Level the Playing Field

Rivals.

A/n: I feel like I'm just writing atp. Enjoy though ☺️

The silence stretches uncomfortably between them. It feels weird having the height advantage over him, but she was firm about her conditions of him coming over. She needs a lot of space between them to make sure she's able to think clearly, so he agreed to sit on the floor. Sadé pretends to be busy on her laptop, but the truth is- she can feel the heat of his stare and she isn't ready to deal with it. It's been like this for the past twenty minutes. He's supposed to be reading but he's opted for staring at her instead.

"Explain the term social stratification to me." She demands without looking away from her own notes.

"Uh, social what now?" There's not a hint of humor in his voice. Sadé pinches the bridge of her nose.

"How many classes have you even attended since the semester started?"

He shrugs carelessly.

"Not much, I train a lot or I need rest from training a lot." He swipes his index finger across the pad of the laptop as soon as the screen goes dark.

"Who writes your papers then?" She just can't wrap her head around how he's so clueless about the course.

"Some girl in class. It's not what you think though!" There's almost an edge of panic to his voice when he rushes to add the last sentence.

"Don't care." Lie. "I'm just concerned about how little you seem to know, Jude. Is the test coming up a mock or is it a part of your coursework?" They don't have end of term exams until next month, but she knows some courses administer tests as a part of coursework pieces that make up your grade. If it's the latter then he's well and truly fucked.

"It's a coursework grade." Sadé sighs heavily realizing she might need to take matters in her own hands. She reaches over to her nightstand, opening the drawer to remove flashcards, one of her notebooks and different coloured pens.

"Let's pick up-" she cuts herself off mid-sentence, not wanting to rekindle memories of their last attempt at studying. "Let's start from the basics." She looks at him a couple feet away on the floor knowing explaining to him won't work unless he can see her illustration. After contemplating briefly, she decides to join him on the floor; it feels safer than allowing him on the bed. Sadé sits cross legged beside him, pressing her notebook on the ground to make a poor illustration of a football pitch. Her body stiffens as she sees him scooting closer in her peripheral vision but she doesn't acknowledge it. Instead, she draws eleven circular dots to represent the players.

"Okay, let's try wording it in a way you care about." She tries not to tense as he scoots even closer.

"What happens in a game after a player gets a red card and is sent off?"

"It disrupts the whole flow of the game, makes it harder."

"Exactly, every single player on the pitch is important, functionalists believe the same about society. Social institutions, like the players, all work together to keep society running smoothly. Government, family, religion, education..."

They stay like that for a little over an hour before Sadé decides they should take a little break.

"Wow, if only you lectured my classes." He sounds as if he's in awe.

Sadé chuckles softly. "I learned a long time ago that interest is important in learning. And because I wasn't allowed to fail, I had to find very creative ways to study, I was hoping it would work for you too."

"I learned more in the past hour than I have all semester." He still has that tone in his voice, like she just performed some sort of miracle.

"Well maybe if you'd attend your lectures, Jude." She rolls her eyes at him playfully.