Kevin

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"What a miserable day."

"It's just a little rain, Kevin. Your first day of college is going to be great!" said Dad, keeping his eyes on the slippery road.

Kevin, who was only ten, disagreed. He wanted nothing more than to be normal.

"Why can't I just take advanced classes at Branson like I've been doing, Dad? My friends are there, and studies say that good social skills are at least as important as a good education. Perhaps more."

"I talked to your psychiatrist, and she agrees that you will be able to make connections at U of M. You will also have weekends and summers to hang out with your old friends."

"Whatever happened to doctor and patient confidentiality..." he muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Kevin?"

"I don't think it will do any good, Dad. I just won't have anything in common with the guys anymore." said Kevin, struggling not to cry.

"Let's give it a chance? If you still hate it, I'll agree to let you transfer back to Branson next fall."

"Really?!?! Do you promise?"

"Yes but only if you promise to give U of M a chance. Try to make friends."

"I promise, Dad... I really do hope it works out."

"It won't be as big of an adjustment for you as it is for the other kids. You'll be coming home every night. You will also have your mom and I to do your laundry, and fix meals! That alone is a gold mine for any college student!" he said, laughing.

"There's the campus, isn't it beautiful?" exclaimed Mom.

It really was, despite the rain. The campus looked even better than it did in the brochures. He grabbed his bag, and entered the massive building alone. Finding the right room, he quietly took a seat for his first university class. Physics 101.

Taking notes in same notebook he had used last year instead of the new one, he let his mind wander. The old notebook included a lot of pages of doodles in between the regular school notes, and it had some pages ripped out.

Those pages had been used to pass notes from one student to another. Looking around, Kevin didn't see any of the fun he was used to. "This is just a room full of adults. It's going to be a long winter." he thought sadly.

There was nothing to do about it though. Might as well get to work. Physics really could be an interesting subject...

As if on cue, the door opened. A boy not much older than himself slipped in, trying to be as invisible as possible. Kevin motioned him over, and smiled.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all!" he thought, feeling hope for the first time since he had entered the building."

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11 comments
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In a very short space you manage to flesh out character, present the conflict, and offer a resolution. Also, you manage to tell a story about school that surprises. Good job.

Thank you for posting the story here and for consistently supporting your fellow authors.

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Thank you, these word prompts are really good for me :) They force me to come up with stories that I otherwise would never think of.

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Hello @wrestlingdesires,
The interesting aspect of this story for me was that at first I was sympathetic with the boy. I thought the parents were making a mistake. And then your story offered a lesson: Often we are not as unique as we believe we are. The second gifted child in the class was not just a gift for Kevin. It was a gift for the reader (me). Kevin will be alright.

Good story and good interpretation of the prompt.

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Thanks :)

Yeah, such children aren't common, but certainly it's possible that two exist in the same area.

!PIZZA and !ALIVE

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Interesting topic, @wrestlingdesires. Children who are different, such as gifted children, must be given their rightful place. It's no use sticking to the need for normality.
Kevin's parents seem to understand that well, Kevin will soon understand that too.

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Having a friend will help that along too :)

Thanks so much for your support :)

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Wow, starting college at the age of 10! I didn't realize that is even possible, but I looked it up after reading this, and it's quite true. The youngest college graduates are between 11 and 15 years old. Thanks for bringing into the world of such a young scholar so we can imagine what it must be like being seeing through Kevin's eyes.

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My pleasure :)

There's actually a movie about such a child, but he has to live with a teacher or social worker because his home is too far away or something. And he doesn't have any friends.

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