The Mathematician (Book 1)

7. The Exception Of The Rule

Lowering his head, he glanced at his shoes before straightening his back and staring towards my window again. "I don't tutor, Cassandra."

I frowned. That was another weird way of starting. "I know?"

"Do you know why I don't tutor?"

I thought for a second, but then shook my head lightly. "No."

"I don't tutor, because I can't stand the youth of today," He replied, which was probably the last answer I had expected. My guesses had been more along the line of a social phobia or something like that, but never to such a degree. "That sounds harsh, but it's the honest truth. I don't like today's youth and what it's becoming."

Okaaaay, I thought. So he didn't like the youth. What did that have to do with him being disappointed in me?

"I stay within the confines of my house because I believe the stupidity of the youth's ways pollutes the mind," He continued unaffectedly, starting to pace back in forth in front of my bed. "Social media, all of their new toys, trends and gadgets. Even their language leaves me questioning whether or not I should switch to astronomy, just so I might find another habitable planet with higher hopes to prosper."

I pressed my lips together not to smile. He sounded like an old, bitter man, but he was only 32. Furthermore, I think he just actually made a real joke for the first time in his life. Or at least the first joke I had ever heard whilst staying here.

"Alright, so you don't like us young people," I clarified before he went off into a full hate-spiral on all us youthful people. "I think I've got that."

"I don't want to waste my time on them," He explained, simply. He met my eyes again, deep and still thoughtful. "The main priority of the youth today is to party, drink, have kids while they're still kids themselves, and gossip about pointless things. They don't prioritize the development of their minds anymore. And while there might be exceptions, I simply won't bother spending my time searching through a sea to find a single individual."

I was waiting for his point. I knew it was coming up soon, so I stayed resilient. "Well, that's your decision."

He pursed his lips. Then, turning his eyes to the window again, he took a short moment before he continued.

"When my brother started this whole scam, I knew right from the start. The moment you showed up at my door, I was prepared to turn you down and prove my theory as to why kids in this world are a lost cause. I wasn't going to have any, and I wasn't going to bother tutoring any."

I crossed my arms and waited. I watched as Harry now unfurled his hands from his pockets and turned towards me. He leaned up against the pillar to my bed and surprised me by giving me a little smile.

"But strangely, you were the odd exception, Cassandra. Before you had even come to my door, I knew everything about you, and I believe that was the exact reason why my brother chose you as well. You weren't one of the others."

I felt my brows lift. I wasn't quite sure, but... I think he just complimented me? "Thank you...?"

His lips twitched again. "After a while of observing you and testing how you responded as a person to being lectured, I saw that you were a genuinely decent person with a bright future ahead, if nourished correctly. I still have no intentions of tutoring you, but as far as I can see, you won't need it if you get shown the right path. At least that's what I thought until last night."

So now we were getting to the point. I waited while he pushed himself off the pillar to say what I could already tell myself.

"I misjudged you," He said. "I believed you to be an exception of a person your age and environment, but last night you proved me wrong. I was disappointed, not because you handled your problems with alcohol, but by the way you let your problems bring you down to such a degree. You were demoting and insulting your own bright self by letting something as simple as motherly love bring you down."