Final Exam
The final exam had stretched on for six grueling hours, and the twins were drained, but they kept going, aware that this was no ordinary test. It was their gateway to the careers they had longed for.
Now, sitting before the school’s disciplinary committee, their eyes welled with tears. What should have been the beginning of their dreams seemed to crumble before them as they watched their future slip away.
Escalated
This shouldn’t have escalated so badly. They never imagined it would reach this point. But the committee was making it clear they were taking the matter seriously. "Cheating on an exam is a serious offense," one professor said, removing his glasses with a stern look.
"Admit to the cheating, and we can move on," he suggested, trying to coax them into a confession. It felt like a trap, but how could they confess to something they hadn’t done?
Attending Medical University
Sadie and Sally Miller, twins from Beaufort, had always dreamed of attending the Medical University of South Carolina. After years of hard work and dedication throughout high school, their efforts paid off when they were accepted into the university.
At just nineteen years old, the sisters couldn't believe their good fortune. Little did they know, a single misunderstanding would soon turn their lives upside down, altering their futures in ways they never expected.
The Ultimate Goal
Becoming doctors had always been their ultimate goal. The desire to help others, no matter their background, was a calling that resonated deeply with them. It was the life they envisioned, one that would span their entire careers, fulfilling their purpose until the very end.
Now, however, Sadie found herself sitting next to her sister, surrounded by a panel of professors, the dean of their school, their mother, and a few student leaders. The final moment had arrived, and the reality of their dreams slipping away felt more painful than they could have imagined.
Unfolding
Sadie sat quietly, watching the events unfold before her. Her mind drifted back to the week leading up to this moment. It was exam week, and she and Sally had spent countless hours studying, their determination fueled by endless cups of coffee.
"This is it," they’d told each other, smiling through the exhaustion as they piled more textbooks onto their desks. They had pushed through the late nights, believing it would all pay off. Yet, in the end, it seemed like all their hard work was for nothing.
Cheating
Sadie had always prided herself on her integrity and never once considered cheating on an exam. With a natural gift for memory, she could recall details that others struggled with. Studying was her passion, often taking precedence over social outings or vacation trips.
The one exception to her disciplined routine was her sister, Sally. When they were together, Sadie allowed herself to relax and enjoy simple pleasures like ice cream or visits to the park. Sally brought a sense of freedom that was unlike anything Sadie experienced on her own.
Identical Twins
Sadie and Sally were identical twins, but their personalities couldn’t have been more different. Sadie found comfort in cozying up on the couch with a book, while Sally thrived in the great outdoors.
Sally was the life of every campus party and never missed a Friday night away from their sorority house. Sadie had often warned her that this carefree lifestyle would eventually catch up with her. Now, it seemed those words were finally ringing true.
Mix Of Confusion
Sadie’s eyes lingered on Sally as the professors spoke on, her gaze filled with a mix of confusion and frustration. While she sat there, tears streaming down her face, Sally seemed utterly unaffected, her eyes sharp and her posture relaxed as though nothing were amiss.
Sally’s behavior only added to Sadie’s bewilderment. Instead of sitting properly, she had her knees spread wide, wearing cargo shorts rather than a dress, and chewing gum—a pack Sadie couldn’t recall her purchasing. How could she remain so unbothered in such a moment?
Sat In Silence
Sadie sat in silence, her dreams slipping away. Beside her, her mom gently squeezed her hand, offering silent comfort. She, too, knew that Sadie couldn’t have cheated.
Sadie had always been dedicated, with her hard work reflected in her achievements. As the top student in high school and a consistent standout throughout four years of medical school, she had earned every success. But her sister's accomplishments didn't always seem to measure up in the same way.
Contrasting Personalities
Sadie and Sally, despite their contrasting personalities, both thrived academically. Their bond as twins was undeniable, a special connection that often reflected in their school performance.
While their exam scores were typically close, a few points would usually separate them. So, when the disciplinary committee announced the results, Sadie was certain their scores would be almost identical, as they always were.
The Tip Of The Iceberg
The professors claimed that they noticed some sketchy behavior during the exams the twins took in the school library. Although the twins sat across the room from each other, they worked through the questions at a similar pace.
They kept lifting their heads to search each other out and even asked for pencils almost simultaneously. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
An Interesting Find
As the exam answers were being monitored in real-time, the head professor noticed something that had him leaning toward his computer's screen.
The twins were not only moving from one question to the next at a similar pace but getting the same answers correctly. But that wasn't the brow-raising part.
Cheating
The twins also got the same incorrect answers, indicating they must've been communicating. The professor thought he was reading too much into this, but after two hours of the same, he decided enough was enough.
He informed the invigilator in charge of the exam, telling her there was an examination irregularity. That alone prompted an investigation. If the twins were cheating, they would face the consequences of their actions.
Unscrupulous Activities
Like many schools across the globe, the Medical University of South Carolina has zero tolerance for cheating. "An institution meant to produce healers cannot be involved in such unscrupulous activities," said the dean at the disciplinary hearing.
"No sick person would want to be treated by a doctor who doesn't know anything about medicine but has a degree saying they're qualified to diagnose and prescribe medicine or medical procedures," he added.
Quack Doctors
Sadie could understand where he was coming from. This was a severe issue, especially in a world rife with liars and people who get to high places by forging documents.
Unlike many other professions, medicine demanded a complete understanding of the material. As the dean said, "No one would want to be treated by a quack." But did that mean that she and Sadie were liars?
The Evidence
The professors laid the irrefutable evidence before them. Footage of the exam room played before Sadie and Sally, showing the twins pushing away from their computers at almost the same time.
They requested stationary and constantly nodded their heads during the six-hour period. They also looked around the classroom and shuffled their scratch papers simultaneously.
The Inference
The dean paused the video and said the twins were signaling each other and possibly passing notes. It didn't matter that the twins sat three rows away from each other. The dean failed to mention that there wasn't a moment where the two locked eyes during the exam.
But that aside, the test scores proved his point. The twins had scored the same in their final exam, crediting the disciplinary committee's belief that they cheated.
The Verdict
The committee read its final verdict. It was suspending the twins for a thousand academic days, effective immediately. That meant Sadie and Sally's last semester of school didn't count. They would have to go home for three years before returning to retake their final exam.
Sadie had never seen Sally break down before. She was usually the stronger one emotionally. Today would be different.
Shattered Dreams
Tears tipped Sally's lashes to match the ones racing down Sadie's cheeks. The dream they once could see so clearly was no longer visible to them. The years spent playing doctor as kids were wasted, and the future they'd worked hard to attain was gone.
Sally reached a hand to Sadie before standing up to hug her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, ignoring whatever else the dean said.
Going Home
Sadie and Sally had been through a lot in their lives. After losing their dad at the tender age of seven, they vowed to work hard so they could take care of their mom. Now that, too, was off the table.
Sally, who rarely shed tears, couldn't stop crying on their way home. She couldn't even look Sadie in the eyes and kept sniffling, her gaze bound to the blurred South Carolina vista rushing outside their car.
This Is Far From Over
"It's not over, girls," their mom kept repeating, even though she knew it was done. A three-year suspension was nothing to scoff at, and that's what the twins were facing.
"I'll call in some favors and see if we can't do something about this misunderstanding." She knew the committee had made a mistake as someone who'd been there throughout the girls' lives. She would fix it.
Supermom
Mrs. Miller, Sadie and Sally's mom, collected all the test results from her daughters' past academic achievements and returned to their school the following week.
She scheduled an appointment with the dean overseeing the disciplinary proceeding and laid out her own evidence. She'd save her daughters' future if it were the last thing she did.
Her Evidence
Mrs. Miller's documents included her daughter's college, high school, and even preschool exam scores. She'd brought Sadie and Sally's SATs, the MCATs, and LSTATS results, which were almost identical.
Her documents also had cognitive tests taken when Sadie and Sally were three, seven, thirteen, and nineteen years old. They would be the final nail in proving their innocence.
Is It Credible?
The cognitive tests showed that Sadie and Sally had identical genetic profiles. That meant that it would be more common for them to perform similarly academically instead of the other way around.
The dean rubbed a hand across his lips, eyes wide as he took in the information. As a medical practitioner, he could see the credibility of the documents. But could the committee's decision to suspend the twins be reversed?
Going Back
"They're innocent," the dean said, his brows drawn close. He advised Mrs. Miller to appeal the case. What she had here was significant and could help prove her daughters' innocence. Mrs. Miller didn't waste any time. In the next two weeks, she was sitting next to her daughters in the same council room.
But this time, Sadie and Sally's tears weren't wrought with pain. They were happy tears, and the mom couldn't be prouder. If only she knew that the damage was already done.
Something's Not Right
Sadie and Sally returned to school, ready to finish up and graduate. But they realized that the school was colder than usual.
Friends who'd known them throughout their four years of college were not even looking at them, let alone willing to hang out. Phone calls to the prestigious medical institutions the twins wanted to work at weren't going through. Something was terribly wrong.
Don't Get Too Close To Them
Sadie and Sally had transformed into the social pariahs of the Medical University of South Carolina. No one would even say hi to them on the road. Even their favorite coffee shop wouldn't let them sit in longer than needed.
They hadn't even picked up their degrees, and their lives were already in shambles. The twins couldn't even cry at how besmirched their name was. They stood in shock, unable to process anything.
Fixing The Damage
Mrs. Miller visited the school faculty several times, trying to find a way to reverse the damage. But there was only so much she could do when word had already gotten around that her kids were liars and cheaters.
No hospital or research center would accept them. They would wither with their degrees in the house, slowly devoured alive by depression. The mom couldn't watch this happen.
Help Her
She doubled down on her efforts, begging the school faculty to help. Couldn't they send letters informing all medical bodies that her daughters were innocent?
But instead of being helpful, they called campus security to escort her out of school grounds. They deemed her a nuisance, maintaining that she was disrupting educational processes at the college. They should have known who they were messing with.
Lawyer Up
Mrs. Miller couldn't watch as her daughters languished in depression and PTSD. They could barely eat and wouldn't even leave their rooms. Sadie spent her days sleeping while Sally sobbed through the night. They both had panic attacks and woke up screaming in the middle of the night.
The worried mom dug into her savings, phoning a lawyer friend to take on their case. "Defamation, negligence, and gross negligence," she said over the call. The school had ruined her daughters' future. It would rue the day it decided to cross them.