The Girl Who Hates Me

Homework Help

That night was a really cold night. Arron came back to the dorm at around eight. Rather early, he thought, but he had to start his dreaded homework.

Then he looked around. Was Hebe here? He looked near the front door, but her shoes were not present. Oh, she was still out. Maybe on the school campus, maybe elsewhere.

"She better stay warm though," thought Arron as he turned on his desk lamp and flipped open a book.

All at once Hebe unlocked the door and dashed into the room. Arron looked up as she slammed the door.

"It's soooo cold," she said, shaking in her thin jacket, and saw Arron looking at her.

"What?" she snapped, and took off her shoes.

Arron grinned.

Hebe straightened up and saw Arron still looking at her. What is wrong with this guy!!! she thought.

"Quit staring, it's rude!" she said.

"Well, pardon me, madame, but I am mesmerized by your beauty," Arron said, with his clever sweet talk.

"Oh be quiet!" Hebe muttered, storming away into her room, but Arron thought he had seen the traces of a smile on her face.

A few minutes later she walked out and said,"I'm going to take a shower now. I will lock the door. If you try to come in, I--I'll tell the teachers on you!"

"What?" Arron looked up innocently from his book. "Me? No, I wouldn't ever do such a thing."

"I don't believe you," she said, stamping her foot. Then she went into he bathroom, and slammed the door, with the sound of a lock clicking in place.

Arron grimaced and looked down at his book again. "Why does she always like to slam things?"

Twenty minutes later she came out, ready for bed in her pink bedclothes, but Arron saw that she was still shivering like crazy.

"Why aren't you cold?" Hebe asked him.

Arron flexed out his arm. "I'm a guy, and I'm bigger than you, so naturally we're tougher than girls," he teased.

"Hmmph," said Hebe, and then watched Arron doing his homework some more.

"Yes?" asked Arron, looking up once more.

"Oh, I wasn't looking at you!" snapped Hebe, even though she pretty much was. "I- I just wanted to know what homework you're doing."

"Geometry," he said, holding up his book. Then upon seeing the downcast look on her face, he added,"You want some help?"

"From you? No way!" said Hebe, but she seemed to have said that with little confidence.

Arron gave her a questioning look. Hebe must have been smart in everything, but when it came to math, she probably wasn't so good.

And here Arron was, a complete math whiz.

Was it weird that a quiet generally smart girl didn't know math and a cool popular guy knew math well?

Hmm, maybe cool and non-cool people could really help each other.

But to Hebe, he said,"Fine, suit yourself." And then he continued to do his homework.

Hebe stood there watching for another minute, then gave a sigh and said reluctantly, "Ok, could you please help me?"

Arron looked up and beamed at her. "Of course," he said, and cleared some junk off the small round table.

Hebe sat down and plopped her own homework down. Arron started to explain the stuff, and then he realized that Hebe was sitting opposite from him.

"Come on, I can't teach you if you're sitting there," he said, pretending to be stern.

Hebe shuffled an inch closer.

"Closer," Arron said.

Hebe scooted a few inches closer.

"Closer," Arron said.

Hebe scooted another inch closer. She wasn't any closer to Arron.

He stared at her.

Finally Hebe gave up and then scooted right next to Arron.

"Much better," he said, satisfied.

He showed her how to do some stuff, and when she tried it herself, sometimes he'd grab her hand which was holding the pencil and help her correct it. She seemed to have blushed each time he touched her hand, but he didn't mind.

Then he noticed she was shivering. "Where's your coat?" he asked.

"Oh, in my room," she said, and made to get up, but Arron, who didn't want her to leave him, grabbed her hand and said,"Here, take my coat."

And he put his coat around her before she could protest.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, but with a small smile.

An hour later, the two of them were still doing homework. They were both reading their history textbooks quietly on their own. Then Arron paused to glance down at Hebe, still next to him.

She was asleep! She had lain her head on her textbook and fell fast asleep, right then and there, so silently that he had not realized.

Arron smiled. How adorable could she get?

Then he got up, stretched, and picked up Hebe very gently. She was so light and so skinny, he realized. Why doesn't she eat more?

He carried her into her bedroom and put her in bed. She didn't stir at all, as he tucked her in gently. Then he turned off the light in her room, and was about to exit the room and close the door when he heard a faint murmur from Hebe.

"Arron..." she murmured, still asleep, and snuggled against her pillow.

Arron smiled, and then left, closing the door very quietly.