The bus rumbled to a stop and we all boarded, sighing with pleasure as the heat of the interior soaked through our cold limbs. By the time we got to school, we were all nicely thawed out and didn’t relish the short hike to get to the front door.
“You need a hat,” I told Kevin as we raced up the school steps with our heads down, hoping to ward off the chill.
“I know,” he said with bright red cheeks.
“Maybe when Jim finds a job, we can ask Mom, okay?” I reassured him.
He nodded before heading off toward his class after a boy his age called his name.
Class seemed to fly by that day. It was obvious from the moment I walked through the door that Max had told everyone about our upcoming date. I flushed uncomfortably as I met Rebecca’s eyes. She gave me a small smile, which was a relief. At least that was less one obstacle I needed to obsess over.
Max was as engaging as ever, and I couldn’t resist the magnetism between us. I pushed Bethany’s claims to the back of my mind. For once in my life, it seemed possible that everything could work out.
Mr. Hanson snagged me at the end of math class to give me the results of my assessment.
“Well, Katelyn, your basic math is dead on. You scored very high in all those categories. Fractions and algebra seem to be your kryptonite,” he said, smiling at me.
“No surprise there,” I answered, smiling at his Superman reference which would have pleased Kevin immensely. “I just never really remember really learning either one,” I admitted.
“Never?” he asked shocked.
“No, sir.”
“Hm… Well, now that we have a starting point, we can get you the help you need. Can you stay after school one day a week for extra lesson time?” he inquired.
“Um, I don’t think so. I ride the bus.”
“Would your mom be willing to pick you up that day?”
“I don’t think so,” I said trying for indifference, but really just too ashamed to tell him she was too busy applying her makeup and styling her hair to actually leave the trailer to come and get me. “Could I do it during the school day?”
He nodded his head. “How about during lunch twice a week? I have two tutors in mind, so you can take your pick. One is Maxwell Jones, or there's Courtney Weaver.”
I smiled. “Well, Max has been hounding me about how great he is at math, so I guess I'll take him up on his offer."
“That’s a good choice. Max has a way with numbers. He’s taken our school to state each year in the Math Quest competition and placed first in the whole state two years running.”
“Wow, seriously?” I said, feeling a bit intimidated.
“Don’t worry, he will be an excellent tutor,” he said, smiling at me.
“Okay,” I said, before heading out the door, only to bump into the object of my unease.
“Hey, I know I have animal appeal, but please control yourself. We are at school after all,” Max joked, steadying me with his hands.
“Very funny,” I said, regaining my balance, but trying not to think about how right his hands felt on my arms.
“So, you get your wish,” I said, taking a step back to put distance between us.
“Oh yeah, what wish is that?” he asked, smiling suggestively at me in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
“To tutor me, you perv,” I said, feeling flustered at the way I was reacting to him. I was no novice to dating, but I had never been sucked in so completely by someone I hardly knew.
“Sweet, so you’ve finally come to your senses.”
“Well, I guess if Hanson says I need a tutor you’ll have to do,” I teased as we entered the room late once again.
“Don’t mind me you two. It’s not as if I’m trying to teach or anything,” Mr. Graves joked as we took our seats.