Chapter 2

Tiffany "Tiff" Harrington sauntered over, a smirk playing on her lips.

Her expensive clothes screamed money, her eyes held a cold confidence that unnerved me.

"Well, well, Maya Rodriguez," she purred, voice dripping with false sweetness.

"Ready to lose again? By the usual ten points, I predict."

Her words hit me, a cold echo of my nightmare.

The "usual ten points." How could she know?

The STEM Challenge had three rounds, each scored out of 100.

The first round was Coding. My strong suit.

I poured everything into it, my fingers flying across the keyboard, lines of code flowing, elegant and efficient.

This was my best work, flawless.

I felt a surge of pride. This had to be enough.

The results board lit up.

My score: 90. Excellent.

Then Tiff' s score appeared next to mine: 100.

Exactly ten points higher.

My stomach dropped. It was happening again.

"How?" I whispered, staring at the board.

It wasn't possible. Her code couldn't have been that much better.

I suspected cheating, some advanced hacking device.

My boyfriend, Jake Miller, popular and always seeking approval, walked up.

"Rough luck, Maya," he said, but his eyes kept flicking to Tiff, who was basking in her father' s praise nearby.

"She must have just been better prepared."

"Jake, she always scores exactly ten points more than me, it' s not normal," I argued, my voice tight.

He frowned, looking uncomfortable.

"Don't be a sore loser, Maya. Tiff's family has resources, maybe she has better tutors."

He then drifted towards Tiff' s group, drawn by her wealth and status.

He offered her a congratulatory smile.

She beamed back, then shot a triumphant look my way.

The betrayal felt cold, isolating me further.

He didn't believe me. He chose her side.

I was alone in this.