Two and Half Men - Reborn as Jake Harper

Chapter 25

After everything with Dr. Linda, I knew it was time. So, I made it official: I was skipping to ninth grade, the start of high school. No more sixth grade, no more noisy brats.

To celebrate, we had dinner out—someplace fancy enough that Alan needed to put on an actual blazer. He kept fidgeting with the sleeves like they were attacking him.

"You know," he said between bites of overcooked salmon, "Dr. Freeman said you were intellectually ready to go straight to college if you wanted. She signed off on that in her report."

Across the table, Evelyn nodded approvingly. "Harvard would love to have you. You could skip all the meaningless teenage drama."

I almost laughed into my water. "I'm not going to college yet."

Alan looked surprised. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be that kid who rushes through life just because he can. Besides, I told Dr. Freeman—I want a successful life, not just a fast one."

I leaned back in my chair, watching Evelyn raise one perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"Also," I continued, "I'm not going to lie—elite colleges demand effort. Real effort. I might be smart, but even I'd have to work like crazy to keep up. I'm not going to blow my one shot at enjoying high school just to jump ahead and burn out."

Evelyn gave a thoughtful nod. "Smart. But don't wait too long. The world doesn't slow down for anyone, darling."

Charlie, sitting at the end of the table with a martini in hand, raised his glass. "Let's be honest here—Jake's already richer than Alan ever was. He could stop now and still be ahead of most people in this family."