"I need to learn it, even if it's pointless." He had to do well because he had little else going for him lately so maybe good grades would be a thing he could show his parents instead of how much weight he'd lost or how tired he was. If he could at least achieve 'above mediocre' then he'd be thrilled. A solid 'acceptable' grade and he'd brag. He would brag so much, he'd pin it to the fridge!

"You aren't worried about me, you're just bored." Rolling his eyes, he flipped the page and ran his pencil under a sentence he knew he had to memorise. "If you were worried, you'd help me study."