Tutoring the Bad Boy [REWRITTEN]

06. flings and parties

ARCHER HAD ANOTHER girl stuck at his hip again. Amy Jones. She was everything I wasn't; popular, downright gorgeous, easy to talk to. I could list off at least ten guys that had asked her to prom last year. Her natural black hair framed her face perfectly and her body was shaped like an hourglass. I couldn't pretend that I wasn't jealous of her. But all of it was repulsive— and not because of the fact that his tongue was down her throat. Well, maybe it was partially because of that. I let him kiss me, and now he was with another girl pretending that it never happened. I really was just a toy to him.

"Are you alright?" Ayana asked before looking at Archer and the asian girl beside him. "I didn't think you cared about Archer's love life."

I scoffed at her statement, looking away stubbornly, "I don't. You know I don't date anymore, so it doesn't matter."

"It's been two years," the black-haired girl told me in an exasperated tone, and I knew that it had taken her some courage to bring it up. I didn't like to talk about it and she didn't want to hurt me. I still wasn't over him. "I know he hurt you, but-"

     She was cut off by me. "Just drop it," I demanded in the middle of her sentence.

     "Not everyone is like him," she muttered with a pleading glint in eyes. She was too scared to say his name. "I promise."

     "I'm not risking it."

     "One blind date. That's all I ask for, then I'll bake you all of the oatmeal raisin cookies in the world. And I promise you he's a nice guy. You'll like him, and if for some random reason you don't end up liking him, then you don't have to talk to him again. Plus, I'll be there with you every second of it. Please?"

     I gave her a pointed look— a blind date? She was begging me to get out there in the world, to make my life worth living. I wasn't sure I was ready for that, especially one that involves forming a relationship. Aya was trying so hard to make me happy, but was it really worth it?

     "Fine. One," I let the words flip out of my mouth before I could catch them.

     "Okay, it's tomorrow," she told me with a grin, and I swear if I had any liquid in my mouth, I'd be spitting it out right now.

     I didn't say anything after that though. There wasn't much there was to say— I had to accept it either way. When I agree to something with Ayana, there's no way I could back out. It was something peculiar about the girl, but it's what made her special. That, and her radiant personality. I wished that she could talk to me about her problems, but she always stayed strong for me. I was always the one who needed fixed, and whenever I tried to have her open up, she wouldn't budge.

     After a while, I just stopped trying. I knew she wasn't always as happy as she let the world make her out to be. No one could be like that, but part of me was scared of knowing the truth. If she told me her problems, I doubt I could be of much help to her. I can't even help myself.

     I looked at her, and she radiated brightness more than any star in the universe. A smile that could light up even the darkest of places. How did someone like her become best friends with someone like me? It didn't make sense to me. At first, I thought she was doing it out of pity, so I just played along since I literally didn't have anything better to do. But after a while, I realized she was being genuine.

     "Hey, Ayana," I said, catching her attention. "Thank you. For everything. I don't know what I'd do without you."

     There was a shocked expression on her face at first, but it was gone as fast as it came. She gave me a warm smile, all teeth on display while telling me, "That's what friends are for, right?"