A Tempting Offer

Cole’s POV

Of all the humiliating ways I imagined this semester could go, standing in a crowded hallway asking Lila Thompson for help had never made the list.

Yet here I was.

And worse?

She was staring at me as I had just confessed to eating drywall for fun.

“You,” she repeated, blinking at me, “want me to tutor you?”

I gritted my teeth. “Yes.”

The word tasted like poison as it rolled off my tongue. Around us, students kept moving through the hallway, but I could feel a few of them slowing down, sensing drama. Crestwood students could smell tension like sharks smelled blood.

Lila crossed her arms, clearly enjoying her moment of relevance—for now.

“No.”

I exhaled once through my nose. “Thought we already covered that part.”

“Good. Then we’re done.”

She tried to step around me, but I moved in front of her again.

“What is your fucking problem, Cole? Move!”

“No.”

“Move.”

“No.”

Lila let out an annoyed breath, irritation clearly evident across her face. “Do you know how exhausting you are?”

“Frequently.”

She made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a growl. Honestly, it was almost impressive how much rage could fit inside someone her size.

“I’m not tutoring you,” she said. “What on earth made you think I’d agree to help a cocky, arrogant jerk like you?”

That stung more than it should have.

Mostly because she wasn’t entirely wrong.

I almost told her she’d be falling over herself to say yes if Ryan Keller had asked instead.

Almost

But I wasn’t that cruel.

Besides, everyone with eyes knew about her pathetic little crush on Ryan. She looked at the guy like sunlight personally came from his face.

It would be too damn easy not to notice.

So instead, I said, “Because I failed the midterm exams.” 

Something in my voice must have sounded different, because her expression shifted for half a second.

Then it hardened again.

“Not my problem.”

“It kind of is if you’d like to be a good human being for once.”

A humourless laughter tore out of her the moment I said those words. “Me? Good? Weren’t you the same person who mocked me in front of your friends this morning?”

“Technically…I teased you.”

“You are unbelievable.”

“I’m desperate.”

That made her pause.

Good. Finally shut her damn mouth.

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice. “Every athlete at Crestwood knows the rules. If our grades fall behind, we’re benched. If they stay bad…it means I can’t play hockey again.”

Her eyes flickered, like she was actually a little concerned. I took advantage of that and kept going.

“I’m Crestwood’s hockey team captain, Lila. Hockey season starts in weeks. If I don’t pull this grade up now, everything I’ve worked for is over before it even starts.”

For once, she looked like she might actually hear me out. Then she shrugged.

“That sounds unfortunate.”

“Are you serious right now? That’s all you have to say after pouring my heart out to you?”

“Yeah.”

God, this…fucking bitch!

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll pay you. Any amount…just name your price.”

She blinked, and for a second her whole face changed in a way that made me think I had her. Then a humorless laugh tore out of her, loud enough to draw attention to us.

“You really think everything is about money? Huh?”

“It was a generous offer.”

“It was a stupid offer!” She snapped back coldly.

I dragged a hand down my face.

This was going horribly.

I had negotiated sponsorship deals with big companies, handled locker-room fights, and talked refs out of suspensions. And yet this five-foot-nothing menace was dismantling me in under five minutes.

So I did something I genuinely hated.

I apologized.

“About earlier,” I muttered, swallowing the taste of shame as the words left my mouth. “I…I’m sorry for what happened earlier.”

For a moment, silence hung between us. Then Lila’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Did someone put a gun to your head?”

“No.”

“Then why do you look like apologizing is physically painful?”

“Because it is.”

That almost made her smile, but she forced it away, pressing her lips into a frown and shaking her head in protest. 

“If you’re lying this badly, you should just stop talking.”

Something sharp snapped inside me. My patience was hanging by a thread, and Lila Thompson was seconds away from making me consider murder.

“Why are you refusing to tutor me? Just give me one good reason.”

“Because I have music classes,” she replied quickly. “And my winter showcase is coming up, meaning I don’t have spare time to babysit you through Statistics.”

Music.

Right. She played piano. Or violin. Whatever the hell that was.

“There has to be something you want in return.”

“There is.”

“What?”

“For you to get out of my face.”

I laughed once, short and humorless.

Then, suddenly, it hit me. The answer had been right in front of me the whole time and I’ve been so stupid not to see it.

I straightened slowly, confidence sliding back into place as a sly smirk tugged at my mouth. Now I was going to speak a language Lila Thompson would understand better.

“I can help you get something you’ve always wanted for a long time.”

She rolled her eyes. “What?”

“Ryan Keller.”

That landed exactly how I expected.

Lila went still for a second, color creeping into her cheeks. She looked almost embarrassed before quickly masking it with annoyance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said too quickly.

“Sure about that?”

“More than you can ever be in your entire life.”

“You stare at him like he’s a limited-edition miracle.”

“I do not!”

“You once walked into a pillar because he smiled at someone behind you, and you thought it was you.”

“That happened one time, and it was a bench.” Lila paused, and for a second she actually looked convinced—like I might have said something reasonable. “Even if your stupid plan is possible…” she said slowly, “how exactly do you want to execute it?”

I folded my arms and gave her a slow, assessing look. “We all know that Ryan barely knows you exist.”

Her face dropped for a second before anger quickly took its place.

“That was mean.”

“I’m just being honest here.”

“You really enjoy being annoying, don’t you?”

I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “The point is, Ryan doesn’t notice you now.”

“And?”

“But if you were dating someone like me…” I paused for a second, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. “…then he would. You’d be noticed, because people pay attention to whoever’s popular around here—and Ryan especially notices when I’m dating someone unexpected.”

Her brows furrowed.

“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s not dumb. It’s simple logic.”

“You think pretending to date you would make Ryan notice me?”

“I know it would.”

Lila went quiet for a while, I could practically see her giving a deep thought about it. But then, she looked up and crushed all my hopes instantly.

“Your offer is tempting, but no.”

I blinked. “Excuse me? You’re turning down tutoring money and a chance to get the boy of your dreams?”

“I’m turning you down.” She shot back, pointing a finger at my chest. “You’re arrogant, rude, self-obsessed, and impossible to stand for more than thirty seconds. Why would I fake date someone I can barely tolerate in real life?”

I opened my mouth to say something, to try to convince her, but nothing came out. As if she had finally seen I’d given up, she gave a tight, satisfied smile.

“Good luck with your grades, Captain.”

Then she walked away.

Just like that.

Students parted around her as she disappeared down the hall. Meanwhile, I stood there, rage burning through me as I watched her walk away.

Who the hell does she think is to reject my offer and apology?

My grip tightened at my sides.

In my entire life, no one had ever said no to me like this—let alone repeatedly, like I was some joke. And not after making me lower myself enough to apologize, only to walk away.

She could act stubborn now, pretending she was above the offer. But she’d be back.

They always came back.

And Lila Thompson wouldn’t be any different.

“Now,” I said coldly, staring in the direction she’d gone, “She’ll learn that no one walks away from me like that.”