I first started tutoring the Gomez twins about nine months ago, around the same time I started my third year of university. We weren't close in any way shape or form, only knowing titbits of information from polite small talk exchanged during awkward hallway conversations - I knew that they were about three years younger than me and lived in the apartment next to mine with their dad, they knew that I was studying biochemistry at university and lived with three roommates, all of whom were friends I met at uni - so I was surprised when I answered a knock at my door one day to find them standing there saying they needed my help. It turned out they were really struggling with both biology and chemistry and, as they both wanted to do STEM courses at university, they really needed to improve their grades before the end of the year. Being a broke twenty-one-year-old student, I of course wasn't going to turn down an offer to make some extra cash and said I would happily tutor them for £20 an hour. Ever since then I met with them at least once a week to cover the topics they found the most difficult and was happy to find that they were pretty good students - they actually paid attention during our sessions, asked all the right questions, and took my constructive criticism without any complaint or offense. Within the space of a few weeks, I began to see an improvement in their grades and class reports, and I became incredibly confident in their ability to earn the final grades they needed for uni.
Now I would find out if my confidence had been well placed. Today was results day and I was standing in front of their door, my hand raised in a fist and prepared to knock. However, before I could bring my fist down on the wood, the door opened, and I found myself standing face to face with Camila, the slightly older one of the Gomez twins.
"Oh, Aidan," Camila said, a look of surprise spreading over her face. "Sorry, I thought that maybe you were the mailman coming with the results."
"Ah, so your results haven't come yet?" I asked. She shook her head sheepishly and I couldn't help but notice the look on her face, a clear mixture of impatience and nervousness like she was both bothered that the results hadn't been delivered yet but was also dreading their arrival - it was exactly how I had felt waiting for my own exam results three years ago. "Is that why you look so on edge?"
"Yeah," she replied, letting out a weak laugh as she ran a hand through her curly hair. "You know what it's like, these are the grades that are going to determine what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. Once I open that envelope, my life is going to change forever - for better or for worse."
The look of worry on her face deepened as she said this, and I felt a pang of sympathy in my chest. Reaching out my arm, I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, "Hey, it's all going to be okay. I've seen first-hand how much hard work you've put into your studies this year and your grades so far have reflected that. I know for a fact that it's all going to work out."
"I hope you're right," she said, flashing me a small smile. "What brings you here anyway? Not that we don't like having you around or anything."
I let out a chuckle and removed my hand from her arm before saying, "I actually came to see if you had gotten your exam results yet. I've been your tutor all these months, I wanted to be here to make sure all that hard work had paid off."
"Oh, well in that case come on in," Camila said, her smile widening as she stepped back from the doorway. "Max and I were waiting in the living room before you got here."
Walking past Camila, I made my way into the living room where her twin brother Max was waiting on the sofa, staring at the TV. Max looked up as he heard us enter the room and I saw a smile spread across his face as he saw me.
"Hey, Aidan," he said with his signature cocky smile. "Here to see the disaster happen in person?"
"No," I replied, taking a seat next to Max on the couch. "I'm actually here to see you two ace your exams."
