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He didn’t answer me, so I pushed past him, shaking my head in annoyance. “Unbelievable. I can’t believe you asked.”
“I know. I know.”
“You do.” Helping someone like that wasn’t my priority because, frankly, if they were getting paid to be here, then they could find the time to study. Not that I had anything against athletes, per se. It was just that the ones that were on the teams with the free scholarships and deals were a nightmare to work with. They never finished the assignments I gave them, seemingly under the assumption that they’d get a better grade just by being in my presence. And although I was trying hard to figure out the science behind teaching through osmosis, I hadn’t cracked it yet. I was only earning college credits for my sessions, and I refused to work with athletes who could pay for someone better.
My mouth ticked, and I was annoyed at myself because all those morals went out the window when Connor told me I was cute.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I should have stopped at helping him read his chapters, but I didn’t. That reckless smirk and wondering hand gave me other ideas.
“This guy is different.”
I rolled my eyes, holding back a laugh. “Different? In what way?”
“We’ve tried him out with several tutors now, and none of them match his work ethic.” He rubbed the back of his neck as if that would make me feel sorry for him.
I tilted my head, staring at him with disbelief. “They don’t matchhiswork ethic?” I mimicked. “Who have you been partnering him up with?”
Ralph closed his eyes, and his lips pursed in annoyance. I didn’t know why he was so angry. He was the one that came and ruinedmyschedule. “Fine. You’re going to make me admit it, aren’t you?” He blew out a breath, and for the life of me, I couldn’t be bothered with his dramatics when I was running late.
“Spit it out, Ralph. I haven’t got all day.”
“I may have picked tutors like Jared, Ona and Rachel, to name a few.”
Hearing Rachel’s name made me cringe immediately. “Rachel Hardman?”
“Yeah.”
“Wasn’t she being tutored last semester?”
“Yeah,” he drawled out. “I may have screwed up and booked him tutors that would give me the biggest pay packet for the privilege.”
That made me stop in my tracks. “Wait, peoplepaidyou to tutor him?” When he nodded, I shook my head and cursed under my breath in disbelief.
“And because of that, I had to promise him the best tutor we have, which just so happens to be you.”
“Mhm.” I sat on that, and thought about it for a minute, “You know, as bad as I feel for this guy, that sounds more like a ‘you’ problem than mine.”
Striding past him, I headed for my favorite study nook, already seeing Hazel’s dark, spiral curls waiting for me. Her head was down because she was already reading her textbook even though I was five minutes late. I smiled because she was the type of student I was always happy to help. Hard working and dedicated. She had a passion for learning, but it just needed to be harnessed in the right way. Jocks, on the other hand, cared about two things – getting laid and getting paid – and not necessarily in that order. I had firsthand experience of it, and I wasn’t willing to go through that again.
“Come on, A. You know I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t desperate.”
“Oh, are you still here?” I said over my shoulder, looking at Ralph desperately following behind me. “Can’t he pay for someone to do it? I’m sure some of the graduate students would love to tutor him as a side gig. Hell, I bet Kinsey herself would take on a paying gig.”
“Kinsey doesn’t take on students anymore, and I can’t fuck this up. I’ve already ticked him off more than once. I need someone that is tried and tested. Someone that I know will produce results. The best we’ve got on campus. I need you.”
I stopped, and there was a part of me that almost felt sorry for Ralph. Not sorry enough tohelphim, but sorry enough to look at him with the tiniest ounce of sympathy. He already knew my answer without me having to say anything. I wasn’t going to give up on Alex and Hazel just because Ralph made a mistake. He needed to learn a lesson.
“I’m late.” I adjusted my textbooks and headed to Hazel with the air of self-righteousness washing over me. Hazel hadn’t noticed me yet because she was too engrossed in her own studies. She was definitely getting to where she wouldn’t need me, and if I was being completely honest, I probablydidhave space for a new student coming up, but I wasn’t about to tell Ralph that. I didn’t want him to feel like he was being rewarded for promising on things he couldn’t deliver.
“Aster, please.” One last plea, but I ignored it. “I’ll make it worth your while.” I slowed. My ear prickled with intrigue, but not enough to stop. What could he do that would possibly make me want to change my mind? His voice was laced with desperation. I was half-expecting to see him on his knees begging for me if I turned around, so I humored him.
“What?”
“Connor,” he squeaked out, but that was it.
I flicked my gaze over my shoulder and Ralph was just standing there with his hands flailing at his side as he shook his head. I was mildly disappointed that he wasn’t begging, but there were aspects of his current demeanor that made me think he looked like a malfunctioning robot. “What about that turd ball?”
