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I spend the day holed up in my room, recovering from my day in the sun and the heat. The air conditioning in the house is amazing and I can't find myself leaving it unless I have to. After feeding myself dinner, I sit at the countertop in the kitchen, simultaneously texting Reece and talking to Lexi and Chase when they show up.
"Is there any of that left?" Lexi asks and I smile, nodding towards the fridge. She eagerly pulls the Tupperware container of roasted vegetables and potatoes out of the fridge and licks her lips.
Reece: Can't help you, sorry. I'm no good at it :/
Me: Thank you anyway. I'll ask someone else. One person in this must be an English major.
"Is anyone in the house an English major? I'd even settle on someone who has lived here for longer than I have." I ask the two of them and she shrugs.
"Is it for a paper? Lexi asks and I nod, biting my lips. "Shit, I'm sorry. Chase and I have that thing tonight. The dinner." She pouts apologetically.
"I need a tutor, I haven't a clue what I was thinking." Lexi and Chase both shoot me similar apologetic looks and my shoulders slump.
"I'm sorry Rory, we would help you if we could." He pouts and Lexi laughs.
"Sorry Rory...it rhymes!" I shake my head and she laughs. "I will for sure help you next time though!" She says excitedly, making me smile. "Maybe Faye could come by and help her?" Chase addresses Lexi but she shakes her head.
"Nope, she has some dance thing tonight." Her face lights up, "Oh! What about Reece?" This time it's me that's shaking my head.
"Reece is going with Faye, and he's awful at English apparently."
"Maddox! Are you busy tonight?" Lexi questions him as he approaches from the doorway. I spin around and do a quick once-over, noting his casual appearance. It doesn't look like he's going to a party. My stomach clenches at the thought of spending the evening with him.
He shrugs, "Nah, you guys wanna go out or something?" He asks her, only sparing me a brief glance before returning to Lexi.
"No, Aurora here needs an English tutor for her paper that's due tomorrow, so obviously it has to be tonight." He narrows his eyes at her and glances over to Chase who nods, almost looking at him pleadingly. Maddox just shrugs and says "whatever" looking right at me.
His eyes drift down to my short pink tartan skirt and up to my blue short sleeve shirt before settling on my eyes which are already on his. He maintains eye contact longer than I am able to but I smile up at him, appreciating him accepting to spend his night helping me instead of out somewhere having fun with his friends. "Come to my room with your books, I have all my notes from first year still." He says looking right at me. I notice Chase and Lexi are now having a conversation of their own off to the side.
