew louder, and just as I turned to ask her to quiet down, she suddenly stood up and shouted, "Stop answering! It's so hard that even if you finish, you won't score much!"

Then she grabbed my answer sheet and tore it in half with a loud rip.

In an instant, my answer sheet was in pieces.

Everyone in the exam hall was shocked by her actions, and they instinctively shielded their papers, fearing they might be the next victim.

The proctor was also stunned, one went out to call for help, and another held my cousin back, "Calm down."

She might be calm, but I couldn't be.

I turned around, snatched her paper, and stuffed it into my mouth, collapsing on the floor and clutching the proctor's leg. "Ah, my stomach hurts so much! She must have poisoned the paper. I'm losing my baby!"

Even my cousin stopped her tearful act, and I immediately cried louder than her, "Give me back my child, give me back my poor paper! What did my baby and paper do wrong? Just because I refused to let you cheat, you want to kill my child?"

Cheating, plagiarism.

The invigilator and the security who rushed over turned serious and said to my cousin, "Come with us. We need to talk about you tearing up someone else's paper and attempting to cheat."

Three years of battling wits with Jeffrey Castro, my cousin, made me give up trying to win my mom's favor.

Being a charmer required talent, and I was the least talented.

But I found a new path for myself-going crazy.

As long as I didn't consider myself normal, no one could beat me in the realm of madness.

I didn't want to reveal my true nature at school, but Jeffrey forced my hand.

In the office, I met an acquaintance, Javier Reed.

He sat there with his head down, shrinking into himself like a scolded child, silently enduring the officer's lecture.

I nudged him, "Did you also get caught for tearing up the front desk's answer sheet?"

Javier glared at me, "Do you really think I'd do something so pathetic? Failing to get into college and trying to take others down with me? Like no one could see through such a petty scheme."

Nearby, Jeffrey was crying, her face alternating between pale and flushed, "Javier, I really just acted on impulse..."

"Oh, it's you," Javier exclaimed, "The whole corridor was buzzing about someone tearing up a paper. I didn't expect someone who looks so decent to act so disgracefully."

I felt secretly pleased and quickly suppressed my smile, asking, "Then what did you do to get caught?"

Javier rubbed his nose, "I dropped my ticket in the toilet and came to get a replacement."

I was about to laugh at him when the proctor came in and interrupted us, "Alright, Jeffrey Castro, according to the decision, your SAT scores have been canceled, and you are banned from retaking the test for a certain period."

The proctor then looked at me, her tone much kinder. "Vania Williams, you'll need to fill out a new answer sheet, which might take some time."

The exam had just ended, so it seemed I would have to stay and rewrite the paper.

Jeffrey panicked upon hearing her results were canceled, tears flowing instantly, "I was wrong. I really just acted on impulse..."

She still wanted to play the victim, and I couldn't stand it anymore, so I started my performance, "Oh, poor you, Jeffrey. It's totally my fault you got caught. I mean, what was I thinking, making my answers too perfect and making you jealous? Now I have to go through all this trouble, rewriting my answers and messing up my focus for tomorrow's exam, while you-rightfully-get your scores canceled. Life's just so unfair. I mean, let's be real-whether you get a score or not, it's just the difference between some random state college and a community college. But for me? It's the difference between Harvard and... well, something way beneath me. Wow, Jeffrey, how could you? Pushing me all the way down. I'm our school's best shot at a perfect SAT score."

The little tricks I learned from Jeffrey were quite useful. At the mention of best shot, the proctor's expression changed. In front of a top student, any little scheme was just an empty threat.

2.

Three years ago, Jeffrey's parents died in a car accident while rushing back from out of town to celebrate her birthday. Unable to cope with the blow, Jeffrey insisted she was responsible for their deaths and developed severe depression.

My mother took her to several doctors without success and finally followed the doctor's advice to erase the memory of "celebrating Jeffrey's birthday" from her mind.

But to ensure continuity of memory, they transplanted the "birthday celebration" onto me.

Since then, Jeffrey believed I was responsible for her parents' deaths and opposed me at every turn.

My mother pitied her misfortune and turned a blind eye to her antics, even blatantly favoring her.

"Vania, you shameless jinx, you caused Jeffrey to lose her results. Apologize to Jeffrey!" As soon as I got home, I heard the familiar scolding.

Here we go again, with my cousin twisting the truth and my mom siding with her.

I glanced at the figure smoking in the corner, oh, and there was my dad, who didn't care about anything.

I rolled my eyes, "She brought it on herself."

Jeffrey, looking frail, leaned on my mom, crying, "Vania, didn't you finish the exam in the end? I thought you could understand my pain of underperforming. Even if you're angry with me, you shouldn't take it out on your mom."

I sneered, "With your skills, is underperformance even possible? Whether you answered or not, zero and five points make no difference."

In the last exam, Jeffrey scored only five points. What did that say? It meant that throughout the entire exam, she only got one question right...

Jeffrey's grades had always been poor, consistently ranking at the bottom of the class. But her last score was so shocking that she earned the nickname "Five Points Jeffrey".

Because of this, Jeffrey hated it when people brought it up.

As expected, Jeffrey got mad when she heard this, "Vania, shut up!"

Her shrill scream startled my mom. After all, in front of my mom, she had always been a lady, never losing her composure. Not to mention the reputation she had as a top student at home. My mom was still convinced she was some kind of genius-smarter than me, of course.

"A lie repeated doesn't become the truth. Jeffrey, even without a math score, I believe in your ability-you're definitely Ivy League material. Keep it up!"

I was just waiting for the day her lies were exposed and she embarrassed herself.

With that, I slammed my bedroom door shut and started listening to audio lessons. Nothing would stop me from getting into college and leaving this house.

3.

With the ringing of the bell, the SAT exam officially ended.

I drifted with the crowd, feeling invisible as usual, unsurprised to see my mom walking arm in arm with Jeffrey, heading home, completely forgetting about me.

I didn't care.

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around my neck, pulling me back into a clean, familiar scent.

"Fall in love forever..." I murmured.

"What?" Javier's youthful and carefree profile was close to my mouth, a smile playing at his lips as he whispered, "Who are you saying you'll love forever?"

I pushed him away, expressionless, and said, "The detergent. Use it once, love it for life. Isn't that your mother uses for laundry?"

Javier's expression went blank for a moment, as if I'd interrupted his train of thought.

After a few seconds, he scratched his head in frustration. "I don't know."

He changed the topic, "We're planning to go to a bar together. Are you coming?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm not going."

I needed to go home and pack my things; I couldn't stay in that house any longer.

"Tsk." Javier clicked his tongue impatiently. "It's so hard to get you to come out, I promised them I'd definitely bring you along."

I remained unfazed, "Then you can dress up as me and take my place."

Javier was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Vania, you're too funny."

I ignored him and quickly walked out of the crowded area.

When I got home, I heard Jeffrey making snide remarks, "We just finished the SAT-why aren't you out celebrating with your friends? But no, it took a guy to finally get you out, and now you're all cozy in public. Vania, was that your priority in school? Figuring out how to get guys?"

So she had seen me with Javier.

I threw her a flirtatious glance, "Aren't you talking about yourself? You brought Javier breakfast for three years, and he still doesn't know your name. What, are you jealous?"

Jeffrey stomped her foot in anger, "Don't think Javier's interested in you. He's just playing around. Don't cry when he dumps you!"

I walked past her to the dining room without a change in expression, "Don't worry, that day will never come."

Because Javier and I had nothing between us, you idiot.

But Jeffrey clearly didn't think so, so she spiced up the story about Javier at the dinner table, making it sound so vivid that I almost believed I was secretly dating him.

My mom set her fork down with a sharp clatter, her face tight with anger. She pointed at me and said sternly, "Is this what I sent you to school for? To run around with boys? This is beyond disappointing."

It was always like this. For three years, every time Jeffrey said something, my mom believed it without question, then scolded me indiscriminately, followed by Jeffrey's fake pleas for leniency. My mom would then hug Jeffrey and say how she wished Jeffrey were her daughter. "How I wish Jeffrey were my daughter, so obedient and worry-free, much better than you!"

Unable to bear it any longer, I knew feeble explanations wouldn't solve anything as quickly as going crazy would.

I put down my knife and fork, feigned shock, and ran out the door, tears streaming down my face as I shouted, "Who would have thought, I'm not my mom's child, my cousin is her real daughter!"

By the time the neighbors peeked out, I was already sitting on the ground, crying loudly, "Where are my real parents? Was I even born into this family? Did you adopt me? Tell me the truth! I need to find out who I really am."

My mom's face turned ashen, "Nonsense, your cousin is my brother's child."

I didn't let her finish, covering my mouth in horror, "So she's your and your brother's child..."

The neighbors' eyes lit up with interest, not expecting such juicy gossip.

"No, she's not my child!" My mom was incoherent.

I cried even harder, "See, you admitted I'm not your child! Why should I stay here? I know you've never liked me since I was little. I'm unnecessary, I'll leave right away."

I grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously, "Don't worry, I won't leave any trace of myself in this house."

With that, I pulled a large iron hammer from the hallway storage and charged into the living room, "I've sat on this sofa, it can't stay."

The sofa was destroyed.

I rushed into the dining room, "I've sat on this chair, it can't stay. And this dish, I took a bite, throw it away."

Bang, the chair and dining table were smashed to pieces.

I swung the hammer into Jeffrey's room, "This was originally my study. You and your daughter must find it annoying, might as well demolish it and redecorate."

I whipped around recklessly, paying no attention to the mayhem. The hammer spun furiously, smashing through everything in its path.

I admired my handiwork with satisfaction and called out to Jeffrey, "I'm sorry, I don't deserve to be your cousin. But let me give you a nickname instead-how about 'Claiming Jeffrey'? Isn't that what you want? To claim this family all for yourself?"

I squatted in front of the ruins and asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to combine my room with yours to make a walk-in closet? Fine, my big hammer will fulfill your little wardrobe dream."

I enthusiastically hammered away at the white wall.

"Eighty! Eighty! Eighty!"

The wall collapsed in response.

Jeffrey was completely dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, my mom finally finished dealing with the neighbors' questions and nearly fainted at the sight of the wrecked house, "Vania!!!"

I slammed the hammer down just three inches from her feet, creating a small pit.

"I'm going to find my real parents. Before I leave, I did some renovations for you. Eighty per hammer, a total of seven hundred and twenty dollars, thank you for your patronage."

"You still want me to pay?" Myra Williams was furious.

I nonchalantly picked my ear and watched as the hammer flew past Myra's ear, cracking the wall and revealing the red bricks before it fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Oops, my bad," I said.

Myra's face turned pale, then red, then dark. I blew on my nails and said, "Now it's eight hundred in total. Cash or credit card?"

4.

I dragged my suitcase downstairs, only to find Javiery pacing at the bottom of the building, holding a cup of coffee.

Seeing me, he eagerly took my suitcase and handed me the coffee, "Come on. Let's go have some fun."

I was stunned, "Why are you here?"

I had called my best friend, Joslyn Smith, to pick me up.

Javier chuckled, "We were just singing, Joslyn was having a blast, so I volunteered to come get you. Let's go, I'll take you to a fried chicken place first. You haven't had dinner, right? After we eat, we'll join the others."

He didn't ask why I was leaving home but thoughtfully arranged everything for me, even bringing my favorite coffee.

I accepted his kindness, saying, "I want two pieces of crispy fried chicken."

When we arrived at the bar, everyone was going wild. A guy and a girl were passionately singing a classic duet, while one guy danced along dramatically beside them.

Across the room, a group of girls were playing a drinking game, laughing as one of them raised her can. "Come on, drink up!"

I glanced at the bottles on the table-thankfully, it was just White Claw. At least they had some self-control.

The moment we stepped in, we were greeted with loud cheers. Before I could react, Joslyn pushed both me and Javier onto the couch, snatching the microphone from the guy who had been singing. "I already picked a song for you two! It's a classic-time to perform!"

"Ohhh!" The others immediately started chanting. "Sing! Sing! Sing!"

I held the mic awkwardly, feeling completely lost. Hardly anyone knew-I was completely tone-deaf.

Beside me, Javier had already started. He adjusted the mic volume, gave me a mischievous smirk, and started singing the opening line, drawing out the first word dramatically.

I responded instinctively, blurting out the next line without thinking.

The whole room erupted in cheers, even louder than before. My face burned instantly, and I stumbled over the rest of the lyrics.

Noticing my panic, Javier shot me a reassuring glance and smoothly took over, finishing the song effortlessly.

He sang with quiet focus, eyes slightly lowered, occasionally flashing a small smile. Somehow, I found myself captivated by it.

5.

Maybe I was just too distracted, because when someone raised a toast to me later, I barely registered it-I just kept staring at Javier's profile as I downed my drink. One after another. It didn't take long before everything became a blur.

When I woke up, I found myself lying on an unfamiliar bed.

"You're up?" Javier walked in, holding a steaming bowl of soup.