Chapter 27 27
Scarlett’s POV
"Yes."
"To who?"
"That's private."
Madison laughed. It was an ugly sound. "Let me guess. Some old guy with money who wanted a young piece of arm candy. How much does he pay you? Monthly allowance? Shopping sprees?"
I didn't respond. Just kept smiling.
Madison stepped closer. Close enough that I could smell her perfume. "Come on, Scarlett. Don't be shy. We just want to chat."
Sophie and Ashley moved to flank me. Blocking my path back to the dining room.
Madison crossed her arms. "Did you hear? Zelda got into Columbia. Early Decision. Full scholarship."
Ashley jumped in immediately. "She got a 1410 on her SAT. That's 99th percentile. Basically guaranteed admission to any Ivy League she wanted."
Sophie nodded enthusiastically. "Her mom is already planning the celebration party. It's going to be at the Plaza Hotel. All the important families are invited."
I kept my face neutral. But inside, I was laughing.
1410? 99th percentile? Does Ashley not even understand basic statistics? That's 93rd percentile at best. In Columbia's applicant pool, that score would get rejected in the first round, unless... her family donated a building to Columbia, or she somehow packaged herself as the heir to some obscure tribal nation.
They're acting like she won a Nobel Prize, when really she just barely scraped into a school she'll probably struggle to handle.
I looked at Zelda. She had that humble, embarrassed expression on her face. Like she didn't want to brag. Like she was uncomfortable with all the attention.
But I could see the satisfaction in her eyes.
Madison turned her full attention to me. "What about you, Scarlett? Where are you applying? Community college? Or are you just going to keep working at that coffee shop forever?"
My smile didn't waver. "I took the SAT last month. I'm applying to universities."
All four of them went silent.
Then Madison burst out laughing. "You? The SAT? Did you even finish high school? Aren't you like, twenty-two?"
"I'm twenty-two. I took my GED last year. And yes, I took the SAT."
Sophie's eyes went wide. "At twenty-two? What were you doing for four years? Oh right. You were probably in juvie or something."
"I was working. Supporting myself."
Madison smirked. "Did you even pass the SAT? Or did you just look at the registration page and give up?"
"I took it. My scores are under review right now."
The laughter started immediately.
Madison was laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes. "Under review? Oh my God. That's what College Board says when they catch people cheating!"
Ashley nodded vigorously. "They flag scores when the improvement is statistically impossible. Like if you failed the practice test and suddenly got a perfect score."
Sophie added, "Or when someone from a terrible school district suddenly scores higher than everyone else. The system knows when something's fishy."
I kept my expression neutral. Let them think whatever they wanted.
Madison finally stopped laughing. She wiped her eyes again. "Scarlett. Sweetie. Let me explain something to you. The SAT is hard. Like, really hard. People study for months. They take prep courses. They hire tutors. And even then, most people don't break 1200."
Ashley nodded. "Zelda studied with a private tutor for six months. She took practice tests every weekend. She worked incredibly hard for that 1410."
Sophie added, "And 1410 is exceptional. Like, top one percent in the country. That's Ivy League level."
I tilted my head slightly. "What if my scores are actually good?"
The three of them exchanged glances. Then they burst out laughing again.
"Good?" Madison's voice dripped with condescension. "What's 'good' to you? A 1000? That's like, 40th percentile. That's not even good enough for state schools."
"What if I scored higher than Zelda?"
The laughter stopped immediately.
All four of them stared at me.
Madison's smile turned sharp. Dangerous. "Higher than 1410? You? That's literally top one percent in the country. There's NO WAY."
"But what if I did?"
Madison stepped even closer. Her face was inches from mine. "Then I'll get on my knees and apologize to you in front of everyone. I'll admit I was wrong about you. I'll tell everyone that you're not trailer trash. That you're actually smart."
"Really?" I asked. "You promise?"
"Absolutely." Madison's eyes were gleaming. "But when YOUR score comes back lower than Zelda's—which it will—you're going to publicly apologize to Zelda at her celebration party next week."
Ashley jumped in. "Oh my God, yes. Make this official."
Sophie nodded eagerly. "Zelda's party is going to be at the Plaza Hotel. All the important families will be there. The Romanos, the Santoros, everyone from our prep school."
Madison's smile got wider. "You'll stand in front of everyone and admit that you're nothing but trailer trash who got lucky enough to even take the test. You'll apologize to Zelda for trying to compete with her. You'll admit that you'll never be as good as she is."
I looked at Zelda. She was biting her lip. Looking worried. But her eyes were bright with anticipation.
She wanted this. She wanted me humiliated in front of everyone.
I looked back at Madison. "And if my scores are higher than 1410, you'll apologize to me in front of everyone at that same party?"
"Yes. On my knees. In front of everyone. I'll admit I was completely wrong about you."
Ashley pulled out her phone. "We should record this. Make it official."
Sophie was already recording. "Say it again. The whole bet. So we have proof."
Madison looked directly at the camera. "If Scarlett Romano scores higher than 1410 on the SAT, I will get on my knees at Zelda's celebration party and apologize to her in front of everyone. I will admit that I was wrong about her."
She turned to me. Waited.
I looked at the camera. Kept my face calm. "If my SAT scores are 1410 or lower, I will publicly apologize to Zelda at her celebration party. I will admit that I'm not good enough to compete with her."
"And that you're trailer trash," Madison added.
"And that I'm trailer trash," I repeated flatly.