I Agreed to Let My Son Skip Exams

I stood by the roadside, dazed, after the call ended. Then I stuffed my phone into my pocket and walked home.

A blast of cool air greeted me the moment I walked into the house. Heath Hanson was lounging on the couch, a plate of chilled fruits in front of him as he stared at the TV.

It was the first day of the college entrance exam, and while other people's children were curiously writing away in the exam hall, my son was at home eating fruits.

Heath visibly paused when he saw me. He looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected me back this early.

I said nothing and didn't even look at him. I changed into my slippers and walked over to sit beside him. Noticing there was still some fruits left, I started eating them with a spoon.

I could sense Heath's gaze on me.

On the TV, the host was laughing in an exaggerated manner, while neither of us said a single word. It felt like we were worlds apart.

Heath finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He spoke, his tone provocative. "The college entrance exam is today. I didn't take it."

"Okay." I scooped another mouthful of fruit into my mouth. "Suit yourself."

Heath paused and put his plate on the coffee table. He straightened up and stared at me. Then he laughed. "You're doing it again." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "You always act like this when you're upset. You'll act cold and say nothing, waiting for me to get scared and apologize to you."

I didn't respond and kept eating my fruits.

"Are you going to drag me to the exam hall later?" Heath sounded agitated. "I'm telling you. I've already torn up my admission ticket. Even if you drag me there, I won't be able to take the exam."

I'd already been through this once in my previous life, but hearing him say it still hit a sore spot.

"Don't worry, I won't." I set down my spoon and turned to him. "I've already told Ms. Smith that you're not taking the exam."

Heath's expression changed. His defiance gradually gave way to suspicion, then shifted into an emotion too complicated for me to name.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Heath's homeroom teacher, Jorja Smith. I opened it and showed it to Heath.

"Mr. Hanson, do you think Heath is under too much pressure? Try to talk to him, please. Don't panic. We'll think of a way together. Even though he doesn't want to take the exam, you should try to talk him into it."

Heath stared at the message for a long time, his lips parting slightly.

The only sound in the living room was the exaggerated laughter from the variety show playing on TV.

Heath sounded cautious and disbelieving. "You really… You're really not going to force me to take the exam?"

I put the phone aside and picked up my spoon again. "Yeah. If you don't want to take it, then don't. From now on, you can do whatever you want. I'm not going to interfere anymore."