Coyote's Bite

Chapter 3

       Stiles wasn't kidding when he said Malia just couldn't get math. She didn't just have a hard time, she sucked horribly. Isaac watched as tests from the previous day were handed back, Malia showed her test from the last week off to Stiles with an excited smile.

    "I got a C." She said as she pointed to the grade Stiles could clearly see on his own.

   "I see that." He smiled. She grinned and set the test back down, waiting for the next test to be handed back. When she got it she completely deflated. F. She had gotten an F.

   "Oh." She said softly. She quickly put it in her folder, playing it off as another C when Stiles asked, even though Stiles knew the grade she had gotten.

   "Its okay Malia." Isaac said softly. Malia glared at him.

   "No its not. I just can't get the hang of it... no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get it." She sighed. Now was the time to offer I guess, Isaac thought.

   "I could help you." He offered. She looked skeptical.

   "You would help me in math?" She asked. He nodded. "But I've heard Stiles say I'm hopeless, it no use." She said sadly as she looked down at the desk. Isaac glared over at Stiles before continuing.

   "You're not hopeless, you just haven't had it explained right yet. I can help with that." Isaac said softly.

   "What would you want in return?" She asked as she looked back up at him. Isaac shook his head.

   "Nothing. I'll feel pretty good knowing that you know the subject and are passing all of your tests." And that I'll get to spend time with you, he didn't add. Malia nodded.

   "I've been staying with Stiles, could you come after school today?" She asked. Isaac nodded.

   "Of coures."

       Isaac stayed true to his word, borrowed Mr. Argent's car and drove to Stiles' house after school. He was surprised to see Mr. Stilinski answer the door when he knocked. His arm was in a sling so Isaac figured that was the reason he wasn't at work.

   "Malia said you would be coming over. Something about helping her not be hopeless." The Sheriff shrugged. Isaac laughed.

   "I'm helping her with math." He said. Mr. Stilinski laughed.

   "Okay, that could have been it too." He smiled and opened the door wider to let Isaac in. "Malia's upstairs, I'm heading to my room. You two have fun, Stiles will be home at 4:30." Isaac nodded. Mr.Stilinski headed upstairs and only moments later Malia was coming down them with her arms full.

       She sat her things down on the kitchen table with a thud. Isaac came over to see what she had brought down with her. She had her math text book, that day's homework, paper, pencils, and erasers. What got him curious though, was her highlighters.

   "What are the highlighters for?" He asked. Malia held up the green one first.

   "Green is for the things I understand." Isaac looked down and saw that there were a few things highlighted in green. Then she held up the yellow one. "Yellow is for the things I'm working on." Isaac nodded and saw that most thing's had yellow on them. Then she held up red. "Red is for the things I don't understand." She turned the page in the math book and almost everything was red.

   "Okay, I can work with that. Lets start with yellow." Malia nodded and sat down next to him. She flipped the page back to the side with yellow on it.

       By the time everything on the page had turned from yellow to green, Stiles had already been home for more then two hours. And Isaac left with the promise that he would help her with math from now on.