My Family’s Deadly Competition

I froze. What did she mean, closed?

Victoria set down the oatmeal and helped me back into bed.

"I told you your health was poor. I told you to get some nutrition, but you didn't listen. You fainted from low blood sugar. The proctor called us, and I brought you home."

The dizziness almost knocked me over again, but the tears were already falling.

"The juice. The matcha. What the hell is in the stuff you give me!" I choked out. "Why do I crash every single time at the final exam? This is the third time!"

Victoria looked shocked. "Ava, do you think there's something wrong with the drinks I make you?"

"Isn't there?!"

I sobbed, staring right at her. "You only give me those special drinks right before big tests. Why?"

Before Victoria could answer, Chloe shoved the door open.

"Enough, Ava!" she snapped. "Why are you taking your failure out on Mom? Can't you see how much she does for you?"

Mason popped in behind her, looking disgusted. "Yeah. You've been drinking that stuff for years. Why does it only happen during big tests? Maybe you just have test anxiety."

I froze.

Mason was right.

I drank Mom's matcha and juice all the time and never had an issue. I only passed out on SAT days.

But this time... this time I didn't touch anything at home.

So why did I still black out at the test center?

I racked my brain, trying to remember every detail of that morning.

"Sweetie, you must be exhausted." Victoria's voice pulled me back.

She handed me a fresh cup of matcha, looking heartbroken. "You haven't eaten in three days. Drink this first to settle your stomach."

Seeing that familiar green drink, my alarms went off again.

But her eyes were so genuine. So full of love.

Maybe... maybe I really was overthinking it.

I took the cup and downed the matcha right in front of her.

Rich, slightly sweet. It tasted totally normal.

"That's my good girl." Victoria smiled warmly. "Get some rest. Mom is going to cook for you."

But the second they left, I sprinted to the bathroom.

I shoved my fingers down my throat and forced it all back up.

Weirdly, there was no strange smell. Just regular matcha.

I collected the vomit and sent it overnight to Mount Sinai's lab for testing.

Even though I didn't drink it on test day, what if the buildup in my system caused the blackout?

If the drink was clean, then I really just wasn't meant to get that trust fund.

I would give up and accept my fate as a loser.

On SAT score release day, the whole family gathered at the mansion. Even Brianna drove down from Connecticut.

She started mocking me the second she walked in. "Aw, is our genius Ava taking another gap year? What is this, the third time?"

Victoria just smiled and patted my back. "It's okay. There's always next time."

I bit my lip and logged into my College Board account.

The screen made my blood run cold:

"Status: Score canceled due to rule violation."

The family crowded around. They burst out laughing when they saw it.

They used to envy me so much; now I was just a joke.

Just then, Mason frantically refreshed his page.

Suddenly, he jumped up. "Oh my god! I got a 1580!"

What?

The living room went dead silent, then erupted in deafening cheers.

"A 1580?" Victoria hugged him tightly. "That's almost perfect!"

"Harvard is a lock!" Chloe screamed. "And the 25% trust!"

Brianna clapped. "Mason, you're amazing! Who says our family doesn't have geniuses?"

I sat frozen in the corner, watching this total joke.

Mason? The guy who couldn't memorize a single math formula?

The guy who drove sports cars to clubs and didn't even know how many sections the SAT had?

He got a 1580?

While they were busy celebrating, my phone buzzed.

My heart raced. I slipped out to the balcony and answered.

"Hello, Miss Ava. Your lab results are ready. When can you pick them up?"