Wished

Chapter 8 - Tutoring

"Ellie Ellie Ellie Ellie Ellie!" Shauna shouted as she barrelled towards me. I was busy fangirling over the screen full of messages that Jordan and I had sent last night after I got home. I was probably at my most happiest ever. Turning towards her, I grabbed her shoulders to stop her running into me and let out a breathy laugh at her slightly red face. She would look like a cherry if it wasn't for her makeup, something she would never go without.

"Did you hear about Jordan Taylors?" She asked and immediately had all my attention.

"Spill."

"So apparently he is actually planning on asking a girl to the next dance!" She exclaimed and my jaw dropped. In our school, almost every dance was treated like prom or something. They were always a huge deal and everyone always had a date for them, most of the time. Well everyone but Jordan. He never ever asked anyone to the dance.

"You're kidding! Did you know he's been texting me?" I asked, silently hoping that she would had a vague hope that it was me he would ask too.

"Yeah you told me. He's so gonna ask Crystal to the dance," Shauna gossiped, brushing off my comment and going back to the only thing that annoyed me about her. She never ever believed that I could ever get a guy. Sure she always said that I was pretty or guys would love me or whatever but she never actually let me believe that a guy would actually like me. Hopes were always crushed. I brushed it off though because she was most likely right.

"Yeah he probably is," I agreed and gave her a smile even though I wasn't feeling it. I could fake happiness so well I could be an actress.

*     *     *     *     *

"Hey E," Jordan greeted with his swoon worthy smile. I gave him a small wave and went passed him to my seat. He turned away from his friends to face me and I nearly squealed but I kept myself calm. "So how was detention?"

"Boring as hell. It was absolutely pointless," I complained, feeling at ease when I talked to him now because it was like we did it all the time now. He was almost always at the top of my messages.

"You can say that again. I don't know why you got it and I didn't. That would have been a lot more fun." Jordan grinned with a quick wink and if I hadn't been so focused on staying calm I probably would have fainted. I may be going a little overboard but I couldn't help it. Jordan Taylors.

"I don't know, you're kinda boring," I teased with I small laugh when he placed his hand on his heart and gave me a look of pure shock.

"I'm not boring," he said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hmm, I dunno," I hummed and twisted a piece of hair around my finger.

"I'm not," he repeated with a ghost of a smirk.

"Prove it," I challenged jokingly and his lips quirked into a sly grin.

"Gladly," He accepted. "I can certainly show you-"

"Mr. Taylors, Miss Martin. Kindly stop flirting and concentrate in my class," the teacher said in a fake sweet voice and sent the class into a fit of hushed giggles.

"Sorry," we mumbled and I looked back the board until Jordan tapped my arm.

"Later," he promised and winked again, making me blush and ignore him.

*     *     *     *     *

"Miss Martin, can I speak to you for a minute?" my teacher asked as I was about to walk out of the classroom.

"Yeah, sure," I answered warily, slightly scared about what he was going to say. I didn't think I had done anything wrong but I really couldn't know anymore. The school was getting weird and the teachers were certainly no exception to that.

"You grades in this class are excellent so I was wondering if you might tutor one of the other students who's, to put it lightly, not doing so well," he proposed and while I felt flattered that he called my grades excellent, I was still wary of the offer. Sure it would be nice and I could put it on college applications and everything but I wouldn't want to tutor someone I hate or someone that was kind of scary. I try to be open to everyone but there are people that just put me on edge.

"Who would I be tutoring?" I asked curiously, trying to keep any reservations out of my voice in the hopes that he would be nicer because of it. I was wrong. He gave me a sly smile and shook his head.

"You have to agree to it first. Think about how great it would look on college applications. It could be the difference of getting in to your dream college or not," he persuaded and I instantly resented him because he was right and while  I did not want to agree blindly, it looked like I was going to have to because I needed some extra things to make me look interesting.

"I'll do it," I agreed begrudgingly and crossed my arms defensively over my chest as his sly smile turned into a full blown grin. I was beginning to regret my decision already.

"Perfect. So you'll be tutoring Luke Masters and I already told him that your first session was today so you can have it wherever you want. Thanks so much Ellie, I mean, Miss Martin," he said looking about ready to do a typical 'London-Tipton-Yay-Me' type clap. "You can go now," he told me, practically shooing me out of the room. I slouched out of the room and groaned inwardly. More time with Luke Masters was going to be blissful torture.
*     *     *     *     *
"Well, well, well," Luke started, pushing himself away from where he was leaning against the wall as I walked out of school. I ran a hand through the front of my hair, managing to make some tangles but not really minding now that it was out of my face. A few days of wearing my hair down and I was constantly reminded why I loved ponytails. "Kitten, looks like you get to tutor me. I might actually listen. With some persuasion," he flirted, sending me a wink and successfully making me blush. After all this attention you'd think I'd be getting used to it but no.

"No persuasion," I refused, worried by what he was implying. My worst thoughts of the word could be some of his decent ones. Shaking my head a few times, I started walking again only to stop short when his arm snaked around my waist.

"It would be fun," he promised and  I jumped away like his arm was on fire. As hot as Luke was and as weirdly intrigued by me as he seemed, he was still intimidating and scary and I didn't like it.

"No. I'm regretting this so much right now," I announced, mostly to myself but loud enough that Luke could hear.

"Don't knock it till you try it," Luke bargained and I looked at him with wide eyes. He was so comfortable with this relationship between us and I wished there wasn't any. From any other person I guessed the attention would be flattering but with Luke it was suspicious and I didn't trust there wasn't ulterior motives behind everything he did. He just seemed like that kind of person and from all of the stories, he was.  

"Yeah, not gonna happen," I shot down his proposal quickly and hurried along but Luke kept pace easily. He was too tall and I was too short. Running away from him was not a reasonable idea.

"Well I still have to come to tutoring even if I don't pay attention. So where are we having this?" Luke asked, pushing his hands lazily into the pockets of his jeans. I twisted a piece of hair around my finger as I thought. My parents were at work but Adam would be there at this time and if Adam was there that most likely meant that Zach was there considering Zach spent most of his free time at our house now. My house would be safe enough.

"My house," I stated and continued walking towards Shauna's car where she was singing, poorly because she can't hold a tune for her life, to a song on the radio.

"Which is where?" He asked as I stopped at the car door and opened it. Shauna was to engrossed in her song to even notice the door opening and was playing imaginary drums on the steering wheel of her car.

"I'm going home now. Just follow the car," I told him and hopped in.

"Straight home?" she asked when the song was over and we had pulled out of the parking lot. She checked her lipgloss in the mirror and then glanced at me before looking back at the road.

"Yep. I got stuck tutoring Luke Masters so I have to do that now," I explained to her and we groaned in unison.

"And you can't even do anything because he's not into you," she complained, explaining her groan and hurting me just a little. Why couldn't he be into me? He sure touched me enough. That sounded weird but it was true. I shook off the negative thoughts though. Shauna was my best friend, she would never say something to hurt me on purpose so she obviously meant it because she knew some gossip about him and another girl and not because there was something wrong with me.

*     *     *     *     *

"Luke please try to concentrate," I begged as he checked his phone, again. That was the fiftieth time in the last half and hour and it was really getting on my nerves. I was at least attempting to help him, he couldn't give a damn. Finally, he dragged his attention back to me but he had his flirty smile on and I could never handle that properly.

"You look so cute when you're frustrated Kitten," Luke informed me, his voice low as he inched closer to me. There was a lump in my throat and my heart started to pick up speed but I didn't blush and kept my face neutral. I could do this, he wasn't going to get to me. No matter how much his eyes looked like pools of dark chocolate and his lips curved into that smirk.

"I'm impressed," he complimented, leaning closer so his lips were pressing against the shell of my ear. "You're getting stubborn Kitten."

I leaned away and all but flung the book onto his lap. Why did he get so close to me? It was off putting, nerve-wrecking and exhilarating all at once. He pouted his bottom lip just enough to make it adorable but not over the top and tilted his head to the side slightly while giving me the perfect puppy eyes. That must be how he got his way if he didn't get it the first time with just his flirting and charm.

"What do you even do for fun Kitten?" he asked, getting serious with me as if he was acutally interested in what I had to say. I didn't know how to answer because all of my ideas of fun were probably laughable to him. Maybe it would make him leave me alone.

"Netflix, books, hanging out with Shauna..." I answered, trailing off when I realised that was basically all I did for fun. My life was boring as heck. I didn't want to look at Luke, he was probably staring at me like I was a weirdo or trying to hold back his laughter. I dared a peek at him and was surprised to see that he was looking at me with amused curiosity.

"That's all you do?" he asked and I nodded cautiously in reply.

"Oh Kitten this is going to be so much fun," He replied with a smirk and I started backing away when I heard the front door open. I jumped off the couch and practically threw myself on Zach for a hug. Even though he wrapped his arms around my waist immediately, he stood frozen on the spot. I moved my face from where it was buried in his shoulder and leaned up further so I could whisper in his ear .

"Keep your arm around me. Play along," I begged in a whisper and then turned back around to face Luke. Zach followed what I said and kept an arm around my waist while I smiled at Luke. "Luke, this is Zach. Zach, this is Luke. I have to tutor him."

Luke's eyes went hard but he smiled politely at Zach. "Hey man. Listen Kitten, I have to go now but I'll see you tomorrow okay?" he said to me as he picked up his back and walked past us to the door.

"Oh. Okay. Bye Luke," I rushed as he left the house, my eyebrows drawn together in confusion. I wasn't sure what had gotten into Luke because two seconds ago he was perfectly fine and now he was acting all weird. I shook my head and leaned up and kissed Zach on the cheek. "Thank you so much. You just got me out of an awkward situation," I thanked him, picked up my things and ran up the stairs to my room before collapsing on my bed.

Things were just getting stranger every day.