The Exam

Chapter 4: Mind Tricks

It was the night before the exam and Gumball lay on the roof outside his bedroom window, looking up at the stars, unable to get to sleep, thinking about tomorrow.

This had to go right, it just had to. He and Anais had spent 2-3 hours every day the last few days studying for this test, plus he'd pulled 1 or 2 all-nighters to get in some extra studying.

What...what if it all went wrong though? What if he completely screwed everything up, just like he always did and got a terrible grade? His mother would be disappointed and scold him, he'd feel even worse about himself and everyone would be proven right about him.

No. He couldn't think like this. He had to stay positive. He had studied so much that there was no way he could possibly fail. All he had to do was focus and he'd do fine.

Though...maybe he should get in some extra last-minute revision, just to be sure? Yeah, one or two hours couldn't hurt. He couldn't sleep anyways.

He climbed back inside and closed the window slowly and quietly, careful not to wake his sleeping siblings.

He sat down at the desk and took out his notes and began to go over them again, carefully reading every word, trying to retain as much information as possible.

He continued late into the night, completely forgetting the time, completely engrossed in his studying.

He had to pass this exam, he just had to. Not only for himself and his mother but for Anais too. She believed in him and he wasn't going to let her down.

Who knows how long later, he suddenly woke up on the pavement outside his house, in the middle of the night.

Huh? How did he get out here? Did he fall asleep and sleepwalk?

However he did, he knew one thing. He was freezing and had to get back inside.

He opened the door and went inside to see his mother sitting at the kitchen table, with a piece of paper in front of her.

"Oh, there you are. I don't know why you decided to come back, it's not as if any of us wanted you to." She said to him, sounding genuinely disgusted and hateful towards him.

"W-w-what?!" Hearing her say this to him felt like a knife had stabbed him.

"You heard me. With results like this, no one would want to have you as their son, especially not me." She held up the papers.

He felt his heart breaking into pieces and the knife being twisted as he struggled to speak."My t-t-test results? B-But I haven't d-done the exam yet..."

"Oh, you did, and once again you failed. Once again you're a complete disappointment to me. How do you expect me to call you my son when you constantly prove to me what a complete and utter failure you are?"

"I...I-I-I..." Gumball tried to speak but he just couldn't find the words, instead feeling tears begin to fall down his face.

"Nothing? You really have no excuse for what a pathetic son you are? God, you're useless!"

Gumball began to cry harder. "S-stop it!"