Fresh out of the orphanage

30| Where is he?

A/ N: hi guys, this was kind of a request. Some of my readers from the last chapter requested this. It's about how they deal with Alex's insecurity of him feeling stupid. (When he is not)
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No one in particulars POV

Alex breathed heavily as he erased his wrong answer that had been scribbled out. Frustratedly trying to control his anger, he looked back down at the maths question, reading it slowly. But each word he read, he found the information was further from going into his head.

Distraught, he looked back at Ed who was sitting patiently, rubbing circles on his back like he did when he was younger.

Sure that did make it slightly calmer.

For a second.

"UGH" Alex yelled, throwing the pencil to other side of the room and sweeping the calculator off the desk.

He put his head into his arms and tugged hard at his hair, trying to stop the tears of exhaustion from coming down.

Ed, having dealt with Alex in this state before, calmly got up, picked up the pen he threw and made sure the calculator hadn't broken, before putting it back on his desk.

Finally breaking the silence, and letting Alex breath, Ed spoke up.

"Alex, come on man, one more time" Ed said, nudging his brother slightly, signalling him to get up.

"No, it's hopeless, I'm too stupid" he said, his voice cracking slightly.

Despite Alex being 20 and Ed being only a year older than him, his heart almost broke at that sentence.

When anyone ever thought of Alex, you always thought of a happy, content but naive young man, who never knew the meaning of too many women.

But it was only a couple of people who saw the vulnerable side of him.

And despite the small jibes they make, comparing him so Simon, was Ed partly to blame for Alex feeling like this?

"Alex you're not stu-

"YES I AM" he yelled, no letting Ed finish his sentence, catching him off guard.

Alex, even surprised, felt bad at making Ed flinch back, but he continued nonetheless.

"I am stupid Ed" he said, barely able to speak. "Simon's in the next room right now looking at the top universities, and here I am not being able to read a simple passage." He said, staring hopelessly at the notes, scattered all over his desk.

Ed sighed, not even knowing whether to try make him think differently.

"Alex, you're not stupid. You're dyslexic!" He said.

"What's the difference?" Alex mumbled, refusing to try and see the difference considering this had been one of his biggest insecurities.

"What's the diff- What do you mean what's the difference? They're completely different!" Ed said, exasperated, that his brother couldn't see it.

"Alex, you are one of the smartest people I know"

Alex sighed, assuming his brother was just trying to be nice.

"You're just measuring your intelligence against the wrong people. Of course you're no match for Simon, none of us are!"

Not sure whether Alex was listening, or even trying to take anything in, he continued.

"Simon's good academically. Sure he could solve an equation, or write an essay in 5 minutes at an A* standard. But your dyslexia only takes out reading and writing! You can pick locks faster than the FBI, win over any women you want with just your face, and somehow got into the highest team in football despite never playing a game in your life! Measure yourself up against stuff that doesn't involve that!"