"Now, there is an upcoming test in three months that I am sure you are all well aware of." Professor Twine was saying.
I shrunk down in my seat a little. Tests were not good for my anxiety.
"This test, while only in the beginning of the year, will count towards 10% of your degree so I suggest that you do not take this lightly." Twine gave a pointed look in Thomas and I's direction. Shit, maybe I had done worse on our last essay than I thought.
I looked over to Thomas but he was too busy glowering in Twine's direction.
"Now, before I let you all go, I will hand you back your last essays that we completed on 1984 by George Orwell. If you have gotten below a B- I would seriously suggest either studying harder or acquiring a tutor. Tutors can be found in the main office." He smiled and handed the sheets to the TA.
I let out a breath. What did that look that Twine sent me mean? Had I done badly? Would I fail? Would I need a tutor - I can't afford a tutor. Was moving to New York a mistake?!
While I was spiralling, Thomas seemed to not be faring particularly well either. He was drumming his fingers on the armrest and looked like he was about to bolt.
A sheet of paper was thrust into my lap and then another one in Thomas'.
I tentatively picked up the paper, glimpsing at my mark. A-. I let out a sigh of relief. Of course, considering I spent hours of studying, I deserved this.
I peeked at Thomas and he sighed before saying, "You can just ask, you know."
"Uh- what?" I said, turning to him.
"My score. You're not very subtle."
"I what- I was not-"
"I mean, you're sitting next to me which makes trying to be discreet very tricky."
I started apologising before I realised that he was smiling. He was making fun of me.
"Oh, fuck off." He let out a laugh at that and several people turned our way. Thomas seemed to smile and laugh a lot around me and I started to notice that other people were taking notice of it too.
"I got an impressive D+." He said, shrugging. I winced for him.
"Did you study?" I offered.
"No." He said.
"Well, I'm sure if you studied next time, you could do better." I said truthfully.
"How do you always do so well?" He asked me.
"How do you know I do well?" I countered.
"You're not the only one that looks at other people's results." He said playfully and I found myself smiling a little in return. I quickly stifled it.
"I have an idea." He started to say as I began packing up. While I used to pack up as quickly as possible, I now found myself putting things back into my bag at a leisurely pace.
"Oh no." I said, teasing. Was I actually fucking teasing Thomas Verner right now?
"You could tutor me." He said. I let out a laugh because how was I supposed to react to that?
"I'm alright, thanks." I said, still smiling.
"Why won't you?" He asked. I hesitated. Really it was because I didn't want to spend time alone with Thomas but I was currently convincing myself that I did not have time.
"There are plenty of proper tutors that you can choose from as Professor Twine pointed out, you can choose one of them." I reasoned.
"Yeah, but I want you." He said and I looked at him, eyes wide. "To tutor me." He finished. I looked back to my bag.
"Yeah, no." I said. "And besides, I don't have the time." I lied.
At this point, I had gotten up and I was leaving. Thomas was hurrying after me, still shoving things in his bag, including his paper.
"Oh come on. $100 per session?" He offered. I whirled on him.
"The campus tutors aren't even paid half of that." I said in shock.
"Yeah well you could do a better job than any of them. I know it." He said, looking purely honest. "You're worth the extra spend."
"I really don't think so." We were now walking in the busy hallway.
"Fine. $400." He conceded.
"What- absolutely not!"
"$1000?" He offered.
"Oh my God, Thomas, no!" He wore a small smile at the mention of his name on my lips.
"Okay, you win. $1200." He was grinning now. Probably at how flustered I was getting.
"No, Thomas, do not be wasting your money like this."
"I'm not wasting it. It's an investment into ou- my future."
"Is it?" I said sarcastically.
"Alright, $1600 but you're really stretching me here."
"No." I said plainly. He was being ridiculous. What kind of student could afford to blow $1600 a week?!
"1800?"
I ignored him.
"Fine, I'm getting desperate here. $2000 per session. Two sessions a week. Please."
Maybe it was the way he didn't give up, or that he said please, or that I was brutally aware that I didn't have a job but I said, "Okay. I'll do it. But don't pay me $2000, that's stupid. The normal fee of $40 is fine." I said.
"Deal, but I'm paying you $2000." He shrugged as if it was nothing.
"I do not need $2000." I said.
"Everyone needs $2000. But whatever, keep it or give it to charity, but I'm paying you that much. That's final."
"Fine." I sighed because I knew that there was no way I could win.
"You really are very stubborn." He said it like it was the most endearing thing ever. Before I could think of a response to that, several men came walking over to Thomas. I looked at them and then at him and I saw his cold mask slip back into place. He wasn't playful Thomas willing to give me $2000 for just a session of tutoring that I'm sure a plethora of people are better at but the grumpy Thomas that hated talking to people.
"Hey Thom- Who's this?" The redhead with curtain bangs at the front of the group said. Thomas shifted slightly in front of me, blocking my view.
I moved from behind him and said, "I'm Val." I could practically feel Thomas' glare at the sound of my nickname. I had never let him call me that but I was surprised that he had always respected that. Did it bother him? Did I care that it bothered him?
The redhead held out his hand to me, "I'm Toby. How do you know Thomas?"
"I'm his tutor as of thirty seconds ago." I said, shaking his hand. Odd but funny.
"Lucky him." I heard a male voice say and I looked to find the source only to find that it was Simon.
Thomas moved so he was in front of me again but he wasn't blocking my view this time.
"How much did you make him pay you then?" The blonde and her friend suddenly appeared, standing in between Thomas and the other hockey guys. She directed the question at me.
My cheeks pinked. Did she know about how Thomas had offered me $2000 per session?
"Fuck off Lucy." Marcus said, also appearing out of thin air.
"Excuse me?!" She said, incredulous. God, this was so cliché.
"You heard me. Go on, this is a hockey thing." Marcus said.
"She's here." Lucy said and she had a point.
"It's alright I can go." I said. I hated drawing attention to myself and standing here, with practically the whole hockey team and the most popular guys in Uni wasn't really achieving my goal of being somewhat inconspicuous.
"Everyone fuck off." Thomas suddenly announced. I looked at him, eyes wide but everyone seemed to be unfazed. I started to walk off when I heard him say, "Not you." I stopped. Everyone that had been standing here had vanished, leaving only Thomas, Marcus and I standing in the hallway. People just... listened to him like that? I was surprised that I had listened to him like that. I made a note to myself to not do that again. I wasn't a dog.
"Come on." He said as he started to walk to the exit. "We haven't finished talking about tutoring yet."
"Oh okay." I said, not really knowing what else there was to say.
"We can do it at yours the first few times." He dictated.
"We can, can we?" I asked, mocking slightly.
"Always so stubborn." He said, more to himself than anything. "I'm currently moving out but in about two weeks you can come to my place." He shrugged.
I nodded. "Why are you moving out?" I decided to ask.
He hesitated before saying, "After seeing how my family could put up with Tyler's behaviour, I knew that I couldn't stay there anymore. Plus I just inherited some money."
Ignoring at how my heart did a happy flop at his admittance to detesting Tyler's behaviour, I said, "That's how I left home too."
I made the quick decision to leave out the part where left in the middle of the night, only taking the bare essentials and my mother's letters without telling anyone where I was until a week later when I had bought the red phone and I was safely in New York. A sad pang stabbed me at the thought of my mother's letters but I shoved it away, deep inside, with the rest of my repressed memories and negative feelings.
"I only took a little of the money though." I quickly added. "And I felt so guilty. I didn't want to be selfish." I admitted.
"You're always so afraid of being selfish" Thomas observed, giving me a thoughtful look.
"I've always been told that I'm a selfish person. I'm trying to be better." I said truthfully. I really was. Then I remembered how I had turned my father's visit away which was indeed quite selfish but I decided to add that to the pile of repressed things that was slowly collecting in the far corner of my mind.
"Who told you that?" Thomas said, his eyes narrowing.
I shrugged. "I don't know who." I knew exactly who. "People." Person.
Thomas looked like he didn't believe me in the slightest but thankfully he let it go.
"What days of tutoring do you want to do?" I changed the subject. Thomas noticed this but he made no comment. I was grateful.
"Fridays and Sundays?" He suggested and I gave a nod.
I looked ahead again and realised that we had reached the exit doors. It was cloudy outside but not rainy. Thomas looked like he was about to offer me something crazy like another ride but before he got the chance I said, "Bye, Thomas."
He hesitated before saying with a small smile, "Bye Valerie."
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Word count: 1762