Romantic Short Stories

12. Tutoring

I sigh loudly, once again looking over my math test as if I'll magically understand the answers if I look at it hard enough. Another test of mine that I just wrote random answers on. It's not that I  don't pay attention. It's just so difficult for me to focus and remember. I turn it into the teacher and she takes it looking at me with a face as if she already knows that I'll fail. Yeah, me too.

I head back to my desk and lay my head down in an attempt of taking a nap while the rest of my classmates struggle with the paper in front of them. I find myself unable to create a comfortable position so I instead decide to look around the room for anything interesting. In all reality I already know I'll just end up judging my fellow classmates in one way or another but at the very least it's still something to do.

I turn to the left and my eyes immediately land on Felix. He's the top of our class in everything. I wish I could be half as smart as that kid but then again I guess academics come at a price. Even with his high grade point average and student body popularity, the guy is in barely any extracurricular activities whatsoever. He is in a few such as the Student Council and National Honor Society but other than that he isn't really in anything for fun. I've also noticed the guy doesn't have any real friends. Well,  I've seen him with one friend before. His friend Eric is always around him.

I always found the two's dynamic odd since middle school. Felix always approached people and situations in a professional and almost shy sort of way and Eric is that guy that never stops talking in class annoying everybody. I guess it works for them.

I turn to the window at my right side in an attempt to think about something different. Who am I to judge Felix for not having any social life outside of school and his one friend. It's not like I'm any better. I don't have great grades, I'm not friends with anybody at this school, and I don't like after-school extracurriculars.

The closest thing I have to call anyone a best friend is my older sister. I don't get to see her often cause she lives two hours away for university but the few time I do have the chance are the only times I feel like a real person. I do the same things every day. I wake up, I go to school, I go home, and I sleep. I don't gossip with people or talk about what I enjoy to do or listen to. I just do everything without the business of others.

Sometimes thoughts like these cause me to wonder what would happen if I were to die. What would people be saying at my funeral?

'I have absolutely no words for how much we are going to miss our dear Rhylie Finkleton. She never spoke to any of her classmates and has absolutely no outstanding achievements. We have no record of her personality and the only pictures of her were taken by the school and her mother on holidays. She will be dearly missed.'

Seems legit right?

I continue on with these same useless thoughts until the bell rings signaling that I can finally leave this torturous classroom. I hear the sounds of all the students quickly gathering their possessions before the teacher quickly interrupts the shuffling with her voice.

"I need Felix and Rhylie to stay after class please?" She speaks kindly while looking at the two of us." I look at Felix across the room as he gives the teacher a light bow. I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion as to what the teacher could possibly need the two of us for. I continue and grab everything I need as I wait for the rest of the students to file out of the classroom. "Could the two of you come to my desk please?" She asks kindly.

"Is there something we did wrong Mrs. Chaney?"  I question.

"Not specifically but do you know what your grades were on your last three tests Rhylie?" She responds worriedly.

"I do my best to not look at those too long," I reply truthfully. The teacher lets out a long-lasting sigh before reaching into her drawer and pulling out a green notebook. She flips through the notebook looking for my name before having me bend over to look as she covers up the grades of the other students. I immediately cringe and make a hissing sound as a response.

"That bad?" The boy,  Felix questions from beside me.

"Let's just say if I don't pass the rest of my papers this year I'll have to take Algebra 2 twice." I cringe.

"Do you think you can manage to pass the rest of your papers this year Rhylie? You're a good girl and I know that you are capable of proving yourself which is why I brought this up with you now." Mrs. Chaney discusses while urging me to work hard in order to improve myself.

"I know that it seems like I'm not trying ma'am but I seriously am. I have every single note from this year written down and I've listened intently to every single lecture. I don't know if I can work much harder than I already am."  I respond listing off every attempt I have made at not failing her class. I look down at my feet in the embarrassment of failing my teacher. She's always been so supportive to me and it feels so so selfish to answer her in this way but it's all I know.

"I thought you'd say that," She sighs and turns to Felix, "which is why I asked you both to stay after class. I wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself if you wanted but Felix is our top student as you know. I am yet to discuss it with him but I was wondering if you would be willing to work together and let Felix tutor you."

"I don't really know about that," I tell her truthfully. It's not that I have anything against Felix but it's not like their is anything he can do that the teacher hasn't already tried helping me with.

"Why not?" Felix questions and I look toward him in slight surprise. It's not like he'd wan't to try and teach some one like me. Who would want to spend time tutoring some one like me? I'm an introverted lost cause.

"What good would it do?" I sigh and look away shaking my head. "You're a kid, if Mrs. Chaney can't help me properly what makes you think you'll do better?" Felix crosses his arms and shakes his head with a small smile.

"You said it yourself Rhylie, I'm a kid. I might be able to help it make more sense to you." He responds with a small smile.
I really want to say no to him. Spending my time regularly with an intelligent, handsome, and strangely charming boy really doesnt seem like a good idea. I'm nothing special and I don't think that's something I'm going to change about myself any time soon. Being around him, it sounds like a recipe for a low self esteem. "So what do you say?"

"Let's try this," I reply. I know it's a bad idea. Spending time with a boy like Felix, it seems like I'm asking for trouble but for some reason I can't say no to him. Even if this makes my self esteem crash and my anxiety skyrocket. At the very least, I might bring my Algebra 2 grade up. That definitely sounds worth it? Right?

[Part 1]

1/26/20