He couldn't understand what was happening.

Ethan was always good in school, he always made sure things were turned in on time, always made sure things were perfect. If he got anything lower than a B, he would cry.

So, explain why he keeps slipping. His grades plummet more and more as the semesters drag on, and he doesn't entirely know when this neverending burnout began.

One day he was smart, now he's just. So fucking small and stupid.

He notices when Benny surpasses him in class rank. He notices when Rory eventually passes him in rank.

He has to constantly listen to his parents backhandend words, their passive agressive comments to his grades, and it drives him up the fucking wall.

He feels as if he's heard it all. From the, "Have fun working in fast food for the rest of your life", to "You're just being lazy, get over yourself"

His parents aren't proud of him anymore, if they ever even were in the first place. Benny and Rory know he's struggling so much but they never extend a hand to help him.

And with every year, he keeps lying to himself, to his family and his friends. He lies that he's doing okay and doesn't need help. He lies and says that his work is done just so he doesn't have to think about the endless weight on his shoulders. He lies so he can just move on with his life and be done.

He knows school is important in some aspects. He understands that.

But its like he can't be bothered with it anymore. Its all the same, everything he's ever learned is blurring together and he's completely and utterly exhausted from the thought of more school.

When he realizes he can't catch up for the quarter, he shuts down, gives up and hopes for the best for the next one.

He's a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Because he knows that if he has to learn about WWII, or about any type of math past Algebra 2, or English classes passed 9th grade, or the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME-

He doesn't see a point to school anymore. And sure, maybe it's also the people who attend the school constantly giving him shit for being a nerd, or literally anything else they can hit him with, and maybe it's the teachers who prefer to talk about their night job at gay bars rather than teach the fucking class, but its also about the work.

Why can't he just run away and live in the woods with the fae for the rest of his life? Legitimate question.

He's in high school though, he's almost done. Almost finished, then he can say goodbye to this hell forever.

But he still doesn't think he'll see it before he inevitably breaks. The splintets are already there, cracks are appearing more and more.

Everyone can only take so much pressure before they snap.