A Disappointment.

It is April 4, 2019, in Bulacan Province. The moving up ceremony of Junior High School completers of Colegio de San Maria. A special day where teachers, administrators, and parents watch the students receive their hard-earned diplomas and special rewards if there is any. The gymnasium of the campus where the ceremony is held is filled with proud parents that continuously clapping their hands as the announcer call each student to stand on the stage and receive their diploma together with their parent. It is a happy day with a perfect temperature of 29.0 Celsius, not too hot nor cold for the attendees.

In the seventh row and third column, there is a male student with gold-colored rectangular glasses, the student has messy black hair and wears an un-ironed uniform. His lip is in a downward frown and his eyes reflect disappointment. His head shook as his eyes searched the scene, looking for someone. His tears fill the corner of his eyes, making his vision blurry, he raised his right hand and wipes his tears before it falls to his cheek. Then he follows his seatmate who had stood up to join the line at the back, a preparation line for the students before being called to stand on the stage. With his dull-colored leather shoes, he walks his way to the line and waited for his name.

"Keith Buenaventura." Says the announcer. The students sighed and walked their way to the stage alone, without his parents by their side. He stood from his stage and accepted his diploma and pose for his picture; he did it all alone. He ignored the murmurs from the audience asking where his parents are and why is he alone on the stage.

As soon as the announcer called a different name, Keith had run away from the stage and the event place. His hair bounced as he runs faster, his tears began to fall as the wind touches his skin. He is disappointed not just in his parents for they did not choose to come with him but also at himself because he did not receive any special awards to stand on the stage for the second time. If not for his diploma, Keith would not even have the chance to stand on the stage. Envy for their valedictorian, salutatorian, and classmates with awards is all he can feel while watching them receive their medals and certificates. Maybe if he also has one, then his parents might come with him but sadly, he does not have one.

When he had reached his house, he quietly opens the main door and steps inside the living room. The achievements of his family welcomed him as he first saw the cabinets and walls filled with medals, trophies, and certificates. His father is a lawyer who placed top 4 on the bar exam and graduated from a prestigious university in the country, his mother is a certified public accountant and placed top 3 at the bar exam and also graduated from the same university as his father, while his older brother has been straight valedictorian ever since nursery and is now studying medicine in their parents' alma mater. Keith is the black sheep of the family and is called a disappointment which is a reason why his parents did not attend the ceremony as they claimed, 'they are too embarrassed and busy to go to a ceremony where they will stand for only one second.'

Other than the achievements in the living room, the house is empty. His sibling is in the university and his parents are in the firm. Keith went upstairs and headed to his room. He tossed his diploma in his bed and locked his room door. Then, he opened his personal computer and clicked an application to relieve his stress. He dresses up his character and talked with his guildmates about their upcoming war versus a rival guild in the evening.

Nothing is permanent as they say, while Keith is leveling his character, he did not notice the time, he had spent nine hours at his game, forgetting his lunch and snack. He continued but sooner interrupted when he heard a loud knock on his door.

"Shit." He cursed and quickly pressed the off button of his personal computer before opening his room door.

"You are playing again." Says his mother who had just arrived from work. His mother has a pixie haircut and is 5'4 inches tall.

Keith just nodded at his mother's claim for it is true. He fidgeted with his fingers while waiting for his mother's harsh words on him but his mother did not say a thing instead, she sighed in disappointment while shaking her head.

"Your father is in downstairs. Benedict is with him. Meet us at the kitchen." His mother told him and left him without asking what happened during his moving up ceremony nor asking if her youngest son is okay.

Keith bit his cheek and suppressed his tears. He knows they do not care about him but still he hopes that one day they will.

He changes into his pajamas and joins his family at the dining table. There, he saw his parents praising his older brother while holding Benedict's report card. Keith watched in jealousy, he wants that too.

"Oh, you are here Keith!" Benedict greeted his younger brother once he had noticed him.

"How's your moving up?" He asked once again.

"Fine, I guess," Keith answered while still looking at his plate.

"Fine? What is fine with that?" His father disagreed with him. "You have not received any awards at all! That is all because of your video games!" His father continued.

"Your father is right Keith. Look at Dave, he became your batch valedictorian because he studies all night. You should be like him and your brother. Your father and I are working like crazy to have enough money to enroll you in good schools. You should study, study, study! You are wasting money." His mother added comparing Keith to Dave, his valedictorian classmate.

"Yes Mom," Keith answered half-heartedly.

"Yes Mom, Yes Dad. That is always your response but nothing changes. You still have low grades! You receive complete vaccine and vitamins but why is your mind malfunctioning?" His father mocked him, Keith looked shocked at his father's outburst and stare at him questioning if his father is serious with his last sentence but what he saw leaves him disappointed, his father shows no regret from what he had said to his son.

"My mind is not malfunctioning," Keith spoke bac and placed his utensils at the table. "I lost my appetite." He continued and stood from his seat and head to his room ignoring his brother calling him.

Keith, while alone in his room, quietly cries and revealing the emotions he tried to hide. He never thought that his father will think of him like that, and his mother did not even try to protect him nor disagree with his father, and his older brother remains silent.

"I am not dumb. I am not a genius like them. Is it my fault to be just average?" He asked himself while he is laying on his bed.

Keith cried his way to sleep, his sobs filled his room. Outside his room, his older brother named Benedict is listening to Keith's questions and rants. He felt his heart fall in his stomach as he heard his brother's disappointments.

The sunrays entered the left corner room on the second floor of Buenaventura Family house, the room of the youngest son. Keith's eyebrows met as he felt the bright light on his face thus waking him up from his sleep. He grabbed his blanket and covers himself.

Unfortunately for him, his alarm clock began to make a noise as its hand reaches the designated time set by its' owner.

"Seriously?" Keith grunted while searching for his rectangular glasses. After he had worn his glasses, he stood from his bed and fix it up. He heads to his bathroom and brushes his teeth. While fixing his clothes, he saw the calendar and realizes that today is already April 5, 2019, The D-day for his university application result.

He felt his heart thump as he grows nervous but excited for the result. When he peeked downstairs, he saw his family waiting for him in the living room. It was a family tradition to see the result together in the living room. Keith grabbed his laptop and timidly went downstairs and sat beside his brother.

Keith had taken the admission exam last September 2018. He hopes that he passed the admission so that he studies at the same university as his family and to avoid further disappointments. The worst-case scenario for him is failing the admission because that will be the biggest disappointment and failure.

His hands are shaking as he opened his laptop and open its browser and typed the admission link.

"Your hands are shaking Keith. Are you nervous?" His older brother asked him.

"Why would he be nervous? Of course, he will pass! He is a Buenaventura for Pete's sake!" His father told Benedict doubling the pressure that Keith has been feeling.

The laptop screen has not moved even Keith had already pressed the link.

"The internet is so slow!" His mother exclaimed.

"Just relax. You are pressuring Keith." Benedict told their parents.

"It is loading!" Mr. Buenaventura announced ignoring his older son's pleads.

As the running circle takes its time, Keith's heart began to beat faster than normal and his palm began sweatily. There are only two possible outcomes that the result might bring, it's either his parents will be proud or disappointed.

"Please, make me pass." Keith prayed with his mind.

"Dave's mom text me that Dave passed the admission. His course is a quota. Dave is pretty smart. You must have a higher grade than him this time Keith." Mrs. Buenaventura informs Keith.

"Who cares about Dave? Let's focus on Keith first." Benedict gathered his courage to speak.

"Right. Keith, once you study at the university, I will forget all the stupid things you have done at your elementary to junior high." Mr. Buenaventura told Keith.

Benedict was about to answer but their attention has been focused again on the laptop screen when they noticed that it finally arrived at the admission sign-up account.

"You need to sign in then the message congratulations! You passed." Mr. Buenaventura told Keith and tapped his youngest son's shoulder.

Keith's sweaty and shaky hand reach the laptop's keyboard and slowly typed his email and password. If only he could stop the time and unplug the Wi-Fi connection, Keith will do it just to avoid his family seeing the result.

The family of four held their breath as the site continue to load. Slowly, the site revealed the result. It says, 'Thank you and not 'Congratulation!'

"Thank you! We are happy that you have taken an interest in applying to University…" Mr. Buenaventura read the result.

"Gosh. Keith did not pass." Mrs. Buenaventura mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Keith muttered and looked at his parents with his teary eye but their faces scream disappointment.

"I am late for work." Mr. Buenaventura said and left the house.

"You should have studied more." Mrs. Buenaventura told her youngest son while shaking her head as she follows her husband on the way out.

Keith and Benedict remain silent as they watch their parent leave them for work. Benedict then faces his sibling and asked him. "Do you have any backup schools?"

"None. Father told me that I only needed to apply to one university. But I failed." Keith answered and closed his laptop and ran upstairs to his room.

"Keith!" Benedict yelled his younger sibling's name.

Benedict followed his brother on the way to his room but when he tried to open Keith's room, it was already locked.

"Keith, open the door please." Keith heard his brother begged him to open the door but despite his brother's pleads Keith choose to ignore him and opened his laptop searching for schools online. University that may accept him.

While scrolling through the net, he suddenly saw a video advertisement about a school that shapes students to become geniuses. Keith ignored the advertisement but little did he know, a certain member of his family had also stumbled upon the video advertisement.