Part 2The 1600 Deception

I tossed the chalk onto the floor.

I lay back on the velvet sofa of the VIP lounge, admiring the walls. They were covered—floor to ceiling—in complex mathematical formulas.

This was what I had actually been doing all night.

Because I was in a "leisure environment" and technically "wasting money," the system didn't register my mental work. The score above my head remained high.

A waiter knocked, reminding me the tab was due.

I dialed Caleb. "Bro, I'm stuck at the lounge. Cards are maxed out. Send me some cash, quick."

"A lounge? Nathan, how could you go to a place like that right now?" Caleb’s voice feigned shock and concern.

"I needed to blow off steam before the test. Don't tell Mom and Dad, okay? Just transfer me two grand."

"You should come home and study," he chided.

"Are you my brother or not? If the club calls Dad, I'm dead. I’ll be locked in my room studying for weeks. Just help me out. I need to relax."

Caleb sighed, acting reluctant. "Fine. But you have to promise to study eventually."

I agreed effortlessly and hung up.

Caleb transferred me three grand—his entire savings. He wanted me to stay here and rot.

I took his money and lived in that lounge for a month.

I only returned home the day before the SATs, sporting dark circles under my eyes. Above my head, the neon number blazed: 1600.

Caleb smiled, handing me my admission ticket. "You're finally back. Just in time for the test."

"You useless waste of space!" My mother screamed from the living room. "The biggest exam of your life, and you disappear for a month to party?"

"Why did you even come back? You should have died in a gutter!"

Her words stung, even though I knew she had always favored Caleb.

I tried to force a bitter smile, but my father was faster. He slapped me across the face.

"Don't you dare smirk at me! You degenerate!"

"If it weren't for your grandmother insisting, I wouldn't even let you sit for the exam!"

He grabbed my ear, twisting it violently. When I tried to pull away, he kicked my knee, sending me crashing to the floor.

"You spent a month in a club with god knows who? You probably have a drug habit or a pregnant stripper chasing you by now!"

He kicked me toward my room. "I should just lock you in here!"

Caleb intervened, playing the saint. "Dad, stop! Grandma said Nathan has to take the test. We can't disobey Grandma."

At the mention of the family matriarch—the one who controlled the trust fund—Dad hesitated. He shoved me toward the door.

"Go. It’s a waste of time anyway."

I clutched my burning ear and limped to the car. Caleb and I were driven to the testing center.

After the exams were over, Caleb rushed out of the center, beaming at our parents.

"I crushed it. I feel like I got everything right. Can we throw the celebration party the day the scores drop?"

Mom and Dad looked at him with pure adoration.

"If you're that confident, Caleb, of course. We'll invite Grandma, too. She needs to see your success."

"Yes! Grandma always favors Nathan, but this time, I’m going to give her a real surprise."

At that moment, the floating number above my head flickered and vanished.

I watched Caleb’s confident strut and smiled.

Oh, little brother. You’re in for a surprise, alright.