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“You’re still here?” Mia asks as she and her tutor exit the kitchen and stand before me.
“Let me get that for you.” Colton bends down and sweeps the items into his hands. He smiles in his usual pleasant way as he hands them to me.
“Thanks. I’m going up.” I move toward the stairs.
“Cute pajamas,” Colton says, making me freeze in place. Slowly, I turn around and our eyes once again connect. “I think the computer design is my favorite.”
I stare down at my pajamas. “Oh. Yeah.” Why have I suddenly lost the ability to talk? Or heck, to even think?
“Weren’t you going up?” Mia asks.
“Yep. To my room. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Snacks from your secret stash!” Mia says.
I give her a look. “It’s too early for snacks.”
She shrugs. “Gotta feed my brain, you know.”
I scowl at her. “Fine. I’ll send some with WillowBot later.”
Colton’s eyebrows rise. “WillowBot?”
Mia bounces on her heels. “Youhaveto show her to him, Willow. He’s going to flip.”
“You built a robot?” he asks me.
“In eighth grade,” Mia answers. “She won the robotics competition. So cool.”
“Mia, you’re talking too much,” I hiss in Korean. Then in English I add, “You know every second you waste means Mom and Dad have to pay him more.”
Colton holds up his hands. “I’m not charging money for tutoring your sister.”
I blink at him. Then I scoff. “Yeah, right.”
He just stares at me.
“You’re serious?” I ask.
He nods.
“It’s not like my parents can’t afford you,” I continue. As one of the top actors, Dad makes a lot of money. And Mom makes a nice salary working for NASA. But my family likes living like normal people. We’re not fancy or showy like some rich families in Silverton, the next town over.
We have a mansion in L.A. that Dad uses when he’s filming, and we visit there often. But we still like the simple life.
He shrugs. “I don’t need money. I enjoy tutoring.”
Right. I forgot his family is loaded and he lives in a nice house.
“Okay, whatever. I’m leaving.”
“Don’t forget the snacks!” Mia calls after me as I go to the stairs. I wave behind me, letting her know I’ve got it.
I keep my favorite snacks hidden in my room because my sister constantly eats up the good stuff and never leaves any for me. So she always runs out while I still have my stash. But of course I can’t say no to her when she begs to have some.
In my room, I change into a T-shirt and jeans, then eat my cereal as I work on my app. Hopefully, I can resolve the issue and have it ready in time to present to the students tomorrow.
I can hear Mia and Colton talking downstairs. He’s very calm and patient as he explains the math to her, so different from how I was when I tried to tutor her. I guess Mom was right. Mia needs someone who won’t distract her and will make sure she does the work.
