Connor's POV
"Okay, so as you can see, this means that the equation for this pattern is 3 to the power of x plus 3." I finished, writing it down so Troye could see.
I looked up and saw him nodding slowly. "Okay... I think I'm starting to kind of understand it."
"Kind of? Are you still confused?" I asked, frowning at him.
"I think I just need some practice." He stated.
"Okay, well, I could bring some questions from my old textbook for you to do next time." I suggested, giving him the piece of paper filled with my notes.
"Thanks." He smiled, and it almost seemed genuine. That was, until it changed into his usual, cocky smirk. "And maybe next time, we could do it in my room."
I felt all hope for humanity slowly drift away from me. "And maybe next time, someone could actually finally tell you what a huge idiot you are."
"As long as that person is you, then that's okay." He grinned, cheekily.
Completely done with the conversation, I looked at my watch. "Oh, look. It's 5:30. Time to go. Bye."
He raised his eyebrows at me. "We live right next to each other, so how about we walk back together?"
"Yeah, how about no?" I shot back, quickly. "Besides, I need to wait for Zoe."
I gestured towards my best friend, who was finishing up her tutoring session with Ingrid. She glanced at me and gave me a quick nod, telling me that she was nearly done.
"Wow, okay, then." Troye laughed. "Maybe another time, then."
"Yeah, and before then, maybe you'll be able to find another boy who's actually stupid enough to fall for your pathetic pick-up lines." I said, turning to face Zoe fully.
I didn't bother turning around when I heard Troye stand up and mutter "bye" to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn around and walk out of the library. After bringing my attention solely back to Zoe and Ingrid, they shook hands and Zoe breathed a sigh of relief, as Ingrid walked away with a smile on her face.
"Phew, that went better than I expected. I was scared I'd get a complete douche or something." She sighed, facing me. "Can't say the same for you, though. How'd it go?"
I laughed, bitterly. "Funny you should ask that. You know exactly how it went."
"Yeah, it was a bit hard trying to concentrate on my own thing when all I could hear was you two bickering the whole time." She pointed out, giggling.
"It's not my fault." I argued. "He was the one who was being completely insufferable."
"You really hate him, don't you?" She asked.
"Of course I do. I don't know who wouldn't." I muttered. "I don't even know how he ended up getting into every single boy's pants."
"So, you definitely don't want him in yours?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
"No. Definitely not. Never in a million years." I confirmed, determinedly.
"It's kind of funny how you got assigned to him though, despite the lack of friendliness between you two. Or should I say, the lack of friendliness from you, because I can see that he's trying to be nice."
"Try being in my position, and you'll see just how funny it really is. I don't even know how you and everyone else seems to think that he's actually nice. He's obviously just trying to get every boy in bed, like he gets a fucking award at the end or something." I complained. "I'm treating him as well as he deserves."
"Harsh." She commented.
"Yeah, whatever." I shrugged. "Let's go now."
We stood up, pushed our chairs in and began on our walk back to the dorms. It was practically evening, which meant that it was quite chilly and windy. I buttoned up my coat and pulled my beanie down over my ears. Zoe and I picked up the pace a bit, both of us wanting to get out of the cold.
"Oh yeah, by the way, could you not tell the others that I'm tutoring Troye? You know them, they're going to blow the whole thing out of proportion and I don't want to have to talk about him any more than I have to." I asked her, shivering.
She laughed. "Yeah, okay, that's understandable. My lips are sealed."
"Thank you. You're the best." I grinned.
"But what do you want me to say if they ask me who you're tutoring?" She questioned, trying to keep her hair out of her face.
"Just say it's a freshman, and they won't know who it is." I told her. "We are seniors after all, and I don't think they would know any freshmen."
"Okay, okay." She nodded.
"So..." I stared at her knowingly, changing the subject.
"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows together.
"Have you managed to talk to Alfie yet?" I asked, winking.
She smiled, and I could see that she couldn't get him off her mind. "Not properly, but he asked me if I was free for a coffee after school tomorrow."
My eyes widened. "Oh my God, he asked you on a date?"
"I don't know if it's a date for sure." She scratched her nose, nervously. "I mean, he could just be trying to find a way to let me down gently."
"Well, if that really is the case, it's not a very good idea. I don't think asking someone to have a coffee with them will do anything but lead them on." I comforted her. "It's probably a date."
"But what if it's a dare and his friends are all going to be there watching and making fun of me? What if-"
"Don't think like that. You're absolutely amazing and if he really is that big of a douche, then I'll go after him and he'll regret ever laying his eyes on you." I reassured her.
"Thanks, Con. I'm just a bit nervous." She took a deep breath.
"Are you going to our usual cafe?" I asked.
"Yeah, why?" She frowned, confused.
"Well, if you want, I could just stay around that area and if you need to leave or feel uncomfortable, I could just come in and tell Alfie you need to go." I suggested.
"You would do that?" She asked, happily.
"Of course. You're my best friend." I nodded.
"Thank you so much." She grinned. "But, I'm sure he's going to be amazing."
"He probably will be. You've been pining after him for so long, I'm sure he's worth all your time and energy." I said, as we entered the dorms and stopped before we had to go into our separate rooms.
"Do you want to come to my room to hang out or something?" She asked, gesturing me towards the girls' wing.
"Yeah, sure." I agreed. "It's better than going to my room."
"Why?" She asked, as we walked down the corridor to her room.
"Because Troye's probably in his room and he's going to be an absolute ignoramus again." I scoffed.
Zoe shook her head, laughing. "Wow. Okay, my room it is, then."
"Do you want coffee or anything?" She asked me, as I stepped into her room and she shut the door behind me.
"Um, no thanks." I shook my head.
Zoe, Joe, Caspar, Tyler, and I all came relatively wealthy families, who were somehow willing to invest a lot of money into our schooling careers. Not only did we end up getting into one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country, but we also managed to get proper rooms, with a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom in each one. It was practically like an apartment. No having to use the common showers or kitchen, which were most likely dirtied long ago.
"Hey, so are you going to keep tutoring Troye? Or, are you going to ask to switch?" Zoe asked from the kitchen.
I sighed, sitting down at the edge of her bed. "I don't know. I mean, I really don't want to tutor him, but I do want to take him down a notch or two. I think I'll just leave it as it is, unless I really can't stand him anymore."
"So you'll keep tutoring him?" I could hear a slight twinge of hopefulness creep into her voice.
"Yeah." I said, after a short pause.
"Really?" She asked, shocked.
"I mean, someone needs to show that boy that not everyone finds him completely irresistible."
~~~
Look who's updated twice in three days *gasp gasp*
I'm about to go write chapter 10 but it's gonna be a filler chapter which will probably result in me just sitting and staring blankly at the screen because I'll have no idea what to write.
I'm also trying to come up with an idea for a fanfic that's kind of different and maybe not specific to Tronnor if that makes any sense. Idk I want to write a fanfic that is Tronnor but could also be turned into a general fiction story if I wanted to.
- see you guys next chapter -