How Serious Are Referrals?

I looked online and the answers I found (people saying 1 isnt bad, dont get more) sound very sugar coated or something.

I did something that I regret, I skipped my english test because I knew nothing on the test and didnt want to fail,
I think she told me some kid in our class said i was in their previous class, im not sure exactly, but she found out, obviously

this happened like 5 months ago( I was aware of it 4 months ago though), I still cant move past it i feel and i feel like this is something that will make it very hard to get accepted to a good college, or maybe i wont get scholorships, can you guys please explain the consequences in depth?

Usually a simple referral isn’t a big deal at all; you won’t have to report it on college apps.