The Tutor || S.M.

Chapter 4 || "Begging My Name"

I frown a little, but shrug it off. I've known Shawn since freshman year, but I've never had any real interaction with him before. We've had a few classes together in the past, but that's about where our history together both begins and stops. All I really know about him is that some people find him arrogant, while other's adore him. He's known to be a bit of a player, but I've never gotten close enough to anyone around him to know whether these were just rumors or the truth. Mrs. Hernandez must know that I've never spoken to him before in her class, so she decided he'd be the best option to keep Julia and I separated.

"You can get into your partners. Once you get to your assigned lab table, sit down and read through the packet together. Call me over when you're ready to start so that I can give you the materials necessary to begin." Mrs. Hernandez says. People start to get up, and I reluctantly begin to walk over to the lab area.

"You're lucky. Shawn's really cute." Julia whispers as she walks by, grabbing onto my arm momentarily. I look at her in surprise, and she smirks before letting go and walking away. I roll my eyes at her comment and head over to my lab table. Shawn's already sitting at the table, looking down at the papers in front of him.

"Hi," I say awkwardly, sitting down on the stool beside him. He looks up at me for a moment, nods, and looks back down.

"Now I can see why some people find him arrogant." I think to myself, feeling my face go red. Who blatantly ignores someone like that?

I look down to my packet, beginning to read over the procedure. Most of it doesn't make any sense, so I quickly skim through the words. By the time I finish skimming the words, I feel Shawn leaning in my direction. I look up in surprise, and we make eye contact. As I stare into his warm brown eyes, I feel a part of me go weak. Julia's right; he is cute.

"I wanted to see if you were done reading yet." he says, still inches away from my face. I nod, my voice suddenly incapable of forming words. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I inhale. A scent fills my nose, and I recognize it as his cologne.

"Um, yeah. I just finished." I say. As I talk, I notice him glance down at my lips, and his tongue darts out to lick his. I clear my throat, moving back a little so that we're no longer as close.

"I'll call over Mrs. Hernandez." Shawn says, staring at me for a few seconds before pulling away and lifting his hand into the air. "Mrs. Hernandez!" he calls. "Helena and I are ready for the materials."

"My name is Helaina." I say quietly, and he looks at me.

"What?" he asks.

"My name is Helaina, not Helena. Helena is a character from a Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream." I say, and he gives me a weird look before laughing.

"Wow, thanks William." he jokes. The pair in front of us must be eavesdropping, because I hear them laugh. I feel my cheeks start to burn and I look away.

"Here's the supplies you need." Mrs. Hernandez says, suddenly in front of us. "Don't forget to get safety goggles before you start, or you'll each lose ten points from the overall grade on the lab." she reminds us, putting down a pile of objects. I nod and stand up, walking over to the goggle cabinet. I grab a pair off the bottom shelf, and I feel Shawn walk up behind me.

"Why would you chose those ones?" he asks.

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused. "What's the difference? They're all goggles."

"You took a pair from the bottom shelf, are you too short to reach anything above that?" he asks with a smirk.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" I snap, finding myself growing increasingly irritated.