My Chemistry Tutor

CHAPTER 2

JENNIE'S POV

The next day, I nervously head into class. Mrs. Jeon had emailed me after school, letting me know that today I would meet the person I'm supposed to be tutoring.

What if I get stuck with a mean person? That would be horrible. They'd constantly make fun of me, and I don't know if I'd even be able to handle it especially without Jisoo by my side.

When I sit down in my seat, Jisoo can immediately tell how shaken up I am. Without hesitation, she gets up and wraps an arm around me in comfort.

"Hey, if it's too much, we can just tell Mrs. Jeon no," she says gently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you so much," Jisoo adds softly as she sits back down just as Mrs. Jeon walks in to start class.

"Thanks, but I want to be more confident, Jisoo. I want to be able to help someone else," I tell her with as much courage as I can muster.

Jisoo's face lights up into a wide smile of excitement.

"That's the spirit. And don't worry, I'll be there if you ever need me," she reassures.

I turn to face the front as Mrs. Jeon begins passing back the exams we took last week. When she hands me mine, she gives me a proud smile.

I did so well, I even got the extra credit questions right. I'm officially passing with a perfect 100.

Jisoo waves her paper at me from across the aisle, showing me her A.

"Maybe I should be tutoring too," she teases with a grin.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Kai yells from the row ahead, his voice echoing through the room.

"Wow, you suck at chemistry, Kai," his friend laughs at him.

"Shut up, so do you," Kai snaps back.

"At least I pass. You didn't, since you got a D," his friend retorts smugly.

Jisoo and I immediately glance at each other, dread washing over us at the same time.

"Oh...no," we both say in unison.

"I cannot tutor him, of all people," I whisper to Jisoo during the lecture.

"Maybe there's a mistake. Maybe someone else is worse than him in chemistry?" Jisoo suggests hopefully.

"You heard his grade. He's failing, which is exactly what Mrs. Jeon said that student was doing," I whine, banging my forehead lightly against the desk.

"Hey, Mrs. Jeon knows Kai likes to bully you. If you tell her you don't feel comfortable tutoring him, maybe she won't make you do it," Jisoo offers.

"Okay... I'll tell her that. Hopefully it works. I don't want to spend extra time with that asshole," I say with a flicker of hope.

For once, I can't concentrate at all in class. My mind is too preoccupied with the tutoring situation.

I have to go up there and tell Mrs. Jeon that I can't do it.

So, right as class ends, I head straight toward her desk, not even stopping to pick up my things.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Jeon, I don't know if—"

She cuts me off abruptly. "I need to introduce you to the student you'll be tutoring. Come with me." She nudges me forward toward the rows of desks.

We inch closer to Kai's desk, and I start cringing, my stomach twisting. But then, Mrs. Jeon pushes me right past him.

Instead, she stops us in front of Lisa's desk.

"Lisa, here's the tutor I found for you. Jennie is doing excellent in the class, and I think she can really help you do better," Mrs. Jeon says warmly.

I stand there frozen in complete shock.

I'm supposed to tutor her? Of all people, it has to be the most beautiful girl in the entire school?

How am I supposed to tutor Lisa when I get so flustered just thinking about her?

"I'll just leave you two alone so that you can make your tutoring arrangements," Mrs. Jeon says before walking back to her desk.

"Hey there, love," Lisa greets me with a dashing smile that makes my heart race a hundred miles per second.

"H-Hi," I squeak out stupidly, my voice embarrassingly high.

Lisa chuckles. "I take it you don't normally tutor people."

"Nope," I say, popping the "P" way too loudly.

Gosh, I'm such an awkward dork.

Lisa smirks at me, and I swear it's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

"So... I work, but I'm free on Wednesday and afternoons on the weekend. Can we meet up on Wednesday in the library after school for the first tutoring?" she asks casually.

"Yeah, since I don't do anything other than go to school and study. I'm boring," I blurt out randomly. Oh Jisoos, what the hell am I even saying?

Lisa raises an amused eyebrow. "Well, Wednesday it is." She grabs her bag, and just before she passes me, she leans in close, her breath brushing against my ear.

"Don't worry, love, I don't bite," she whispers before striding confidently out of the classroom.

"Well, that's a turn of events I did not expect," Jisoo says, laughing at how hard I'm blushing.

"Shut it, jerk," I sigh, trying to hide my burning face.

"What am I going to do, Jisoo? I can barely talk to her. I sound like a goddamn flustered mess every time I open my mouth around her."

"That, I have no idea how to fix. But I'll try to come up with something," Jisoo says, trying to cheer me up.

"No, I'm good. Your plans aren't always the best," I tease her.

"My plans are always goddamn amazing," she fires back with a grin.

"Anyway, this is good! Now you have a chance to ask Lisa out on a date."

"As if that would ever happen. I don't even know how I'm supposed to tutor her in chemistry, so I think going on a date is out of the question," I say, shaking my head.

"Hey! What did I say about the self-deprecating talk?" Jisoo says in a stern voice.

I sigh. "It doesn't get you anywhere."

"That's right! We'll figure it out, okay? Come on, let's go to lunch," Jisoo says, tugging me out of the classroom.

"Are you ever not hungry?" I ask in amusement.

She gasps dramatically. "Never! My metabolism is so fast."