Chapter 3

James

I head to school early the next day, hoping to speak to Principal Paul before classes commence.

Kate hadn't replied to my message from last night, and I was starting to feel like she didn't want the arrangement, although I don't know how much say she had in this. From the look of things, this whole thing was her dad's idea.

I woke up having mixed feelings about everything as well. I wasn't sure I wanted to tutor someone who didn't want to be tutored by me. I'm heading over to Principal Paul's office to confront him about the situation, but it seems I'm really early today because I had to text Sarah and tell her I'd be leaving earlier than normal.

I meet the principal right outside his office. He seems to just be arriving as well, so I wait until he unlocks the office.

"Good morning, Principal Paul," I greet him in a hurry.

"Good morning, James. You're really early. I take it you want to discuss something with me?" he asks, looking curious.

"Yeah, I actually really do."

"Well, come on in then," he says, leaving the door wide open enough for me to follow after him.

I wait as he pulls down the blinds and settles down. Then I sit after him and wait until he's giving me his undivided attention.

"I'm listening, Riverra." He's looking straight at me now.

I clear my throat, even if there wasn't any need to. I expect him to put up a protest against what I'm about to say, so I brace myself up.

"Well…it's about the tutoring arrangements with Kate. I don't think I can go through with it. Apart from not being sure she's equally interested, I don't think I can spare so much time aside from my tedious schedule to tutor someone else. College is around the corner, and I'm involved in as many extracurriculars as possible so I can create a very good college portfolio," I say, hoping it sounds as reasonable as it did in my head.

Principal Paul sighs. Then he leans forward and smiles cryptically before speaking.

"It's not up to Kate to decide if she's interested in this or not. The decision has been made for her. Now, James. You and I both know you're a straight-A student. Even if you decide to miss classes for a full week, the future is really bright for you." He pauses and takes a deep breath like he's really about to mention something important.

"I heard you're into tech, and that's your line of interest. This arrangement was specifically made by Miss Milner's father. You sure you want to pass up on such an opportunity?" That last line sounds a bit seductive when he says it.

I pause to think about his words. Why is he dragging out certain details?

"Well, Principal Paul, I don't think Miss…." I pause when a realization hits me. He just addressed Kate with her last name for the first time.

Miss Milner. He also dragged that last bit a lot. Could she be…?

He must have noticed the realization dawning on me because his smile was sheepish afterward.

"Kate Milner," he says. "The daughter of the famous tech billionaire, Troy Milner." He's laughing at this point.

I drink in his words, taking them slowly. Why didn't anybody mention this earlier?

Troy Milner has been my role model ever since I got interested in computers and robotics. He's the founder and CEO of The Empire, a successful robotics company and the place I dream of working someday. For an opportunity I thought I'd have to work my ass off to even get a slim chance at it, this seems to be served to me on a platter of gold.

I adjust my seat so I'm sitting up straight when I reply to him.

"Well, Principal Paul. You should have mentioned this from the beginning. We wouldn't have to go through this back and forth. I'll help her out. I can't guarantee complete improvement, as that's completely on her, but I'm definitely trying my best." I assure him.

He smiles and shakes my hands. We discuss the study schedule and the subjects I'll be helping her with, of which I agree to get back to him when I've discussed it with Kate.

I leave his office soon after, hoping I won't be late for class when I bump into Kate in the hallway. She was walking with her head down and earphones on. I guess I was in too much of a hurry and didn't see her immediately until I bumped into her and knocked her phone off her hand.

We stand for a few seconds, just staring at each other. For a second, it seemed as if she was upset and just trying not to react. I love how her eyes get greener when she's upset. Not that I meant to upset her, but I have to admit she looks pretty with a frown.

I love that her hair is pulled into a braided crown because it accentuates her features. Her eyes seem fuller, and her nose is long and pointed. Her lips are just about the size of a pout, like the one she's put it in now. I admire her for a while, but then she bends to pick up her phone, and I'm jolted back to reality.

I quickly reach for the phone before her, apologizing and examining it for any fault.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she says dismissively as if my apologies weren't needed.

I piece the phone back together, put the battery back in the phone, and turn it back on. Luckily, the screen doesn't have a c****, so I had the phone back to her. She takes it, and we stand there quietly, or should I say, awkwardly.

She pulls a strand of hair behind her ear mindlessly, and it does something to my insides. I ignore the feeling and try to strike up a conversation.

"You must be heading to the principal's office," I say. Her reply is nothing but a nod.

"I'm guessing you're going to discuss the study arrangements?" I ask. She nods again.

I'm starting to wonder if she's generally shy, or if I make her nervous.

"Well, that's where I'm coming from, and we've just concluded the arrangements." She looks straight into my face for the first time since we've been standing here. Not a bold look, but a rather involuntary action out of genuine surprise.

"Unless you don't want to go ahead with it," I add, silently praying that's not the case.

She looks away, revealing a side view of her face. Her jawlines are oddly symmetrical.

"That's not it actually. I don't exactly have a say in this, anyway. I was just thinking you'd decline the offer, and I wanted to find that out from Principal Paul". The whole time she's saying this, she looking everywhere but my face.

She seems like a child that's been caged her whole life and has had other people make all the decisions for her.

For a split second, I wish I could ask her opinion on all of this. The last thing I wanted was to tutor someone who wasn't willing to learn.

That'd be me being sentimental, and sentiments won't get me what I want. I do the logical thing and ignore the helplessness I hear in her voice.

"I didn't decline. Actually, I went to inform the principal that I'm willing to tutor you for as long as you need to get your grades back up. We had concluded on it, and I was going to let you know, later on, so we can come up with a study plan that works for both of us. Luckily, I bumped into you here," I reveal this to her, carefully excluding the parts where I wasn't sure I wanted to do this when I woke up this morning.

I also exclude the part where I just found out that Troy Milner is her father and I really needed her so I can get close to him. This is unnecessary information, and she doesn't need to know it.

"Oh. I see." That's all she says quietly. I can tell she's accepted the whole thing, but I feel the urge to give her time to come to terms with it. I feel another urge to suddenly hold her close, which is weird and would even be worse if executed. So, I go with the more likely option.

"Alright, I guess I'll head to class now. We can talk about the arrangements later, so I can give you some time in case you still feel the need to talk to Principal Paul." I stand for a second and assess her again, giving her enough time to respond to what I've just said. When she says nothing else, I briefly press an understanding arm to her shoulder and walk away.

I don't turn to see her still standing there, but I know she is. I can even feel her gazing at my back. I wonder why I just pressed an arm to her shoulder. Was it really out of an understanding of what she might be feeling, or just me relieving the urge I've been feeling to touch her this whole time?

I sigh. What an interesting morning, this had been.

***

Kate

I woke up feeling quite unsettled this morning. I had brushed my teeth and had quite a warm, soothing bath, yet the uneasiness was still there.

Now I'm sitting at breakfast, fumbling with the bacon and eggs on my plate and wondering the cause of my uneasiness. My mom notices I've barely touched my food. She's been watching me the whole time, and she's tried to make conversation, but my replies have been without thought and quite distant.

"You okay, sweetie? You look flustered," she says, putting a hand to my neck like she's examining me for some sort of fever.

I push her hand away gently.

"I'm fine, Mom. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Well, wanna talk about it?" She asks warmly.

Not that I had planned to before, but now that I think about it, I wonder if she's aware of everything. If she is, I really want to know what she thinks about it. I know dad consults her before making certain decisions, which usually makes no difference because she's always submissive to what he thinks is best for the family. For me as well.

"Dad wants to get a tutor for me. That's what Principal Paul wanted to talk to me about the other day. Did you know about this?" I ask.

She sips her tea for a while before answering. "Well, not in detail. He had mentioned something about being concerned about you the other day, and then he said he had a plan, but he never disclosed anything. Although I think that's a great idea if he wants you to get tutored."

I was expecting her to say something like that, so I'm not surprised.

"You don't seem to want it though. Is there a problem?"

I look away. I don't know if I don't want it or if I'm just worried I'm being a burden to James. The last thing I need is to be in anyone's way.

"No. It's fine. I was just curious whether you knew about it or not," I reply, and she smiles as we eat the rest of breakfast in silence.

I've never really opposed my parents. I don't exactly want to. It's just a lot of stress, and I'm not sure I'm bold enough to handle it.

I finish breakfast and kiss my mom goodbye before leaving for school. I plan on speaking to Principal Paul to know what James thinks about all this. I don't think I can ask him directly. I can't stand direct rejection normally, but for some reason, I especially dread rejection from this boy whom I barely know.

The thought of James crosses my mind as I drive. I wonder what his hair looks like when he lets it down. What it’s like studying closely together, his brown eyes staring directly into mine, or those cocoa-colored lips explaining math to me, and all I can think of is pressing mine to them.

Sigh. My head's a mess. I knock off the thoughts as I pull into Pasture Hill's driveway. I take my bag out of the car and head toward the principal's office. I put on my earphones, and I'm texting my mom and asking her to take my laundry out of the washing machine when…

My phone drops. and I pause. Someone bumped into me. I look up to see who it is without looking into the face. I can tell from the broad chest and over 6ft height that it's James Riverra.

The baritone voice apologizing confirms my suspicions. I don't look at his face as I bend to pick up my phone, but he reaches it before me. I stand and watch as he assembles the phone and hands it to me.

I don't know why being around him is so nerve-wracking. I can barely say anything, and yet I can't move. He seems to sense that because he's doing all the talking now.

He's explaining the conversation with Principal Paul and letting me know he agrees to tutor me.

I don't know if I'm wrong, but he sounds like he actually is excited to help me with my grades. The thought of him being excited about it makes me blush a little and for a second, I worry that it might be too obvious on my face. So, in an attempt to conceal the roller-coaster of emotions I'm feeling right now, I barely reply to him or look at his face. I try my best to sound as unbothered as possible.

He tells me that we'd see later and make arrangements for how our tutoring sessions would go. I nod affirmatively, and we both stand there, awkwardly looking at each other and saying nothing.

He takes the cue that I had nothing else to say so he does something that sends chills all over my body. He presses his arm gently to my shoulders. A light touch, but its impact is enough to weaken my knees and knock me off my feet. It takes everything at that moment to steady myself so I don't collapse to the floor.

The touch was so casual and probably didn't mean anything, but my body's reaction says otherwise. He's walking away now, and I can't help but turn to look at him. He doesn't turn back so I keep staring until he's out of view.

His back view is a sight to behold, with perfectly framed structure and build. It's like admiring a piece of art at an exhibition. I'm sure he's not on the sports team because I'd have known that by now, but he definitely hits the gym once in a while.

I bring my both hands to my heated cheeks at this point. They've either lost all color right now and are as pale as snow, or they've gotten sore red right now.

Either way, I can't head to class like this, so I rush to the restroom to touch up my face and reposition myself before heading to class.