Don't Do It

T w e n t y - t h r e e

•Arianna's POV•

My thumb presses the buzzer on the wall next to the electronic gate of Jake's house, no, mansion. He called me an hour after school to give me the directions to where he stays.

I wrote them down on a piece of paper, and asked my dad to drop me off here.

He refused, at first, since he wasn't on board with the idea of me spending the remainder of my afternoon with a notorious boy.

Turns out Jake is the main topic of discussion at Bluebell High's meetings with parents.

Apparently, the members of the school governing body warn every girl's parents by telling them that Jake should not be trusted to be alone, with us girls.

They're just overreacting.

I mean, yes, Jake is a bad boy and, yes, he's done some unpleasant things, but he has never mistreated girls. Well, not in my presence.

So why are they casting irrelevant shade?

It took a full ten minutes of persuasion to get my father on the same side as me. After listening to me point out that I'm only going to tutor Jake, and do nothing more (hopefully), he brought me here.

The gate opens. As I'm holding my maths textbook and study book in one arm, I tilt up my head to perceive who opened it.

Almost immediately, a middle aged woman appears, dressed in a light pink shirt and black leggings, a water bottle in her hand. Her hair is tied in a high ponytail and her other hand is gripping tightly onto her dog's leash.

I'm sure she's going out for an afternoon jog. She is fit, after all.

Once she's by the gate, she beams widely at me. She has such a beautiful smile, her teeth pure white and perfectly straight. "Hello, sweetheart. I'm Jake's mom."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." I say politely. "My name is Arianna and I'm here to tutor your son." Lifting my books a bit so that they're in her view, I exhale softly before a smile tugs at my lips.

"Ah, yes. He did mention something to me about a tutor. What he didn't mention is how gorgeous you are, surprisingly."

My cheeks turn red because of the subtle compliment. I stare at the ground for a moment, pressing my glasses against the bridge of my nose, and enveloping the books tighter around my body.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Aw, how cute." she coos. "You're blushing. And please don't call me that, I prefer Flo. I feel old enough already."

She laughs whilst bending down to stroke the huge Golden Retriever behind its ears, her arm through the loop of the leash. I laugh as well. "Isn't that right, Fluffy?"

The dog barks after hearing its name being called out. It begins to pant heavily, like all dogs do, as Flo strokes the top of its head in a caring manner.

"You can go in, sweetie." She tilts her head towards the mansion. "Please tell Jake to behave himself while I'm gone. I've had more than enough girl's parents to deal with."

So dad was right!

Flo rolls her eyes. "He's a handful, you should know. Anyway, have fun tutoring that boy. Bye, darling!"

"Bye!" I shout when she starts jogging, Fluffy leading the way. I stop watching her, sauntering into the front garden. I hear the gate close behind me.

As I'm heading up the path that leads to the stairs, where the door is located, my mouth gapes at how lavish and expensive this place looks.

The first thing that captivates me the most is the water fountain that's shaped like a dolphin, right in the centre of the garden. Water is gushing out of its mouth.