Reborn Rupture Chapter 18
“My Matteo still has a shot at the Ivy League. Being with your daughter would be a step down for him, if anything!”
Furious, my mother grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
That night, I took the audio recording I’d made of our conversation and sent it to Krystal.
I added a single line of text.
[Heard that? With your grades, you and Matteo are in different universes.]
Krystal never replied.
But I knew she’d gotten the message.
On the day of the SAT, the school entrance was packed with anxious parents.
Mrs. Romano clung to Matteo, fussing over him endlessly.
“Son, don’t be nervous. Just do your best. Mom will be waiting right here for you.”
Matteo nodded impatiently, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Sure enough, Krystal appeared.
Matteo immediately turned to his mom. “Mom, I’m thirsty. Can you go buy me a water?”
Mrs. Romano gave him a fond, exasperated look.
“You’re about to go in, and you’re still so demanding.”
But she turned and headed toward a vending machine.
The moment she was gone, Krystal rushed over and threw her arms around Matteo.
I was standing nearby and saw everything.
Krystal’s hand slipped into the side pocket of Matteo’s backpack.
In one swift motion, she swapped the clear pouch holding his pencils for an identical one.
Then she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“Good luck,” she whispered. “See you after the test.”
Matteo nodded, completely oblivious.
As luck would have it, Matteo and I were in the same testing room.
After we sat down, he took out the pencil pouch.
The moment he opened it, the color drained from his face.
It was empty.
The No. 2 pencils and the eraser were gone.
He frantically searched his bag and his pockets.
Nothing.