Valedictorian? More Like a
Billionaire!
My SAT score came out, and I absolutely
crushed it – a 1580, the highest in the entire
state.
Brittany, the queen bee of our school, just
laughed at me. “So what if you aced the test?
You’re still going to be poor,” she sneered.
Well, I’m done playing nice. Time to drop the
truth bomb.
You see that skyscraper downtown? The one
that dominates the whole city skyline? Yeah,
that’s my family’s.
And that Maybach your daddy drives? That’s
mine, too.
- 1.
The scores dropped today and, let me tell you, I
I stared at the breakup text from Chad on my
phone, the one where he was basically saying
he was ditching me for Brittany, and I just
wanted to go full–on ghost mode and haunt his
pathetic existence.
“Dude, 688 and 692? You two are practically
Ivy League material!”
The class group chat was blowing up, a total
frenzy of 99+ messages. Everyone was
congratulating Chad and Brittany on becoming
a power couple and going off to college
together.
“Hey, anyone know what score Tiffany got?”
“Who cares? She’s been at the bottom of the
class since freshman year. She’s probably
already filling out applications for community
college.”
1-
9:50
<
shift at the local Walmart.”
I just sighed as I scrolled through the endless
jabs. It was always like this – any time someone praised Brittany, a whole pack of her wannabe
followers would come at me. I looked at the
blank page on my phone, no scores, no ranking,
and just turned it off.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated – it was my dad.
“Hey sweetie, did you check your scores?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice sounding a little flat.
He must have picked up on my mood, because
he paused and then said, “It’s okay, kiddo, we
can always try again next year.”
“Nah, Dad, I already picked a school. There’s no
way I’m improving my score anymore. It is what
it is, you know?”
it is, you know?”
Dad sighed, sounding resigned. He asked which school I’d picked, so he could help me get ready.
“Uhh, Community Tech of South Bend,” I said, taking my time.
The next day, the class president messaged me, saying we had to come back for the graduation ceremony.
As soon as I walked into the classroom, all eyes were on me, followed by a bunch of snickering.
“Hey Tiffany, did you get your score? Did you manage to get enough to get into the local JC?” Brittany’s top sidekick stood behind her, ready to laugh at my expense.
<
63
It wasn’t just her. Everyone looked at me with
that same “loser” stare, like I was some kind of dirtbag.
“They always say that hard work and struggle
makes you successful, but then there’s Tiffany over here. Broke and failing, destined for the assembly line.”
“At least I’m better looking than you, unlike some people who are only pretty on the outside and rotten to the core, begging for attention.”
They weren’t expecting me to snap back, and the girl’s face turned beet red. She tried to come at me, but Brittany grabbed her arm.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough.”
“Tiffany didn’t do well, she’s probably hurting.
Maybe we should all cut her some slack. Not
everyone gets the same start in life.”
I just looked at Brittany, and I could practically
see the halo glowing over her head. Let the
rabid dogs tear me down, then step in and look like the good guy. That’s how she rolled, always
coming across as this wealthy, kind, and beautiful angel.
Everyone always fawned over how perfect
Brittany was – pretty, smart, the total package. Meanwhile, I was the bottom of the barrel. The more awesome she seemed, the worse I looked.
“Tiffany, is that a new bracelet? I don’t think
I’ve ever seen you wearing that before.”
Oh, for the love of… She had to start.
I tried to sit down, but Brittany had to stir the
pot.
I ignored her. I’m not about to waste my energy
on some low–level drama.
<
9:51
- ))
“Hey, Brittany, is that a new bracelet? I haven’t
seen you wear that before?”
I wasn’t going to play, but that doesn’t mean her sycophants wouldn’t.
Brittany smiled, raising the bracelet on her wrist, “My dad got it for me as a graduation
gift, It’s nothing fancy.”
“No way! That thing must be worth a fortune!”
Someone reached over to admire Brittany’s jade bracelet. She just smiled, saying she really had
no idea how much it was worth.
Then, someone changed the subject to me.
Of course, Brittany’s groupies were never one
to disappoint.
“Tiffany, your bracelet looks so fake, what, are
you trying to be like Brittany again? Get a grip,
63
9:51
<
63
“Yeah, it’s totally a copycat move. So lame.”
I glanced at my bracelet, and then took a look
at the one Brittany had on.
It was a joke. The jade on my wrist was something my grandma would wear with her Sunday best. And I am almost positive the one Brittany had was the equivalent of what my housekeeper would consider “junk.”
“Seriously? So if Brittany wears a bracelet, nobody else can? Are we only allowed to wear clothes when she’s naked?”
–
I rolled my eyes, and I saw that it had worked – the pack of wannabes were instantly triggered.
When they couldn’t win the verbal fight,
someone tried to snatch my bracelet. Brittany
just watched, not doing a single thing to stop them.
<
A few of them got a hold of me and, before I
could react, they pulled the bracelet right off
my wrist.
The girl who grabbed it, stood on a chair and
held it above her head, laughing, “Look at
Tiffany’s fake bracelet!”
“Here, let me toss it on the floor for ya,
Tiffany.”
“”
She pretended to drop it, expecting me to beg
her to stop. But I didn’t move. Instead I crossed
my arms over my chest and stayed totally calm.
“Go for it. It’s not that expensive. It’s just the
equivalent of a townhouse downtown.”
The room went silent, and then erupted in
laughter. Everyone thought I was nuts, they
thought it was a wild claim. They knew I lived in
a run–down shack out in the boonies, relying on
く
a small apple orchard for income. They thought
I was as poor as they come.
“Tiffany, did you get your scores and
completely lose it?”
“You? Owning a townhouse downtown?”
“If that’s real, I’ll eat that bracelet on the spot.”
The girl who had my bracelet was feeling pretty
bold, not buying my threat. Everyone was
egging her on, telling her to smash it to bits.
Then, a guy who’d been quiet finally spoke up,
staring at my bracelet.
“Hold on a minute, that thing looks real.”
- 3.
The guy who said that was our math whiz,
Jason.
<
the bracelet from her.
After looking it over, he said, “Nah, it’s
definitely real.”
Jason’s family owned a jewelry store. He knows
his rocks. So his word meant something to
everyone.
“Jason, are you sure? There’s no way that’s
real.”
The girl wouldn’t give it up so easy.
Jason frowned at her, like he was annoyed,
“Are you doubting me?”
Then he handed the bracelet back to me.
I said thanks, but noticed he was staring at me
like he was trying to figure me out.
“Even if it is real, it’s not worth anything,” the
<
9:51
I walked over and held the bracelet up to her
face.
“So, do you wanna eat it raw, or do you need
some BBQ sauce?”
