The Last Test I’ll Ever Take - Chapter 4: Chapter 4

The classroom erupted in desperate pleas. "Jessica, step back from the ledge!" my classmates shouted, their voices swelling until my skull throbbed with pressure. My mother knelt sobbing, my homeroom teacher's face streaked with tears, the Glasgow admissions officer waiting with bated breath...
"I...I did cheat," I forced through clenched teeth.
Mom's eyes rolled white as she collapsed to the floor.
Emmet lunged forward, veins bulging in his neck. "You're not just ruining yourself, Jess - you're murdering your parents!"
My nails carved half-moons into my palms, the sharp pain my only anchor.
Ms. Travis from Glasgow sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's over. The recommendation's withdrawn." Just like that - from valedictorian to felon.
A shudder racked my body. Copper flooded my mouth as I bit through my lip, but I swallowed the truth whole. "Understood, Ms. Travis."
Their devastated faces twisted the knife deeper. They'd have stormed the gates of hell if I'd denied cheating. But I didn't.
Sirens wailed as officers clamped hands on my shoulders. Then -
"Hold it!" The inspection leader burst in, face like granite. My stomach dropped. Had he...?
"Mr. Bass!" My teacher grabbed his arm. "Is Jessica innocent?"
Bass's jaw worked violently. "Innocent? She's committing suicide by cop!" The room erupted.
"Those cheat sheets match tomorrow's exam answers perfectly. We believe she stole national secrets." The gaokao being top-secret, this wasn't just prison - this was treason.
Emmet's legs gave out. "You idiot!" he sobbed, crawling toward me. "We promised..."
I turned away, the movement sending a fat blood droplet splattering on the floor.
Then Bass's phone rang. "What? No breach?" he barked. A hundred eyes pinned me like specimen butterflies. "Jessica, how?"
I exhaled shakily. "Fine. The truth is...you just need to cast a fortune..."