Teach Me || Muke

Tuesday

*Tuesday*

Michael P.O.V.

My second day of lessons was much more hardcore than the first. It was Tuesday and my date was on Friday. Luke was the kind of teacher who didn't care what you thought of him, he just piled huge amounts of work on you and expected in all done on time. Although I like to consider myself a punk rock guy who rebels and doesn't do what he's told because he's just too cool, I knew I had to ace this course.

"There is a five minute time range for picking her up. You can be five minutes early or five minutes late at most, no more no less," Luke said. I wrote as he continued speaking. "And do not wait in the car. Knock on the door or ring the bell. If they have a bell, ring it once and if after three minutes nobody answers, then you can ring again. Knocking, however, is more complicated. You must knock loud enough for them to hear but not obnoxiously loud like you're frustrated the door isn't already open. Not only will it irritate everyone inside but their neighbors might get pissed. Four knocks is your best bet, maybe five."

"How do I know if I'm doing it wrong or not?" I asked. This was one thing that I hated about dating already. Everything was so specific! And I could barely remember my initials, much less the knocking technique to use on a date.

"We're going to practice, of course!" Luke said like it was plainly obvious.

I groaned as he pulled me out of the chair and downstairs to the front door because moving required effort and anything that required effort was something I detested.

"You're going outside-"

"But there are bugs out there and it's sunny!" I interrupted. Call me a vampire but I hated the sun.

Luke gave me a look and continued, "I'm going to be in the kitchen which will be far enough that you have to knock loudly but not too far that it's so loud."

"But what if I do it wrong?"

"Then you'll have to do it again so I hear you," Luke said. He gave me a twisted smile before shoving me out of the house and slamming the door in my face.

Once I heard the lock click into place, I waited until he was definitely in the kitchen. I knocked four times like he instructed.

Luke opened the door and said, "It was too unsure. Be more firm. It'll impress her dad."

"How can a knock be unsure?!" I stressed.

He ignored me, said, "Try again." And shut the door.

And so it continued on like that for another thirty minutes. Every time he would come out with something to nit pick at. He kept telling me if I was too loud or not loud enough until Luke was sure I had gotten it right. My wrist was aching and my knuckles began bruising. I died a little inside when he told me to do it one more time. But I wanted to get this perfect.

For hopefully the final time, I knocked on Luke's door which now just seemed to mock me. It was the perfect knock, I was sure of it.

But nobody came to answer. Luke remained inside his house and I remained outside. I waited three minutes because that was the standard wait and I knocked again. Again, nothing.

I listened for the sound of Luke's footsteps which I had grown accustomed to over the last half hour. I didn't hear them.

I listened harder but all I could hear was a whirring noise. It was strange because the only whirring noise like that was his air conditioning system and that wasn't even as loud as this. Also it was broken. So I knocked one more time, louder than average this time.

The noise stopped and his footsteps finally sounded. Luke opened the door with an angry look.

"No need to bang on it, this door was just repainted last week!" He said.