How to Breathe

3. in

"Hello Ms. Hace, how are you?" I asked the librarian. 

"I'm good. Thank you Charlotte, you?" 

"I'm great, I'm just going to be helping a kid pass his classes." 

"Well, you too have fun but be quiet. I'd hate to throw a book at y'all. Remember that time in your freshman year, where you, Seth, and Sarah wouldn't be quiet for the life of you guys?"

"Yes, I do. I blame that on the fact that's why they never come to the library." I laugh out.

That was a funny time and the start for my love of this library.

"Okay, I have to go before he has a chance to burn down my safe haven. I'll talk to you tomorrow Ms. Hace." I waved goodbye, knowing the tutoring area was in the back of this gigantic library. 

I walked in between the isles of the books, lightly grazing my fingers over the covers of the books. Knowing I was probably taking too long to get to the area he was at, but he could wait. 

Once I got to the study area, I looked about to see if I could find the 'bad boy'. I haven't seen him since last year and even then I haven't gotten a good look at him. The last time was when I yelled at him on the last day of middle school and threw some colored pens at his face. I was a very vengeful child. 

There was only a few other students there, but they seem like they weren't waiting up for anybody. But there was a group of very loud and very obnoxious guys in the corner. For many reason, I knew I had found my target. 

"Which one of y'all is Tyler?" I said over their loud talking or whatever they were doing. They all turned their heads silently, almost in a creepy manner, at the same time. "Whatcha need, hot stuff?" One of the guys sitting within the group of boys said.

"One, I'm not 'hot stuff'. Two, I don't like repeating myself. Three, which one of you incompetent imbeciles is Tyler?" I said monotony.

"That would be me, Blondie." He says in the most arrogant tone I think I have ever heard, raising his hand. 

"Oh, you're the guy I dropped my books on. Great, now I don't feel bad for doing that." I responded snarky.

"Ya know, I have a bruise on my foot because of you." 

"Aww, do you need some ice? Or a kiss on the head?" I asked in a mock of concern lacing my voice. 

"Yeah, I want the kiss, just not where you think." 

"That's cute, like in a million reasons I would kiss a boy like you, with arrogance treating people like they don't matter, yeah I may be blond, but I'm not a bimbo." I said getting close to his face. "I'm here to tutor you, not to be your friend. So lets your grades to a C so I can see you later." 

A few moments past with multiple shakes of heads at my poorly executed joke.

"That was a really bad joke, ya know." said the boy who called me 'hot stuff'. 

"I know, but all of y'all will have to continue to hear bad jokes if you stay." I have never seen somebody run so fast outside of cross country. Tyler tried to sneak out, but I grabbed him by his collar and said "You have to stay, you brought this onto yourself."

We got settled, me sitting in front of him. We decided that History would be the easiest out of the two, and we got right into it. The subject was over U.S history, so nothing to hard, granted that we have been learning about this since elementary.

"Okay, where do you have the most trouble?" I asked hoping he wasn't too far behind.

"I don't know." he replied looking at the pictures on the paper bound to the book's spine. 

"That doesn't help much. Lets start." I ask as I flip the pages towards the beginning of the textbooks. "You are going to need to take notes out of the history book, starting at chapter one, section one. No skips or hops. You need to pass the next few tests, to pass the semester." 

"Ya know, that's a lot of work...: He trailed off, playing with his pencil. 

"It wouldn't be so hard if you tried." I answered. I pushed the history textbook in front of him with a notebook, waiting to be filled. He continued to stare at the textbook and paper with no sign of wavering.

"What were the earliest humans like?" I read off the textbook in front of us. "Many people have asked this question. Because there are no written records of per-historic peoples, scientists have to piece together information about the past." I continued reading on, nudging Tyler when to write something down.  

We continued on with this cycle for more than an hour. It takes longer than normal just trying to keep with the rhythm. When we finally get through the whole chapter one, we decide to take a break.

"I'm taking a break, my brain isn't even on my head anymore." He remarks, leaning back in to his chair. 

"You're brain is in your head, not on. We definitely need to go over English next." I said, taking off my shoes and stretching.

"Why are you taking off your shoes?"

"Because I can." I replied. We do our own things for a minute before I get hungry. "I'm going to the vending machine, do you want anything?" I ask going through my bag to find my wallet.

"No, but I'll go with you. I need to get out of this room." He says getting up and not even waiting up for me. I catch up with Tyler eventually and have to take wider strides to keep in pace. "Could you walk any faster?" I ask.

"Yes, yes I can." He smirks, looking down on my five foot, four inch self. We make it to the vending machine without breaking a sweat, keeping up with him. 

I pull out my change and almost immediately drop all of it on the floor. "You got to be kidding me." I murmur. 

I bend down to grab the fallen change, not realizing Tyler did the same thing. 

"Ow." Exclaimed Tyler. "Really, again Blondie?" 

"I'm clumsy." I shrug, not paying much attention to him rubbing his read. I inserted the coins in and put in the combination of numbers to get the trail mix.

"Can I have the M&Ms?" Tyler asks.

"Sure, I don't like them." I gathered the trail mix and start the journey back to the library. 

"You don't like M&Ms? Aren't girls supposed to love chocolate?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"I don't have to be stereotypical." I remark, opening the package. I take out the few M&Ms that were on the top and handed them to Tyler. 

"Your something else, Blondie. Something else."