Beauty & the Geek

Chapter 3

Perhaps the universe has a slightly twisted sense of humor. It has to be for having Maddy tutor Steve. What a fustercluck! Closing the library door, the girl quickly moved to rest her back against the wall. She smoothed her white t-shirt out and then played with the hem. "Today is the day the universe said screw you, Madison Newby. All those times I helped sweet grandmas cross the road, assisted my aunt at the coffee shop, and fed stray animals mean nothing because I'm tutoring Steve Harrington. Well, I'm not going to do it, universe! I can't," she stated in a loudish whisper.

With a chuckle, Jen told her friend, "You have to admit it's a little funny. I know you may not want to hear this, but irony is fate's most common figure of speech."

Giving Jen an inquisitive look, Katie asked, "Where'd you hear that from; because there's no way you came up with it on your own."

Jen smiled brightly and remarked, "Reader's Digest when I was at Mrs. McCorkle's the other day. I liked it and filed the quote away to use on a report. I just never thought it would come in handy so soon."

Those words made Maddy huff out a breath of irritation. "My life is now an old people's quote. That's just depressing. But seriously, there's no way I can tutor him. I just can't."

That's when Katie reminded her, "Note to self, you can't control other people. But you can control yourself and your response to them. Just keep being you, Maddy, with as much integrity, love, and quirkiness as possible, including tutoring jerks--- I mean jocks."

The trio chuckled, and Katie continued, "What Steve did was wrong and mean, but that was seventh grade. Sure, the scars are still there, and we're basically unpopular for it, but it's time to be the bigger person. Who knows, maybe some good will come of this? So stop saying you can't do it and just do it."

Maddy gave Kate a look that said oh, really? "You got that from Nike," she noted.

Both Jen and Katie said at the same time, "Duh."

Taking a deep breath, Madison prepared herself mentally. Looking at her friends, she reckoned, "I suppose I can do this tutoring thing. At least one session. But if he mocks me, I swear I'll mess up his perfect hair."

Just before Maddy opened the library doors for real this time, Jen added, "Call us tonight and tell us how it went."

Both of her friends waved bye. It's like they were sending her to her death, and maybe they were. After a brief nod of consent, the skeptical sandy-blonde entered the spacious room. Then she took another deep calming breath. As the girl walked, holding onto part of the tote bag, her eyes inspected Steve Harrington from afar. His left leg bounces repetitively, and his head turns to either side as if looking for something, but the biggest tell is how he keeps tapping a pencil on a notebook. He's just as nervous as she is, which is good. The intelligent Senior can use that as motivation. The closer she got to the table, the more her heart flounced.

The minute Maddy reached it, she let out a long breath. Methodically she did not make eye contact with the guy and sat the tutor bag in the empty chair next to hers. Still, without looking at him, she sat down and began taking things out of the tutor bag, arranging them on the table to her liking. And Madison was correct in her assumption.

Steve was for sure nervous. It was the kind of nervousness a person gets from the type of girl who made everybody else look bad. Anytime she glances his way, he can't help but feel guilty, even if he isn't guilty of anything. Steve hates that. He hates that feeling even though he should be used to it by now because of Nancy. However, Madison is on a whole other level, and for reasons the athlete can't explain, she renders him powerless and unmovable. It's difficult for him to talk to her because he gets all tongue-tied, and the words come out wrong.