Defending Parker

[Chapter 5]

Chapter 5

The minute the words tumbled out of my mouth, I instantly wanted to take them back. But that’s the thing with words, once they’re out in the open, there was no way of taking them back.

Parker’s eyes immediately shot open as he registered my words. “What?” he stammered, not sure if he had heard me right.

“Umm… tutor me, you know, in history.” I repeated sheepishly, nodding towards his history textbook as I nervously picked at some of the loose ends of my shirt.

The only thing running through my mind during the prolonged silence that followed was how much of an idiot I was. I had seen the guy a few times before while running or during school, I barely knew him, and I quite literally just introduced myself, but now I was asking him to tutor me. How much more embarrassing could this possibly get?

A pin could drop in the silence that surrounded us, but just as Parker opened his mouth, to what I thought was to laugh at me or reject my plead flat out, he surprised me.

“Why would you need my help?”

I froze for a second, thinking that I didn’t have an answer for him, but after thinking about it for a moment, a few reasons sprung to mind. “Well,” I started confidently, “You have an AP history textbook so you’re probably really good in history, and in case you didn’t know, I just moved here. I didn’t take history at my old school and that’s the only class that I’m struggling to catch up in. I don’t really need you to help me memorize dates and events and all that, I just need somebody to help explain the material to me that I’ve already missed, and maybe help me with an assignment or two. Plus, I don’t really know anybody else that’s good in history at this school.”

While I thought my argument was satisfactory, if not brilliant, my confidence started to diminish as the clock kept ticking and I was left without a response.

“Umm… I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, umm… yea.” I mumbled, hoping to find a way out of this situation instead of dig myself a deeper grave.

“You say you don’t know anybody else that’s good in history at this school, but you barely know me.” he stated, startling me from my position where I was previously staring at the tiled floor. “Have you even heard some of the things people say about me in the halls between classes?”

“I’ve heard mumbles, but that’s it.” I admitted. “Saige that people avoid her because of something that has to do with you, but they shouldn’t because she’s a great person. They’re wrong about Saige, so who’s to say that they’re not wrong about you to?”

Parker looked stunned by my response, but he shook himself out of shock quite quickly to reply. “And what if they’re not?”

“I don’t mind.” I shrugged. “Right now you seem like a decent person, and I just need help in history.”

Before I could fully convince Parker to tutor me, my phone buzzed in my pocket.