All The Wrong Places

Chapter 4

I knocked on the big oak door and waited. It was a few seconds before i heard the shuffling of feet and it creaked open.

I drew my lips into a thin line in friendly attempt to smile and be cordial. As you could tell by my resume, having two friends obviously meant i was very socially skilled.

"Hi," i said.

He looked down at me through the gap in his dark bangs. Piercing blue eyes. So very blue. I'm talking Prince Eric blue.

"Hi," he said back softly. He towered over me, well, most people did, but he was really tall, lanky even.

"So you're Christopher?"

"Chris. Chris is fine."

"Oh. Okay." We continued to stand outside. I could tell he wasn't very good at the social game either, telling from the way he hadn't invited me in the moment i said hi.

I shifted my weight back and forth on my feet until he finally remembered to let me in.
I gracefully accepted his invitation and decided to take the lead in the conversation since he seemed a bit hopeless. More hopeless than i.

"So, Chris, you need help in Physics?"

I could see his blue eyes squint slightly. He looked possibly troubled.

"Uh, actually..."

"Yeah?" I said anticipating.

"I'm sorry. I don't really need a tutor."

"Oh."

That was weird. Because i recalled i was at his house precisely because i was his tutor.

I let out a confused sounding 'huh'.

He scratched the back of his head, awkwardly looking away.

"It's my mother, she just wants someone to check up on me. This is kind of her guise..."

"Uh-huh..." I nodded trying to grasp the situation. "So what, you're like some druggy or something?"

"Honestly, i don't do anything. My mother...she kind of has..." He trailed off before saying a little more softly, "paranoia".

I didn't know how to respond to that. What was i supposed to say? 'All right' then take my stuff, leave, and never come back? I actually wanted to, but something compelled me to stay. Maybe an obligation, or maybe my mother's nagging voice if she came home to see me lying on the couch instead of tutoring a high school boy at his house.

"Okay," i said finally. "Well, i still have to help you, tutor you and stuff. It's what i was paid to do, so..."

His hand fell from the back of his head to the stairs railing. "Yeah. I just wanted you to know, i'm not dumb."

Then he proceeded to walk up the stairs.

Damn, looks like he might be a handful.