Ten Things

Ch.5-There are No Idiots; Just Stupid People

Cole

“Dude, this blows.”

I rolled my eyes at Jayden. “No, really?”

He shot me a look. “Tutoring? Are your parents serious?”

“Apparently.”

“They’re out of their fucking minds.”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you seem so cool about this?”

I stuck my hands in my pockets. “Well, it’s not like I have a choice. My parents are two hard-asses who are determined to get their way. They wanted to make me quit football, too.”

“What?” Jayden’s shock was greater than my own. “Uh, do they not know that you’re our quarterback? Do they not know how much that would devastate our team? Our second-string sucks.”

I thought of our second-string, a scrawny freshman with high hopes and low ability. “You’re right, he does.”

“Well, you said there was no way in hell you would walk away from football, right?”

“Of course, nimrod,” I said, punching his shoulder, and then feigned great hurt. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

He rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Cole.”

I smirked.

It was Friday and the school day was over. I would be ecstatic except for the fact that I had other obligations to oversee. “So who’s your tutor? Is she hot?” Jayden grinned coyly, jabbing my side with his elbow.

“Knock it off,” I returned, a smiling creeping onto my lips. “How do you know it’s a girl?”

“Psh. Please. Do you ever see a guy tutor?”

“Good point.”

“So is she hot?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t even seen her yet,” I muttered. I couldn’t even remember her name. “I think her name is like Georgia or Gina or something . . . something that starts with a ‘G’.”

“Intriguing.” He spotted Lauren draped over his car and waved to her. “Well, gotta go, Cole. Big things await me tonight.”

I snorted. “What, your bedroom?”

He winked. “You know any other big things?”

I slapped his back as he went jogging off and engaged in a fervent embrace with his girlfriend. I shook my head as I swung my leg over my bike, revving the engine. I wasn’t a fool. I knew half the girls that wanted a go at me wanted a go at me because I owned a motorcycle.

But, hey, it is what it is.

I rubbed my hand over the sleek rods of the bike, remembering the bet I had made with Jayden earlier in the week. And to think, I still hadn’t spoken a word to the girl.

Good to know I was making so much progress.

I kicked the kickstand up and fixed the helmet on my head, racing out of the student lot with gravel spitting behind me.

Predictable. That was the first thing that popped into my head when I stared at the unassuming daffodil-colored house before me.

It was the address my parents had given me. I asked about three times why the girl couldn’t just come to our house, but they insisted that I go to hers. They wouldn’t elaborate. If I was being honest, I would say they really didn’t have a reason.