(no subject)

The transition from Welton to Darrow High School had, mostly, felt like a backslide. These were things he learned as a new student at Welton, except when they were things he'd never learned because such knowledge hadn't existed yet. He'd done well, until he suddenly hadn't, anxiety and upset making him a terrible student and even worse friend for a few months. But he was past that now. He dropped his hours down at the cafe in preparation for classes to start, and he'd gone into it expecting much of the same: a certain level of competency that he already had because Welton had been preparing him for Harvard or whatever.

That isn't what he had at all. Maybe he overburdened himself, trying to get all of those basic education requirements out of the way as soon as possible. But they're barely a week in, and Neil already feels a little overwhelmed.

As well as his College Composition course, he'd decided to take Birth and Death of Stars for his science and mathematics requirements, as well as World History, Introduction to Philosophy, and First Year Spanish. Five courses was nothing compared to Welton, where it was regular to take seven, plus a sport, and an academic activity.

So why did he already feel like he was behind?

Neil finds himself sitting on the patio outside one of the bars he likes, a drink right there in case he really needs it (which he does), his books spread out in front of him. He feels like an idiot. Maybe he ought to just drop out and stick to a job instead. He doesn't need a degree in Darrow. Does he?