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“Oh, you have a friend with you,” she says, her eyes dancing between me and Scarlette.
“We left school early. They were having a pep rally for the upcoming games this weekend, but we wanted to get an early start on our tutoring,” I tell her.
I can feel Scarlette staring at me. She tenses next to me as she forces a smile.
“You left to study?” mom asks, her voice rising.
I can tell that she isn’t sure if she believes what I am saying or not. Since I am an expert at lying, I add more to my elaborate plan.
“Yeah, I really need to get my grades up, or I may not be able to play in the game this weekend,” I explain.
It’s bullshit and I worry she may figure it out. As much as I enjoy playing baseball, I don’t really care if I get to play this weekend or not. Coach is always on my ass and most of my teammates only want to hang out with me to excel their own status at school.
A warm smile covers mom’s face, and I almost feel bad for lying to her. “I guess it’s ok then. Just don’t make a habit out of skipping school.” She turns to Scarlette and I grow tense. “Forgive my son and his rude manners. What’s your name, dear?” mom asks Scarlette.
“Hello, Mrs. Antoni. I’m Scarlette. I am Ason’s tutor,” Scarlette states, her sweet smile brightening the room.
“You can call me, Willow,” mom says to Scarlette.
“Well, we are going to head outside to study,” I say, starting to lead Scarlette down the hallway.
“If you all need anything, just let me know. I will have the cook bring you all some food,” mom yells, as I escort Scarlette out the back door.
Once we are outside, I swear I hear Scarlette exhale a breath. I lead her over to a large outdoor area equipped with a six-person dining table, fire pit, and outdoor kitchen area. Scarlette marvels at the stonework surrounding the space.
“This is beautiful,” she admires.
“Thanks. My mom really enjoys entertaining out here,” I tell her.
We sit down at the table and Scarlette stares blankly at me.
“I left my backpack in the car. I should go get it so we can study,” she begins, going to stand.
“No, wait,” I blurt out, stopping her.
Scarlette’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, I thought you wanted to study,” she says, nervously.
“We can, but that’s not why I invited you here,” I say nervously.
Scarlette’s eyes narrow and then a frown appears over her face. I hate how her spark seems to die down.
“Oh. Look, I think you are nice, but if you thought I would come here and sleep with you...”
Before she can finish, I stop her. “That’s not what I thought,” I race out. Running a hand over my face, I realize I’ve already fucked this up. Maybe Gabby was wrong.
Scarlette looks defeated and I hate that I am worrying her. I’ve never done this before and I know that I am messing everything up.
“Then, why am I here? Why did you ask me to leave school with you?” she asks quietly.
I lean forward, moving into her personal space. She gasps and leans back in the chair. “Scarlette, I wanted to spend time with you. I don’t really know what I’m doing... or how to be around you,” I begin. I’m growing frustrated with myself. I want to tell her how I feel. How just the sight of her face brings me a joy that nothing else in my life ever has. I want to explain to her that knowing that I would see her every day was the only thing that got me to wake up each day and walk the halls of school.
“Ason,” she says my name breathlessly, and I almost come undone.
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, I stare into her beautiful eyes. “Scarlette, I’ve watched you for years. Whenever you thought that no one noticed you—I did. Whenever you tried to hide from the rest of the world, I saw you shining. I know that I am not good enough for you, but I can’t seem to stay away from you anymore,” I confess, spilling my heart and soul to her.
She opens her mouth, but then clamps it shut again. She watches me with wide eyes and I almost feel like I’m going to explode. For a moment, I fear that I have just terrified her and she will insist that I take her home. But to my surprise, that’s not at all what she says.
“I never thought you noticed me,” she says so quietly, I almost don’t hear her words.
