Tutor Me

by Hope Stillwater

  I was making my way to the kitchen where I figured the keg would be when a gentle tap made me turn around. It was one of the cheerleaders, Charlotte, and I was delighted to see her. She was sweet and friendly, hands down the nicest girl on the squad. Charlotte was a brunette, very petite, with dark gleaming eyes. She always reminded me of an adorable chipmunk.

  “Hi Jenny,” she said happily. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  She filled me in. Lacey was in the TV room down the hall, and Bryce was getting another keg ready in the kitchen. I chatted with Charlotte a bit as we headed toward the TV room to check in with Lacey. Even though we’d had practice together for a couple months now, funnily enough, we’d never had a chance to talk as Charlotte was quiet around Lacey and her minions. As we passed a wide receiver named Pete he smacked her lightly on the ass, causing her to giggle, but she kept walking.

  “Are you dating Pete?”

  “Not really. We just hook up off and on, nothing serious.”

  I was a little shocked. Charlotte deserved to be more than Pete’s FWB. Lacey seemed so strong but maybe the cheerleaders did just service the football players. I pushed the unwelcome thought from my head.

  We found Lacey. She was sitting on her boyfriend Kai’s lap while he and Jake, another football player, played a video game on the Wii. Kai had to crane his neck to the side to see the screen around Lacey but he didn’t seem bothered by this. Lacey was talking to a couple girls who stood by the couch. Her face lit up when she saw me.

  “Jenny, you’re here, yay! And you look hot! Charlotte, show her where the keg is. I’ll catch up with you, or you can come back here to hang if you want.” I nodded obediently. Lacey’s bossiness was welcome now, because I felt she would take care of me.

  In the kitchen Pete was now acting as keg master. He filled a cup and handed it to me, saying “Bryce is looking for you. He’s out in the patio.”

  I was surprised that Pete even knew my name. Charlotte was talking to some people so I went through the screen door to the patio. It was dark but the air was still thick with heat. Bryce’s pool was glowing pale blue. It looked inviting, but not with fifty people watching me. Bryce and I spotted each other at the same moment. He was talking with a few people but when our eyes met he grinned and peeled away from them.

  “Hey beautiful, you made it!” He stood next to me, brushing his hand against my arm. He was now wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts, his blond hair gelled up. I had his full attention and believe me it felt terrific.

  “I did. Pete gave me a beer so I’m all set.” There was a pause, which I had to fill. “So, I take it your parents are away?”

  “Yeh they’re playing golf in Colorado with friends this weekend. I’ve got some cleaners coming tomorrow to get the house back to normal before they get home on Sunday.”

  I nodded, saying “Cool,” because it seemed the appropriate response.

  Bryce suddenly reached out and took my hand. His felt large and warm. He led me toward some lounge chairs by the pool, only releasing my hand once we were seated, facing each other.

  “So, who are you? I can’t believe you were at our school all last year and I never noticed you.”

  I shrugged. “It’s hard to transfer schools as a junior. I stayed under the radar, basically nerding out with schoolwork.”

  He nodded. “I get that.”

  I wasn’t sure that he did- I doubted if he had ever even considered such a thing in his life. But I appreciated the attempt at empathy. I didn’t bother to add, ‘And of course you wouldn’t have noticed me, even though I looked the same, until I was an appropriate person to date.’ We both knew that and, this being high school, weren’t concerned by it.

  We talked a bit more. He told me his dad was a stock broker, and that his dream was to play football for ASU. I liked looking at him while he talked about himself.

  We were eventually interrupted by a drunken Kai clutching a bottle of tequila. “Dude, time for some shots!”

  Bryce hesitated, glancing at me, but I said “go ahead, I’m good.” It was his party, I couldn’t monopolize him the whole time. Besides, I needed to pee. I walked inside and Kai took my spot on the lounge chair. Some other guys joined them with shot glasses. For the next hour I sipped my by-now lukewarm beer and talked to various cheerleaders and others I knew. Besides not wanting to drink when I was driving, I wasn’t comfortable enough in this crowd to get drunk. At one point while pretending to fiddle with my phone I looked up to see Caitlin Morgensen from Calc in front of me. She had a shy smile on her face. I smiled back, hoping she’d lead the conversation as I had nothing much to say to her unless she wanted to talk math.

  “You’re in my Calc class, right?”

  I nodded.

  “We were also in Algebra together last year.”

  I’d forgotten that but nodded again.

  “I have to tell you, that day last spring when you solved that Algebra problem was freakin’ awesome.”

  Puzzlement must have shown on my face, because she laughed. “Don’t you even remember? It was so cool. Mr. F put this really tricky equation on the board, and the whole class was just staring at the board like, ‘no way’, and suddenly you raise your hand and in this cool voice go, ‘I think I got this.’ And you stride up to the front of the class, so confident, and you just start scribbling up there and talking through each step, and you just demolish that equation.”

  “No I didn’t,” I replied. “I got stuck and had to ask Mr. F for help.” It was a moment I’d found rather humiliating.

  Caitlin waved a dismissive hand. “But don’t you see, that was part of what was so perfect about it. You didn’t give up, you kept your cool, and you finally got it. And Mr. F, who had been kind of pissed at how lame we all were, was as cheery as I’ve ever seen him. He goes ‘well done Miss Bartholomew.’ But instead of basking in the glory, you didn’t crack a smile but just shrugged, put the marker down, and strolled back to your seat, as if it was no big deal. Talk about having swag. You are my idol.”

  I was astounded that the incident had made such an impression. I’d loved tackling that challenging problem, but months later the missed step still rankled.

  She gave me a drunken hug, then frowned. “I like my Calc tutor but I was so hoping you’d be my tutor!”

  I had to agree with her there. “I wish we’d gotten paired up too.” This tutoring gig would be a whole lot more chill without Callum in it. OK maybe a little dull, but certainly stress-free.

  A little while later, feeling frankly a bit bored, I was saying goodbye to Lacey in the kitchen when I felt strong arms wrap around me from behind. Bryce. He was weaving a little and clearly loaded at this point. I twisted my head up and sideways to look at him.

  “Thanks for a great party. I’m going to take off in a couple of minutes.”

  He frowned. “So soon?” Boozy breath hit my nostrils.

  Lacey interjected, “walk her to her car, Bryce. Jenny, text me when you get home.”

  Bryce took my hand and led me through the very drunken party to the front door. Outside the temperature was finally dropping and the air felt refreshing after the stuffy party. We held hands as we approached my car, the sight of which somehow amused him.

  “This car is tiny. I bet my truck weighs more than three of these.”

  “Probably. I…” Bryce grabbed me and pulled me into his arms, kissing me hard on the lips. His body felt firm and strong against mine. He stuck his tongue in my mouth and it wasn’t unpleasant, but kissing a drunk guy when you’re stone cold sober just isn’t that romantic. I reciprocated though, feeling a sense of power at his reaction when I slipped my tongue inside his mouth.

  After a while he pulled back, but kept his face inches from mine. I could smell his tequila breath again. “Jenny you are so fucking hot. I want to spend time with you. Sober. Just the two of us. How about a date next week?”

  I nodded, my ego filling up at his words. He kissed me again.

  “I’ll be
in touch tomorrow.” He turned and headed inside.

  I drove away, revisiting the evening and that final scene. Funny how he didn’t bother to ask how I felt about him- that was a given. I couldn’t believe Bryce Avery wanted to date ME.

  Chapter 6

  “Definitely wear this. Way hotter.”

  It was an hour before Bryce was to pick me up for our date and Lacey was helping me get ready. I had already told her that at 18 I had some experience dressing myself, but she blew my sarcasm off. She had invited herself over and I got the impression she wanted to be a part of everything. If she could have joined us on the date to steer our conversation she probably would have. After rifling through my closet and making me try a couple dresses on (not that there was much to choose from), she was making her decision, a strapless sundress with black and white geometric patterns and A-line skirt that fell just above the knee. I’d bought it last spring at Tina’s insistence but rarely wore it.

  “I’m not sure I’m aiming for hot tonight. I don’t plan to sleep with him. It’s a Tuesday for chrissake.”

  As promised, Bryce had called me on Saturday afternoon. I was lying on my bed doing Physics homework when the phone rang. “When can I take you out?” He was certainly direct.

  “Next Friday?” I suggested.

  “I want to see you sooner. What about Tuesday?”

  “I have cheerleading practice.”

  “I have football practice, so, not a problem. And I won’t keep you out late, I promise. I’ll pick you up at 6:30?”

  “Cool!” I was thrilled though I couldn’t see how I would be able to even start homework until after the date.

  My mind went back to Lacey, who was saying “Sure, but you want him panting for it, nonetheless.”

  Did I? Why did Lacey make romance sound like a battle?

  Lacey continued. “Take a shower and I’ll do your hair and make-up.”

  I must have looked doubtful because she quickly said, “I’ll help I mean. I won’t make you look radically different than you normally do. You’re beautiful already, and you don’t want to seem like you’re trying too hard.”

  “OK. I’ll be out of the shower in a few minutes.”

  I headed across the hall into the bathroom, happy for a respite from Miss Cluck Cluck, my protective mother hen. I giggled to myself, mentally filing away that silly nickname to tell Tina later. I took a quick shower because my parents had raised me to be super vigilant about water usage, and then reappeared in a robe and my hair wrapped in a towel. Lacey was watching something on her phone. She looked up, surprise on her face.

  “Wow, that was a fast shower! Sit down so I can do hair and makeup.” So much for helping, she was taking over. Actually I was happy to let her do my hair as I was awful at styling it, never having the patience to dry it fully, let alone straighten it or curl it. Usually it was just messy. The new socially ambitious me had been trying a little harder but nice hair took more work than dressing well, I’d discovered.

  Lacey worked methodically and after what seemed like an eternity of pulling and brushing she got it to fall in beautiful glossy waves. My hair did look spectacular. We then had a tussle of wills over the makeup, with me pushing for absolute minimum (lip gloss and eye liner) and Lacey pressing for full foundation and more. I had watched Bethany Mota on Youtube and had learned something about makeup, but was still uncomfortable wearing much of it. We compromised with a light blush, some striking eye shadow in purple hues that gave my eyes a sultry look, mascara, and a dark lip stain with high gloss on top. Lacey stared appreciatively at her own handiwork, and took a photo of me to post on Instagram.

  I smiled at her in the mirror. “OK I admit it, you can work miracles. I’m not giving you public credit for this though!”

  “Of course not, but I’m still pleased.” Lacey grew serious for a moment. “Jenny I know I can be a bit, well, bossy, but I just really want this thing between you and Bryce to work out. Bryce is like Kai’s best friend and it would be so cool if the four of us could hang out together.”

  I had to agree that did sound glamorous and awesome. Me and the beautiful people. Unreal.

  “Well fairy godmother, you better get going cuz he’s going to be here in 10 minutes. Thank you for this.” I gestured up and down at myself.

  “Oh no way, that’s you. I just brought you out a little more. Have a great time! Text me!”

  We walked to the door together. “Bye Mr. Bartholomew,” Lacey waved breezily at my dad, sitting on the couch, on her way out.

  My dad looked up, distracted, from a book, and called out “Bye”, belatedly.

  After she left, my dad finally noticed me. “You’re all dressed up. Where are you off to?”

  “I have a date with a guy named Bryce.”

  I saw a flicker of interest in his eyes. I hadn’t dated anybody since Seb and I broke up over a year ago.

  “He’ll be here in a few minutes. Please don’t quiz him about intellectual stuff. He’s not like that.”

  “What do you mean? What is he like?” My dad looked confused.

  “He’s a football player, jock type.”

  My dad’s eyebrows shot up. “Low IQ?” My parents were unrepentant intellectual snobs.

  “Jesus Ian I don’t know. He’s a nice guy. Not everybody has to be a brainiac.”

  “True, and you’re young so you can sow your oats a bit.” I rolled my eyes at that, but my dad had already returned to his book.

  The doorbell rang. When I opened the door, there was Bryce, his sandy blond hair slicked back, in a blue polo shirt and khakis. Man, he was gorgeous. His eyes widened as he looked at me. “You look amazing.”

  That was an exaggeration, but nice of him to say. I grinned. “Thanks.”

  I invited him in to meet Ian, with some dread. Most girls worried their father would grill a boy on his intentions. Mine was likely to grill him on whatever obscure topic had captured his fancy, like the origins of vaudeville or the life cycle of a cicada. He wanted me to date someone who could hold a good conversation and tell him something he didn’t already know. He’d liked Seb for that reason, and for months after Seb and I broke up he would ask after him from time to time. This even though I had told him how Seb had cheated on me.

  Sure enough, after an exchange of names and a handshake my dad announced he was reading “the new biography of Wilson”. This book on Woodrow Wilson was his latest obsession.

  My heart sank. My eyes darted to Bryce but he seemed totally at ease.

  “One of my heroes.” Really? That was a surprise.

  My dad glanced over with new interest at Bryce, then continued. “Amazing man, complicated and troubled, yes, but brilliant.”

  Now it was Bryce’s turn to look surprised but he nodded in agreement. “Well, it all came down to the guys with him.” Shit. Huge misunderstanding unfolding here! Bryce was talking about Russell Wilson, the Seahawks QB. I should have intervened at that point but this conversation was like a train wreck I couldn’t stop watching.

  My dad conceded, “I’ll give you that. He picked his cabinet carefully.”

  Bryce looked confused for a moment at the word choice, but resumed bravely. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that without Lynch there would be no Wilson.”

  My dad’s eyes darted to him sharply. “You’ve got me there, I’m only about a third of the way through the book and this Lynch you mention hasn’t made an appearance yet. Right hand man to Wilson, huh? I take it he got the shaft. History is never kind to those types.”

  “Sir don’t get me started. Fucking tragic (excuse my language, sir). Worst strategy I’ve ever seen. Such a waste of great talent. I felt like punching a fist in the wall and I had nothing at stake in it.”

  My dad looked at Bryce with new appreciation. “Your passion for history is refreshing. I wish my college students felt the way you did. I would love to hear your opinions on Hoover.”

  I grabbed Bryce’s arm before this went any further. “We need to go. H
ave a good night.” I practically dragged Bryce out the door.

  I clambered into Bryce’s SUV, a big white Suburban. Bryce looked over at me and grinned. I began to relax. Here I was on a date with my dream guy. Awesome!

  As we drove down my block, he asked, “We’re going to Flanagan’s Steak House. I probably should have asked: is that OK? Some girls are vegetarians.”

  “Some boys are too!”

  “Yeh well probably some fruits in LA or San Fran or something.”

  I let that go. “Anyway, I eat anything. Steak sounds good.”

  “Sweet!” He smiled again and turned up the radio, a classic rock station. Lynyrd Skynyrd was on: Sweet Home Alabama. Bryce tapped the steering wheel to the beat.

  We pulled up into the parking lot of the restaurant. Bryce jumped around to the passenger side to open the door for me and then as I leaned forward he grabbed me around the waist, lifted me up, and set me on the ground. I suppose I could have gotten down without his hands on my waist, but in my heels and skirt it wouldn’t have been pretty, so I was kind of grateful. His hands felt nice. As I straightened up his hands lingered on my waist. My eyes met his and I whispered “thanks”, his eyes sparking with a flash of intensity in response. He released me and we started walking toward the restaurant entrance, his hand on my lower back.

  As we crossed the parking lot I felt someone’s stare on me. I glanced to the right and coming out of the boxing gym next door to the restaurant was Callum, watching me with a stony look on his face. He was wearing a gray t-shirt with the sleeves cut off that fully exposed his muscled arms, and black nylon shorts. His hair was wet with sweat and his whole body looked slick. He was holding a hand towel and a gym bag. A boy I recognized from school was with him, Theo was his name, but I only noticed him out of the corner of my eye because I was fixated on Callum. He was so sexy all sweaty that my breath hitched and I slowed down without meaning to. Bryce glanced down sharply at me and then followed my gaze to Callum. He immediately draped his arm over my shoulder. Callum had stopped walking and was just standing there, our eyes locked. We were too far away to talk but I had to do something so I mustered a smile and gave a short wave, which I regretted instantly. A wave Jenny, how goofy! But Callum nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes flinty. Theo tugged at his arm, clearly trying to move his friend along, and Callum and I broke the stare and walked on. The entire encounter must have taken no more than a few seconds but it felt like it had all played out in slow motion.