I'm In Love With The Football Player

4. The Biggest Fail Of All

"35 F?" I shout as I read my report card.

"On what?" Andrew asks trying not to laugh.

"Algebra III," I say.

"Woah," Andrew says with a serious face. "You really need to find a tutor. You won't graduate if you don't pass that class."

"I know," I say as I lay back in my desk.

The bell rings and I go down to the 1st floor. I open my locker and get my books for my 7th hour.
I feel someone hit me on my back as if I was a drum. I look and see that it's Bree with her drum sticks. I guess she came from the band room.

"Hey." She says leaning on the locker next to me.

"Hey," I respond. "Did you get your report card?"

"Yup." She says. "All A's, as expected."

I stop and look at her. "As expected?" I ask amazed.

She nods. "I've never gotten a B; much less a C."

"I still don't know how you manage to do it all," I say.

"What do you mean?" She asks confused. "What did you get?"

"35 F in Algebra," It pains me everytime I say it aloud.

"What?" She asks laughing historically. "Oh, that's the biggest fail ever!"

"I know right!" Andrew joins in.

"It's a hard class!" I shut my locker and speedwalk to my next class.

"I can help you pass that class." She follows behind me.

I look at her to see if she actually meant it. "Really? You could do that?"

"With one condition." She seemed to be looking for someone.

"Sure, if there is even something I can help you with." I top and allow her to catch up. "Anything."

She took a deep breath before she set the condition. "I kind of- lied. I'm failing a class..."

I started to choke on air. "You'RE FAILING??"

She rushes to cover my mouth. "SHhh, Zac! You want me to get kicked off the football team?"

"It's not like the counselors don't already know, anyway." I couldn't believe that I could relate in some level to the great goddess Bree. 

"The teachers all know and I already received a warning from the principal and my counselor, but they're letting me slide this once as it's my first time failing and we're in the middle of the season." She explains as she continues to look around. "The teachers have no problem with it, but if the students find out, they'll start complaining and the school board will have to kick me out of the team."

"Okay, I kind of understand, but it still seems unfair," I say with a low voice.

"Please, Zac." She begs. "Just keep it down in the low while I bring my grades up."

"I may be a nerd, but I'm not so good in most classes," I explain. "I don't know if I'll be any help."

"I think you can help me on this one. It's-" She looks around to see if no one is eavesdropping. "-"-Art."

I stare at her to see if she's joking. When I notice she's not, I start laughing like she did when I told her I failed algebra. "Sweetie, I understand Algebra, but art? Really?"

"It's been a difficult year, Zac." She argues. "I've seen your artwork around the school and in art competitions. You're really good."

"Fine," I say. "I'll help you in return for you helping me."

"Deal." We shake on it and we both walk to our next class. We have last hour together. Family and Consumer Science.

We enter the classroom and I sit in my usual seat: in the middle. Bree sits at the very back with the noisy crowd. The tardy bell rings and the teacher enters.

"All right kids, I'm in a good mood today so if you want to change seats then do it right now."

Immediately everyone starts moving while I just sit, waiting for everyone to finish. I see how the boy next to me stands up and Bree sits next to me. I smile at her and she smiles back. This might not be a very bad day after all.

"Alright, kids." Ms. Head says. "Today we will be talking about sex Ed."

The whole classroom falls silent. Why did she have to talk about this topic when the girl of my dreams is sitting next to me. I know we are mature so I hope that everyone will take it as a serious topic.

She starts explaining how sex works while most of the classroom had their earbuds in. At the end of class, Bree and I walk to the corner of the school where we wait for the bus. Neither of us says anything. When Bree decides to talk, she talks about the topic I least want to talk about. Sex.

"Interesting how the human body works, huh?" She says.

"Please tell me you won't talk about sex until the bus picks you up," I beg.

"Maybe I will." She says. "Just to annoy you."

"Please don't," I say. "Let's talk about how I can help you pass Art."

She nods. "I need tips on how to make a drawing look 3D."

I laugh. "You don't really need to know that to pass the class, do you?"

"Mrs. Cox isn't being so polite this year." She explains. "If we don't know how to do shadowing, then we have to take the class again."

"That sucks," I say. "Well first off, you need to use your pencil and draw the slowest and softest you can."

"That takes forever!" She says. "I'm a football player. My thing is getting pumped up and doing things as fast as I can."

"Really?" I ask bumping her with my shoulder. I didn't really mean to ask it, but it just came out.

"Uh uh, no. Don't be that boy that makes everything sexual." She says laughing.

The bus arrives and suddenly all this crowd of people appear and get on the bus. Bree and I sit at the very back because there was only one seat left.

"Why are you getting on the bus?" Bree asks confused.

"The last stop happens to be at Andrew's neighborhood. I can just stay with him a while."

"As you wish." She smiles. "So, how can I help you with Algebra?" 

"I need help with lots of stuff," I say. "I can't explain them to you because I don't know the names of the different types of equations, but I can show you them whenever you come to my house."

"Sweet." She says. "When can I go to your house?"

"How about next Friday?" I ask, shyly. "And maybe you can stay for the weekend just in case I need help with other stuff."

She smiles knowing that I really wanted her to spend the weekend over. "That may be pushing it a bit."

"Right." We stay silent for the rest of the ride home which took about 5 minutes until we got to her stop.

She got down and when the bus started heading to Andrews stop. Andrew came and stood next to me once I got off.

"Finally." He says. "I thought I wasn't going to be able to talk to you."

I smiled. "Bree is coming over on the weekend to help me."

"Sweet!" Andrew says.