AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“For what it’s worth, Kelsey — it’s great to see you so happy, and to finally see you two together. I don’t tend to take interest in the personal lives of my staff, but I’ve been rooting for you and Joey.”
“Thank you,” I pause, not really knowing what else to say. “I should probably go get prepared for my day.” I grab my coffee mug and my breakfast and exit the lounge.
As I make my way to my classroom, excruciating pain starts to rip through my abdomen. Oh, great — it’s that time of the month. Every month is a dice roll on whether it’s going to be a severely painful one, and it looks like this month is going to be.
I keep an emergency stash of everything under the sun in my desk drawers — including the pain meds my doctors prescribed me for the cramping. They’re not narcotics, so the school has no issues with me keeping them in my classroom. I quickly pop two into my mouth and pray that it kicks in before homeroom.
I’ve barely been able to stand for my first two classes of the day. By the time my third period class rolls into the room, I’m sitting at my desk, unwilling to try to move. When Daisy walks in, I motion her over to my desk.
“Hey, Miss Andrews. Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Her face is laced with concern.
“I’m not feeling very well today, and I actually need to ask you for a favor.” I groan as another pang of pain hits.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Are you available after school today?”
“Um, yeah. As long as I let my mom know I won’t be home right after school, I can be.”
“Ok great, I was meaning to talk to you about this today anyway. I’ve been tutoring Dominic after school for the past week, and he’s just not fully understanding the material. I think there may be a disconnect in the way I teach, and he might do better if he had a peer tutor. Is this something you’d be interested in?”
Daisy visibly gulps as her face flushes pink. I swear to God, it’s like looking in a time capsule. That was almost exactly how I responded to being asked to tutor Joey.
“I, um, I don’t know…” She starts rubbing her arms as if she’s cold. I can’t help but wonder if that’s a nervous tic.
“Daisy, I know it’s kind of nerve-wracking to deal with jocks — believe me. I tutored Coach Brooks in high school and I was petrified before my first session with him. Once I actually put my foot down and insisted that he take this seriously, he made a lot of progress. I have complete faith that you could be the one to get through to Dominic. Plus, you’d really be helping me out.”
“Um… I guess I could try.” Her voice is meek and shy.
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Daisy. If you run into any problems, please come talk to me. But I really appreciate your help with this.”
She flashes a humbled smile. “Thanks, Miss Andrews. I hope you feel better soon.” She takes her seat just as Dominic walks into the classroom.
“Dominic!” I motion for him to come over to my desk.
“What’s up, Teach?” he grunts as he walks over.
God, I hate when he calls me that. “Daisy is going to be taking over your tutoring sessions after school. You’ll still meet here in my classroom as planned. Do not give her a hard time, understand?” I point at him as I give him my lecture, trying to ignore the ripping pain in my core.
Dominic looks annoyed by this sudden change in direction. “Why is she all of a sudden doing it?”
“Because I think you might grasp the material better if one of your peers tries to work with you on it, instead of someone older like me. And Daisy is the smartest person in this class — I think you could learn a lot from her.” Dominic rolls his eyes in response. “Your other option is to stop tutoring, continue to fail, and be put on academic probation from football.” I lean back and cross my arms, my eyes daring him to challenge me right now.
“Fine,” he grunts again.
I feel bad for Dominic — the look on his face is something I can’t place. It’s not disappointment, but not quite vulnerability either. Does he feel like I’m giving up on him? Does he think I’m pawning him off on someone else because I don’t want to deal with him? I’m sure he already feels bad that he needs the extra help in the first place.
Before I start class, I send Joey a quick text.
Me: Hey hot stuff ;) Daisy is taking over tutoring Dominic after school. Also I’m heading home at lunch time. I don’t feel good. I’ll see you when you get home later. Love you ?
Joey: Hey Angel. What’s wrong? Do you need me to bring you anything?
Me: It’s shark week :(
Joey: Say no more. I’ll be home as quickly as I can. Love you ?
When I get home from school, I find my kettle among the boxes in Joey’s garage. Usually a cup of chamomile tea helps take the edge off. I fill the kettle with water and place it on the stove. Once it starts to whistle, I pour the water over the tea bag and allow it to steep.
