Chapter 6: The Slacker’s Challenge

Chapter 6: The Slacker’s Challenge

My mother walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “This boy couldn't even study properly when he was placed in the absolute best homeroom at the most prestigious academy in the city. He is simply a hopeless case. If he starts hanging around Sierra, he'll only drag her down!”

She was the ultimate straight-shooter, and her temper was legendary around the house. Even my nouveau riche uncle had to watch his step and restrain his bragging whenever Mrs. Carter was in the room.

People who knew my mother often joked that Victoria's temper sounded exactly like “thunder”—loud, sharp, and completely unstoppable.

I stared at her, completely speechless as I listened to her mercilessly roast me.

Is she really my biological mother?

What kind of mother completely trashes her own son in front of guests?

I wasn't the only one thinking it. My dad, Uncle Marcus, and Aunt Sarah were all left momentarily speechless by her bluntness.

“Mom, seriously? Am I really that hopeless?” I asked, looking at her with a mix of resentment and embarrassment.

“Hopeless? I'm giving you plenty of credit just by calling you a slacker,” my mother scoffed, completely sparing my feelings. “What? You're not convinced? If you're actually capable of anything, then go out there and get first place in the entire school like your sister did!”

Now I was genuinely unhappy.

Sierra was indeed ranked number one at Bellevue High. She consistently scored around 534 on every single practice exam, which was a phenomenal, elite result at her school. But Bellevue was a standard high school. At Aurelia Academy, a score like that would only be considered slightly above average, because our academy was filled with nothing but once-in-a-generation geniuses.

Take Chloe Prescott, for example. She regularly pulled a mind-blowing 590 on her mock exams.

Trying to surpass Chloe was an absolute, laughing-out-loud fantasy!

“I might not get first place in the entire academy, but I guarantee you this—when the actual National Entrance Exam comes, I am definitely getting into a top-tier, elite university!” I declared, my voice firm.

After all, I had successfully fused with fifty percent of Chloe's academic and learning talents. Getting a perfect score might be a stretch, but getting into a top-tier, prestigious university would be a walk in the park with my newly upgraded brain.

“An elite university?” My mother stared at me, then reached out to press her hand against my forehead. “Brat, do you have a fever today? Why are you spouting such absolute nonsense?”

She hadn't meant to be cruel earlier; in her mind, if I could somehow pull off a miracle and get into a decent State University, she'd already be praising the heavens and thanking her lucky stars.

And now here I was, the school's biggest slacker, confidently claiming I was going to breeze into an Ivy-league equivalent.

How could she not be completely shocked?

It wasn't just her, either. My dad, Uncle Marcus, Aunt Sarah, and Sierra (who had just walked back in) were all staring at me in absolute, wide-eyed astonishment.

Looking at their stunned expressions, I couldn't help but let out a bitter, silent laugh.

Sigh.

It looks like my reputation as a brainless slacker is deeply engraved in their minds.

Whatever. There was no point in arguing with words.

Wasn't there a major practice National Entrance Exam coming up next Monday?

When the time came, I would bring home a score that would speak for itself.

That would shut all of them up.

Thinking of the look that would be on their faces, a confident grin spread across my lips.

“Alright, alright, I was just messing with you guys!” I laughed, waving it off.

Sure enough, the moment I said it was a joke, everyone in the room immediately let out a collective sigh of relief and relaxed.

-----

After dinner, it was already past eleven o’clock at night. Uncle Marcus had brought his car, but my parents weren’t comfortable with them driving back across the city so late, so they insisted on keeping everyone overnight.

However, where everyone was going to sleep became a bit of a puzzle.

Our family lived on the second floor of a comfortable three-bedroom apartment. It was more than spacious enough for the three of us, but with my uncle’s family staying over, space got tight very quickly.

My parents had the master bedroom, I had my room, and there was one guest room left.

Although the guest room had a fairly large bed, there was no way my uncle, aunt, and cousin could all comfortably fit in there together.

Just as we were trying to figure out the sleeping arrangements, Sierra took the initiative and suggested that she just stay in my room for the night.

My parents, Uncle Marcus, and Aunt Sarah weren't surprised by the suggestion at all. Sierra and I had grown up together, and in their eyes, we were practically brother and sister, so nobody saw anything inappropriate about us sharing a room. Naturally, everyone agreed right away.

I, on the other hand, was having a slight internal crisis.

Although my relationship with Sierra was amazing, we were both eighteen now. On top of that, Sierra had grown into a stunningly beautiful girl. But most importantly... I knew that she wasn't actually Uncle Marcus and Aunt Sarah's biological daughter.

Because of that, I felt a strange mix of awkwardness and tension.

Still, looking at it purely as an eighteen-year-old guy, sharing a room with a girl as attractive as Sierra was bound to make my heart race a little. I couldn't completely suppress that instinctive reaction.

Once we returned to my bedroom, the rest of the house gradually went dark as my parents and my uncle's family turned off their lights and turned in for the night. Sierra and I, however, were wide awake.

The atmosphere in the room felt thick and strangely charged. Sierra seemed to realize how awkward things had become, too; her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she avoided my eyes, sitting at the far edge of the bed while nervously tapping on her phone.

Unable to stand the quiet tension any longer, I broke the silence. “Sis, I'm not trying to be weird, but are you really sure it's fine for you to sleep in here with me?”

“What are you so worked up about?” Sierra shot back, trying to sound confident. “We used to splash around in the inflatable pool together when we were little kids!”