Fragile Hearts | RAFE CAMERON

Two | T U T O R

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a glow over my cluttered dorm room. Empty pizza boxes scattered next to textbooks, a sign of the late-night study sessions that had become a regular occurrence for me. My nose was buried in Franz Kafka, the words blurring as I flipped the pages.

Just then, a knock echoed from the door.

"Penny?" I questioned, already halfway to the door. I swung it open, my eyebrows furrowing at the sight of my brother. "What are you doing here?"

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes scanning the room, before stepping inside.

"Boys aren't allowed in dorms, especially Pennys," I said as he continued his way past me.

"Yeah, that's why I made sure she was not here before I came," he chuckled, grabbing the beanie that had fallen off my head during my reading.

"You're a bad influence, Davis." I leaned against the doorjamb, his gaze lingering on me.

"Just because I'm willing to break a few rules doesn't mean I'm a bad influence," he smiled, playfully swatting at my arm.

"You're not breaking any rules, I am." I laughed, shutting the door. "Why are you here? I was going to meet up with you next week."

"Just needed to talk, you know?" he replied, his gaze traveling over my face. "And I thought you could use a little company knowing you and your roommate aren't getting along."

"Right," I nod, "She's been giving me the silent treatment and acting like I'm a disease."

"Typical girl stuff." He murmured, running his fingers along my books on the shelf.

"No it's typical bitch stuff." I roll my eyes. "Anyway, how's it been at home everything okay?"

"No." He paused, turning to face me, "Moms sick again."

My lips frown, already having a hunch about how she would've fell apart when I left. "Yeah that's what I thought would happen."

"Give her a call sometime. She misses you." His voice was low and sincere as he was trying to reel me in on communicating with her again.

"Don't call her my mom."

Davis swings his head back, "Come on, don't be like that. She needs you."

I knew he was right. But it wasn't easy to just let go of the neglect I endured, although his words were pleading, I could still feel her presence, a cold dark glare across the miles, reminding me that I was not in over my head.

"I'm an adult now okay? I can make my own decisions and I choose to keep my distance."

My gaze drifted from Davis to the clock on the wall. 3:15. Just fifteen minutes until my tutoring session with Rafe. "Shit, I need to go to the library."

"Alright well. I'll give you call later okay?"

"Yeah, we can meet up sometime at the country club when I have time off this semester." I nodded. He agreed and we both left the dorm.

—

As I fought the urge to chew on my nails,
The library door swung open, and Rafe walked in, a backpack slung over his shoulder. He scanned the room until his eyes met mine. He gave a small nod and headed towards our table.

"Hey," he said, taking the seat across from me. "Didn't think you'd actually show up."

Oh, the sarcasm was dripping from his voice like honey from a beehive. And the memory of that night, when he had called me a "freak" came flooding back.

I forced a smile. "Well, I'm here, aren't I?"

He looked at me, something unreadable in his eyes. Then, a small smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah, you are."

I decided to dive right into the material. "Okay, so we're working on Shakespeare today. Let's start with 'Hamlet.' How are you feeling about the soliloquies?"

"Let do it." He clapped, adjusting to his chair.

He surprised me by actually paying attention to the material. He was a good student and he made this tutoring session a lot more enjoyable than I expected. He's the most prominent and hotheaded student here and here I was getting along with him.

After a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair, with an upside down smile, he nodded. "You know, you're really smart. This stuff is actually starting to make sense."

"Well," I said, trying to sound lighthearted, "Better than being called a freak."

He laughed, a genuine laugh that surprised me. "I wasn't having a good day that night. I'm sorry I was... well, I was an idiot."

I gave him a flat smile. "I was sort of an idiot too. That's why I bumped into you, Penny egged me on about drinking on my medicine which is not very smart."

"And of course you listened."

I was taken aback by his response, "What do you mean by that?"

Rafe leaned in closer, his breath breezing by my ear. "Let's just say, the sorority has a way of...controlling its members," he murmured. "But you seem like you might be a bit more...free than the others. All of them are scared of Penny."

I felt a flush of blood creep up my cheeks, "I'm not sure I follow," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rafe's lips curved into a grin. "Well, we can go somewhere private to talk about it," he said, his hand brushing against the small of my back. "If you're interested."

For a moment, all we did was stare at each other. The tension in the air thickened, but I couldn't look away from his eyes, they were trance-like and seductive. A look that would have girls dropping to their knees at the sight of it.

Suddenly, a cough from the librarian brought us back to earth. I quickly focused back on the textbook, a blush creeping up my neck.

"Um, no, I think that's all for today," I said, trying to sound casual. "See you next week?"

He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, next week." He packed his backpack and rose to leave.

I reflect on our conversation, maybe it was just the apology, maybe it was the look he gave me. Whatever it was, I knew one thing for sure – I wouldn't be dreading our next meeting.