Chapter 1

My twin, Camden Silva, has been diagnosed with a syndrome known as Sibling Rivalry Disorder.

If my scores are higher than his, he'll have insomnia and use a blade to cut his own arm.

The treatment that the doctor suggests is absolutely ridiculous. I should be pulled down instead.

Shockingly, everyone immediately leaps into action to do just that.

Mom turns off my alarm. As she watches me rush out of the house, she turns to Camden and says, "Clayton's going to be late now."

My sister, Cassandra Silva, offers to give me a ride, but her car breaks down five minutes later. When I get out of the car to continue my journey on foot, I catch a glimpse of her wide grin in the side mirror.

My childhood friend, Rebecca Ellis, holds my hand and speaks to me as if she's coaxing a child. "Why don't you just flunk the exams this time? You're so smart. So what if you have to repeat a year?"

Camden's scores keep getting better and better.

Everyone assumes that the treatment is working.

On the day of the SATs, I hesitate for a brief moment when a bottle of water is offered to me. However, I still drink it in the end.

Ten minutes later, I rush out of the exam hall while clutching my stomach.

Their eyes are glimmering with triumph as if they're elated that their plan succeeded when they look at me in unison.

Something in my heart dies at that moment.

I wonder how they're going to react when they find out that they've been ruining Camden with their own two hands.

Chapter 1

I felt absolutely wrecked after fighting for my life on the toilet. My legs trembled as I leaned against the wall and shuffled out of the restroom.

The group of women approached me with faux expressions of concern.

"Don't blame us for what we did, Clay," Mom said while looking at me apologetically. "Cam's going to make a fuss again tonight if he's unable to get into either Holwille University or Basillian University because of you. Be good and let Cam have his way."

"If you can't get into a good college, I'll take care of you, Clay," my sister, Cassandra Silva, said nonchalantly.

My childhood friend, Rebecca Ellis, said softly and comfortingly, "She's right. Besides, you have such good results. You can just retake it next year."

I worked myself to the bone for the past 18 years because of my twin, Camden Silva's, so-called illness. Meanwhile, Mom, Cassandra, and Rebecca did everything that they could to drag me down.

I had no desire to say another word to them. I turned around and prepared to leave.

Mom grabbed me and exclaimed, "Cam hasn't come out yet! Let's wait for him together."

They didn't notice how pale my lips were or how I was clutching my stomach that was twisting in pain. Their thoughts were filled with nothing but Camden at all times.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.

Camden had a miserable look on his face when he emerged from the exam hall.

"You left the hall so soon, Clay. You must have handed in your paper early. I knew it. I can never win against you, Clay."

His gaze strayed toward a big tree that was nearby before he continued, "If that's the case, I might as well just ram my head against that tree and be done with it. I don't want to humiliate myself when the provincial exam results are released."

Mom immediately hugged Camden and exclaimed, "Why would you think that, Cam?"

"She's right. Clay didn't do better than you at all," Cassandra chimed in with a smile. "He must have eaten something bad in the morning because he ran out of the hall ten minutes after the exam started. He was sitting on the toilet for an entire hour."

Camden looked at them. "You're not lying to me, are you?" he asked warily.

Rebecca held her hands up in an exaggerated manner. "I swear that I'm not lying to you. Besides, you're only allowed to hand in your paper 30 minutes before the end of the exam.

"Clay handed in his paper ten minutes after the exam started. He broke the rules, so he wouldn't be allowed to reenter the hall to finish his test even if he wanted to."

I watched them as they used the fact that they ruined my SAT to comfort Camden.

Although my heart had died a long time ago, it still throbbed painfully.

A long time passed before they finally noticed that I was still there.

"Go ahead and tell Cam what happened, Clay. We're right, aren't we?"

As I looked at their expectant gazes, I said, "Yes. I didn't answer a single question on the test."

Joy sparkled in Camden's eyes.

"Since I'm going to get zero on my reading and writing test, my total score will still be low even if I take the other tests. I'm going to skip the other tests."

"Are you being serious, Clay?" Camden asked.

"Yes," I answered, nodding solemnly.

Chapter 2

After the SATs were over, Camden happily hugged Mom and coyly said, "I feel so good because Clay didn't take his exams this time, Mom. Maybe I might even be able to score full marks and be named the national top scorer."

Mom ruffled his hair affectionately and said, "Of course. After all, you're the best, Cam. Clay can't win against you. Go ahead and tell me what you want for your present."

Camden tilted his head to the side before suddenly looking at me. "You're giving me a present even though I did so well on the exams? Why don't you give Clay a present instead to comfort him in advance?"

Camden was always like that. Although it looked like he was speaking up for my sake, in reality, every word that he said was to trample me under his feet.

Cassandra pulled out her phone with a smile and said, "I have to reward you for being so thoughtful of Clay's feelings even though you did so well on the exams, Cam. Although you didn't sit for your exams, Clay, Cam still wants to give you a present. That's why I'm going to give both of you a present, alright?"

Both Camden's and my phones chimed seconds after the words left her lips.

"1,600 dollars?" Camden exclaimed. "You're so good to me, Cass! I love you so much!"

He then hugged Cassandra and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You should check your phone too, Clay! How much money did Cass give you?"

I wasn't even able to lift a finger before Rebecca snatched my phone out of my hand and tapped on the transaction notification.

One cent.

"You're being a little too biased, Cass," Camden said, shooting a faux-stern look at Cassandra. "Why did you give Clay so little money?"

Cassandra spread her arms and said, "You misunderstand me, Cam. I'm a very fair person. I gave you 1,600 dollars because you scored full marks for your SAT. Clay didn't even take the exams. I'm being nice to him for even giving him a single cent."

"Well, that does make sense when you put it that way," Camden said with a nod. "You can't blame Cass for only giving you one cent, Clay. It's not her fault that your stomach acted up during the exam."

I quietly retrieved my phone from Rebecca. I then rose to my feet and turned around, preparing to leave.

After all, they were only planning to celebrate Camden's achievements regardless of whether I was present or absent.

"Clay, don't tell me you're upset because I did well in the exams?"

I didn't even manage to get a word in before Mom and the others immediately shot warning looks at me as if they were terrified that I would make Camden unhappy in the next second.

"No," I answered. "I'm just going to my room to get my present for you."

I returned to my room and immediately spotted my most precious treasures on my desk.

It was Holwille University's badge. Rebecca had given it to me, telling me that she would wait for me to join her at Holwille.

Cassandra had given me the brass fountain pen, telling me that I would certainly achieve success in my studies.

Mom asked the church to bless the study charm, telling me that I would definitely pass my exams with flying colors.

However, I didn't want any of these items anymore. Just like how I didn't want the people who gave them to me anymore.

I grabbed them before heading back to the living room, saying, "These are for you, Cam."

Mom's face twisted when she realized what I was holding.

"Didn't I give you that study charm, Clay?" she asked.

I smiled as I looked at her, saying, "That's right, Mom. I don't have much money, so I couldn't afford to buy something new for Cam. So, I had no choice but to give away my most precious treasures to him."

Mom was briefly stunned before she said, "But I told Cass to give you some allowance."

"I spent all of the money to comfort Cam when he was feeling out of sorts," Cassandra explained, scratching her head awkwardly. "Besides, Clay doesn't need to spend money anyway. We can just treat it as him doing his part to make Cam feel better."

I couldn't help but feel how ironic her words were at that moment.

Camden could get everything that he wanted because his results weren't good and he was feeling out of sorts. Meanwhile, I couldn't even afford to buy a few mock test papers.

I had to work to earn money for myself. But they had no idea that I returned home late every night due to my part-time job because they were busy comforting Camden whenever I came home.

I had a gut feeling that I didn't matter to them at all in their hearts.

Since Camden was so important to them, and they trusted him with all their hearts, I didn't mind giving them a grand present.

"Didn't Cam ask you to give me a present to comfort me, Mom?" I asked. "I don't need any comfort. I just want you to give him a new present on my behalf, Mom."

A relieved smile broke across Mom's face when she realized that I was being mature.

"What do you want to give him?" she asked. "You can count on me to fulfill your wish."

"Why don't we host a celebratory banquet for Cam? Let's invite everyone we know and celebrate together!"

Chapter 3

"You're right!" Mom exclaimed. "Cam did so well for his SAT. We definitely have to celebrate!"

Mom, Cassandra, and Rebecca gathered around Camden and began chattering away about the celebratory banquet. Rebecca even reflexively shoved me aside just so she could stand closer to Camden.

I lost my balance and knocked my head against the corner of the coffee table. A loud thump rang through the air upon impact, but nobody paid any attention to it.

A huge bump swelled up on my forehead, but I didn't make a sound. I quietly got back up on my feet and left the house.

It was pointless for me to tell them that I was injured because they wouldn't care in the slightest. Besides, I still had to go to my part-time job to earn the money that I needed to pay for my college fees.

…

I changed into my uniform after I arrived at the karaoke bar. I then entered one of the rooms and got ready to promote the alcohol that was for sale.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice.

The door swung open.

Camden stared at me in surprise before calling out, "Clay?"

I froze in place.

Mom, Cassandra, and Rebecca turned to look at me in unison.

A steely expression appeared on Mom's face as she studied that uniform that I was wearing.

"Do you want to anger me to death, Clay?" she demanded. "I know you scored zero points for your SAT, but didn't we agree that you'd just retake the exams next year? You're so smart. Don't tell me that you're planning to work as a waiter for the rest of your life?"

"Are you trying to ruin your life?" Cassandra added with a frown.

Rebecca grabbed my hand and began dragging me out of the establishment. "Let's go home right now and start studying."

As I looked at them, I couldn't help but feel how ridiculous the entire situation was.

They were the ones who kept wanting to drag me down. Although they had achieved their goal, they were also the ones who were unhappy with the current situation.

…

Mom and the others kept me trapped in my room for the next few days, keeping a close eye on me as I studied.

Although it was rare for them to spend so much time by my side, I only felt annoyed by their constant presence.

"Have you prepared my suit, Mom?" Camden asked. "It's my big day today!"

Mom approached him with a gift box, saying, "I specially had this suit tailor-made for you, Cam. It cost over 2,000 dollars!"

"This is my present for you, Cam," Cassandra said while bringing out a velvet box. "Cufflinks that cost 500 dollars."

Rebecca's present was no less impressive. "Take a look at my present! I got Mom to buy this branded watch for you. It cost over 50 thousand dollars!"

Camden giddily accepted all the gifts. He looked like a prince after he put everything on. He slipped into the luxury car that they had prepared and was escorted to the hotel.

Meanwhile, I was forgotten and left behind in my room.

A long time passed before I received a message.

"Come over to the hotel by yourself, Clay."

I did as I was told. After all, I was still waiting for the show to start for this very important day.

…

I was sweating buckets when I finally made it to the hotel. My drenched shirt stuck to my back.

Mom frowned when she saw me, asking, "Why do you look like that? It's Cam's important day today. You look humiliating!"

Humiliating?

I wouldn't have had to walk all the way to the hotel if I had money.

However, I felt no desire to explain myself to her. Besides, they never cared about me from the very beginning.

Cassandra pulled out a waiter's uniform from out of the blue and threw it at me, saying, "Change into this. Don't sit at the main table later. Find a far corner in the hall and just stay there. Don't want you ruining Cam's celebratory banquet."

…

Everyone approached Mom and congratulated her on giving birth to such an outstanding son once the banquet began.

Suddenly, the sounds of a commotion came from the doors.

The guests began to discuss among themselves.

"Oh, my God! That's the director of admissions of Holwille University!"

"You're right. And that's the director of admissions of Basillian University!"

"Camden has really made a name for himself. The director of admissions of Galewin University is here too!"

Camden looked at Mom and the others with a gleeful expression upon hearing the guests' words.

"I told you I did really well for the SAT this time!" he exclaimed. "I'm absolutely sure I'm going to be named the country's top scorer too!"

Rebecca's parents held his hands with ecstatic expressions.

"You've really made a name for yourself, Cam. Rebecca will have a companion once you enroll in Holwille University."

Rebecca's parents had said the same words to me in the past.

The directors of admission of Holwille University, Basillian University, and Galewin University rushed toward Camden.

"Pick my college, Mr. Clayton Silva!" they exclaimed in unison. "I'll give you the best treatment if you do!"

Chapter 4

Mom and the others exchanged confused glances upon hearing my name.

"Did you get the name wrong? Cam should be the one who's the national top scorer," Cassandra chimed in.

"You're definitely asking for the wrong person. Clay didn't even take his exams. Why are you looking for him? Check the scores! Once you check the scores, you'll know that Cam's the top scorer."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Camden said. "He didn't take the exams. He'll definitely get upset when they check the scores and find out that my score is so much higher than his."

He then looked up at me, fixing a faux-concerned expression on his face.

Mom didn't think it was a bad idea at all. "It's fine! Clay is strong mentally. Check the scores right now. I want everyone to know how amazing you are, Cam."

My heart had become numb a long time ago. After all, I couldn't even keep track of how many times I had been used as an example anymore.

Ever since Mom and the others set their plan of dragging me down into motion, my alarm was turned off, and I was abandoned on the way to school. They did everything they could to get in my way and ensure that I would get dismal results.

They didn't think that they did anything wrong, treating their actions as jokes just to comfort Camden every time.

"Look! Clay's results are worse than yours this time."

"You're the smartest one in the family, Cam. You immediately left Clay in the dust right after your mood got better."

They never once cared if their actions or words hurt me. In fact, the same thing was happening at that moment. They were ready to publicly humiliate in front of everyone.

Cassandra didn't hesitate at all when she gestured at a waiter and said, "Give me my laptop. Let's check Clay's score first!"

She then swiftly typed my exam admission details into the site.

An image appeared on the screen, showing that I had gotten zero points.

The guests started to boo my poor results.

"No matter how bad a student is, they still shouldn't have scored zero points in the SATs."

"I heard Clayton used to be quite smart in the past. I wonder what happened to him. Did he mix with the wrong crowd and pick up bad habits?"

"I think I saw him at the bar once. Don't tell me that…"

Mom and the others didn't speak up to defend me.

"I told you that you're looking for the wrong person, sir," Mom said to the admission directors. "There's no way you're looking for Clay to join your colleges when his results are so dismal. Take a look at Cam instead. He must be the one you're looking for!"

She then pushed Camden toward the admission directors.

Rebecca stepped forward and gleefully said, "Come on, show Cam's score. Let everyone know just how amazing he is."

Cassandra nodded with a smile. She then typed Camden's exam admission details into the site.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation as the system refreshed.

A new image appeared on the screen, showing that Camden had also scored zero points.