AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But we wanted to give you incentive,” Principal Oliphant cut in. “To make sure he’ll pass. Of course you’ll do a fantastic job as always, but we wanted to—”
“Sweeten the deal?” I finished for her, fighting for composure.
The most infuriating part of it all was that Principal Oliphant had me, and she knew she did. Valedictorian was the one thing I wanted—the one thing I needed—and after my desperate display the previous day, she knew I’d never turn an offer like this down. I couldn’t only tutor Connor, though. I had to get him to pass the exam. Those were the terms.
“The suggested learning schedule is on page two,” Mrs. Diego said, and I couldn’t help but feel a sting of betrayal. It wasn’t only Principal Oliphant using me like a chess piece. At least Mrs. Diego had the decency to seem guilty about it. “Like Principal Oliphant said, it’s more of a refresher. You don’t have to teach the entire chapter, but you’ll want to cover a few equations at least. It’s a lot to go over, but do your best.”
“We believe in you,” Principal Oliphant said. “And, of course, we’ll check in periodically to hear how it’s going.”
I didn’t trust myself to speak—surely if I opened my mouth, I’d breathe fire. I gave a hasty nod, clutching the Algebra II textbook to my chest. Without another word, I turned on my heel, showing myself out into the hallway.
Did that really happen? My entire tutoring roster swiped clean, dedicated to one student. One freaking golden boy.
I’d never heard of anyone getting an extension like they were giving him. Sure, there might’ve been a clerical error—whateverthatmeant—but it was Connor’s fault he failed the class. Knowing him, he and his buddies probably had mentally checked out after prom. He should’ve studied for the exam, should’ve passed it. Or at the very least, he should’ve checked his report card over the summer and noticed the error sooner.
Some students lingered in the hallways after the final bell had rung, gathering things from their lockers, but I bypassed mine. With my orange satchel bouncing angrily against my hip, I made a beeline for one place in particular. One place I’d promised myself never to go again.
The football field was a five-minute walk behind the school building, and even as I strode up to it with a vengeance, it seemed to take forever to get to. The outside air was suffocatingly hot, a sharp contrast to the cool breeze this morning. It did nothing to chill the fire in my veins.
We wanted to give you incentive. More like wanted to have me in their back pocket.
And I could’ve said no. I could’ve told Principal Oliphant to stick it where the sun didn’t shine. But valedictorian…the possible scholarships… They’d backed me right into the corner they wanted me in.
The grand gray bleachers lining the football field were riddled with a few students waiting for football practice to begin, because apparently it was super cool to watch guys practice running around in the heat.
My steps faltered at the idea of having an audience. I thought of all the comments, all the jokes. Would this spur on StarBoi28 and HeartEyes422 further?Math geek loses it on football star?
Football star who lied to a teacher and said I agreed to something I explicitly saidnoto. Anger renewed, I resumed my pace.
Before I had to start searching, the dented metal door to the field locker rooms swung open, revealing none other than Connor Bray. The black shirt he wore hugged his body like a second skin, outlining a set of muscles that didn’t belong on a high school boy. He had his football helmet in one hand and a set of white shoulder pads in his other, but he froze when he spotted me.
I opened my mouth, and even I had no idea what was going to come out. Probably all the curse words I knew—which, admittedly, wasn’t many.
Before I had a chance to say anything, though, Connor dropped his equipment as if it burned. His hand closed around my upper arm as he pulled me to the side, and I stumbled to keep my balance.
“Get your hand—” I began, but his other hand sealed over my mouth before I could get another word out.
Connor dragged me into the backside of the bleachers where the shadows of the press box created a hallway of darkness. He ducked underneath a rung and hauled me after him, the underbelly of the stands and the absolute lack of sunshine creating a somewhat unnerving atmosphere.
With his hand over my mouth, I did the only thing I could think of. I bit him.
With a curse, Connor broke away from me, practically shoving himself away to cradle his hand. “Did youbite me?” he demanded incredulously, inspecting the wound with wide, almost horrified eyes. “You really bit me. Dear God, you brokeskin.”
“Good,” I spat out, gripping the textbook to my chest, ready to use it as a weapon if he came closer. “Donottouch me. Ever.”
“Jeez, don’t worry about that. At least next time, I’ll make sure you’re muzzled.”
“There won’t be a next time!” I fired back, torn between wanting to take a step closer to smack the living crap out of him or moving away. He examined his hand, analyzing the little indents my teeth made. “You know, when you came up to me yesterday asking to tutor you, I told you no.N-O. Did you fail English, too?”
Connor glanced around the dark space, and then up, as if afraid someone would be peering at us through the slats in the bleachers. “I read between the lines. Can you keep your voice down?”
“Between the lines? There was no line other than ‘get lost.’ I think I made it pretty clear I want nothing to do with you.”
Connor’s eyes met mine then, an intensity swarming in their depths. In the darkness underneath the stands, his hazel eyes seemed darker, practically a full brown. “Look,” he said, staring me down with a glare that could’ve iced over the Pacific. “I won’t pretend that I get where your attitude’s coming from, but trust me when I say I wouldn’t have asked if I weren’t desperate.”
“Why should I care?” I demanded, happy that for once, I was in the high seat. He was desperate. Good. It’d do him good to learn what it was like to want something so badly, to experience consequences for the first time in his life.
“You’re a tutor, aren’t you? Isn’t it your job to help me?”
