Banned from The Bus, I Arrived First

The day before the college entrance exam, the class queen, Arielle Sanders, volunteered to confirm everyone’s exam venues and split us into two buses based on our addresses. Just before we left, she suddenly grabbed my arm in a panic. “Tessa, I just realized your exam venue is on the east side of town. Both buses are headed west.” My classmates barely reacted. “Then just take an Uber. You don’t seriously expect us to miss the exam just to drive you there, do you?” Frowning, I reached for the assignment list from Arielle, but my childhood best friend stopped me. He lowered his voice and said, “Arielle already went through all the trouble of organizing everyone. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? “If you’re this petty now, what are you going to be like once we’re in college? You’ll just make her miserable. “I’m warning you. You only have two choices—either don't apply to the Moire Institute of Technology or intentionally skip the exams. Don’t even think about going to the same college as us. Otherwise, our engagement is off.” I could not be bothered to argue. I turned around and flagged down a cab. However, when I arrived at the exam venue just in time for the exam, I found my homeroom teacher sweating bullets. “Why did both buses go west?! Our entire class is supposed to be taking the exam here in the east!” Chapter 1 “Tessa, you can’t get on the bus! I just realized your exam venue is on the east side. Both of our buses are headed west!” On the morning of the college entrance exam, I had barely stepped onto the bus when someone yanked me back down. Arielle Sanders’ grip was stronger than I expected. I stumbled backward and slammed straight into a telephone pole. However, I did not have time to worry about the pain. I hurried to the front of the bus and checked the destination signs. Sure enough, both buses were marked ‘West'. I held out my hand toward Arielle. “If you only realized this now, give me the assignment list for the exam venues. I’d like to confirm.” Her eyes slowly turned red. “I left it at home.” “You actually forgot something that important?” I stared at her, unable to keep my voice from rising. “If you left it at home, how did you even realize my exam venue is different from everyone else’s?” Arielle took two steps back, biting her lip stubbornly. Then, she suddenly raised her voice. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault! You can hit me or yell at me. I deserve it!” Her voice broke as she spoke, sounding like she was about to cry. Several classmates immediately rushed over to comfort her. Before I could say a word, they turned on me instead. “Tessa, the college entrance exam is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. You didn’t bother confirming your own exam venue. How is that Arielle’s fault?” I shot a glance at them. “If she’d told me earlier, I would’ve taken an Uber hours ago. She waited until the buses were about to leave before telling me my exam venue is on the east side. I'm just asking to see the list so that I can confirm the address, yet I’m the one being petty?” They exchanged glances and remained silent. Arielle panicked. Then, to my surprise, she bowed to me. “I’m really sorry. I-I… was too overwhelmed. I stayed up two nights trying to confirm everyone’s exam venues. Then I was up early this morning to do a roll call and arrange the buses. I was so exhausted that I left the list at home…’ The moment she said that, everyone’s sympathy for her came rushing back. “Tessa, why are you making her bow to you? This isn’t even her fault!” “Seriously, Tessa, how can you blame Arielle for your own carelessness?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan Lowe jump off the bus. He strode over to Arielle, gently helped her straighten up, then glared at me. “You're bullying her again?” He was my childhood best friend. However, just like countless times before, he jumped to the same conclusion that I was bullying her again. After the other students all chimed in and explained what happened, Dylan’s expression darkened even further. “Arielle spent two nights checking the exam venues for all 40 people in our class. And even after all that, she still went out of her way to warn you about your exam venue because she was worried you’d go to the wrong place and miss the exam. "Yet this is how you repay her? You didn’t even thank her and you actually blamed her in front of everyone?” The corner of my mouth twitched. I almost laughed at how ridiculous it was. “Of course, you’d say that, Dylan. You could make a dead man sound alive. She got my exam venue wrong, and somehow, you’ve managed to turn that into my fault?” Arielle sniffed softly behind him. “Please stop fighting. This is all my fault.” Chapter 2 “Actually, I realized something was wrong around 3:00 am, but I was so exhausted that I accidentally fell asleep. I only remembered just now… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone to sleep…” She just said a few lines, but it was clear she was guilt-tripping me. However, that trick did not work on me. Still, it worked on Dylan and the others. He turned to her and gently reassured her. “How were you supposed to take the exam properly if you hadn't gotten any sleep? Everyone’s responsible for their own exams. It was kind of you to help everyone, but you can’t ruin your own future over it.” Arielle blinked at him, and two fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Dylan’s brows knitted with concern. He pulled me aside and lowered his voice. “Tessa, you’ve been spoiled rotten. You’re selfish, and you have zero empathy. Honestly, I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like being married to you. “Let me make this crystal clear. The Lowe family doesn’t want a spoiled princess like you as their daughter-in-law. “You only have two choices now. First, you can't apply to the Moire Institute of Technology after the college entrance exam. Second, you have to skip the exam. Don’t even think about going to the same college as us. I’m not going to stand by and watch you bully her again. Otherwise, our engagement is off!” He straightened up after saying it, giving me a stern look. I tightened my grip on my backpack strap. There was not a trace of emotion in my eyes. “Dylan, the homeroom teacher sent everyone’s exam venue assignments to the class group chat days ago. “It was a finalized list. She stayed up for two nights just to organize it, and she still managed to get my exam venue wrong. Do you really think someone with that level of intelligence can get into the Moire Institute of Technology?” Arielle’s face instantly went pale. The others immediately turned to me. “That was way out of line! So what if you’re ranked first?” “Why don't you just take an Uber? Or have your family driver pick you up? Is there really any reason to make those snide comments at Arielle over something this small?” Dylan lowered his eyes with his jaw clenched. “Tessa, if Arielle’s family hadn’t gone through what they did, causing her to lose focus in school, she wouldn’t be any worse than you. “You think you got first place entirely on your own? How many tutors did your family hire for you? How much money did they spend on you? You know exactly how much help you’ve had.” I listened to accusation after accusation and gave a faint, bitter smile. It was true that I had had a few private tutors last year. However, the Lowe family had hired them for Dylan. He was too embarrassed to go alone, so he insisted I join him. Now, those tutors had become proof that I got first place only because of them. The funny thing was that Dylan had not always been like this. We grew up together. Our families arranged for us to be engaged when we were still kids, and he had not minded at all. Everything changed when Arielle transferred to our school from another province during our freshman year. She was gentle, well-off, and naturally likable. Everyone adored her. At first, Dylan simply looked out for her, but then he started including her in everything. When her family went bankrupt during our sophomore year, the entire class treated her like she was the most fragile thing. Dylan went even further, announcing to everyone that anyone who messed with Arielle was messing with him. From that day on, everything Arielle did was right, and everything I did was wrong. She accused me of stealing her spot in an academic competition, and I was expected to 'give it back'. If she cried in front of me, then obviously, I must have said something wrong. If she memorized a passage incorrectly in class, she would glance at me with those teary red eyes, and somehow, I would be at fault for distracting her from studying. At first, I used to argue back, but they never believed me, so eventually, I stopped bothering. They had already made up their minds. Anything I said would just become another excuse. “Dylan, what happened to her family wasn’t my fault. You know exactly who those tutors were for." I replied in a cold tone, then turned toward the road. Arguing over Arielle was a waste of time. I needed to call my chauffeur and have him pick me up at the school entrance. The exam venue on the east side was ten minutes farther away than the west side. I had to leave immediately. “Tessa!” Arielle came hurrying after me. Her eyes were still red. “Please don’t be mad at me, okay? I really didn’t do it on purpose…” She reached for me. I stepped away and replied in a cold voice, “Fine. I get it.’ However, she did not give up. Instead, she grabbed my wrist even tighter. I was trying to pull myself free when her hand caught the edge of my hand. When I gave it a sharp tug, my hand swung out and my phone hit the pavement screen first. Chapter 3 I sucked in a breath and quickly picked up my phone. The screen was completely black. The glass was shattered beyond repair. “Did you do that on purpose?” I narrowed my eyes and looked up at Arielle. She immediately pulled her hand back and shrank away. “I-I… was just trying to apologize…” Dylan came rushing over and yanked her behind him. “What the hell are you making a fuss about now? She came over to apologize to you, and you dropped your own phone. How dare you blame her? When did you become so damn nasty?” He yelled at me furiously, and the other students gathered around us. “She’s seriously getting worse. She dropped it herself, but she’s blaming someone else.” “Maybe it's the same with this whole exam venue thing." “Before Arielle even started organizing everything, our homeroom teacher had already posted the exam venue assignment list in the class group chat. She’s always so calculating. I bet she saw it, realized her exam venue was different from ours, and deliberately kept quiet so that she could blame Arielle today.” “And they call her the Lane family’s precious little princess? What a joke.” Arielle stood there with Dylan’s arm around her shoulders, her head bowed as she quietly sobbed. My anger finally boiled over. I held up my completely shattered phone for everyone to see. “If I’d simply dropped it, would it really have shattered this badly? You didn’t even stop to think. All of you just automatically take her side?” Dylan was livid. “Tessa, that’s enough! Apologize to Arielle now. If she forgives you, we’ll leave it at that. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next.” I looked at the way he was standing up for Arielle and could not help letting out a soft chuckle. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I apologize? And what exactly are you going to do if I don’t?” He clenched his fists, but he had nothing to say. With so many people watching, even if he thought he was in the right, was he seriously going to lay a finger on me? Before either of us could back down, the bus driver leaned out of the window. “Are you guys getting on or not? If we don’t leave now, you’re all going to miss the exam!” His words hit the crowd like a thunderclap, and everyone immediately panicked. “We’re screwed if we’re late! The exam isn’t going to wait for us!” “Tessa, you’re good at your studies! You can’t screw this up for the rest of us!” The class president hurried over to break up the argument. “Enough! If we keep wasting time, none of us are going to make it. Dylan, take Arielle and get on the bus. We’re going west. Tessa, take an Uber to the exam venue on the east. Go, now!” Everyone scrambled onto the bus. I suddenly spoke up. “My phone is completely wrecked. How exactly am I supposed to call an Uber? Dylan, you…” Before I could even finish, he looked down at me coldly. “Tessa, if you don’t apologize to Arielle, there’s no way I’m lending you my phone to get a ride.” My heart sank, and I shoved my broken phone into my bag. He was not the only person with a phone. The exam was the only thing that mattered now. I would figure something else out. However, Arielle started trembling. She said in a soft voice, “Tessa, I’ll pay for your phone, okay? Just please don’t make everyone late for the exam… I bought mine before my family went bankrupt. It’s old, but it still works. If you don’t like it, I can pay you back in instalments for the rest…” Her eyes were red, as though it had taken every ounce of courage she had to say those words. Dylan immediately exploded. “She’s already gone this far for you, and you’re still pressuring her?! Your allowance alone is enough to buy ten phones like that! Do you really need her to pay you back?” I stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “I never even asked her to pay me anything. She offered on her own. How is that my fault?” His expression darkened even further. Every word came through clenched teeth. “Tessa, do you even have a conscience? After Arielle’s family went bankrupt, she couldn’t even afford her tutors anymore. And you’re still standing here, bullying her when you have more money than you know what to do with. You’re doing this on purpose just to humiliate her!” He gritted his teeth before raising his voice. “I've given you chance after chance, but you still keep targeting Arielle! I’m officially calling off our engagement. From this moment on, it’s over. I won’t change my mind no matter how you beg me!” The students on and off the bus heard him, and whispers immediately spread through the crowd. “Wait, seriously? Tessa and Dylan were engaged?” Chapter 4 “No wonder she’s always bullying Arielle. She’s even making a scene over the exam venue assignments. She’s obviously jealous that Dylan and Arielle have gotten so close.” “She just can’t stand seeing them together. Otherwise, why would she keep targeting Arielle?” “But this is the most important time of our senior year! Even if the Lane family has money, she can’t screw around with the future of our entire class!” Every word reached my ears, leaving a knot in my chest. To them, everything was my fault. However, if I kept arguing, I could end up ruining my own future too. Hence, I said nothing more and turned to flag down a cab. I had barely taken a step when Arielle cried out behind me. “Tessa, don’t go! My parents taught me that you should never owe anyone anything! I’ve already lost everything. All I can do is give you my old phone to make up for yours!” Then, right behind me, she smashed her own phone onto the ground. I turned around and saw Arielle crouched on the pavement, staring at the shattered phone as she sobbed so hard she could barely catch her breath. The students who had already boarded the buses all rushed back out. “Arielle, stop crying. You have an exam in a little while. You’re going to mess up your concentration!” “Tessa, look what you’ve driven her to!” “Are you happy now?!” Dylan pushed his way through the crowd. His face was red with rage, and the veins in his temples bulged as he stared daggers at me. “Tessa, I’ll remember what you did to Arielle today for the rest of my life.” I remained silent and simply looked at him calmly. He pulled out his phone and called his father right in front of me. “Dad, I’d like to call off my engagement to Tessa. She doesn’t deserve to marry into the Lowe family. And I want us to cut off every business deal with the Lowes and the Lanes. I don’t want anything to do with them anymore!” His father’s furious voice immediately came through the phone. “Have you lost your mind?! What the hell are you talking about?” “Dad, I’m not crazy. I won’t take the college entrance exam if you don’t agree.” There was a long silence on the other end. A few seconds later, his father finally gave in. Dylan hung up and looked at me coldly. The students around us fell silent. Someone muttered under their breath, “Tessa really went too far. If the two families cut off their business ties, she could drag the entire Lane family down with her.” “She brought it on herself. She had it coming after the way she treated Arielle.” One of the girls stepped forward. “Tessa, you made Arielle upset. From now on, no one in this class is going to help you.” “Yeah. Whatever happens to you from now on has nothing to do with us.” They were all outraged, acting like I had committed some unforgivable crime. Every single one of them had conveniently forgotten that this whole thing started because Arielle got my exam venue wrong. I turned to Dylan and asked, “Are you sure?” He clenched his jaw and answered without a second thought, “Absolutely!” Then I turned to look at the classmates I had spent the last three years with. “Are you all sure, too?” “Of course!” “Stop wasting our time! You’ve already held up the entire class. If we screw up our exams because of you, we’ll never forgive you!” I nodded. “Okay.” I turned around and flagged down a cab by the side of the road. As I got into the car, I could still hear Arielle’s broken sobs and my classmates crowding around her with words of comfort. Dylan’s voice was the gentlest of them all. “Don’t worry. I’ll take you shopping for a new phone tonight after the exam.” I closed the door and said to the driver, “Please get me to Eastside No. 1 High School as fast as you can!” The driver knew it was college entrance exam today. He floored the accelerator, running several red lights along the way. When we finally arrived, he would not even take my fare. I sprinted into the school and spotted my homeroom teacher, Mrs. Zane, downstairs, frantically making a phone call. She was stomping her feet in panic. “What?! Both buses went to the west side? Who told you to go there?! The entire class is supposed to take their exam at Eastside No.1 High School! Turn those buses around and get back here now!” I did not have time to stop and explain. I held my breath and sprinted into the exam hall with barely a minute to spare. The door slammed shut behind me.