ChapterOne
Astack of papers slaps against the library table. I look up from my notebook, swinging my head left and right, eyeing the surrounding tables; thankfully nobody sits at them. The library is quiet this time of night. Rows of fluorescent bulbs above offer dim light, while small lamps at each end of the study tables offer the brightness needed to take in the papers he’s now shoving in my direction.
“Look at that!” His whispered, irritated demand pulls my attention to the top of the stack. A big red D+ is circled in the top right corner.
“Yikes, I see.” Shaking my head in disapproval, I look up to see disappointment filling his eyes. Even though he’s trying to hide it with the grown-out dirty blond curls hanging in his face.
“Am I wasting my time here Preston?” I sigh, hoping that’s not the case. “I have a full course load and tutoring schedule. I can’t be wasting my time with someone who isn’t willing to put in the work.” His big hand grips the top of the wooden chair across from me, squeezing tight at my accusation. The wooden legs scrape against the concrete floors and his massive body thuds into the seat.
“Clara, I swear, I did everything you said to prepare. I did your worksheets, I made flashcards, I finished all the reading, and it still didn’t matter. I’ve never tried so hard in my life on an assignment, only to watch my grade go up by half a letter.” His forehead thunks against the wooden tabletop as a defeated muffled sigh blows past his lips.
You’ve got to be kidding me. He did all that and still couldn’t pull a passing grade? Maybe this is my fault. I didn’t put in enough work preparing him before I sent him on his way to study alone. My hand snakes across the table, stopping on top of his forearm. Squeezing twice, I take a deep breath, and say, “Hey, it’s not all on you. I obviously misread the situation. I should have spent more time with you one-on-one. Now I know and we can do that moving forward, okay?”
His eyes peek over his arm and meet mine across the table. “Yeah, whatever you say, stacks, you’re in charge here.” My eyes roll at the annoying nickname, and his dimpled smirk just makes it worse. He knows the rise he gets out of me when he calls me that, but I can’t help the annoyance that runs through me.
I flip through my notebook to the calendar in the back. Searching my schedule, I jot down when I can work more one-on-one time with him. If he’s willing to put in the work, I’ll make time for it. I need this job, and extra sessions mean extra cash in my pocket. “What are your plans for Christmas break?”
“I’m not going anywhere, so if you want to get together that works for me.”
“Actually, I’m going home for break, but I can put together some material for you to work on while I’m away.”
“Seriously? You just said we were going to study together. I must not be doing it right by myself.” His hands flail in the air, his exasperation seeping through. “I need to get my average up to a C or I’m going to get kicked off the team. I’m on a football scholarship. I can’t be off the team.” His eyes are pleading with me now.
“What do you want me to do? It’s not like you can come home with me.” I laugh.
“I mean, I’m not doing anything else?” His shoulders shrug and the look on his face does nothing to let me know if he’s serious or joking. He can’t be serious, that’s insane. He hardly even knows me. I mean, he doesn’t actually know me at all. I’ve been tutoring him for a couple of weeks, it’s not like we hang out or run in the same crowd. He’s a thoroughbred jock, a meathead, a notch above primate. And I’m, well, very much the opposite. Studious, brainiac, bookworm. My family would have a collective pulmonary embolism if I brought a random guy from school home with me.
“Look, something like that might not be a huge deal to you but my family…” My words trail off.
“Oh, are they like super conservative? Wouldn’t like you bringing a boy home?”
I chuckle at that. Nat and Damion are the farthest thing from conservative. I mean, they’d had a baby just out of high school and out of wedlock. No, it’s the fact that I didn’t think I could stomach the sidelong looks and whispered conversations between the two of them if I showed up to Christmas with this mammoth of a man.
I’d had exactly one boyfriend in high school, and he was just as academically focused as I was. It was why we made such a perfect pair. While other girls were going on dates to the movies or the quarry, Robert and I hung out at Nat and Damion’s apartment or the library studying. On the rare occasion we went out, it was usually to the museum when a new exhibit came to town.
My high school years were hardly as exciting as my big brother’s. But when you see firsthand what happens to kids who put partying and social standing above academics, it’s hard not to make better choices. Fingers wave in front of my face, pulling me out of my wandering thoughts. “Sorry, what?”
“Your family, they’re conservative?”
“Umm, not exactly. It’s just me and my brother’s family. Well, I guess that’s not true, we have an uncle, but he recently retired and became a snowbird. The East Coast winters finally got to my aunt and now they live half the year in Florida,” I ramble on nervously.
“Don’t worry about it. I was just kidding anyway.” But the disappointment from earlier fills his eyes. He snags the failed assignment in front of me and makes to leave. “I’ll see you when you get back, stacks.” His hulking frame stalks through the abandoned library toward the exit.
I quickly pack up my stuff, shoving my planner and textbook into my bag, to rush after him. I’m gonna regret this. I. Am. Going. To. Regret. This. “Preston, wait up!” I shout across the quad as the library’s door shuts behind me. He’s all the way across already, but his head whips back in my direction, and he stops at the sound of my voice. I jog to catch up to him.
“What’s in it for me?” I blurt out. His eyebrow raises in confusion.
“If I take you home, what’s in it for me?” I clarify. The grin that covers his goofy face sparkles in the moonlight. I blink as the momentary slip in judgment passes. Get it together C.
“What do you want?” The question takes me by surprise. I hadn’t really thought about it. Money, for one. We might not be studying the entire time, but he would be putting me out. I’d planned this break out perfectly. Getting back to reading for fun. My TBR list is a mile long, and I’m itching to scratch a few off. I know just where I’ll curl up next to the fireplace, surrounded by twinkling Christmas lights. The smell of freshly baked cookies, fir, and cinnamon wafting through the air, with gentle whispers of snow falling outside, classic Bing Crosby crooning in the background. The picture-perfect holiday.
“Uhh, I can’t do it for free,” I spit out, tongue-tied as my mind still whirled for what else I could bargain.
“I didn’t expect you to. We can add it to our schedule through the tutoring center, that way you still get paid what you’re used to.” I nod in agreement. That would be a nice little bonus come the New Year. I might finally be able to afford a new laptop. He stares at me, waiting for the next condition.
“I’ve never brought a guy home,” I admit, suddenly embarrassed. I quickly undo the messy knot on the top of my head, fingering the strands to brush out the tangles. I desperately hope the darkened quad conceals my flaming cheeks.
His large hand drops to my shoulder and squeezes. “We’ll tell them were friends, it’s not a big deal, stacks, I promise.” I shake my head; it’s a huge deal for me. But, I play it off as best I can.