HYMN OF THE RAIN

Burnt muscles

"Can you do it?"

I bite my lip, re-reading the question for probably the sixth time as if I can find its answer in between the words. 

Meanwhile, I can feel Jo's eyes on me. 

I can't really tell whether or not he's finally getting pissed because of how long I've been silent.

Taking my quiet no as an answer, he soon gets back to work; explaining to me how it works after he reads the question. I've probably muttered a 'sorry' for a few times, and after each, he always shrugs it off nonchalantly.

"It's not easy to understand. You don't need to be sorry."

I wish my Math teacher thinks the same as he does. 

Unfortunately, he doesn't. So I have to work thrice harder than those geniuses while hoping Mr. Lawrence finally gets a change of mind.

We're sitting at McDonald's (not the one he's working at because who wants to run into colleagues when they're off?). 

While he has some fries and I have my soda, he's helping me with the Math quiz preparation. Who knows he's quite the Math genius?

Not me when he offered to help. 

I thought he was just average good, not this good.
The guy is unexpectedly smart.

"Okay, that's it. You're ready." he nods, getting another piece of the string fried potatoes while I ogle at him as if he's grown a second head.

"What? No, I'm not."

"I've tutored some kids in my free time, and believe me, I know a person who's ready to go to war when I see one."

I give him a look, while he smugly smirks.

"War? Okay, but really. I got lots of wrong answers."

"You nailed the last paper."

"Jo, I don't feel like I'm ready."

"No. You are ready. You're just scared." he sighs, and I almost miss him rolling his eyes at how cowardly I just sounded. "You won't fail, Sash. And if you do, you have your nerves to blame, not your brain."

"Gee, what a great prep talk, tutor man."

"Thanks. It happens when you've listened to Captain America's prep talks all the time." he flails his hand around as if he's bashful.

I resume staring back at the scribbled papers scattered before us, just when he calls me out again. 

But this time, I can see how serious he's being, "Listen, I know it can get nerve-wracking, especially if you've screwed up some tests before. But you got to learn to trust yourself here. You can do it. I've seen you work your way through, and I know you can do it, minus the nerves. Those are your foes, not these numbers nor your brain."

Believe me when I say I fall dead silent. 

I don't know what to say - and to be honest, I'm not one who easily becomes speechless. But man, he can really inject a tiny dose of confidence in someone just with his words.