Chapter2
1291 Words
Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Archer was unsure whom to confide in.
Most people would think of their parents, but his situation was somewhat different.
His parents divorced when Archer was five years old.
Most professions in the world require training and examinations before one can begin working.
For example, driving requires a driver's license, while teaching requires a teaching certificate.
Becoming a parent does not require an exam; a simple whim or accident can bring a life into this world.
Few people care whether the child wanted to be there or not.
Archer experienced an unhappy childhood. For as long as he could remember, his parents argued nearly every day.
The tables and chairs in their home were frequently overturned, and the floor was strewn with shards of glass and porcelain.
Finally, on an ordinary day, they went their separate ways.
During the divorce negotiations, his father initially did not want Archer, believing that having a child would reduce his chances of remarrying.
Ultimately, with his grandparents' and the desire to continue the family line, he permitted Archer to stay.
A year later, his father brought home a woman wearing heavy makeup.
Two years later, they welcomed their own son.
In fairy tales, children with stepmothers often lead sorrowful lives.
Although reality is not quite that dramatic, it still requires constantly being subservient to others.
Although it was their own home, they often felt as if they were living under someone else's roof.
His mother, never remarried. Because she worked as a train conductor, she was constantly on the move, returning home only once every ten days or two weeks.
She rented a small apartment near the school, and Archer would occasionally stay there for a few days when he prefered not to go home.
Over time, he became progressively more marginalized within the family.
Both of his parents were both at work, and Archer did not want to disturb them. He went to the corner of the balcony to clean, hesitated for a long time, and then dialed a landline number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered.
An elderly voice sounded through the phone, "Hello, who is this?" Tears welled up in Archer's eyes as he said, "Grandpa, it's me, Archer. I missed you." Archer's grandpa immediately exclaimed with joy, "Archer, Grandpa missed you too!" He then call out loudly to his wife, asking her to come and listen to their grandson's call.
Archer seldom experienced family affection, but he occasionally found comfort in the kindness of his grandparents during his summer and winter visits to their countryside home.
"Grandpa and Grandma, I'll come back to see you this weekend," Archer said, trying to sound natural.
"No need, you have a lot of studying to do right now. Don't worry about us; come back during summer vacation," Archer's grandpa said with a smile.
"Well then, Grandpa and Grandma, take care of yourselves, I have to go to class now." Archer quickly offered an excuse and end the call.
Otherwise, he knew he would break down in tears.
He simply lack the courage to share this devastating news with his two most cherished elders.
If that day were to come, how deeply grief-stricken would they be?
The school bell rang at that instant.
Archer wiped away his tears, masking his emotions, and returned to his seat.
He tried to forget his sorrow by immersing himself in the vast ocean of knowledge.
The timetable was written on the far right of the blackboard, indicating that the next two periods were math.
Ms. Hayes, the math teacher, walked to the podium with her textbook tucked under her.
The math class had an unusually captivating effect.
Only five minutes had passed, yet most of the students were already dozing off.
As Ms. Hayes turned to write on the blackboard, Charles reached into his desk and pulled out a copy of 《A Song of Ice and Fire》.
"Bro, are you out of your mind? Reading a novel during Ms. Hayes's class?" Archer whispered a warning to his deskmate.
However, Charles stubbornly persisted, disregarding the warning.
The plot of the book is far more engaging than the mathematical formulas.
Archer, an exemplary student, sat upright and remained fully focused.
Unlike before, he could see only Ms. Hayes's mouth moving; he couldn't hear a single word.
It felt as though the warmth of life was gradually being drained from his body.
Charles was captivated by the thrilling moment when he suddenly sensed a deadly presence approaching.
He looked up and met Ms. Hayes's keen gaze.
"Charles, come to the blackboard and solve this problem!" Standing on the platform, the teacher could often observe every small movement of the students.
Ms. Hayes's teaching style was always strict; she could not tolerate even the slightest mistake.
Reluctantly, Charles walked to the platform, chalk in hand, staring at the incomprehensible writing on the blackboard, frozen as if turned to stone.
Such a challenging problem—who else but those emotionless learning machines could solve it?
Ms. Hayes's face turned ashen as she said, "With your math grades, you still have the nerve to read novels in class? You are sitting next to Archer; don't you know how to learn from him?"
Charles muttered, "He even bought me the novel!"
"Confiscated! Go stand at the back and listen to the lesson," Ms. Hayes scolded.
Then she adopted to a kinder tone, "Archer, solve this problem and set a good example for the class."
Archer, an outstanding student, consistently achieved near-perfect scores on math exams.
Solving problems of this difficulty was easy for him.
When Archer heard the teacher call his name, he visibly froze, as if his soul had wandered off somewhere and was suddenly pulled back.
He approached the blackboard but stood there for a long time, unable to write.
His mind was consumed by that diagnosis, or rather, that death knell.
The numbers and symbols that were once so familiar now seemed completely foreign.
"Archer, is something wrong?" Ms. Hayes asked, surprised.
"Ms. Hayes, I don't know how," Archer replied, struggling to hold back his tears.
"How is this possible?" Ms. Hayes knew that Archer would find this level of math problem no challenge.
She had Archer solve the problem deliberately to highlight Charles's abilities, but she had not expected him to fail so disastrously.
Archer's shoulders trembled slightly, causing the chalk in his hand to fall to the ground.
Tears welled up once more, reminding him of his past struggles.
He was engulfed in profound sorrow, like a solitary child.
Ms. Hayes felt a pang of heartache and instinctively wanted to embrace him.
The students were confused and began whispering among themselves.
"Can a question like this really stump Archer? Are you serious?"
"An outstanding student is an outstanding student. He even cried because he was unable to solve a math problem."
"Phoebe, did he confess his feelings to you, and did you reject him?"
---^0^---
Phoebe washed Archer's retreating figure with wide eyes, a sudden pang of fear gripping her heart.
After being friends for so long, she had never seen Archer so deeply heartbroken.
He must be hiding a secret.
"Archer, don't cry, please go back." Ms. Hayes offered him gentle comfort.
"Ms. Hayes, I need to go to the restroom," Archer said, sobbing uncontrollably.
Ms. Hayes sighed quietly and nodded without a word.
Teachers tend to be more lenient with well-behaved students.
As Archer stepped out of the classroom and into the corridor, he completely lost control and broke down in tears.
He held every teacher and classmate in deep affection.
Only three months remained before death would part them.
Never to see them again.
- Writer
