𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐨, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟐: 𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞

"You're tutoring who?"

Elizabeth found herself forced to share her tutoring arrangement to her parents after Miss Jacobs had emailed her father about it. Her parents harbored a deep dislike for Cole; they always viewed him as a troublemaker. Kassidy, in particular, never missed an opportunity to make remarks about him to Elizabeth.

When they learned about Elizabeth's recent breakup, Kassidy was quick to utter the dreaded words, "I told you so."

"It's not such a big deal. He needs the help," Elizabeth defended. "But why you? Can't his parents hire a tutor?" Jeremy interjected. "It's easier to go through the school, and Miss Jacobs specifically requested my assistance; she's our school counselor," Elizabeth explained.

"There's no reason for you to still be associating with that boy. He's trouble," Kassidy insisted. Elizabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes. "There she goes again, rolling her eyes," Kassidy remarked.

"Look, I'm just tutoring Cole for a few months until his grades improve. It's not like we're getting back together," Elizabeth asserted.

"You better keep your distance from him once this tutoring thing is over," Jeremey warned. Elizabeth threw her hands up in frustration. "Fine, whatever," she muttered. "I've got to go. Thankfully, I have my car today," she added, directing her remark towards Kassidy before walking out of the house.

Elizabeth slid into her car, relishing the familiarity of its interior. She adored her car, which she had decorated herself. It wasn't even her parents who had given it to her; her uncle, Michael, had been the one to gift it to her.

Michael was the one person in the world who truly understood her, especially after her mother's passing. Although he lived in New York, she wished she could see him more often. That was another reason she longed to attend NYU - to be closer to her uncle.

As she pulled into her usual parking spot, Elizabeth made her way into the building. She headed to her locker, retrieving her books and neatly arranging them inside. Grabbing her history notebook, she flipped through the pages, reviewing the notes she had taken in yesterday's class. Elizabeth found that making notes helped her in school; it facilitated easy remembrance of information.

"Who takes this many notes?" a familiar voice interrupted, as Cole Walter snatched Elizabeth's notebook with a smirk. Elizabeth quickly retrieved it, slipping it into her bag. "Me," she retorted, her tone firm.

"Yeah, dorks like you," Cole chuckled. Elizabeth shot him a pointed look. "Did you need something? Because if it's not about tutoring, there's no reason for you to be talking to me right now," she said, slamming her locker shut and striding away.

Just as she turned down a hallway, Cole grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Look, I know you're not thrilled about this tutoring thing. Neither am I. But don't you think we should at least try to get along?" he proposed. "It'll make this process a lot smoother."

Elizabeth hesitated, acknowledging his point. They wouldn't survive these sessions if they didn't find some common ground. Yesterday had been hellish enough.

Sighing, Elizabeth relented. "Fine," she accepted, crossing her arms. "I guess we can attempt to get along, at least until these sessions are over."

"That's the spirit," Cole chimed. "Now, can I get to class?" Elizabeth asked before walking away. "I'll catch you later, Liz," he called after her, using that nickname. Elizabeth shook her head in annoyance, determined to focus on her first period.

___

The first student council meeting of the year took place after school today. Elizabeth, proud to hold the position of council president, had worked hard to earn it. Discovering that Jackie would also attend the meeting brought her joy, as she welcomed a new member to the council. Having been a part of the student council since her freshman year, Elizabeth planned to continue throughout high school.