A gift for a Queen

05

1168

Theodore's POV.

I smile at Charlie when she hands me my new phone, feeling a surge of gratefulness wash over me. I turn it on and just stare for a second. Charlie bought me a whole ass new phone, took me in even when she's not that financially stable all so I could be safe. Tears rush to my eyes and before I can stop them I start sobbing. My amazing sister rushes over to me and engulfs me a big, warm, cozy hug and she tells me everything will be okay.

"I'm not u-upset or a-anything, you're just an a-amazing sister I love y-you so much Charlie," I hiccup into her shoulder.

"I love you too Teddy," Charlie says, as if everything she does doesn't tell me she loves me.

"Thank y-you," I mumble squeezing her back.

Charlie soothingly rubs my back as I continue sobbing into her shoulder for a few minutes. When my tears finally stop we pull away and she helps me set up my phone, I grab my old phone so I can text Nav and give her my new number. I text her just to let her know my number and I put her in my new phone with her name spelled backwards cause it's kind of funny. Then I remember Anthony in my second and sixth hour needs a tutor and gave me his number so I could contact him.

###-###-####

Hey this is Theodore from Sci-Fi and AP gov you said you needed a tutor?

Anthony

Yeah I need a tutor in my calc class can you help?

Theodore

Yeah I can help. What days are you free after school?

Anthony

I'm free Tuesdays and Thursdays, how long would the sessions be?

Theodore

It depends on how much help you need.

Anthony

Okay that makes sense, we start tomorrow?

Theodore

Yeah that would work, would you be okay with driving me home then, I don't want to bug my sister.

Anthony

Yeah shouldn't be that big of a deal.

Theodore

Cool thanks see you tomorrow.

Anthony

Yeah

-

During my fifth hour I get increasingly more and more anxious about the end of the school day, I mean Anthony looks like he could flick me and I'd be sent out to orbit, so I can't help but feel like I won't be able to help him with his class. In the midst of trying not to focus on what could happen after school and I try to focus on my creative writing class.

The bell rings way too soon, I pack up my things and head to AP gov. I take my seat and a minute before the bell rings I note that Anthony has taken his seat too. Eventually the final bell rings I pack my stuff up per usual and I note that Anthony is waiting, probably for me.

"Where to?" He asks once I reach his seat.

"Would the library work?" I offer.

"Sure, are you enjoying Coppersea so far?" Anthony asks.

"Yeah its nice, I've made a friend and she's pretty sweet," I respond.

"That's good," Anthony says.

"Okay so I asked my teacher for a calc book and I leafed through it and picked out some questions to write down, sort of like a quiz," I leaf through my backpack for the paper and set it in front of him before continuing, "Take like fifteen minutes on it and get as many as you can if need help circle it and move on and then we can go over it."

Anthony nods and grabs a pencil before he starts his 'quiz' I watch as he struggles on the first question before circling it and moving to the second one, which he understands and is able to solve before moving on. I watch as he does this and doesn't quite get to the last question before fifteen minutes is over.

"Okay what one would you say you were the most stuck on, and the least?" I ask.

-

We continue blowing through the rest of the problems and then I go back to the text book to see if there's any lessons that might help him if we do them. Then its time to pack up and leave.

"Alright so where am I driving to drop you off?" Anthony asks stretching.

"Oh uhm, right let me just uh pull up my address quick," I say pulling out my phone and looking through my notes app before I find it, "Okay I can type it into a GPS for you."

"Perfect lets go short stack," Anthony says grabbing his keys and jingling them.

I scoff at the unfortunately accurate  nickname. We walk to his car with no more words exchanged. I wait for him to unlock the car and then hop in once I hear the solid clunk of the car being unlocked. He throws his bag in the back of his car and gets in on the driver's side of the car. He starts it and then hands me his phone to type in my address I press start and then I set his phone on his phonestand.

"Hey I'm pretty hungry, I'm going to stop at McDonald's quick, want anything?" Anthony says, and right as I'm about to decline he says, "If you're going to say no because you don't want to burden me, I'm getting you a large Milkshake, because you're not burdening me, think of it as payment for saving my ass in Calculus and I hope you continue to be my tutor because I understand the first unit, and I know I'll need more help in the future," he says hitting the nail dead on the head.

"Don't get a large milkshake, a small would be fine, uhm chocolate please," I request in a small voice.

"Awesome, thank you again Theodore, really, I mean it," Anthony states looking over and smiling at me.

"Theodore is such a long name, please call me Theo," I say not really knowing what else to say in response to him.

"Okay, you can call me Tony, if you want," Anthony tells me.

"No that just doesn't suit you, I'll find something else," I reply watching him smirk before he pulls into the McDonald's drive through.

"Suit yourself, Dory," Anthony responds making me glare.

"Okay, that was uncalled for, if you don't want to call me Theo, you can call me Teddy or something, but not freaking Dory, I'm not a fish with memory loss," I grumble.

"I like Teddy, it suits you much more," Anthony tells me before rolling his window down and ordering.

We get our food and we continue on to my house where I see Charlie's car in the driveway. I get out of the car, thank him for the milkshake and the ride home before I wave and close the door. I walk up to the door and open it before waving at him one last time and watching him drive away.