Dear Jason

Here's Your Tutor

***FRANKIE'S POV***

"Mrs. Emerson, I really don't think a tutor during lunch is going to help me that much," I tried to reason with her. "I've never been good at math, it's just not how my brain-"
"Oh! Jason!" Mrs. Emerson chirped as a boy walked through the door.
He nodded once shyly and approached her desk. "You wanted to see me?" he asked nervously, clearing his throat.
"Yes I did," Emerson smiled. "Jason, have you met Frances?" she asked, and I groaned loudly.
"Frankie, yeah," he corrected her shyly, and I smiled.
"Well," Emerson continued, "Frankie needs this credit to graduate early and could use some help. Since you're a little bit ahead of the class, I thought you could tutor her during your lunch period."
"Mrs. Emerson, I don't need a tutor," I begged. "I can figure it out, really."
"You've been saying that to me or three years, Frances," she replied.
"Frankie," I mumbled, tapping my foot and biting my tongue.
"Jason?" Emerson said, giving the kid a desperate glance.
"Uh, yeah okay," Jason agreed quietly. "In here?"
Mrs. Emerson nodded, and I let out another loud groan.
"Perk up," Mrs. Emerson laughed. "Having a tutor isn't the worst thing."
"Maybe when you don't have a social life to maintain," I mumbled, and Emerson glared at me above her glasses.
"Get to work," she demanded, and then left the room.
I groaned again and put my books down on the desk I typically sat at. The room was empty except for Jason and I, so it didn't matter, but that was where I was used to sitting.
"Hey, you're in my writing class, right?" I asked, and Jason nodded slightly. "Yeah. Jonson's a headache but she isn't the worst. So, you some math wiz or somethin'?"
Jason shrugged and sat in the next next to mine. I pulled mine closer to his so I could see what he was doing easier, and he opened his textbook.
"You don't talk much, do you?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Not too much, no," he replied quietly. "Uh, so," he cleared his throat, "what is it that you don't understand."
"Math," I responded with a laugh. "I don't get it! Numbers don't make sense. Like, okay, I've been good at English and puzzles and liberal arts-type stuff since I could talk, yeah? But numbers, nope. It took me two years to learn my multiplication tables."
"Well, lots of things are kind of like puzzles," he started shyly. "Algebra is kind of like a puzzle. You want to figure out what the variable is."
I stared at his textbook, twirling my pencil. "I know that," I mumbled. "I just don't get why it matters. Like, basic algebra is used a lot in the real world, but not this bullshit. Like, when am I ever going to be in a situation like this?"
I pointed to a word problem about a guy who bought forty pounds of walnuts for $1.50 a pound.
"I'm allergic to walnuts!" I exclaimed. "When am I, or anyone for that matter, going to need thirty god damn pounds of walnuts? That is more than a third of my body weight."
Jason laughed softly and shook his head. He had a nice smile, and I think that was the first time I had seen it.
"So where'd you come here from?" I asked, trying to avoid doing math.
"New York," he told me, his tone still quiet and to the point. "My parents had a job relocation."
"That blows," I replied. "It isn't too bad here, though."
Jason nodded slightly and looked back at the textbook.
"Try this problem," he said, pointing in the book. "This is the same as the basic algebra you can do, only with an extra variable."
As I solved problem after problem (each one taking multiple tries and help from Jason), I put my head down on the desk.
"I'm hungry and done with math," I groaned into my notebook.
I turned my head to the side, still on my desk, and looked at him.
"You listen to that radio thing last night?" I asked suddenly. "Everyone's talking about it."
Jason shook his head and cleared his throat. "Uh, no," he mumbled. "No I don't have my own radio at home."
"Hmm," I hummed, lifting my head and looking at the clock. "Anyway, the period's almost over and I need to get something to eat. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."
I stood up and grabbed my books, shooting Jason a light smile before leaving the room. As I entered the cafeteria, I was thrown against the wall by Jake.