“I am not. You had the correct intuition. We just need to build on that.”
Dario successfully managed to get me through high school, but I can’t keep relying on him. His schedule is insane already with his own classes, plus his training in the pack. He can’t spend hours on top of that tutoring me.
“Why can’t I keep this stuff in my head?” I ask. “I read everything, I take notes, I try, but it doesn’t stick. And when I need to deliver, the letters and the words seem to dance through my mind.”
“Our whole school system is made for neurotypical kids,” Dario says. “They should teach us a variety of methods to learn and study. It’s not your fault, it’s the system’s.”
“But how is this going to help me?” I sigh. “And now I am going to disappoint Dad again.”
“Come on, you know he isn’t disappointed.”
I know he is right. We were fortunate enough to be blessed with parents who didn’t mind bad marks as long as we tried. The only time Dad got angry concerning school-related stuff was when I skipped school for a week, but never for a failed test.
I just hate being a failure. Everyone in my family is smart. They might not all be as academically gifted as Dario or our oldest brother, but all of them have studied with ease. I have one brother who dropped out of college due to dealing with his own trauma, but two years ago, he picked up his studies again and just finished them with no problem, all the while handling his many charitable side-projects, his mateandhis position in his pack.
Meanwhile, I have no duties other than studying and training, but I can’t even do that.
“Let’s go and grab something to eat,” Dario offers. “My treat.”
“It sucks that I always need to rely on my younger brother to raise my spirits,” I say.
“You are only older by a couple of minutes,” Dario chuckles.
Together we make our way from campus, towards a Mexican restaurant I like. Seems like my twin really wants to indulge me. On our way, we pass a group of girls. They are looking at us, staring and whispering, but when I wink at them, they giggle.
My flirting doesn’t really mean anything. Not to me, not to them. For them, I am just a good fuck, but not relationship material. Sucks being stupid, and it’s one of the reasons that I have stopped dating anyone. Against popular belief, I don’t just want to fuck!
Dario doesn’t receive much attention from a crowd usually, but those who approach him actually want to get to know him better. Unlike me, he doesn’t thrive on attention, but he also doesn’t receive a lot of it.
In my opinion, he is a real catch, and anyone who doesn’t find him awesome can go and suck someone else’s dick!
I don’t accept anyone belittling my brother.
“Do you have plans today?” Dario asks me after we found an empty table in the restaurant and ordered quite a lot of food. The waitress looked at us skeptically, probably wondering how two guys could eat that much, but being a shifter burns so many calories.
“I originally wanted to go to a party,” I say.
“You don’t want to go anymore?”
“No, I don’t feel like it.”
“Felix,” Dario sighs.
“I will go if you go.”
Dario furrows his brows. “You know I hate parties. Don’t put this on me!”
“Fine, I just really don’t feel like it.”
“Because of that stupid test?”
“Maybe,” I say. “But it’s not just that. I don’t feel like I truly connect with anyone.”
“But everyone likes you,” Dario says softly. “When you go somewhere, everyone wants to be in your vicinity.”
“But that’s the point. They like me, but don’t love me. I’m not like Annie.”
Annie is my oldest brother’s mate and the luna of their pack. She was born to be a luna; it’s obvious by the way her pack members and other people in general seek out her warmth. Unlike with me, they truly want to connect with her.
