[Boy x Boy One-shots] Falling, Falling, Fallen

Am I Dumb?

-Note-

Hey guys! This one shot uses the Alex x Ollie ship, which was established in the previous chapter. I would recommend reading that first, but it'll be fine if you don't as well.

...

"Alexander, this is the third maths test you have failed in a row. They were all supposed to be easy, everyone in class has gotten a passing grade by now." The middle-aged teacher rubbed his forehead in frustration as he looked down at the jock in front of him.

"I am sorry sir. I am trying, I really am... it's just really difficult for me." The teen looked at his paper in shame, avoiding eye contact with the older man.

He was embarrassed. This was the third time he was told to stay back after everyone had been dismissed.

He really had tried. He had studied all week non-stop, even given less attention to his swimming and basketball activities and had a good night's sleep before the exam. It's just that his mind went blank every time he saw an exam paper.

He couldn't handle the stress or pressure of the strict timed conditions and ended up messing everything up.

"You're not trying hard enough!" The teacher shouted, "Just because you happen to be popular and good at sports doesn't mean you get to slack off or get any special treatment in my class!"

Alex really wanted to tell the teacher that, that was not what he expected either. That wasn't the reason he was failing. He really did care. But he remained silent knowing it would all go to deaf ears.

"You can't possible tell me you found these difficult!" The man continued as he grabbed Alex's paper roughly and pointed at the first question, which surprise, surprise he had gotten wrong. "You have to be dumb to not understand this, even my 6th graders can do this question!"

That one hurt. Was he really that dumb? Did everyone think he was stupid? Did Ollie think he was stupid?

He looked down at the now crumbled paper that the teacher had placed next to him. He felt sad and embarrassed. Why couldn't he be like everybody else?

He wasn't asking for much, all he wanted was a passing grade and no matter how hard he tried he always ended up failing. Was he going to be a failure his whole life? Did other people think he a was a failure?

"I'll be contacting your parents. Now get out of my classroom." The teacher said harshly as he pointed at the door, interrupting Alex's spiraling thoughts.

The teen trudged out of the class, effortlessly slinging his bags onto his shoulder, head ducked in shame.

"How'd it go?" A soft, comforting voice, called out as soon as he stepped out of the door.

"You waited?" He looked down at his boyfriend, who was nervously playing with the bottom of his shirt. That brought a small smile to his face.

It was kind of scary how much power one tiny person had over his emotions.

"O-of course! I was worried..." The boy answered in a flustered manner.

The larger teen bent to place a small peck on his lips, causing his cheeks to turn red. "Don't worry about it, ok? It was nothing serious..."

"Are you sure?" Ollie asked.

"Yes, mom." He answered sarcastically, receiving a light shove in response.

As he was about to wrap his arms around Ollie's shoulder so they could both head to lunch, a small piece of paper sticking the boy's bag caught his attention.