July 06, 2045
It was a nice day. The sun was shining brightly the sky looked blue, and the birds were singing to each other.
But, I was in the opposite mood. I felt reluctant to go to school because that day was the graduation exam. Three years of high school would be at stake. There were only two options to graduate or repeat a year of high school.
Long story short, I went to school. I couldn't avoid that day.
I always thought that I wouldn't be able to graduate. That was my nightmare!
"Hoi, Afi. Hurry up, don't daydream! You'll be late!" My father warned loudly. I was daydreaming during breakfast.
'Ah, because I've been playing games for too long. I wasn't prepared for this exam. I want to return to the past'
I hurriedly stood up and only ate the bread on my plate without eating anything else. Damn it, I'm choking!
"He only plays games every day. I regret buying him that VR Capsule."
'If you want to swear, wait until I leave, dad.'
That's right.
The VR capsule was a device to connect to Fantasy World Online. The shape is simple, like a tube that players enter in a sleeping position.
After that, the player's consciousness will be transferred into the virtual world to play this game.
It's truly an amazing piece of technology.
"Damn it! There's no bus stop. They're all full? What kind of nonsense is this?"
I cursed on the street.
The clock on my phone already pointed to 7:30 while the exam started at 8:00.
The distance from my house to the school is 30 km. The average time it takes to get there are 40 minutes if there is no traffic.
"Ouch, how is this? What should I do?" I thought out loud.
Ah, there was no solution I could find.
As I was lost in my thoughts, suddenly a sports bike approached me.
"Hey, isn't this Afi? What are you doing here? It's too late, you know!" He shouted while laughing at me. His name is Rico. He was my classmate.
He was good-looking, had a lot of money, and was very athletic. If you ask him what his flaws were, he was a bit stupid and liked to play with women.
I wanted to reply to him that he was also late.
"What are you daydreaming about, Bro? Let's get on!"
Yes, even so, he was a good person.
"Thanks, Rico."
"You can repay me by helping me out on the exam! Hahaha!"
'Why would you ask for help from someone as stupid as you are!' is what I wanted to say.
Rico helped me, so I should return the favor.
Time passed.
We both arrived at school, the clock was already 8.30. Although we were late, it wasn't too long. Well, it's still tolerable.
Rico and I ran with all our might to the exam room.
'Damn it! Wait for me, you bastard! You're running so fast."
I was already out of breath from running for a while, but Rico seemed to be fine.
Arriving at the door of the room, there was a guard who immediately told us to sit in the seats that had been arranged.
'Hahaha... I don't understand at all!' I laughed and cried at the same time.
"Psst, Afi, what's the answer to this number?" Whispered Rico who was sitting next to me. Despite the presence of the invigilator, he was desperate to peek at my exam paper.
After looking at the question for a moment.
"Danger! We got a different set of questions."
'Yeah, hahaha! Rico won't bother me anymore!'
The exam went smoothly. Well, the problem might be that I didn't understand, even if it was one question. However, I can finally breathe freely
The next thing I needed to do was the graduation announcement. It was a very thrilling time! My heart felt like it was going to explode!
I finally managed to graduate. I'm so lucky.
The sun was now beginning to set. I walked listlessly while carrying a piece of paper, which would determine my future.
Had it been a love letter from the girl I liked, I would have been happy. But in reality, this paper is...
"My luck is still pretty high? My grade point average is C
This paper is a printout of the graduation exam results.
Math: D
English: C
Science: C
With my grades, it was certain that I would be finished off by my father.
"Afi, what about your grades?" asked Rico who suddenly sat beside me.
"Our grades are the same. Our brains are on the same frequency!"
We both accepted our fate, looked out the window, and felt the orange rays of the sun. What about tomorrow? What will I do after high school?
Go to college or work?
My head almost exploded at the thought. I'm not rich. College requires a lot of money. Plus, my grades were below average. I wouldn't be able to get a scholarship.
I have a different fate than Rico. he's rich, he doesn't have to think about the future, and his life is already secured. College or work... he can have it both ways. It makes me jealous sometimes.
"Afi, I don't care about my grades because my family owns the company and I will be the successor. Although, my father will also beat me up with these grades. But, what about you?"
To my surprise, Rico was worried about me.
"Won't it be hard for you to get into college with those grades?" I hadn't answered him yet, but he was already asking another question.
"I'll get beat up with these grades, but I don't think I'll get into college. You know, my family isn't that rich. Nevertheless, they support me as the eldest son. After graduation, I'll look for a job at a convenience store or a restaurant. At least to repay my parents' kindness."
"So that's it... Let me know if you need help. If you don't find a job, I'll ask my father to find you a position as an office boy in my father's office."
"Thank you...."
Even so, I plan to make some extra money from playing Fantasy World Online games when I'm not working.
And from then on we both promise to help each other.
Arriving home.
I was beaten up by my father.