Tutor with Benefits

I could tell you the exact minute that my life started to fall apart. Most people would assume that I, Hailey Blake Wright, would meet my doom in the way of maybe getting my first fail or skipping a class. I, after all, was the very first student in the country to get a straight A result for the prestigious Coral exam, the same exam that earned me a full ride scholarship to Coral Heights; the school for old money students who only needed their surnames to open the same doors that I studied years for. The same exam that ensured that as long as I maintained my grades, I would be on a full ride scholarship to Coral Heights private university of sciences.

My life, in a very anticlimatic way, started to fall apart when I let myself foolishly believe that my boyfriend, Micheal Dean, part of the school's hockey team, and youngest son of one of the biggest names in the fashion industry, would look at me and actually, really, love me. A little naive for the girl who is only I own for being a teacher's pet and nothing else, but it is something love does to you.

I would have chosen any other way to have it thrown in my face. The least I expected was to find him balls deep in Johannah, right in the back room of the party he had thrown for his birthday, the same party where I had maxed out my credit card to buy him a new watch.

"Micheal?"

I looked around the party, familiar faces blurring into nothing around me. The large sitting room of Micheal's family mansion was filled with his friends from school and his hockey teammates, and the stench of illegally bought alcohol and sweat filled the entire space.

I had been standing with Micheal a minute ago and had let go of his hand just so I could grab the carefully wrapped gift box that held the vintage watch he had mentioned liking.

"Micheal?" I called again, but my voice was drowned out by the music.

I started to push through the crowd of dancing bodies, muttering excuses as I made my way forward. I soon found myself in the large corridor that held only the small backroom, where Micheal had told me was only used by the housekeepers.

He wouldn't be here. Maybe up in his room. Maybe in the kitchen.

I turned around and started to walk away when a high-pitched moan hit my ears.

I turned, my brows furrowed. It wasn't unheard of for a bunch of high school seniors to sneak away during a party for exactly what I believed was happening in there, but Micheal had made it quite clear that his parents wouldn't like to know that a bunch of eighteen year olds were going at it in their house.

Against my better judgement, I slowly walked down to the back room. It was slightly ajar, quite carelessly, and the hallway light slightly illuminated part of the room.

I stepped forward, intending only to tell them to find a different place, but the sight I met stopped me cold. Johannah, most popular girl in school, cheerleader and also famously Micheal's ex before he disappointed everyone by dating me, was bent over a low table in the back room, her already short skirt pulled up, her eyes closed in pleasure.

The man behind her, driving those moans out of her half parted lips, was none other than my boyfriend, Micheal.

The package I was holding slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor with a loud thud, immediately drawing their attention to me.

"Hailey," Micheal said, his hands still gripping her hips, his eyes wide.

I looked around them. The room was dim, his shirt was pushed open and hanging on by two buttons, his hair was tousled, and he had a giant hickey just below his jawline.

Tears filled my eyes immediately. It's been barely three months. Barely enough for me to believe that the honeymoon phase was over and he was already straying. Barely enough for me to even register that he had been genuine about anything at all.

But maybe I wasn't enough, and I was stupid enough to think I would ever be. My heart fractured as Micheal stood there, still inside her, like he couldn't be bothered to stop on my account.

"Oh, for goodness' sake. Always around to spoil the fun."

Johannah moved first, then turned, her hands wrapping around Micheal to keep him in place.

"You really didn't think he would leave me, just to get with you, did you? You can't be that naive. You are the most intelligent girl in school." She gave a small laugh. "Isn't that why you think you can fit in? Because whoever the fuck heads that school thinks some lowlife is good enough to be around us?"

My jaws clenched hard, as I stepped back, mistakenly stepping on the watch I had bought and wrapped so carefully, just like how Micheal had done to my heart. The sound of the glass breaking felt almost cathartic.

I looked at Micheal. He was just standing there, motionless and still gripping her hips like a fucking idiot.

I nodded slowly. His silence, his inability to even look ashamed for me was everything I needed to see.

"Sure, I don't fit in with you guys. I don't get bent over on utility room tables, I get taken to actual beds."

Her eyes widened as the insult landed. I watched as her smug smile turned into pure rage. She immediately pushed off the table and covered the distance to me, slapping me hard across the cheek.

"You arrogant bitch! You would have never had a chance with him if I didn't break his heart!"

A small yelp left my lips as I touched the cheek. Her nail had drawn blood and I immediately saw red.

I slapped her right back, and she fell back towards the door, her eyes wide in shock.

"You stupid vixen!" She shrieked, launching herself right into me, her fingers lacing in my hair as she pulled hard.

I screamed, pain shooting right into my scalp as I tried to get her off me, my teeth gritting hard.

"Johannah, stop!" Micheal yelled, coming between us.

She still held on to my hair, until he physically pulled her away from me, forcing her to stand apart, her fingers filled with the strands of hair she had pulled off me.

"You are fucking crazy," I said, my chest rising and falling rapidly, my breaths coming out in short bursts as tears filled my eyes, but I would rather die than let them drop.

"Baby," Micheal said, standing between us. He gently brought his hands to place on both my shoulders, his lips lifting in that smile that he had given me the night he asked me out with flowers and a card.

"Look at me," he continued. "You know how she is. This was just a stupid mistake. Just a momentary lapse in judgement. You are the one I love."

I almost laughed. Almost. "Get your filthy hands off me."

"Hailey."

"I said, get your hands off me!" I shoved him back hard, right into Johannah. "You are right, I know exactly how she is. Perfect for you. We are done, Micheal. We are done."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You don't get to walk away from me, Hailey. No one does."

"Watch me," I said simply, then turned, my hands clenching into tight fists.

"Hailey."

I stopped. All the gentle coaxing had left his voice, and there was nothing but steel and coldness there now.

I turned, and Johannah was now holding him from behind as his eyes locked on mine. "I really do like you," he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "And I don't think I will be able to cope with seeing you around and knowing you don't belong to me."

"So what do you intend to do? Take me out of school? Because I am sure as hell never going back to you."

He gave a slow shrug. "Maybe. If that's what helps me heal from this tantrum that we could have fixed. Think of this as just a small hurdle. Just me being a man who needs a little more than your amateurish texts can give me. We could be fine again. We could be even stronger."

"Tantrum? Amateurish texts?" I asked, a fresh wave of anger filling me. The same texts I forced myself to do because he wanted them? The same texts I was still ashamed of?

I should claw his eyes out. I should drag that fucking face on the floor till he stops talking. Instead, I took a step back before I do something I know I will regret.

"Do whatever you want. I was the stupid one for thinking you were worth anything at all, including those texts."

I turned and walked out of the party without looking back. The tears finally rolled down my cheeks in earnest storms as I ran back to the tiny rented apartment I called home.

For the first time in my life, I had truly let loose. I had believed he saw something there. That he could really be mine.

Maybe I was naive, but I was in love.