Unexpected

[12] Tutor

Sorry for not posting anything in nearly a month (more than a month? I haven't checked :/ ). I've been busy with work and school and whatnot. Hopefully I will get into the habit of regular updates again! Anyway, hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading!

Clara.

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I stared down at the exam before me and tried my best not to cry. As far back as I could remember, I had never gotten less than a B in my entire school career. The big, fat D was like a dagger in my frail, frustrated heart. Everything seemed so easy with Ms. Harrison talked about it in class, but put it on a piece of paper and I totally blanked. Science had always been my least favorite subject, but apparently Chemistry had a special dislike for me as well. A bump on my elbow brought me out of my sorrowful thoughts and back to reality.

    “What’s the matter, Palmer? You act like you’ve never seen a test before.”

    Shaking my head, I looked up at Ryan and then showed him the front of my test. He winced and reached for the stack of papers stapled in one corner.

    “Ouch.”

    “Yeah,” I sighed. “I’ve never gotten a D in my life. Ever.”

    Ryan chuckled and handed it back. “That explains the horrified expression, then.”

    “What am I going to do? Mark isn’t exactly Dad of the Year, but he’s always expected good grades from Dean. Why does Chemistry hate me?”

    “It doesn’t hate you,” he laughed, shaking his head as we left the classroom together.

    It seemed crazy to think that I’d already been at Ocean View for a month, but I had. After the initial disappointment of seeing Ryan at that party, things had pretty much returned to normal between us. I still tried not to think about why I’d had that reaction, but that was beside the point.

    “Well I hate it.” I huffed, readjusting my backpack.

    “I could tutor you, if you think that would help.”

    “Right,” I laughed.

    “I’m serious.”

    Looking over at him, I saw that Ryan was holding out his own test for me to see. Annoyingly, there was a bright red A on the top of it.

    “You? A tutor? I’m sorry, but I can’t really see it.”

    “Why not?” He asked, scowling in offense.

    “I just keep getting this mental image, and in it, you’re not so much studying Chemistry as you are making it, if you get my drift.”

    “Are you saying I’d have a shot with you, Palmer?” He laughed, sending me one of his classic smirks.

    A small squeak of surprise escaped, but I managed to cover it with a cough as I shook my head.

    “Never in your wildest dreams.”

    He just continued to grin at me and shrugged. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me!”

    I waved as he went the opposite way down the hall and shook my head in amusement. But the more that I thought about it, the more I wondered if I should accept. If I was going to pass Chemistry then clearly I was going to need some help, so why not? Ryan was obviously much better at it than I was and I didn’t have time to go searching for someone else.