Tutor -Boys pre-famous short story
"Look, Carlos. I wanna let you play on Friday, but I can't until you get your grades up." His coach frowned, talking to him in the locker room.
Everyone had left already since practice had ended. Well, almost everyone. James, Kendall, and Logan had their ears pressed against the locker room door trying to hear what was happening. "Carlos can't play?" James whispered.
"Shut up." Kendall fired back, flicking the back of James' head.
"But, Coach Smith, I'm trying my best." Carlos stuttered back. He really wanted to play in the game on Friday. This game would decide where they would be placed in their district. He had to be there for his team!
"I believe you, Carlos. I don't doubt you," Coach Smith replied, raising his hands in surrender. "It's the school's rules, not mine. Academics always comes before hockey, you know this."
"I know, but I gotta play on Friday. What class am I failing?" Carlos asked, worry in his voice.
"It's only Algebra," he answered. "You're really close to passing. You just need to ace your test on Wednesday and you'll be able to play."
"Algebra? I-I don't understand Algebra. How am I supposed to get a good grade on this test if I don't get it." Carlos frowned. Algebra was the hardest subject for Carlos. He would get lost between the numbers and the letters. Worst of all, just when he thought he was getting good it, they moved onto something even harder. He couldn't keep up!
"Ask the teacher for help before school. They'll be more than willing to assist you." Coach Smith offered, making Carlos groan.
"I don't have time before school. What else can I do?" He fretted.
"Get a tutor or a friend. I'm sure you know a few people who could help ya out," Coach Smith quickly replied. He stood up and walked over to Carlos. "Don't worry. I believe in you. You're almost there." He softly smiled, patting Carlos' shoulder pads.
"Move! Move! Move!" Kendall shouted, shoving James and Logan from the locker room door.
Somehow, they were able to hid around the corner before Coach Smith saw them. Once they knew the coast was clear, they walked towards the locker room. "Remember, Carlos doesn't know that we were spying." Kendall said.
"Right!" James and Logan quietly replied.
"So don't bring anything up." Kendall continued as they opened the locker room door.
"Hey, buddy!" James greeted, plastering on a smile.
"Oh, hey, guys." Carlos softly smiled, looking up from his duffel bag, which he was stuffing full with his hockey equipment.
"So, how'd your meeting go with Coach Smith?" Logan asked, trying to keep it cool.
Carlos shrugged. "It was alright. Nothing too serious."
"That's great news," James grinned. "Say, let's go out for shakes. Kendall's treat." He smiled, making Kendall and Logan furrow their eyebrows in confusion.
"Thanks, but I can't. I've got to go home and study. I've got a really important test coming up." Carlos replied, walking towards the door.
"Carlos Gracia studying for a test?" Kendall scoffed, trying to act innocent. "Am I dreaming?"
"Nope. I'm getting serious on my grades." Carlos declared as they continued to walk towards the school exit.
"What test are you studying for?" Logan asked.
"Algebra. It's going to be really hard, so I really need to study." Carlos replied as the boys walked to their parents' cars.
"Okay. Well, I'll see you guys later." James said before opening his mom's car door.
"Bye." The rest replied, getting into their cars.
xxx
"How's my math genius doing?" Carlos' mom asked as she entered his room.
"Not too good, Mom." Carlos groaned, falling back onto his bed.
"Maybe you should take a break. You've been reading that math book for almost two hours now." She replied, sitting down beside him on the bed.
"Yeah, and none of it has stuck inside my brain. I wasted two hours of my life reading about numbers and letters." He sighed, covering his face with his hands.
"Maybe we should get you a tutor. They could help you after practice and maybe make it easier for you to understand." His mom offered, running her fingers though his hair. For once, Carlos wasn't wearing his hockey helmet.
"But, Mom, I don't want a tutor. It'll make me feel stupid." He defended, slightly pouting.
"Well, I don't know what else to do. I'm not good at math and neither is your father." She sighed as Carlos sat up. He frowned, resting his head in his hand. What else could he do? He had to pass that test to play.
Suddenly, Carlos' phone rang. His mom walked across the room and grabbed his phone for him. "It's Logan." She said, reading the caller ID.
Carlos held out his hand, signaling he wanted to talk. He flipped open his phone and placed it to his ear. "Hello." He sighed, rubbing his brown eyes.
"Hey, Carlos. It's Logan. I heard you were having some terrible in Algebra and I wanted to know if you wanted any help." He explained.
Carlos furrowed his eyebrows, leaning forward. "Why?"
"I don't know. I've got an A in Algebra right now and I really want to help you get to play on Friday. I understand if you don't want my help-"
"You want to help me with math?" Carlos asked, confused.
"Yeah. You are one of my best friends. I'd do anything to help you out anytime." Logan answered.
"Thanks. That really means a lot to me, Logan." Carlos smiled.
"Don't mention it," Logan replied. "So, when do you want me to come over?"
"After practice would be great." Carlos grinned.
"Sounds good. I'll just ride over to your house with you after practice then and we can get started," he said. "If that's okay with your parents."
Carlos looked over his mom, who had her head tilted in confusion. "Yeah, they're okay with that." Carlos chuckled.
xxx
"Logan, thank you so much for helping Carlos out. We really appreciate it." His mother smiled, looking back at Logan through the rear view mirror.
"It's no big deal. I don't mind helping people with math." He replied.
"Yeah, Logan's a math genius!" Carlos boasted, pointing at his friend in the backseat.
"Well, I wouldn't say math genius, but-"
"Oh, that's great! Carlos is going to be learning from the best." Carlos' mom grinned, looking back at Logan. He couldn't help but smile back. Even though he didn't consider himself a genius, it felt nice to have other people think he was.
They pulled up to Carlos' house and quickly rushed inside. "We need to hurry so that we can learn more in less time." Carlos explained as he rushed towards the stairs.
"Trying to learn it faster won't help," Logan replied. "Let's just take it at a pace you're comfortable with."
Carlos sighed, slouching his shoulders. "Alright. But can we at least have a snack?"
"Duh." Logan smiled, making Carlos rush into the kitchen.
"We need brain food. So we need something healthy," Carlos said, looking around the kitchen. "Hey, we can have an apple and some grapes."
Logan nodded his head as Carlos grabbed the food and ran upstairs. They entered Carlos' room and slammed the door shut. "No one will bother us now." Carlos grinned as he placed the food on the bed.
"That's good. No distractions." Logan smiled.
"Now," Carlos declared, pulling out his book. "Let's begin!" He shouted, slamming the book on the bed.
xxx
"Logan, it's almost 11 o'clock," Carlos said, looking up from the practice problems Logan had made. "You should probably head home soon."
Logan shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his phone. "Nah, it's okay. I can just spend the night if your parents are okay with it."
"Are you sure your parents will let you? It's a school night." Carlos fired back. Logan had the strictest parents in the group. It was hard to get them to agree to anything like spending the night on a school night.
"As long as they know it's for math, they won't care." He answered, pulling out his phone and texting them. Quickly, his phone vibrated and a smile grew on Logan's face.
"Did they say yes?" Carlos asked. He really did want Logan to spend the night. He was understanding Algebra better now and having Logan there made it really easy. He was like a portable teacher.
"She said that we can't stay up too late studying." Logan grinned, making Carlos cheer.
xxx
The next day at school, the boys were tired. But it was totally worth it because Carlos and Logan had made it through the whole unit last night and Carlos was now ready for the test.
"Geez, did a bus hit you guys on your way here?" Kendall asked as Carlos and Logan walked to James' locker, where the boys always met.
"No. The math train did." Carlos replied with a yawn.
"Carlos and I studied late night but we completed the entire unit so he's ready for the test today." Logan smiled, patting Carlos' shoulder.
"That's good. But you really should have saved some more time for beauty sleep. Beauty is more important than Algebra." James said, staring into his mirror and he combed his hair.
"Not today it isn't," Carlos fired back. "Today, I'm going to need all the smarts I can get."
The school bell rang, signaling it was time for class to start. "Wish me luck, boys." Carlos grinned, tapping his helmet twice. The boys all mumbled him good luck as they walked to their classes.
xxx
"Alright, let me see how you did." Logan grinned, sitting beside Carlos. Kendall and James leaned forward over their trays, curious to see how Carlos did, too.
Carlos frowned, pulling out his paper. "I got a..." he trailed. "95!" He cheered, whipping the paper up so everyone could see.
"Nice job!" Kendall smiled.
"Way to go, buddy!" James grinned.
"I knew you could do it." Logan cheered.
"Well, it wouldn't have been possible without you, Logan. So, here." Carlos said, digging into his pocket. "Mrs. Johnson gave me a treat for studying hard and getting a good grade and I want you to have it."
"Thanks, dude." Logan grinned, happily taking it.
"Now, let's talk about our hockey plan for the game on Friday because Carlos gets to play!" Kendall cheered, making the guys whoop along. Everyone in the cafeteria turned and stared at the boys, but they didn't care. Their friend studied hard and earned his spot on the team.
~~~~~~~~~~~