The Tutor

THIRTEEN

(Leah POV ♥︎)

TUESDAY
I thank the Lord for Tuesday. It's the day I don't have to see the idiotic face that belongs to Kai Dalton.

Since when did he think it was ok to get in my life? Last time I checked I was smarter than him, and so my decision are probably wayyyy better than his.

Today I decided I wasn't going to stay friendless anymore. I want to talk to Jessie, but I'm pretty sure she would bully me.

Although I know it, I'm still making my way towards her. "Hi!" I greet at her locker. She looks up at me and then looks me up a down.

"Hi?" She stands at five feet, but don't let her height confuse you. She will beat you up, no doubt about it.

"Hi." I breathe out nervously.

"Is there a point to this conversation Leah?" She asks closing her locker. She leans against the shut locker and looks at me blankly.

"Um... yeah, I was just wondering if you sat with anyone at lunch because- well I sorta don't. And I-"

"You can sit with me. I sit alone too. Everyone's shit here." She huffs out.

"Agree." I twiddle my fingers.

"Let's meet at the stairs by the art room. I'll show you where I sit." She gives the tiniest smile.

It makes me smile a big smile as she walks off.

~

Classes flew by and during science we talked about music and bands. She told me my music taste was the worst but she would  help me out on that.

The lunch bell rung and I made my way towards the art room stairs and there stood Jessie. I totally thought she would ditch me.

"Come on," She nodded her head.

She opened the door to outside and grabbed my hand. "This is a secret place. Don't tell anyone or else the hippies will steal it." She lightly dragged me.

"The hippies?" I said out loud.

She and I went behind the dumpsters and there stood a big hill. A hill I've never even seen. We went up it and there stood a medium sized tree.

"Behold Gloria." She smiled and held her hands out in a display.

We sat at the roots of the tree and leaned back on it. It was peaceful.

"I like it here." I commented.

The air was way fresher than inside the school and from Gloria, you could see rows of flowers and empty fields.

"Me too." She said.

We ate our lunch and made conversation. I told her about my life and how completely boring it is and she was amazed. She thought I choose the stuck up studious life.

"Wow. Leah Chanler. You know I'm amazed!" She laughed. "It's ok Leah, I won't treat you like your totally boring parents." She smiled and took a bite of her sandwich.

"Greatly appreciated." I giggled.

"So is there something going on between you and Kai??" She raised her eyebrows.

"Hm?" I looked up from my baby carrots. "No?" I mumbled.

"I don't knowww... I've seen you talking with him after class." She raised her eyebrows.

"I-I um. You can't tell anyone ok?"

She shook her head with wild eyes.

"I just tutor him."

"Tutor?" She furrowed her brows. "Oh. I thought you were going to say you were having sex with him or something."

"Ew! No." I scrunched my face. "It's a mutual thing. I teach him like acedemic stuff and he teaches stuff to me too."

"He teaches you?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Just last night he taught me how to sneak out." I laughed.

"Now this is interesting!" She shrieked. "You know I could help you. You should totally pierce your ears by the way."

I pressed my hands against my bare ears. I've never really noticed them much. Pierce them? That wouldn't be too bad. I've seen girls with gorgeous diamond studs or really cool dangly earrings. The limits are endless.

"I do my piercings all the time. I could do yours!" She moved towards me in a convincing way.

I decided in my head whether I should let her.

"Oh come on! Please!" She gave me puppy dog eyes.

Never in a million years did I ever think I would see Jessie Kour using puppy dog eyes. I have gone to school with her since kindergarten. I've seen her push a little boy to the ground, spit on a bunch of cookies to claim them, and even scream at our second grade teacher for not letting us watch magic school bus all class, but puppy dog eyes? Never.

"Alright." I laugh.

I called my mom and she picked up on the first ring like usual.

"Hey mom!" I said cheerfully. Maybe if I was super duper nice she wouldn't question a thing.

"Hey sweetie," She sounded distant and tired.

"Um... I was wondering if it was ok if I went to a friends house after school?" Please say yes. Please say yes.

"Ya-Ya hon. that's fine." She said slightly slurred.

"Are you ok mom?" I asked.

"Swell. Have fun." She hung up.

Did she not take her midday nap or something?

"What'd she say?" Jessie asked.

"she said yes." I looked off. What is going on with my mom?

"Great! Great, that's good right?" She shook me.

"Ya. I mean Yes!" I break my trance.

~

After school Kai watched me in the parking lot.
I know because I saw him in the corner of my eye. If he wants to say something he can come to me. I'm sure not talking to him until I need to. Which is tutoring. I am getting paid after all.

"I'll meet you there." I call out to Jessie. She nods and gives a thumbs up.

~

Jessie asked me to get alcohol wipes before coming since she had everything but the only thing keeping this whole ordeal sanitary.

So I stopped at a CVS and went on my journey to find the wipes.

Walking in I look for the antiseptic area. Finding it I go down and search through the section.

"Hey!" I hear a voice call out.

I turn to see Jackson Ryan. He stands next to some rubbing alcohol. There's a cut over his right eyebrow and my hand involuntarily goes up to it.

"I ate shit." He laughs. I look at him confused and he reiterates his sentence. "Ate shit...like- It just means I fell. Really bad." He laughs.

"So what made you 'eat shit'?" The vulgar language isn't what I would think of when someone falls.

"um... just an accident... skating."

He skates? I've never seen him skate. I also don't know him that well.

"Oh. You should be careful next time." I look up at his cut.

Looking at the shelf I see the alcohol wipes. Perfect! Grabbing them I put them in my basket and go to leave when Jackson stops me.

"Hey, my friends and I are doing this like... pool date thing and I don't have a date so, um would you like to go with me?"

"And get made fun of? I don't know Jackson." Jackson is hot. Yes. But worth getting bullied by everyone in the group? I'm not entirely sure.

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