Chapter 2

A memory, sharp and cold, flooded Ava' s mind.

Her previous life.

She had her Yale scholarship then too.

Scarlett, her supposed friend, had pushed her to take the SATs.

"Just for fun, Ava! We can do it together."

Ava, trusting, had agreed.

But Scarlett had a plan. A dark web app. "Score Swapper."

One time use.

Scarlett swapped their scores.

Ava' s near-perfect result became Scarlett's.

Ava received a score so low it was almost zero.

Yale revoked her scholarship.

Scarlett, suddenly a genius, became the school' s academic hero.

Ava tried to understand, to investigate.

"What happened? There must be a mistake."

Ms. Albright, Scarlett's aunt and the school guidance counselor, stepped in.

She produced "evidence" of Ava' s past academic misconduct. Forged papers. Lies.

"Ava, I'm so disappointed in you," Ms. Albright had said, her voice dripping with false sympathy.

The school turned on Ava. Blake Jr., the star quarterback and Scarlett' s boyfriend, believed Scarlett' s lies.

He looked at Ava with disgust.

Publicly shamed, isolated, broken.

Then came the final betrayal.

Scarlett and her loyal sidekick, Jessica Vance, lured Ava to an abandoned construction site.

"We need to talk, Ava. Clear the air."

On a high, unfinished floor, Scarlett had smiled, a truly chilling expression.

"You should have just stayed dumb, Ava."

Then, a push.

The fall. Darkness.

Until now.