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Final exams were coming up and Robert swiftly realized that he was absolutely fucked.
He was failing two of his core classes and barely passing the other two, the school kept placing him in advanced courses he wasn't smart enough for, and he had four final exams (all of which were for the two classes he was failing) the next week.
Needless to say, all the stress was getting to him.
"Nikki, you don't understand" he told her one day over lunch, exasperated. "Now, I know I'm not one to care much about my grades, but I genuinely don't even get how I'm failing these classes" he ranted. "I am turning in not all but most of the work. I should have at least a high D- Which, again, is passing- But I'm such a fucking dumbass that I'm failing anyway"
"You'll be fine" Nikki dismissed. "You've always tested well. Besides, worst case scenario, you fail second semester for both classes- You only need three science credits anyways so if you fail one semester, one year, you're fine, and if you fail this semester of math, you just gotta retake it over the summer"
"I just don't get it" Robert sighed. "Why am I so stupid?"
"You're not stupid!" Nikki told him earnestly. "You have mental and learning disabilities that aren't being accommodated. That's not your fault" she continued. Robert opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off as though she knew exactly what he was going to say. "And it's not something you should be better than- You can't help it! Honestly, it's so messed up that the school system is so stacked against you that, unless you get accommodations that are hard to get, you're screwed"
"Thanks?"
"Don't mention it" Nikki smiled. "Look, I know it sucks but, for the record, I won't think less of you if you end up failing these classes or the exams"
"Well, that's easy for you to say" Robert replied bitterly. "You're, like, one of the top students in the county"
"I am now, but remember, Rob, I was hospitalized for a huge chunk of middle school cause I fell so down the rabbit hole with the hallucinations and delusions and whatnot" she gestured vaguely. "I technically didn't even pass middle school they just let me pass because I still tested really well"
"I just wish I could get, like, extended time on some assignments or on the exams" Robert sighed. "Cause I know I'm not gonna be able to read anything quick enough or comprehend it or figure out an answer- Nikki, there's so many steps to everything! I don't get it"
"I know" the girl nodded. "I'm sorry, bud"
"It's fine" Robert sighed once more. "I'll just be the stupid kid"
"You're passing cosmetology!"
"I'll be the stupid kid who washes people's greasy hair for a living when he grows up"
"That's the spirit!"