Eve was always a smart girl. She made honor roll every semester and every semester she would try to invite her absent parents to the ceremonies. But her mother was either too high too even know what was going on and her dad was usually off gambling with friends, getting drunk and sleeping in the most randomest of places in their neighborhood.
Eve was so smart to the point where she started skipping grades. When she tried to tell her parents this, her mom was passed out while her dad simply sneered and verbally abused her for "thinking she was better than them" and "rubbing it in their faces".
In eighth grade, a caring teacher had her IQ tested and found out that she had the IQ of 130, which turns out, means superior intelligence. Where most parents would be ecstatic to find out their child was a genius, hers could give less of a shit.
And when she earned her scholarship to West Valley Prep, her dad just called her a "uppity bitch trying to fit in with white people."
Well jokes on him...she didn't have any white friends at school.
While everyone at West Valley already had their established friend groups from elementary school, Eve had to be the newest addition ever since they all entered middle school. She was the youngest of her classmates and was also the poorest and to be frank...one of the only few black kids at her predominantly white school.
Despite all that, she still managed to come out on top and was ranked #1 in her senior class. Was she proud of her efforts? Of course . Her guidance counselor said she had a high chance of having a full ride to any college of her choosing and that to her was exciting. No one in her family had ever gone to college, and being the first was just...such a crazy thought.
But then she thought about her siblings.
All Eve knew was that she wanted to go to college, but she couldn't go too far and risk losing everyone.
"Alright class I'll see you tomorrow," Mr. Hanover dismisses. Eve grabs her bag and was about to head out the door when Mr. Hanover calls her back.
"Eve, could you stay back a second?" Mr. Hanover asked.
"Sure...." she said. "Um, am I️ in trouble?" She wondered.
"What? No! You're one of my best students," he laughed off. "Quite the opposite actually. I️ was hoping you could help me with something," he said.
"Okay..." Eva said, leaning against a desk.
"I️ need you to help tutor a student. He's been failing recently and I️ believe with your help, we could really help bring his grade back up," Mr. Hanover explained.
Eve sighed. "Mr. Hanover, I️ would if I️ could, really. But I️ have a lot going on. I️ have to find a new job cause I️ just recently got fired from my old on for being late all the time and I️ have to be home at a certain time or else the babysitter-"
"Calm down Eve," Mr. Hanover spoke over her. "Listen, I️ get you have a lot going on at home, that's why I'm prepared to write a letter of recommendation for any college of your choosing if you do this," he offers, making her eyes go wide.
Eve gasps. "Really?" She asks. Now she was really thinking. A letter of recommendation was the last thing she needed for her college application, she just hadn't had enough time to get around it. And the deadlines were approaching fast. "O-okay!" She agrees. "Who am I️ tutoring?"
Zach arrives to Mr. Hanover's class after school about fifteen minutes later than he was supposed to. But whatever nerd he got assigned to could wait. He had to talk to his coach to see if there was any possible way he could play Eastlake but Coach Michaelson just wouldn't budge. "Sorry I'm late I️-" he stopped short and looked around the empty class but the only person he saw was a black girl sitting at one of the desks, book in hand. She looked up to meet his eyes and Zach couldn't help but think she was kinda cute. "Sorry sweetheart, I️...am I️ in the wrong room?" He asks.
The girl blinks at him. "Are you Zachary Fontaine?" She asks.
"Zach," he corrected. "And yeah I am."
"Then you're in the right room," she nods. "I'm Eve, I'm supposed to be tutoring you," she introduces herself.
Zach eyes her up and down before stifling a laugh. "You're kidding...right?" He laughs, confusing her. "Wait seriously?" He asks.
Eve furrowed her brows at him. "I'm sorry is there something that I'm missing here?" Eve asked.
"Yeah, it's just...you're-" he gestures vaguely towards her, making her looking at him even more perplexedly than before. "You know."
"No, I️ don't know," Eve raises an eyebrow at him.
Zach puts his hands on his hips. "Come on, you're not gonna make me say it are you?" He tells her, earning an even more confused look from her. His voices dropped down to a whisper. "You're like, Black."
Eve looked at him, stunned. She didn't know whether she wanted to laugh, cry or fight. "And that means I'm not smart?" She almost choked on her own words.
"Not...typically," he shrugs off. And before he knew it, she slapped the taste out his mouth. "What the hell-"
"Listen here you fucking idiot," she hisses, catching him off guard. "You have no right to assume I'm dumb because of my skin color when you're the one that got caught cheating in the first place," she points at him. "I'm #1 out of the entire senior class and is up for valedictorian. I've had straight A's for the last three years and I️ have the IQ of 130, which is more than any of you can say," she scoffs turning around to grab her things. "Good luck trying get back on the field," she mutters before walking out the door, roughly knocking into his arm as she did.
She couldn't believe it. What was wrong with him? Nobody should feel that comfortable saying shit like that. Eve wasn't the violent type but it must've been just...instinct. Maybe that's why her arm flew before she could even comprehend it.
"Fine, whatever!" Zach yells out from behind her. "I don't need you! I️ can do this myself!"
"No you can't!" Eve called out, wanting to get the last word.
Zach reached up to try to soothe his stinging cheek. He couldn't believe she smacked him. Nobody ever laid a hand on him outside of the field. He lets out a huff and walks off. He didn't need her. He didn't need anyone. He could pass Mr. Hanover's test himself.
* * * * *
Zach looked down at Mr. Hanover's latest test in despair. "Fuck," he whispered to himself, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
Later that night, Zach was suited in full football gear only for Coach Michaelson to make good on his promise of being benched. Pouting on the sidelines did nothing but hurt his reputation. After the game, he walked back to the locker room to change when Maddie stopped him in his tracks. "Hey babe," he said, leaning down to kiss her but instead she dodged his kiss, holding a hand up to his face.
"Don't "hey babe" me," she hissed. "I'm supposed to be dating Zach Fontaine, the quarterback. Not Jared Folse, the second string quarterback!" she sassed.
"What do you want me to do Maddie? I'm benched and on academic probation!" He tells at her.
"Well until you get your ass back on that field, we're on a break!" she shoves him asides.
Zach gaped as he watched her walk away. "Maddie!" He calls out. "Mad-"
"Do not call me!" She yells back him as she makes her way to her car. Zach sighed and looked up in the sky. He needed help.
He needed...Eve.
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