It's the Little Things

Chapter 4

"Favorite teacher?" I asked Jack as he bounched the beach ball back to me.

"Mrs. Drewson." We both replied at the same time. 

We're playing once again '30 Things You Don't Know About Each Other', even if we already know the answers to most questions.

"Your all-time crush?" he asked. 

I paused. 

I was going to answer Kyle Kingsley, but I changed my mind.

"Justin Bieber." I answered hurriedly and tossed the ball to him.

"Like hell. You don't even like JB." he replied.

"Fine, then. Niall." I've heard of the name Niall a lot lately. One Direction news is the most "gossiped" gossip in Gossipville nowadays.

"You hate One Direction." he retaliated.

"No, I never said I hated them. I just don't know much about them. In fact, they are pretty cute, for your information." I tried contradicting.

"Never mind about that," he exhaled, "you win. Next?" he asked right away, obviously not wanting to expound the "crush" topic furthermore.

"Who is your all-time crush, Jack?" I asked him while wiggling my eyebrows.

"I- I- " he stammered, and scratched the back of his neck. Hmmm. Jack never stammers. 

He was saved from answering that question when the doorbell suddenly rang. It is probably another package delivery. My mom is a frequent shopper in online stores.

"Sweetheart, could you get the door for me? I'm in the shower!" Mom yelled.

"We shall continue the game after I return." I told him before leaving the room, nudging at his sides.

I trudged down the long flight of stairs hastily and accidentally missed the last step. I tripped.

"Ouch!" I yelped and rubbed my injuired knee. My scrunchie slipped out of my hair. Great. My hair is now a whack.

 I turned the knob and opened the door. To my utmost horror, Kyle was leaning against the porch, wearing a leather jacket, a grey pullover, and red pants. What is he doing here?

"Uh, it's Saturday, and it's tutoring time." He answered enthusiastically.

Oh no. I must've thought out loud again. Without thinking twice, I slammed the door shut and zoomed upstairs to my room.

"Who was it?" Jack asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity. 

"Kyle Kingsley." I breathed, and took my hair brush. I started running it along my curls. 

"No, seriously. Who is it?" he insisted.

"Dora the Explorer." I took one last glance at my full-length mirror. I was only in my blue tank top and white shorts but I look presentable enough.

"Haha, real funny, Sammy. If you won't tell me," he threatened and got up of the bed, "I'll go see for myself." 

"No. Don't leave this room unless I say so." I pressed.

"Who are you now, my mother? And why not?" he asked.

"Or else, I'll- I'll rip Stuart's head off." Stuart, you might be wondering, is the friendship bear Jack gave me for my birthday back in fourth grade. He was so proud to give it to me because he saved all his lunch money to purchase it for me. The teddy bear might be small, but it means a lot to me.

"How cruel of you, Sam. Fine, fine." he pouted, and grabbed the large bag of Cheetos across from him. He switched the TV on and dissolved in what he was watching in a matter of minutes.

I would've called his reaction cute but today is definitely not the day.

I quickly descended the flight of stairs again and made sure that I stepped on the last step. I  wouldn't want to look like a mess again. 

My heart was thumping loudly against my chest. What if he left? Why did I even slam the door in his face?

I opened the door and found Kyle, his face in wonder. "I can leave if you're sort of busy tonight, Sam." he told me. He turned to leave but I stopped him.

"Wait, Kyle," I insisted, and grabbed his wrist, "Stay?"

He looked deeply into my eyes, as if trying to read what was on my mind. 

"I-I really need to pass the next chem examination." I tried. I grinned in satisfaction with my convincing excuse.

"Alright." He smiled, and entered the house.

 I led him to the dining room since Jack was upstairs. 

"Come sit here beside me, so that I can teach you better." he suggested, before I settled myself into the seat across from him.

I took the chair beside him. I suddenly noticed that he smelled of manly perfume.

"So. Let's begin?" he asked, and clapped his hands once.

I nodded. "Sure."

"Okay! We'll need your chemistry book and notes." he inquired. 

Uh-oh. I left it in my locker. 

He must've seen my reaction and immediately chuckled. "Oh, let me guess. You left it in your locker? No worries. We can use mine." he offered, and scooted closer towards me to grab his backpack. 

Suddenly, there was this tension that I could not explain between us. My stomach whirled, as if I was riding a rollercoaster.

"Sam? Are you ready?" he asked, a puzzled expression pasted on his face. I could look at him forever, if I could. 

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, let's get started." I said.

*

After 4 straight hours of studying chemistry, my head was throbbing in pain. 

"Okay, that's right, right, you got it!" he exclaimed proudly, as I answered the final word problem correctly.

"I say we take a break, Sam. I think you'll be able to ace the exam. No sweat." he told me, and clicked his tongue.

Kyle is a great tutor. He did not complain a single word or sound even if I asked a ton of questions.

Then, we heard the doorbell ring. I got up from my seat and stretched my legs before going for the door. It was a pizza delivery guy.

"What? I didn't order pizza." I said.

"Oh, I did." Kyle told me, and handed him the payment.

I hate pizza. Darn it.

"Sammy? Hey, I'm starving and I saw a pizza guy outside. You ordered pizza? I thought you said you hated pizza!" Jack called out while descending the staircase.

"You hate pizza?" Kyle asked.

Oh, dear. This is going to be a long night.