Chapter 1

I scored 717 on my college entrance exam. My childhood best friend, Logan Harwick, scored a perfect 735, which made him the highest scorer in the entire state.

The day we planned to submit our college applications together, he did not show up.

Then I received his text.

"Your sister bombed her exams, and she is not handling it well. She tried to hurt herself. I have to stay and repeat senior year with her.

"Can we push Edgemont back a year? We both stay, repeat the year with her, and retake the test.

"You will have to come up with something to tell the family. Just do not say anything that will set her off. Tell them you had bad test anxiety and did not score well either."

I sent back one word.

"Okay."

That became a promise I had no intention of keeping.

Almost immediately, my stepsister posted on social media.

The photo showed two hands wearing matching couple bracelets, fingers intertwined. Beside them sat an enrollment brochure for a local high school repeat‑year program.

The caption read, "He told me that no matter what the future holds, he will always stay for me."

The comments came from Logan’s friends. They congratulated him on finally making a move and hyped him up for making their relationship official.

None of them mentioned me.

It felt as if the plan to attend Edgemont had always been meant for the two of them, and I had never been part of it.

I submitted my application to Edgemont University without hesitation, liked her post, and left one comment.

"Wishing you two a lifetime of happiness!"

Chapter 1

"Have you figured out what you are going to tell the family?"

Logan Harwick’s voice message arrived right after.

"Do not pick a fight with your dad and stepmom over this. They are worried about Bria. You have always been the responsible one. Just do this for me and take one for the team."

He did not ask if I felt upset. He did not ask if I felt willing.

He informed me. My future had been signed away to make up for Bria Linden’s failure, and no one had checked with me first.

I stared at the screen, and my mind drifted back to the day they sorted us into classes in freshman year.

Logan had searched the entire building to find me. He leaned against the classroom doorway with a grin.

"Audrey, I got the school to put me in your class. If anyone gives you trouble, they will have to go through me first."

When we picked our course tracks sophomore year, he had a perfect score in physics, yet he followed me into bio‑chem instead.

He had said, "I promised you we would go to Edgemont together. Wherever you are, that is where I will be. That is our deal."

He used that same tone now to tell me that for Bria’s sake, my place at Edgemont could wait another year.

Every one of those promises had carried an expiration date, and the clock had run out the day Bria entered the picture.

I switched back to the state education board’s website.

A red warning box flashed across the screen. "Final confirmation is irreversible. Are you sure you want to submit?"

The cursor hovered over the confirm button. I clicked it.

The system returned a green banner. "Application locked successfully."

I took a screenshot, saved it, and logged out.

My phone lit up again. This time it came from the class group chat.

Someone had screenshotted Bria’s social media post and shared it in the group.

"Logan, you are really not going to Edgemont? You are the top scorer in the state, man."

"Repeating senior year for Bria. That is real devotion."

"Wait, what about Audrey? She is going to Edgemont alone?"

The chat went quiet for a few seconds.

Logan’s profile picture appeared.

"She has not been doing well lately. Do not ask about it. Test anxiety hit her hard and she did not perform. She is going to repeat the year with us."

He lied without hesitation, as if he were doing me a favor.

The others joined in immediately.

"I always said there was no way she stayed that consistent on her practice tests. Guess she cracked under the pressure."

"Honestly, that works out. The three of you repeat together and sweep the top three spots next year."

I watched the messages scroll past, and I felt calm.

Logan assumed that all he needed to do was say the word and I would take the fall for Bria, play the girl who choked on test day so no one would look closely at what had really happened.

He had not waited to get our story straight. He had written my failure into the record in front of everyone.

I did not respond. I screen‑recorded the entire conversation and saved it.

My phone buzzed. It was a call from the city admissions office.

"Is this Audrey Linden? Our system shows your application has been locked. Given your exceptionally high score, we are making a routine confirmation call."

"I submitted it myself."

My voice stayed steady.

"All right. Please keep your confirmation code safe. Best of luck with everything."

After I hung up, I logged back into the portal and linked the two‑step verification to my personal phone number and email.

As soon as I finished, Dad called.

"Audrey, did you finish your application?"

"It is done."

"Come home for dinner tonight. Logan is here too. We should all sit down and talk."

"Talk about what?"

I asked, although I already knew.

"About your sister." He sighed.

"Bria has been in rough shape the last few days. You are the older one. Try to be understanding."

"Fine. I will be right there."

He always acted like family meant all of us equally, yet the scale had never tipped in my direction.

I pushed the front door open. The living room felt eerily quiet.

No food sat on the dining table. Instead, a thick stack of documents rested in the center.

Dad sat at the head of the table. My stepmother, Lorelai Callahan, sat beside him, dabbing at her eyes.

Bria leaned against Logan, her eyes red and swollen.

Logan looked at me. His expression carried a silent warning. It felt like he was saying, "Do not make a scene. Just go along with it."

Dad slid the documents toward me.

It was an enrollment contract for a repeat‑year program. A pen with the cap already removed sat beside it.

Chapter 2

"It does not matter how well you scored. You cannot stand by and watch your sister fall apart."

Dad’s tone allowed no argument.

I looked down at the contract. Both Bria’s name and mine had already been filled in.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

I asked, although I already knew.

Lorelai stood and grabbed my wrist. Her tears fell on cue.

"Audrey, I am begging you. Bria did not do well this time. She already wrote a goodbye letter.

"I rented a place near the school. You two can live together, and you help her study for a year. Then you all go to Edgemont together next year. Please?"

Every word sounded like a plea. Yet the apartment had already been rented. The contract had already been printed. The pen had already been uncapped.

This was not a discussion. It was a done deal.

Bria was not my real sister. She was the child Lorelai had brought when she married into the Linden family.

Bria had not carried the Linden name originally. Lorelai had changed it to win points with my father.

When I was twelve, Dad had walked through the front door with the two of them. He pulled Bria out from behind her mother and set her in front of me.

"Audrey, Bria grew up without a dad. She had it rough. You are the big sister now, so go easy on her."

From that day on, my standing in the house was chipped away piece by piece.

Dad poured every drop of love and patience into his stepdaughter, and his own child became invisible.

At the end of freshman year, I ranked first in our grade. Bria ranked 23rd.

When we got home, Lorelai brought out a cake. The frosting read "Go Bria!"

Lorelai wrapped her arm around Bria and said, "Do not be discouraged, sweetheart. You will beat your sister next time for sure."

Dad added, "Bria is still building her foundation. She has plenty of room to grow. Audrey’s grades are steady, so there is nothing to worry about."

Nobody asked if I felt happy about finishing first. Nobody offered me a slice of that cake.

Eventually I stopped expecting it.

Every resource, every ounce of attention, and every bit of sympathy went to Bria first. I was smart, independent, and strong, so I did not need any of it. Bria was fragile, sensitive, and needed protecting, so she deserved all of it.

"What if I do not sign?"

I pulled my hand free and stepped back.

Bria wrenched herself out of Logan’s arms, snatched the fruit knife off the table, and dragged the blade across her wrist.

A thin line of blood beaded along the cut. The wound was shallow, yet the sight of it was enough.

"Bria!" Logan grabbed the knife and pulled her tight against him.

"If my sister will not stay with me, I really cannot keep going."

Bria buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

"I might as well die."

Dad slammed his palm on the table and pointed at me. "Look at what you have done to your sister!"

Logan pressed a hand over the cut and looked at me. His brow furrowed.

"Audrey, stop this. You are smart. You will have other chances. You can get into Edgemont next year just the same. Right now, Bria only has me and you. Can you stop being selfish for once?"

He said the cruelest thing imaginable in the gentlest voice he had.

My entire academic career, over a decade of grinding through every exam and every late night, meant nothing to him. It was a bargaining chip he could trade away for Bria whenever he wished.

On the day of the 100‑day pledge rally in senior year, he had wrapped his arm around my shoulders in front of the entire class and announced, "Audrey Linden is the one I am taking to Edgemont. Nobody else. Only her."

His arm rested around someone else now, and "only her" meant someone else too.

"Fine. Let me think about it."

I lowered my gaze to hide anything cold that might have shown in my eyes.

"What is there to think about?" Dad remained unsatisfied.

"I should at least read the contract."

I pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened the enrollment agreement. My phone sat on the table, the camera angled at all of them.

I pretended to check a message and pressed record. I took a photo of the contract’s front page.

The moment Lorelai saw me soften, her expression shifted into a smile.

"Yes, absolutely, take your time. Tuition, rent, living expenses, I will cover all of it."

Logan relaxed too. He pulled out a tissue and wiped the blood from Bria’s wrist.

"See? Your sister said yes. Stop crying."

Bria glanced at me with a look that carried pure provocation. The corner of her mouth curled into a faint smirk.

In that split second, no tears sat in her eyes. Only the satisfaction of someone who had already won.

I ignored her and flipped through the contract. The pages snapped loudly between my fingers.

My phone buzzed. It was a private message from our homeroom teacher.

"Audrey, your application looks excellent. Edgemont already reached out to me about you. Make sure you keep your confirmation receipt somewhere safe, and do not share your login credentials with anyone."

I replied with a thank you and put my phone away.

"I read the contract. I am going to my room to think it over."

I stood without looking at any of them.

Logan called after me. "Come with me to the school tomorrow to submit the withdrawal form."

"We will talk about it tomorrow."

I went to my room and locked the door behind me.

The moment I sat down, the screen lit up.

The text came from the state education board. "Dear student, an irregular review request has been submitted for your application account. Please confirm whether this action was authorized by you."

Chapter 3

I stared at the text, and my fingertips went cold.

The irregular review process was a failsafe designed for students who had submitted the wrong application. It required a legal guardian to appear in person with the student’s birth certificate and a valid photo ID.

I called the city admissions service center.

"Hello, I received an irregular review notification, but I never submitted a request."

The operator checked the system. "Our records show that the applicant provided a copy of your birth certificate, a copy of your photo ID, and a signed letter of authorization from your legal guardian.

"The request is still under review. If you wish to dispute it, you will need to appear in person with your ID to cancel it."

"I’m on my way."

I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

The living room was empty. Dad’s briefcase was gone from the couch.

They had gotten there before me.

When I arrived at the service center and had just taken a queue number, someone grabbed my shoulder hard from behind.

"What are you doing here?" Dad kept his voice low. His face stayed tight with anger.

Lorelai trailed behind him. Her eyes looked red and swollen, as if she might collapse at any second.

"I am here to cancel the review request you submitted on my behalf." I shook his hand off.

"Audrey, do you have any heart at all?" Dad jabbed a finger in my face.

"Your sister swallowed pills and ended up in the hospital, and you are still making a fuss over a college application?"

Lorelai threw herself at me and gripped my arm. She wailed loudly. "Audrey, I will get on my knees for you. Please, save Bria."

She played the part beautifully. Yet I remembered sophomore year, when I had a fever for three days straight. She left a bottle of medicine outside my door and never came in.

The front entrance swung open. Logan walked in with a group of guys. One of them held up his phone, streaming live.

"Check this out, everyone. This is the girl who pushed her own sister to the edge just to protect her spot. Logan gave up Edgemont for her sister, and what does she do? She locked her application behind everyone’s back and drove her sister to swallow sleeping pills."

People around us whispered and stared.

Logan walked up to me.

"Audrey, let’s not do this here. Come to the hospital with me. Pull your Edgemont application, and I’ll pretend today never happened."

He spoke with the calm confidence of someone who believed he controlled the entire situation.

Something about it almost made me laugh.

"Logan, what gives you the right to make decisions for me?"

I pulled out my phone and played the audio I recorded the night before.

Lorelai’s voice came through clearly.

"Get her to sign the contract first. We will take her documents and figure out the application ourselves."

Every whisper in the room stopped.

Lorelai went pale. Dad stood frozen.

I paused the recording after that single line.

"If any of you try to stop me again, I will hand the full recording to the police."

Logan’s frown deepened.

He had never imagined I would fight back. In his mind, Audrey Linden was the sensible one. The one who endured without complaint and cooperated without question.

His phone rang. When he answered, Bria’s voice came through, weak and tearful.

"Logan, does she still not forgive me? I just want to see her. Just once."

Logan hung up and fixed his eyes on me.

"She just had her stomach pumped. The doctor says she is emotionally unstable. I am asking you as a favor. Just go see her."

I looked at the desperation on his face and nodded.

"Fine. I will go."

Half an hour later, we stood outside the hospital room door. Logan stopped short and caught my wrist. His grip felt startlingly tight.

"When you go in there, whatever she asks, just say yes."

I looked down at his hand clamped around my wrist, then raised my eyes to meet his.

"What exactly do you want me to agree to, Logan? Handing her my life?"

He faltered for a moment. His grip loosened, yet he did not let go.

Chapter 4

The hospital room reeked of disinfectant, and the air felt so heavy it was hard to breathe.

Besides Bria lying in the bed, the room held the enrollment director from the repeat‑year school, a psychiatrist, and a handful of Logan’s friends.

Two documents sat neatly on the bedside table. One was a pledge to accompany a student through the repeat‑year program. The other was a voluntary withdrawal form for my college application.

They had come prepared to break me, and they had even brought an audience and witnesses to make sure it stayed that way.

The moment Bria saw me, her tears started falling.

She struggled up from the bed, did not bother putting on her shoes, and dropped to her knees in front of me.

"I know I was wrong. I should not have gone after Logan. But I am scared of repeating the year alone. Just sign the papers and stay with me for one year, please. If you do, I promise I will keep going. I will stay alive."

She wept with every ounce of helplessness she could muster. Yet I knew her too well.

The summer before junior year, our state’s top academic camp had one open spot, and our homeroom teacher nominated me.

Bria went home and cried all night. The next morning, Lorelai marched into the school and told the teacher that Bria felt emotionally fragile and could not handle the disappointment.

The spot went to Bria.

On her way out the door that day, she paused outside my room and said softly, "You are so talented. You will have plenty of chances later. Cannot you let me have this one?"

She believed, on some fundamental level, that anything I had should be handed to her. I was strong, which meant I did not need it.

The psychiatrist spoke up on cue. "The patient is showing severe depressive tendencies. If her sense of security is not met, there is a real risk of more extreme behavior."

Dad caught me off guard and snatched the phone out of my pocket.

"No recordings today."

He shoved it into his own pocket.

"Sign the papers and we can put this behind us."

I looked at my empty hand, then at Bria kneeling on the floor.

"What would you call this, exactly? Unlawful detention? Extortion?"

Logan stepped forward and shielded Bria behind him. His eyes held disappointment and anger.

"Do you actually want to drive her to kill herself? She is on her knees in front of you. How cold‑blooded can you be?"

It was the first time he had ever raised his voice at me, and he did it for another girl.

After the last practice exam of senior year, I dropped to fifth in our grade.

I sat on the rooftop alone for a long time.

Logan found me up there. He did not say a word. He draped his jacket over my shoulders and sat beside me until the early hours of the morning.

He said, "No matter what happens, I am on your side. You are the most important person in my life."

The most important person in his life. That promise did not even last six months.

"Her life is not my responsibility."

I stepped past him and let my gaze sweep over the documents on the table.

"And my future is not her medicine."

I turned and walked toward the door.

"If that's how it is, I might as well just die!"

Bria screamed, scrambled up from the floor, and bolted out of the room as if she had lost her mind.

At the far end of the corridor stood the stairwell that led to the roof.

"Bria!"

Logan’s face drained of color, and he was the first to give chase. The room erupted into chaos as everyone rushed after her.

Dad shoved me hard from behind. "Get out there and bring her back!"

The wind on the rooftop was fierce, strong enough to force my eyes shut.

Bria had already climbed over the waist‑high railing and stood on the narrow concrete ledge at the very edge. She pointed at me, her screams torn apart by the wind.

"She is the one who pushed me to this! She wants to watch me die!"

Logan was out in front, trying to inch closer to her. "Bria, do not do anything rash. I promise I will stay with you. Always."

The crowd surged forward, and I was jostled to the very front, barely a step from the railing.

The instant Logan reached out to grab Bria, she whipped her hand back and seized my sleeve.

She leaned in close and whispered in a voice only the two of us could hear.

"If you do not sign, we both go over."

In the next second, she threw herself backward. The force of it dragged my entire body toward the railing.

Logan reacted fast. He caught Bria around the waist and wrenched her back to safety. Yet the momentum had already carried me over. Half my body hung past the railing.

Wind rushed up from the ground below and tore the application confirmation receipt from my pocket. It spiraled into the open air.

Logan held Bria tight against him. He still shook as he turned around in a panic.

All he saw was my fingertips sliding, inch by inch, down the rough edge of the concrete.