Tutoring the Bad Boy [REWRITTEN]

13. art exhibits and appreciation

AS MUCH AS I wanted to stay with Archer last night, I wouldn't let myself distract him from school. It was a school night, and I wasn't a very big advocate of skipping school. Plus, it was Friday today and I didn't want to miss the "date" with Tobias. I was both excited and nervous about the entire thing; I liked the fact that I was doing something that I was too afraid of doing because of Oliver. But I also hated it because it reminded me of him.

     A lot of things seemed to be reminding me of him and I didn't like one bit of it.

     There was a smile tugging at the ends of my mouth as I replayed the moments of last night while doing my homework and nibbling on a piece of steak. The boy with different colored eyes studied me while I was scribbling an answer down to a math question. I didn't have to look up from the sheet to tell that there was an easy smile on his face. The same one that always seemed to be there.

     "You're happy today," he hummed, making me look up from the packet and give him a confused look. "That smile looks good on you, Star."

     I looked down back at the paper, my hair falling over my face. I was thankful considering the fact that he did, in fact, make my cheeks redder than the rosy cheeks you'd see on a porcelain doll. Except my hair was covering the paper so I'm pretty sure he knew that I was blushing.

     "It's okay to let your true emotions out, cutie," he told me and the smirk was evident in his voice. "What do you think, Aya? Is she blushing because of me right now?"

     The black-haired girl moved the hair from out of my face, but I was still too embarrassed to look up from the paper. Ayana laughed at my reaction, "She definitely is."

     "Shut your mouth," I muttered but the smile didn't fade away from my face.

Except instead of smiling because of Archer, I was now smiling because of Tobias. To be completely honest, both of them had me giddy. It felt kind of weird having two people like me— well, one I know for sure. I wasn't sure if Tobias liked me like that, but I knew that I wanted to keep him in my life for forever. Maybe it was too early to say that, but he has been there for me from the second we met.

     It's so crazy how you can go your entire life without knowing someone then you meet them and they become so vital in your life. A trivial moment can mean so much to somebody and nothing to someone else, which is honestly mind-blowing to me.

"You ready for our date tonight?" he gave me a cheeky smile and I could only roll my eyes in response.

     "Only if you kiss me," I replied jokingly, but the boy raised an eyebrow at me with a suggesting look in his eyes.

     "Is that a dare?" he asked smugly.

     I laughed and directed my attention back to the packet I had to finish by eighth period. The loud cafeteria noise was blocked out in my brain as I finished up the last page of the paper. As I worked on the last question, my mind drifted off.

Thoughts like how it was odd having more than one person to rely on. It was so bewildering how you can be the cause of somebody's smile. One sentence can make someone's day and a few actions can save somebody's life. I can live my life content knowing that there are people in my life that I can cherish. Despite the fucked up relations with my family, I was the happiest I've ever been in what seemed like forever.

     "You're so cute when you're concentrating," an amused Tobias spoke with a silly smile on his face.

     "I know," I responded playfully before looking up to him, "you're cute when you exist."