Teaching | Eddie Munson

The Lesson - Part One

"You're kidding, right?" Max exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at her sister. Victoria stood in the middle of her room, half-distracted, vigorously drying her hair with one hand while rifling through her drawer with the other, searching for her favorite pair of jeans.

"I don't get why it's such a big deal!" Victoria called out, her voice raised to be heard over the hum of the blow dryer.

"Because!" Max huffed, her arms crossing tightly over her chest, her fiery hair falling into her eyes. "You agreed to tutor Eddie for free weed! I couldn't even get you to help me with math, no matter how many times I asked, and now you're helping him? For weed? And it's Eddie Munson, for crying out loud—you hate the guy!"

With a triumphant flourish, Victoria finally yanked her jeans from the drawer, tossing them onto the bed with a sense of victory. She flicked off the dryer, irritation melting into a sense of resolve.

"First of all, dear Maxine, I'm terrible at math, so my help wouldn't have done you any good. Munson wants help with English, which is a completely different thing. And second, it's not about the weed. Sure, I could use some after the week I've had, but I'm not doing it just for a joint."

Max tilted her head, eyes narrowing, sensing something deeper beneath Victoria's words. "Which brings me to my final point. You seem to be forgetting it's Eddie Munson who asked you for help. This is so not like you."

Victoria sighed, her resolve wavering as she shifted her gaze to the mirror, focusing on her reflection rather than Max's scrutinizing stare.

"Look, I felt bad for him, okay? I don't hate him. I'm not his biggest fan, but I don't despise the guy. He's actually trying to turn things around, trying to graduate. That's something. If I can help with that, then why shouldn't I?"

Max studied her sister's face, her skepticism deepening as she watched the subtle change in Victoria's expression—the way her lips pressed together and her brow furrowed slightly as if grappling with a truth she was reluctant to admit. "You sure don't sound like you're talking about someone you don't like."

"Let's just stick to the story where I'm doing it for weed, alright?" Victoria shot her sister a warning look, a playful glint dancing in her eyes as she disappeared into the bathroom to finish getting ready, leaving Max to contemplate the hidden layers beneath her sister's facade.

Eddie stood in the middle of his trailer, glancing around nervously, his eyes darting from one corner to the next. He'd spent the entire afternoon cleaning, trying to make the place look somewhat presentable, even though it was a losing battle. His trailer was small and cluttered, a constant struggle to keep tidy. Despite his best efforts, there was still a nagging worry that Victoria would judge the mess—no, not the mess itself but the general state of his living conditions. He imagined that the Mayfields' trailer, with Max's mom around, was kept a lot cleaner.

He checked his watch for what felt like the hundredth time, realizing she should already be here. A cold pit of doubt formed in his stomach. Maybe she wasn't coming at all. Maybe she was just messing with him, and this was all some elaborate joke to make him look stupid.

Just as his thoughts spiraled, a knock rang out, loud and impatient, shaking him back to reality. His heart raced as he hurried to the door, hoping it was her on the other side. Swinging it open, he was met with the sight of Victoria, her hand raised to knock again, her expression impatient.

His eyes instinctively traveled down her figure, and he momentarily froze. She was wearing a faded Pink Floyd t-shirt tucked into a short denim skirt, paired with worn sneakers. The outfit was unexpected for October, but the unseasonably warm air explained her choice. Still, the sight of her legs caught him off guard. Really caught him off guard. He realized he hadn't noticed how nice her legs were before—probably because she rarely wore skirts.