Reborn Before Finals: I Pass the Luck Around

I consistently score above 1,550 on mock tests, yet I only score 467 on the actual college entrance exam. Mom gets so worked up over the abysmal results that she suffers a fatal heart attack. Winnie Cooper, my best friend, goes from around 640 to 1,560, earning herself the title of a gifted student in the media. I find out the truth ten years later. Winnie suddenly gets drunk and leans close to me. She then whispers with a chuckle, "Your college entrance exam score became mine because you kissed my rosary, Hazel." I open my eyes again, only to realize that I have returned to a day before the exam. Winnie brings the rosary to my lips again. "You should give it a kiss for some good luck, Hazel." I nod with a smile, then turn around and pass the rosary to the top 20 students in the class. "If it's really effective, then everyone should kiss it!" Chapter 1 I opened my eyes to the sound of papers rustling all over the classroom. I then looked at the words written on the blackboard in front—1 Day Until the College Entrance Exam. I instantly froze all over. In the next instant, a rosary was held right in my face. Winnie Cooper, my best friend, cocked her head slightly, her eyes gleaming. "Hurry up and kiss it, Hazel! The college entrance exam is tomorrow, so I can really use some of your academic luck!" I felt my stomach turn as I listened to that familiar voice and saw that familiar smile. It was the same rosary from my past life. Its beads were worn smooth from all the handling, and there was clear tape stuck on the centerpiece. In my past life, I had thought nothing of it and treated it as a joke between best friends. Winnie chuckled and threw her arms around me once I kissed the centerpiece. "You're the best, Hazel!" That was the moment my life completely fell apart. Winnie looked at me innocently and asked, "What's the matter? Are you unwilling to do it, Hazel?" In that instant, several of our classmates started chiming in. "You should just kiss it, Hazel! You're the top student in our class after all!" "You should share some of your luck with Winnie! I'm certain Ms. Hall will pop open champagne if Winnie gets more than 1,200 on her college entrance exam!" Winnie blushed and murmured, "Oh, come on! I just wanted a little extra luck before taking the exam!" Winnie seemed so innocent and kind. Who could have known that behind this worthless rosary hid a score-stealing program? I gripped my pen hard, my nails practically digging into my palm. I couldn't run away from it. I was certain that Winnie would come up with another tactic if I raised her suspicions. I would have an even harder time protecting myself against her after that. I couldn't let her catch on. I had to walk right into her trap, exactly as she anticipated. I looked up at her with a faint smile and said, "I'll do it." In that instant, a brief flicker of triumph flashed in Winnie's eyes. It was very subtle, but I still caught it. Winnie held the rosary closer. "You should give it a proper kiss then—don't be half-hearted about it, Hazel." I lowered my head, my lips brushing against the cold, rough centerpiece of the rosary. In that instant, the memories of what happened in my past life came flooding back, making it hard to breathe. I recalled Mom letting go of her cup the moment my scores loaded on the screen, causing it to shatter on the floor. I had a total score of 467. I stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded. I had scored 1570 on my previous mock test, the third-highest score in the entire school. Tanya Hall, my homeroom teacher, told me that as long as I didn't mess up, getting into a top university was practically guaranteed. Thus, once the exam results came out, no one believed that score reflected my true ability. Ms. Hall remained silent for quite a long time before asking, "Did you have a breakdown during the college entrance exam, Hazel?" Then, someone in the class group chat sent a smiley emoji and said, "I guess she was just faking it the entire time. "Is it possible that there was something wrong with those mock test scores?" "Hazel's mother wouldn't stop bragging about her getting into a top university. She must be so embarrassed right now." In addition, when our relatives came over to our place, they consoled Mom while making snide remarks. "It's not that big of a deal if Hazel doesn't get to attend a good university, Marie. You really shouldn't have bragged so much before, though. You used to make her sound like a genius, yet she merely scored 467 on the college entrance exam. Who could possibly take that kind of blow, Marie?" Mom's face turned deathly pale. She tried to pour me a glass of water, but she suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed to the floor. I broke down in the hospital hallway, crying so hard that I could barely stay on my knees. Then, the doctor walked out and simply shook his head in response. That day, Winnie's interview was everywhere on the local news. She was wearing a white dress as she cried and said, "I honestly didn't think I'd do this well on my college entrance exam. I feel so bad about Hazel bombing her exam. I just hope she doesn't beat herself up over it." She held my hand in front of the cameras, her grip painfully tight. She then lowered her voice, speaking so softly that only I could hear her. "Your scores worked out pretty well for me, Hazel." I suddenly jolted back to my senses. Winnie had already snatched the rosary back, wearing a bright smile. "Thanks, Hazel! I suddenly feel a lot more at ease about the college entrance exam now." I looked at the rosary in her hand. In my past life, what she had stolen from me wasn't merely a few hundred points. It was my chance to attend the top university in the country, my future, Mom's life, and everyone's trust in me. I slowly unclenched my fists, revealing several red marks where my nails had dug into my palms. I then called out to her. "Winnie…" Winnie turned around. "Yes?" I pointed at the rosary and said, "I'd like to borrow that for a while." Winnie's smile faltered. "What do you need it for?" I smiled faintly. "I just want to pass it around the class before the exam. You said it works wonders, right? I figured I'd let the whole class bask in the luck." Chapter 2 Winnie didn't agree right off the bat. She tucked the rosary into her pencil case and said softly, "Mom got this for me, so I don't want to risk losing it." She was naturally worried that I'd discovered the truth—and even more terrified of letting that rosary out of her hands. I rested my head on the desk and deliberately drawled. "You said kissing it would bring you good luck, right? If a few of the top students up front kissed it too, wouldn't your luck skyrocket?" I knew she would be tempted, since she was never the type to settle for what she already had. In my past life, Winnie stole my scores, which were more than enough for her to get into a top university. She still went out of her way to trash me during the interview, though. She didn't really care about the high score. She just enjoyed grinding me into the dirt while everyone praised her, as if she had done nothing wrong. Winnie asked, "You want to let the others kiss the rosary, too?" I said offhandedly, "It's our last day as classmates since everyone will be going their separate ways after taking their college entrance exam tomorrow. I just thought a good-luck relay would be the right kind of send-off, making the whole thing more memorable." Chris Lister, who sat in front of me, turned around. "What do you mean by a good-luck relay?" I immediately held up my phone. "It's simple—everyone just has to kiss the rosary once to get a bit of luck for the college entrance exam tomorrow. I'll film it and post it to the class group chat once the exam is over." Chris was slightly amused. "It's pretty childish, but I'm down." Chris was the top student in our grade, with an almost perfect track record. In my past life, he scored a total of 1,590 on his college entrance exam, placing him in the top 20 students in the county. If the malicious program were to target Chris' scores, I was certain Winnie's scores would be affected. Winnie looked at Chris, and her throat bobbed slightly. She couldn't hide the greed written all over her face. "W-What if the rosary gets dirty?" I immediately grabbed a clear plastic folder from the drawer and said, "You have nothing to worry about, Winnie. I'll place the rosary on top of this when I film. Everyone just needs to kiss it briefly." I then leaned in and whispered, "You wanted to grab some luck before the exam, right? Isn't getting the top 20 students in the grade to kiss the rosary a good thing, then?" Winnie's eyes brightened for a moment. She then handed me the rosary and said, "Please make sure you don't damage it, and give it back to me before school ends, Hazel." "Got it." I froze slightly when I took the rosary. In my past life, I lacked evidence, and nobody believed that someone could steal someone else's scores. In this life, I would make her steal them right in front of everyone. During the last study period that afternoon, Ms. Hall left for a pre-exam meeting, and the tense atmosphere that had built up over the past three years finally loosened a little. I got to my feet and clapped my hands. "Let's do a little something before the college entrance exam, everyone!" Someone in the class suddenly groaned. "You're not going to make us go over test questions again, are you, Hazel?" I held up the rosary in my hand and said, "I'm not going to make you guys study. I wanted to do a good-luck relay—kiss it and get ten extra points for the exam tomorrow." In that instant, everyone in the classroom burst into laughter. "I'll give it a go! I need those ten extra points to get into my dream university!" Rachel Miller was the first to raise her hand. She ranked eighth in our entire grade. I started recording the scene on my phone and laid the rosary on top of the clear plastic folder. "Come right up! You just have to kiss it briefly and say your wish!" Rachel walked over, gave it a quick kiss, and smiled. "I hope I don't go off topic in my essay." Chris was up next. He looked at the rosary in disgust. "Do you actually believe in this kind of superstition?" I cocked my brow and said, "You don't have to kiss it if you don't want to." Chris scoffed, then leaned down and briefly kissed the rosary. "I hope the college entrance exam cuts down on the stupid questions this year." Everyone burst into laughter. I kept a tally of the participants in my head. I needed every single student in the top 20 to be involved in this. I would pull out the "graduation video" excuse whenever someone didn't want to participate in the relay. "It's our last day as classmates, so please just go along with it. It's a video we can watch at our reunions someday. It'll be quite meaningful. If you don't kiss it as one of the top students in the grade, you'll be the odd one out." They grumbled and joked around, but they still came over and gave the rosary a quick kiss. I made sure every person's kiss was captured clearly on video. Winnie sat in the back, pretending to organize her pencil case while keeping an eye on me the whole time. She probably thought she had hit the jackpot. She had absolutely no idea that I was waiting for her to get complacent, as the greedier she got, the harder she'd fall. I looped the rosary neatly together after the school bell rang and returned it to Winnie in its original condition. Winnie's hand shook slightly as she took it back. "Did everyone kiss it?" I nodded. "Just about everyone in the top 20 kissed it. That rosary of yours is practically loaded with luck now, Winnie." Winnie held back her smile and suddenly hugged me. "You're the best, Hazel!" I didn't push her away. I merely looked past her shoulder at the darkening sky outside the window. She had hugged me like this in my past life too, before personally pushing me into the abyss. I gently patted her back and said, "I really do treat you well, don't I?" I had even prepared a massive surprise for her—one nobody would be able to sweep under the rug. Chapter 3 I put down my pen once the bell signaling the end of the exam rang. My palms were completely soaked in sweat. I knew right then that the real battle had only just begun. There was a huge crowd right outside the school gates. Winnie squeezed through the crowd and grabbed my arm, her eyes brimming with concern. "How did you do, Hazel?" I intentionally furrowed my brow. "I have no idea." "Did you struggle with Math?" I lowered my gaze and said, "I had some trouble with the last question…" Winnie's eyes briefly lit up with satisfaction. She patted my shoulder and said, "It's alright, Hazel. It's something everyone struggled with. Your fundamentals are so good, so you won't do too poorly." Winnie's comforting just seemed like an attempt to justify my upcoming "downfall" ahead of time. I was on my way home, and my phone was buzzing nonstop. Our class group chat was already flooded with messages—some people were comparing answers, while others were calculating their estimated scores. "Please stop pressuring Hazel to calculate her estimated scores! She's been under a lot of stress lately!" Winnie sent a message to the group chat, adding a hug emoji at the end. I looked at the message and scoffed. Ms. Hall personally messaged me a while later. "How are you holding up, Hazel? Winnie told me you had a bit of trouble with the Math paper." I replied, "I did fine on the paper. I'll organize my answers for all the subjects and send them over to you tonight, Ms. Hall." Ms. Hall fell silent for half a minute before sending another message. "Got it. Get some rest first, Hazel." In my past life, I let panic get the best of me. I merely cried out loud and insisted that the scores weren't mine when the results came out. I had no records or evidence back then, so no one believed my claim. I wasn't about to make the same mistake in this life. That evening, I compiled my estimated scores for every section into a spreadsheet. I went so far as to screenshot every conversation where I cross-referenced answers with my classmates post-exam. It was already 2:00 am by the time I was done organizing everything. Mom walked into my room with a glass of warm milk, her eyes brimming with concern. "You should stop staying up so late. You're already done with your college entrance exam, Hazel." Mom looked slightly younger than she had been at this time in my past life, with fewer gray hairs at her temples. In my past life, as I waited outside the ER, my biggest regret was that I hadn't taken her to the hospital earlier. I put down my pen and said, "Please come to the hospital with me tomorrow, Mom." Mom was momentarily stunned. "Do you feel unwell, Hazel?" I held her hand and said, "I'm not the one feeling unwell, Mom. It's you. Didn't you mention feeling a tightness in your chest a couple of days back? I'll feel much better if we go get a checkup before the results come out, Mom." Mom waved her hand and said, "It's just a recurring health issue; there's no need to waste any money on that." In that instant, my eyes welled up with tears. She wouldn't think twice about dropping hundreds on stacks of prep books for me, but she wouldn't even spend a few dollars on a doctor's visit herself. I said softly, "I'll be worried sick if you don't go to the hospital, Mom, so much so that I won't be able to focus on filling out my university applications properly." That statement worked like magic, better than anything else I could have said. Mom immediately relented. "Alright, alright. I'll go to the hospital to get it checked." I instantly breathed a sigh of relief. In my past life, on the day the results came out, my relatives had crowded into our home and neighbors had gathered at the door. They all had their phones out, recording it all to post online. I intended to keep Mom completely away from that chaos in this life. It was the following day, and I sent a message from a burner account in the temporary group chat I had created for the top 20 students in class. "Please make sure to screenshot your total score, subject scores, and individual question scores the moment your results are released. If something looks off, apply for a recheck immediately instead of sitting on it." Someone in the group chat asked, "Who are you? Is this some kind of scam?" I posted a screenshot from the good-luck relay video, cropping out faces to show just the rosary. "It's up to you whether you want to believe me or not. It's not as if taking a few screenshots would cost you anything." Rachel replied in the group chat a few minutes later. "I have no idea who you are, but I'll do as you say." Chris' reply was straight to the point. "Got it." I switched off my phone after that. Winnie began laying the groundwork by posting on social media. "I hope everyone gets the result they want. I also hope my best friend doesn't let a single exam get to her." She included a photo of the two of us in her post. Someone asked in the comment section, "Did Hazel do poorly on the college entrance exam?" Winnie replied, "We don't have the results yet. Hazel has been under a lot of pressure, so I'm just a little worried about her." Winnie sure knew how to put on an act. I clicked on her profile picture and stared at it for a long time. In my past life, these seemingly harmless remarks had already convinced everyone that I was going to bomb the exam before the results even came out. Thus, when my score of 467 came out, everyone wasn't even surprised at the outcome. Winnie's score of 1,560 served as the ultimate contrast—the fall of the "fake academic ace" and the rise of the "prodigious student". Winnie had put together such a convincing story in my past life, but unfortunately for her, she had stolen from too many people in this life. That perfect story she had carefully built would end up becoming a complete fiasco. Chapter 4 I accompanied Mom to the hospital for her medical checkup the day before the exam results were released. I paid the deposit in advance and turned on "Do Not Disturb" mode on her phone. Mom sat on the hospital bed, peeling an apple and grumbling. "Your results are coming out tomorrow. You should be at home waiting, not running off to the hospital. What are you even doing here?" I leaned against the window. "I can check my results at the hospital too." Mom shot me a sharp look. "Oh, that's ridiculous! Who on earth would check their results in a hospital ward?" I smiled and said nothing. In my past life, when I checked my results, the small living room was packed with relatives and neighbors—my aunt, uncle, next-door neighbor, and neighbors from upstairs and downstairs. They claimed they were concerned, but they looked as if they were waiting for a jackpot draw. In the end, my score turned out to be a total joke. In this life, I refused to let anyone stand in front of Mom and watch the drama unfold. Winnie suddenly called me at 8:00 pm. She spoke softly, asking, "Where are you, Hazel? I heard you're not at home at the moment." I'm at the hospital with Mom for a checkup." "What happened to Mrs. Hunt?" Winnie asked anxiously. I replied coldly, "It's nothing serious." Winnie remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "Do you feel nervous about the results that are coming out tomorrow?" "I'm doing alright." Winnie chuckled. "I'm so nervous right now. You'd better not laugh at me if I end up doing horribly, Hazel." I almost laughed out loud. Winnie wasn't worried about bombing the college entrance exam; she was worried that I wouldn't end up miserable enough. I went along with her act, saying, "I won't laugh at you, Winnie. I mean, you've improved a lot lately." Winnie sounded more relaxed. "I've always envied you, Hazel. You're smart, teachers like you, and Mrs. Hunt takes pride in you. You're nothing like me, always coming up short." It was such a moving statement. It was just that, since she couldn't beat me, she flat-out stole what I had worked hard for. "I'm sure good things will happen to you once the results come out, Winnie." Winnie chuckled. "I'll take your word for it, Hazel." I opened my cloud drive once I ended the call. I had three things backed up there—the complete good-luck relay video, my estimated scores for every subject, and screenshots of Winnie's messages from the past few days implying that I had bombed the exam. I knew I needed more than that. I sent Ms. Hall another message. "If my actual score tomorrow is significantly different from my estimate, please help me contact the Municipal Testing Authority as soon as possible to have it reviewed. I'm completely open to having them retrieve my answer sheets." Ms. Hall replied almost instantly. "You shouldn't overthink it, Hazel. You've always been consistent with your scores, so I'm sure nothing will go wrong." "I'm just putting it out there in advance, Ms. Hall." Ms. Hall replied, "I'll keep that in mind, then." It was 10:00 pm, and Mom had finally fallen asleep. I sat in the visitor's chair provided in the hospital ward, gazing out the window. In my past life, I had been comforting Winnie around this time, telling her that she would do well on her exam. I had genuinely thought of her as a friend. I thought we were supporting each other. It was only later that I realized she never wanted to be my equal—she wanted to take everything that was mine. It was already late, but the class group chat was still lively. Winnie said, "No matter what the results look like, nobody should beat themselves up." Everyone in the group chat started praising her for being so thoughtful. I read her message and found it ridiculous. She had no reason to beat herself up since she had already planned to use other people's results as proof of her own success. It was 9:00 am, and there was one hour left before the results portal opened. It was finally 10:00 am, but the system crashed because too many people tried to access it. I refreshed three times before the page finally loaded. I had a total score of 156. I stared at the screen and broke into a smile instead.