Tutor

Part 3

After talking with Erin, Angel was confused. Surely she wouldn't just quit noticing the girl? She faintly remembers her freshman and sophomore years, but not enough to know for sure. She definitely doesn't remember anything ever happening or any news or rumors spreading about the girl that would have caused her to stop waving. Sure that was around the time she started hanging out with her new friends and smoking cigarettes and getting drunk, but surely she wouldn't have just started being rude for no reason to someone she didn't even talk to.

"You're home! How was your first day of tutoring?" Mr. Long asked his daughter as soon as she was in the door.

"Chen was a chatty Cathy so we didn't actually get any homework done today." Angel answered as she grabbed an apple and started for her room.

"Do you think it's going to-" Angel slammed her door shut before he could finish his sentence.

Angel spent the rest of the evening in her room texting with her friends and even snuck outside once to smoke before bed.

The next day at school it's like she was hyper aware of Erin's existence now because she literally saw the girl everywhere. Erin never spared her a look, or at least not one she caught. And Angel never made any attempts to talk to Erin.

After school Erin went straight to the library. Angel, on the other hand, stood around and talked with friends and slowly made her way there. Once there she found Erin already trying to work on homework.

"See, you don't need me after all." Angel said as she slumped down in the seat across from Erin.

"I've been at this for 15 minutes and got one problem done that I don't even think is right."

"Then why didn't you wait for me."

"Because this might not be important to you, but it is to me and if I want to get this stuff done by midnight I need to start as soon as possible."

"How do you have that much? We borderline have the same classes, other than a few of mine being AP classes."

"It's not that I have a lot. It just takes me a long time to do it."

"Damn, and you haven't given up? I would have already said screw it and just not done it."

"Because I need to at least pass high school since obviously I don't have what it takes for college."

"You're not going to college?"

"I can't even pass high school on my own, I would have zero shot at passing any kind of college class."

"so what are you going to do then?" Angel knew she didn't like school, but she never thought about not going to college. She just assumed that everyone did unless they were going into the military or were just stupid rich and already had a future laid out for them.

"I don't know. Work in a factory? You don't need anything higher than a high school diploma to get a job there, and maybe if I'm lucky and stick with it long enough they might overlook my lack of college and give me an office job or something."

"You can't work in a factory." Angel demanded.

"Why?"

"It's dangerous and you're-" Angel stopped herself before going any further.

"I'm what?"

"Nothing. You just can't okay."

"I don't think that's your decision to make, nor do I have much of a choice unless I want to work at a fast food place or something for the rest of my life."

"Whatever I don't care. Do whatever you want."

Erin nodded confused, she couldn't figure out why Angel would care so much about her plans after high school.