Playing for keeps

10. 'F' for failure

It's quiet for a moment before Miss Thompson speaks up again. "I'm willing to give you two weeks to write another paper for me, to correct all of your mistakes and to earn a better grade."

I look up at her with relief. "Thanks," I force a small smile as I get up from the desk.

"You're smarter than you think, Easton," Miss Thompson says, sitting back behind her desk.

"Yeah," I huff out a laugh at her words of encouragement, holding my 'F' graded paper in the air, walking towards the door. "Seems like it."

Out in the hall, I stop and begin to read her words written in red pen, and I try to read my typed words. All of them seem to blur, my M's morph into W's, my D's look like B's and everything confuses my mind even more.

It's nothing new, it happens every time I try to read something.

The frustration courses through me, and I rip the paper in half, shoving it in my bag and marching off to my biology class.

~

"I can help you."

Oakley's offer spills out of him as he drives me home, turning onto my street. 

After school, Oakley took me for ice cream on the pier to cheer me up. As much as I'm grateful for it and the few hours it gave me to lessen my sour mood, it only helped a little percentage.

I laughed at him. "Oak, you need as much help as I do. You got an D on that history paper."

"Yeah, only because I'm genuinely bad at school. You're smart East, it's just...your thoughts and words get mixed up."

I offer a small smile at his reassurance as he pulls up outside the driveway gates. "Thanks Oak, but I'll manage to get it done."

"Alright," he sighs, putting his car in park. "Hey, you wanna get waffles tomorrow?"

"Is that even a question?" I scoff, sliding out of his car, shouldering my backpack. "See you tomorrow."

He does the air kiss action as he rolls down the window. "Love you, East."

"Love you, Oak," I laugh as he drives away.

I punch the code into the keypad on the wall outside of the gates and slide in as they open, heading up to the front porch.

My brief good mood dissipates as soon as my eyes land on the cars that aren't my brothers, parked in front of my house.

I recognise some of them as the Vipers' cars, and I contemplate running back out the gate and taking myself for another ice cream, but I've already been spotted.

"Isn't it past your bed time?" Kaleb asks, blowing out the smoke from his cigarette, leaning against the porch railing.

His presence annoys me more than ever. I don't know if it's because of my already bad mood from school, or because the last time we interacted he pinned me against the wall to toy with me, but I'm ready to scream.

"You're here. Again." My tone is monotonous and makes sure that he knows I'm anything but overjoyed.

"That bother you?" He arches an eyebrow, waiting for an answer and taking another drag from his cigarette. 

I make my way up the stairs and reach the top one, becoming level with him. "Yes, it does." I turn and face him. "You just show up for no reason just to be an ass."

My words seem harsh, but they don't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. A few days ago when he'd cornered me in that hallway, after I wanted to have a civil conversation, it was like my brain melted when his fingers touched my face.