Eye of the tiger (again)

I blow through the arts and humanities tests in no time. Literally. Each exam is allocated two hours, but I find myself finishing them in less than ten minutes and then immediately initiating the next one. It's as though every question is designed to let me choose the perfect answer. It's laughably easy, in fact. My mind recalls every fact, every tidbit, with perfect accuracy. The only questions I miss are ones that I didn't study at all, and those are few enough that I still pass the exams.

As I go through each course, I immediately receive my scores: 92, 100, 85, 84, 93, and so on. I complete my Spanish exam, granting me equivalency for four courses worth of knowledge. I burn through philosophy, writing a colorful essay on Nietzsche and the meaning of morality. I complete exams on psychology, history, ethics, and more. I take breaks, go to sleep, and wake up. I continue. I wade through dozens of exams on computer science topics ranging from introductory concepts to advanced machine learning. The latter requires manual review, but I know I aced them. There is not a shred of doubt in my mind.

As I wrap up an exam on data structures, I reopen my list of courses. With a grin, I strike through data structures, the very last one. I look over at my clock: ten in the evening. I can hardly believe I made it through all of them in two days! But it's done. It's done, and I (almost) have a degree now. All I have to do is wait for the final approvals on the essays and other open-ended questions. I will have my degree, soon.

I lean back against my chair and weave my hands behind my head, thoroughly pleased with myself. Just in time, too, as my nootropic wears off. I feel my senses grow dull and my mind slows down, followed by a minor ache in the back of my brain. I take a sip of water from a canteen and stand to stretch.

Wow, what a marathon. Somehow, I managed to make it through the entire list of exams without my nootropic wearing off to soon, something my enhanced mind had been wary of. But I worked carefully. I grin at myself again, then do a nineties finger gun at myself in the mirror. "Who's the guy? I'm the guy." I laugh, then sit on my bed for a moment.

I check my phone for the first time in a couple of days. No new messages, which is expected. All of my friends use Discord, which I muted a while back. My family never texts me.

I slide the phone into my pocket and sneak out into the hallway. As expected, Kelly's door is closed. She's probably not asleep, but I know she doesn't care to see me right now. I slowly walk over to Mom's door and look inside, surprised to see that she is still awake.

Like earlier yesterday morning, she's wearing her nightgown while resting on her bed. Her hair falls in loose strands down her shoulders, and she wears a pair of bright red wayfarer-style reading glasses. A paperback novel is open between her hands, lit by a lamp on her bedside table. Glad to see her still awake, I plant a soft knock on her door.

"Still up?" I ask, not breaking the barrier to her room.

"Dom? I'm surprised you came out of your dungeon. How is it going?" She closes her book and places it on her bedside table, then leans forward and pats the space in front of her. "Come, sit beside me for a moment." Beneath the covers, she crosses her legs to make room for me.

I look at the cover of the book she was reading and catalog the title for later, knowing my enhanced brain will use it as a basis for some future interaction. The Lone Warrior. Fantasy? I never knew Mom was interested in that genre. I point at it. "Fantasy?"

Even my sober mind is able to pick up on the oddness of her reaction. I'll definitely have to think about this later. She blushes and quickly grabs the book, before opening her bedside table drawer and storing it within. "Yeah, I like to read some every once in a while." Highly suspicious.

I shrug and sit down beside her on the bed. "That's cool, Mom. I didn't mean to bother you, I just wanted to share some news." I give her a soft small. "I completed all of my exams, as of a few minutes ago. I've already received scores for a little over half of them, and I should have the remainder tomorrow. From what I've received so far, and based on how I feel about the other exams, I think I've passed everything. I'll receive my degree on Wednesday in the mail. I did it." My nootropic mind had already prepared for this moment, so I pull my phone out of my pocket and open the school app. My transcript already lists the courses I've received credit for, with the other exams marked as pending. I hand the phone over to Mom, and she quickly scans it, the screen illuminated in the reflection of her glasses.

"Oh, Dom. This is real? A small part of me was worried..." I knew that, of course. "I had no idea you were really doing this. This is... beyond wonderful." Mom looks up at me and pulls a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I am so proud of you, dear. So proud. Such an achievement! How long have you been preparing for this? It must have been forever, for you to be so far. And here I was, nagging you the entire time about getting a job. Why didn't you tell me?"

Again, I prepared for this line of questioning.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I wanted you to be proud of me, so I decided to do it in secret. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't even register at the school until last week. I wanted to make sure I could learn everything first, before I raised anyone's hopes. I didn't want to be a fuck-up."

Mom's eyes water at the words, and I feel slightly guilty. I knew this would be her reaction, but it is an important part of the process.

"No, I'm sorry, Dom. It's my fault you didn't feel comfortable sharing this with me until now. If I had been a better mother, you would have never been afraid. I-"

I cut her off by wrapping her in a hug. I try to push aside the feelings of her barely covered breasts pressing against me. I am suddenly thankful the **** has already worn off. "It's alright, Mom. I just hope you'll see that I am taking my promise seriously. I will be here for you and take care of you. This is just the first step of that." As I finish speaking, I sit back and note the teariness in my mom's eyes. She dabs at the corner of an eye with her comforter, then smiles.

"I'm starting to see that, Dom. I don't want to see any more of this secretiveness, though. I am your mother, and I am here to support you. Let me help you."

My task completed, I stand from her bed and walk towards the door. "Don't worry, Mom, I have plenty of ideas for how you can help me. Now, I need to get some sleep. The past two days have taken a lot out of me. Goodnight. I love you."

"I know, dear. Goodnight, and I love you too," I hear as I leave her room behind me.