CHARLIE
I swallowed hard, this is going to end crazy.I led him inside.
"Where are you your parents?", he asked.
"Dad got back yesterday so, they're kinda enjoying their little moment together so we went ok a little outing", I said.
"Cute", he said and I led him upstairs to my room .
"Still have this Teen Titans poster on your wall?", he asked.
"I haven't gotten over them, not any year soon", I said.
We settled down on my table.
"So, uhm, what are we starting with?", he asked.
"Everything ",he said dumping all his text books on my table.
"Which subject do you think you like a little, just a little?",he asked.
He shrugged, "Art I guess, Fine art, cuz it's the only thing I actually enjoy doing, that and basketball ", he said.
I nodded, "Okay and what's the worse subject?"."Maths ".
"Great, so we know your strength and weakness, what's the best grade you've had asides art".
"Physics, I had a C".
"You're not that terrible I've been worse", I said.
Then we started with physics, I was basically teaching him everything from scratch.
He was a very fast learner, I mean I know Cole he was very smart so I just feel like he low-key fell off on everything.
We finished everything before 9pm and I even gave him a little test on everything we learnt today and he had 82/100
I don't know what got into Cole but, honestly I'm glad I got back to talking to him again.
"I just called my driver he said he'll be here in 30 minutes", Cole Said as we wrapped up our meeting.
"You did good today, I honestly don't know why you need tutoring, I think you just need to read more", I said.
"I'll do my best, and thank you so much for this, it means a lot ", he responded."Well, at least I just have to bring an extra apple to school everyday, nothing more", I said.
"I'll tell him to stop taking your apples if you want".
"No no no it's fine, really it is, I don't mind, besides he looks like he needs something healthy in his life", I said and then made him chuckle.
"I'm really sorry about, disappearing, I honestly am, just being around you today feels so good, just like old times ", he said.
"Thanks, I'm just glad we can talk, it's really cool", I said.
"Wanna play video games till my driver comes around?", he asked.
I smiled broadly.
"I'm gonna kick your ass, I've gotten a lot better since then honestly ", I said.
"You wish",he said and we grabbed the console and started playing.
I honestly lost track of time but we played for 4 rounds and I won all three but then I just let him win the last one so he wouldn't go home crying, and yes I told him that.
Then there was a knock on my door."Oh hi Cole, it's good seeing you two like this, how was tutoring?", my mom asked.
"It was good ma'am, thank you",he replied"Well your driver Is outside",she said.
"Oh right, I should get going", he said getting up.
Then my mom closed the door and left
"Your mom knocks on your room?", he asked me packing his things
"Yeah I mean why not?", I asked.
She shook his head and sighed, "Nevermind", he said.
"So uhm, I think we should fix dates don't you think? for our meetings?" he asked."Yes of course, when will be okay with you?", I asked.
"Any day is okay for me,how about Wednesday Friday and Sunday?", he asked.
"Oh no I can't do Sundays, I play video games with my friend Ethan, it's like a ritual, I can't miss a day", I said.
He nodded.
"Okay how about Tuesday?", he asked.
I nodded, "Yes thats fine", I said.
"Alright then, and thank you so much for today, I honestly owe you a lot", he said leaving my room as I walked him downstairs.
"Oh no it's nothing, really, I'm glad I can help", I said and then he. greeted my parents and I watched him go into his car and then drive off.
I went back to my room and squealed like a three year old
I cannot believe I just had a 4 hours date with Cole
it's a date I don't care what anyone else says.
I immediately called Ethan
"Hey what's up man?"."Ethan you will not believe it but, I just had a date with Cole".
"Date??", he asked surprised.
"Yeahh, I mean tutoring or whatever I don't care what you call it but, the point is, I just had time to be with him, and we played video games right after, it was just like old times oh my Gosh I feel so happy like, I'm living in my dream come true".
"You're so delusional Nate, so Delusional, but I don't care tell me more", he said excited and I gave him the full details.
now.CHAPTER TEN The journal was the only place where I could breathe.At school, I kept my head down, shoulders hunched, pretending I didn’t hear the whispers. At home, I smiled at my parents enough to keep them from worrying. But in my journal? I was raw, exposed, bleeding ink onto paper.That Tuesday night, after the tutoring session that left me hollow, I wrote until my hand cramped.Cole remembered Pop-Tarts. He remembered me. Not just the tutor-me, not just the nobody. He noticed something small and stupid, and it made me feel seen in a way I can’t explain. But then, he still lets Ariana hang off his arm in school like I don’t exist. I hate myself for being jealous. I hate that I can’t stop.The words blurred. I dropped the pen, rubbing my eyes. I didn’t bother to lock the journal away. Just shoved it under the pillow like always, where it was close enough to feel safe.But safety is fragile.The rest of the week crawled. Cole and I met for tutoring as usual. He was quie
CHAPTER NINE If Monday tasted bitter, Tuesday was straight poison.I didn’t see him in the morning, which was normal. I told myself it didn’t matter, that I wasn’t scanning the hallways for blond hair and broad shoulders, that I wasn’t listening for his laugh under the noise. But by third period, I spotted him.And my stomach dropped.Cole leaned against the lockers, arm slung casually around Amanda’s waist. Amanda—his on-and-off girlfriend since sophomore year, the girl with glossy hair and nails sharp enough to draw blood. She tilted her head up at him, laughing too loud at something he’d said.He didn’t laugh back, not really. Just smiled faintly, eyes distant. But his arm stayed where it was, his perfect image intact.I froze mid-step, heat climbing my neck. My binder felt heavy in my hands. Around me, the hallway blurred into white noise.Jealousy wasn’t new. I’d had it simmering for years, every time I saw him with her. But this time was different. Because this time I kn
CHAPTER EIGHT Monday mornings always tasted bitter, like burnt coffee I wasn’t old enough to drink.I dragged myself through the front doors of school, head down, shoulders tight. The hallway noise washed over me—laughter, slamming lockers, the squeak of sneakers on linoleum.Kendal spotted me first, of course. He always did. His smirk widened like he’d been waiting all weekend for his chance.“Watch your step, Donalds,” he sneered, sticking a foot out as I passed.I braced for impact, but before I could trip, a sharp voice cut through the noise.“Knock it off, Kendal.”I froze. My eyes darted sideways. Cole leaned against a locker, arms crossed, gaze cold as steel.Kendal laughed nervously. “Chill, man. I was just messing around.”“Mess with someone else.” Cole’s tone left no room for argument.Kendal raised his hands in mock surrender and backed off.My pulse thundered in my ears. For a second, Cole’s gaze flicked to me—quick, almost hidden—but I caught it. My stomach flipped.Th
CHAPTER SEVEN Friday afternoons used to feel endless. Now, they slipped through my fingers too fast.I told myself it was ridiculous, counting down the hours until six o’clock like a little kid waiting for Christmas. But no matter how many equations I solved in chemistry or how many pages of history notes I copied, my brain looped the same thought: two hours with Cole.At school, nothing had changed between us. He was still a ghost to me in the hallways. A tall, perfect ghost in a varsity jacket who laughed with his friends, passed me without a glance, and made my chest ache with the effort of pretending I didn’t care.“Move it, loser.” Kendal’s shoulder slammed into mine hard enough to rattle my teeth. My binder flew from my hands, scattering worksheets across the linoleum. Laughter followed me down the hallway.I crouched, gathering papers. No one helped. They never did.Except—when I glanced up, just for a second—I saw Cole standing at the far end of the hall. His blu
CHAPTER SIXI told myself not to stare, but my eyes betrayed me.Cole sat across from me at the desk, his perfect blonde head bent over the notebook, brows furrowed as if Newton’s laws had personally insulted him. The lamplight caught the line of his jaw, the curve of his mouth.Every few minutes he would glance at me to see if he was getting the answer right, and every time I nearly forgot how to breathe.This was our rhythm now.Tuesdays and Fridays, in his room or sometimes the dining table, textbooks stacked like walls between us. For a while, I could pretend we were just tutor and student, nothing more. But then he’d laugh at one of my sarcastic comments, or nudge my pen away with his longer fingers, and the illusion cracked.“Got it,” he said finally, scribbling an answer down. “Acceleration equals force over mass. Easy.”I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, easy. Took you twenty minutes, but easy.”He smirked and tossed the pen at me, and for a heartbeat we were two normal boy
CHARLIE I swallowed hard, this is going to end crazy.I led him inside."Where are you your parents?", he asked."Dad got back yesterday so, they're kinda enjoying their little moment together so we went ok a little outing", I said."Cute", he said and I led him upstairs to my room ."Still have this Teen Titans poster on your wall?", he asked."I haven't gotten over them, not any year soon", I said.We settled down on my table."So, uhm, what are we starting with?", he asked."Everything ",he said dumping all his text books on my table."Which subject do you think you like a little, just a little?",he asked.He shrugged, "Art I guess, Fine art, cuz it's the only thing I actually enjoy doing, that and basketball ", he said.I nodded, "Okay and what's the worse subject?"."Maths "."Great, so we know your strength and weakness, what's the best grade you've had asides art"."Physics, I had a C"."You're not that terrible I've been worse", I said.Then we started with physics, I was bas