Cold air swept in as George entered the vehicle. The car started and they began moving forward. The car's noisy yet silent atmosphere began to settle. George's dad didn't like it. “George, what’s the matter?” “I feel tired is all.” He turned from his father, hiding. “You didn’t seem tired when you got up this morning.” “Well, I--” “George.” His father cut him off. “I know when you’re bullshitting me. What’s up?” “I may have, maybe, done something horrible.” “Something like cheating on that test?” George’s head shot around. “You knew?” The car stopped at the red light. His dad lost himself in a sigh. “Lucky guess.” “So, what, you think you’re going to get away with cheating on a test like that? This isn’t a high school exam, you know. This is going to determine your college, your entire future.” “The smartest girl in the school sat right next to me. Her paper was right there! She was basically giving me the answers. How could I not?” “Is she aware of this?” George thought about her for a while. “Don’t think so, no.” “Good.” “Do you not know how this will go out? First, they’re going to find that you two have the same incorrect answers and compare your work. It’ll be blatantly obvious that you cheated.” “I’m not that dumb, Dad. I did my own work just to verify hers.” “You’re not dumb? You’ve already admitted to cheating.” “I’m dumb? Dad, I did what I had to do, I--” “What you had to do? At best you’re going to be found out and have your test nullified. At worst, you’re going to jail. My advice, come clean. I don’t think you know what you’ve done since how young you are, but let me --” A car’s horn stung from behind into both of their ears. The light’s illuminating green aura welcomed them to move further. The car was silent. George stared out the window as his father continued to drive. Minutes passed between the both of them. “George, look, I’m sorry for yelling.” “Dad, I get it, you’re frustrated. We’re better off just leaving it be.” “I’m serious.” His father’s sharp tone cut into George. He turned away from the window to view the man before him. “Look, when I was your age, I did a lot of stupid shit too. Cheating? Nah, but still. I was more of a prankster.” “Dad, what does this have to do with me?” “It does. Listen.” His father continued. “When I got to my daily routine during high school, I hated it. I got up, went to school, messed with a bunch of kids whom I personally had no relationship with, went home and did nothing else. I had no one to talk to, no one to share my experiences with. I was alone.” “If you hated it, why continue?” “I started because I thought I could ease my loneliness. It didn’t work though. It made me more numb to it instead. However, I hadn’t realized that until high school was over. Four years of my life wasted on God knows what.” His father turned to George. “So what’s your story? Why did you cheat on that test? Scared?” “Sort of…” “Think about it.” George did. “I guess I kept thinking that this was my defining moment. That if I failed there I wouldn’t be accepted.” “You know, fear is a pretty strong emotion. Not knowing what the future entails can really do a number on your imagination if you don’t know how to control it. That’s what caused my situation in the first place. I was afraid.” “How did you stop being afraid?” “I guess I just matured. Everyone’s different in gaining confidence. I realized that my imagination was just that, my imagination. I was able to focus on what was in front of me once I realized that.” His father paused, then continued. “So you have two options. One is that you can come clean and admit that you cheated, having your test nullified, or two, you can live your life knowing that you got to a place where you don’t belong and that you will never truly amount to everyone around you.” George pondered about it. “Would you feel bad if I chose to keep it to myself?” “Why that choice?” “I guess I should just accept what I get and focus on what’s in front of me while ignoring my imagination, right?” His dad sighed. “You’re right.”