“All jock.”
“It’s not all jock. I still have Mr. Wiggles.” I hold up a small brown bear I’ve had as long as I can remember. I never could let go of this stupid stuffed animal.
“Oh, well that makes it much less mascu
line then.” Laney sits down in the chair at the desk. Somehow she fits. “Ready to get started?”
“Meh.”
“Senioritis kicking in?” She pulls out a few thick, hardcover books.
“I guess.”
“I promise I’ll make it as painless as possible.”
With you here, I feel no pain at all.
“Sounds like a plan. How did you get slated for the job anyway?” I take the notebook she hands me.
“I was in the office when Principal Adams was talking to Julius Maxwell. He was your original tutor.”
“Orange Julius?” I curl my lip. Biggest brain at school. We call him Orange Julius because of his crazy ginger hair and freckles. He also talks like he’s whining. My skin crawls just thinking about it.
“Yup. He looked like he wanted to throw up. I don’t think he liked the idea of being your tutor.”
“That’s probably because I used to give him wedgies and shove him in his locker freshman year. I’ve grown up since then, but he still avoids me like the plague.”
“Geez, I don’t blame him.” Laney grimaces at me.
“I’m not that guy anymore,” I argue petulantly.
“You sure?” she toys with me.
“Yesss,” I cross my arms. “How did you end up my tutor anyway?”
Laney looks guilty as she fiddles with the pen she’s holding. “I sort of stepped in.”
“Stepped in how?”
“I felt bad for Julius. He looked so uncomfortable. So, I told Principal Adams that I was your chem partner and worried about my grade. And maybe it would be better if I was your tutor so we could stay on the same page.”
“And he bought that?”
“Yeah, Julius couldn’t bow out fast enough.”
“So now you have to put up with me?”
Laney shrugs. “As long as you don’t try to give me a wedgie, things should be fine.”
I laugh. I may not give her a wedgie, but I will definitely try to get as close to her underwear as possible. Ideally, pulling them off with my teeth.
“I’m not making any promises,” I joke.
“I wouldn’t expect you to. I know your M.O.”
Ouch.
“Let’s just get to studying,” I suggest.