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“Your youth is about going absolutely insane, going crazy doing hundreds of tests, do
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thousands of difficult questions, remember
millions of words, and then be the best
student in the whole country! It’s about
making everyone else be proud of you!”
The teacher was yelling at us, like we were all
personal failures.
423
He singled out a few special cases.
2
4457
“Some people think talent can beat hard
work. Wake up and smell the coffee! Your
grades are in the toilet!”
“And some of you are dragging others down
with you! Do you even feel guilty?”
“Living your youth without any regrets means
taking responsibility for yourself, doing what’s
right!”
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く
“Love conquers all? Does love pay the bills?”
For me, love definitely didn’t pay the bills.
But for Jason and Brittany, love was more
than food for the soul, it was the meaning of
life.
So when Jason’s mom came to me, begging
me to give Jason my spot in the coding
competition, I told Jason and Brittany
everything.
Jason was shocked at first, then furious.
He tore into his own mother.
“She’s always like this, never thinking about
what I want!”
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“I don’t want to be in your stupid contest! I
don’t care about getting into some fancy
school! I don’t need it.”
“I love Brittany! Even if I don’t go to college,
I’m staying with her.”
That night, Jason took Brittany home.
He told his parents he wasn’t doing the
competition.
I was studying, walking by his house when I
saw him kneeling in the garden, his parents
yelling at him.
Brittany was right there with him, crying,
begging his parents to accept their pure, true
love.
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く
Jason’s mom was a wreck.
“I’ve put everything into you! I don’t want you
to repay me, just be responsible!”
“You say you love her now, but what about
later? When you’re married with kids, and
everything costs money! How will you provide
for her, for your family?”
“Jason, I used to be so proud of you! Now I’m
just disappointed!”
Jason said:
“It’s my life! I make the rules!”
“I love Brittany. I can’t live without her.
College is for losers.”
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“I’m a genius. I don’t need some stupid
degree to succeed.”
He was so dramatic, so self–righteous.
His mom couldn’t take it anymore. She
slapped him. Hard.
She was trying to wake him up.
Trying to bring back the son she used to
know.
But he said:
“Brittany just messed up on some tests. That
doesn’t make her a bad person. Grades aren’t
everything.”
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“We’re not hurting anyone. We’re not sick or a
burden on you.”
“We just want to be in love! You’re the ones
who are greedy, trying to live through me.
You’re terrible parents!”
“Just get off my back! You’re being selfish
and calling it love! You’re awful!”
I just listened.
Then I went home, opened a new coding
book, and got back to work.
