Chapter 8 The Decision
The room was silent as Jake leaned back in his chair, letting the weight of the moment settle in. Across from him, Dr. Cartwright, Dr. Graves, and Dr. Velasquez were still processing the results.
"250 IQ," Dr. Cartwright murmured again, shaking her head. "This is… unprecedented."
Judith let out a nervous laugh. "Alright, so, my son's a genius. That's great. But what does this mean for him?"
Dr. Graves adjusted his glasses. "Mrs. Harper, this means Jake is capable of bypassing standard education entirely. He's already far beyond high school material, and frankly, college-level coursework might not even be enough of a challenge for him."
Judith paled. "So, what are you saying? That he just… skips everything?"
Dr. Velasquez nodded. "We can arrange for Jake to enroll in a top-tier university immediately. His SAT scores, combined with his IQ, make him eligible for institutions like Harvard, MIT, or Stanford."
Alan raised a hand, his face twisted in confusion. "Hold on—so you're telling me my son, who once got lost in a revolving door, is supposed to go to college? As in, with adults?"
Jake rolled his eyes. Come on, Alan.
Dr. Cartwright offered a reassuring smile. "Many child prodigies have successfully integrated into higher education. It won't be easy, but we'd ensure he has the right support."
Judith still looked uneasy. "And what about his life outside of school? He's ten! Shouldn't he be making friends his own age? Playing outside?"
Alan nodded. "Yeah! I mean, I hated school, but it's kind of a thing kids have to do."
Jake sighed. "Mom, Dad… let's be honest here. Do you really see me sitting in a middle school classroom, listening to a teacher explain what 2×2 is?"
Judith hesitated.
Alan, however, looked thoughtful. "I mean, technically, 2×2 is—"
"Alan," Judith snapped.
Dr. Graves cleared his throat. "We understand your concerns, Mrs. Harper, Mr. Harper. This is a big transition. But keeping Jake in a traditional school setting would be a waste of his potential."
Judith's grip on her purse tightened. "And sending him off to college at ten isn't?"
Jake spoke up, his voice calm but firm. "Mom, I want this. I can handle it. I promise."
Judith's expression softened, but she still looked uncertain.
Then she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Jake… can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
She exchanged a glance with Alan before continuing. "Where did this come from? You've never acted like this before. Not once. I mean, you were barely passing math a month ago, and now… you're solving college-level problems and acing placement tests like they're coloring books. How?"
Alan nodded. "Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing. It's like you flipped a switch. Why haven't you ever shown this side of yourself?"
Jake paused.
This was the part he hadn't really planned for. The explanation. The why.
He gave a small shrug. "I guess I got tired of pretending. Maybe I didn't think anyone would take me seriously before. Maybe… I didn't take myself seriously."
Judith studied him carefully. "That's not really an answer."
Jake met her gaze. "Maybe not. But it's the only one I've got right now."
Alan scratched his head. "Well… I guess that's… philosophical?"
Judith sighed. "Alright. If this is really what you want… we'll figure it out. Together."
Jake smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Mom."
---
Later – The Car Ride Home
The ride back to Sherman Oaks was tense and quiet.
Alan drove, staring blankly at the road ahead. Judith sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed but eyes flicking toward the rearview mirror every few minutes.
Jake leaned back, still running mental simulations of possible futures in his head.
"So," Judith finally said, breaking the silence, "you're really sure about this?"
"Yeah," Jake replied without hesitation. "I am."
Judith sighed, rubbing her temples. "I just… I don't know how to process this. One day you're struggling with your times tables, the next, you're skipping straight to college. Do you know how insane that sounds?"
Jake shrugged. "Not my fault I suddenly got way smarter."
Alan chuckled dryly. "Yeah, no kidding. When I was your age, I was still trying to figure out how to work a VCR."
"Explains a lot," Jake muttered.
Alan shot him a look in the mirror. "Hey."
Judith pulled a paper from her purse and unfolded it. "Alright, so if we're really doing this, we need to figure out where. The school gave us a list of options—Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Caltech…"
She trailed off. "I don't even know what's best for a ten-year-old college student."
Jake thought about it. Harvard was prestigious. MIT and Caltech were the real brain hubs. Stanford had the tech connections.
"What do you think, kiddo?" Alan asked.
Jake smirked. "MIT."
Judith blinked. "That fast? No discussion?"
"Come on, Mom. If I'm going to dive into science and tech, MIT's the place."
Alan whistled. "My son. Going to MIT. Just... wow."
Judith stared ahead for a long moment, then quietly muttered, "God help us all."
Jake leaned his head against the window and smiled.