It should be an F. I was drowning in my classes, and only Harper kept my head above water in chemistry.
“Then there is the matter of the Novus Science Innovation contest,” Father continued.
“Yeah, sorry, I missed the deadline.” I hopped up on the kitchen counter that faced the living area. “Slipped my mind.”
“It didn’t slip mine. I signed you up for it myself after you failed to do so.”
“You…?” I felt a headache start to grow behind my eyes. “Why?”
“Why?” Father repeated. “Why would the highly prestigious scion of a science empire not participate in a highly prestigious science contest?”
“Because I don’t need the prize. Not the money or the help with college.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I gritted my teeth. “Other students could use both much more than I do, and you know it.”
“Other studentsaren’t my concern. That you are failing to uphold even the bare minimum standards of my expectation is. And now you are failing in your academics as well.” He arched a brow. “You may need the help with the college admissions more than you know.”
Nowhewas joking. Father had a direct line to the president of Cambridge. I could flunk out of Castle Hill Academy and I’d still get in.
Four more years. I can’t do another four years.
“It’s too hard,” I muttered.
“Say again?”
“I said, it’s too hard, Father,” I repeated, louder. My heart was pounding, meeting his dark eyes. Admitting it out loud for the first time. “My brain…it can’t process the work. I can’t read—”
“Nonsense. You read perfectly well. We couldn’t get your nose out of a book as a child. You lose focus during exams, is all.”
“I can read books, yes. But it’s…all mixed up. It’s not as simple as losing focus.”
“I doubt that,” Father said, leaning over his knees. “You haven’t been taking your medication, have you?”
“It makes me sick,” I said. “It gives me a bad reaction, and it doesn’t help.”
Father pursed his lips. “I thought so. This is a new prescription. You will take it and youwillimprove your grades. That is your only job. Not crew. Notpiano.” He tapped two fingers on the envelope. “This is a list of formulas Mercer Chem is working on. Simple, basic.”
My eyes widened. “NoSci rules state no outside help allowed. That’s cheating.”
“Don’t be gauche, Orion. You will get no help from us. This is merely a list of ideas. Choose one. Choose none, but youwillparticipate in that contest.”
Father rose to his feet and came to me. I slid off the counter, and he put his hands on my shoulders.
“Your mother and I love you very much. We only want what’s best for you. You must know that.”
I nodded, a thousand words piling up in my throat, wanting to spill out of my mouth. Only two escaped.
“I know.”
“When I was your age, in Year 13, I worked two jobs, and was already building the bones of what would become Mercer Chem. No one helped me, Orion. I had only grit and determination. Those were the bricks and mortar from which I built the empire that will one day be yours.”
He clapped his hands on my shoulders and turned for the door.
“Work harder, take your meds, and come up with something brilliant for the contest.” He opened the door. “We’ll talk soon.”
Then he was gone, and the room felt bigger somehow, now that he wasn’t filling it with his looming presence. I sat down at the coffee table and opened the envelope and found what looked to be a list of chemistry formulas and ideas, some exceedingly complicated, some simple. Though it made me feel unclean, I could pick the most basic, the mostun-innovative, the one most guaranteed tonotwow any judges. Not that I had the mental bandwidth to wow anyone, anyway.
