by Tia Siren
The coach rolled his eyes at me; I’d seen it happen before and was quite use to it at this point. His old leather chair was a bit worse for the wear, more duct tape than chair it would seem, and his hand grasped at what I could only assume was a playbook.
“Are you telling me to change your grade to an ‘A’ because you asked me to?”
“No, I want to know if there’s anything I can do to improve it. I have looked through your syllabus and have recorded my performance.”
I produced a notebook that I had kept through the entire course. I recorded my athletic improvements including my jogging speed, blood pressure, and several other factors that I felt would prove my point.
He took the book and flipped through the pages.
“Are you serious?”
I pushed my glasses from the tip of my nose.
“I assure you, I’m quite serious. I believe I’m showing major cardiovascular improvement in the class, but if my own improvement isn’t enough to sway your grading scale then I would like to know what may?”
He threw the notebook back on the desk; I felt he may be impressed by my research. He rolled his chair to a filing cabinet behind him and thumbed through the files for a minute.
“What’s your last name again?”
“Reynolds. Christine Reynolds.”
He pulled a folder from the cabinet and pulled a few papers from it.
“Have a look for yourself; it shouldn’t be hard to figure out why you have a ‘B.'”
I took the papers from him and started to read. All the categories had numbers and checks except for one; participation.
“Is this saying that I don’t participate in class?”
“That’s to say that you never engage your peers. It’s a class. I may be your teacher, but you’re actively choosing to play by yourself. You seem to go out of your way to avoid the other students.”
I scoffed. “I participate in the class activities. Isn’t that enough?”
He stood himself up and came over and leaned on the desk in front of me, snatching the papers out of my hands.
“School is about more than accomplishing the task at hand. I like to think that my class also teaches students how to handle situations in life that may be overwhelming. You have to know when to ask for help and know how to help others. It’s part of being human. Self-reliance is a great asset, but being a team player is what most sports and athletics are about.”
I sighed and stood up.
“So you’re saying all I have to do is engage with the other students, and I’ll get an ‘A’?”
“Yep, that’s all I’m saying.”
I gathered my things, including my athletic journal.
“Then that’s what I’ll do,” I said as I made my way toward the door.
He smiled and nodded.
As I grasped the handle, the door tore open, pulling me along with it and causing me to collide with the person on the other side.
My face was jarred so hard that my glasses flew from my face and fell to the floor. The world became blurry as I did my best to focus my eyes to make sense of what I was seeing and possibly find my glasses.
“Excuse me,” I said.
I could feel my glasses being thrust into my hand, which I gladly took and replaced. In my panic to find my glasses I hadn’t realized the person whom I had struck; it was Hollis.
“Hollis?” I questioned, meekly.
He didn’t even say anything, just pushed past me into the room and shook the coach’s hand.
“How’s the arm?” said the coach.
“It’s doing well. I iced it for a while, and it hasn’t swelled much.”
“Good, good. We got a career making game coming up, and I want you ready for it.”
Hollis looked pleased.
“Alright, I’ll just be going now,” I said.
Neither of them acknowledged me, but I couldn’t help but take a quick look at our local football star now that he was so close.
I felt so tiny by comparison; he was more than a foot taller than I was, and I was almost 5’7”, which according to statistics is above average for a woman. Strong, sinewy muscle ran up and down his arms and back, pushing through his shirt in all the right places. I admit it, I was swooning.
I felt a bit feverish as my pulse quickened a bit. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, and I had a feeling that I should lie down. I left the room, closing the door quietly behind me as the two bonded and talked about the upcoming game.
My thoughts were hard to sway from the thought of Hollis’ physique, but the anxiety over my grade was helping. If he wanted a girl who would participate in class, then that’s exactly what I would do.
2.
The morning was chilly before class; so I thought it best to bundle up. I had always liked running; it was the easiest way to settle my mind before starting my day. Even so, I hated having to wear contacts to enjoy a calming run. But, some things are necessary evils, so I pushed the horrendous things to my eyes.
It showed that I liked to run, and I received compliments all the time about my skinny arms and toned legs. It’s nice to feel like you’re doing something right, and compliments are a great measure. It was like getting an ‘A’ in personal health.
I popped my headphones in my ear and grabbed my room keys. It was nice living alone, fewer people to deal with, less drama to get involved in, and more time for me to get work done.
I lived near the track, which was actually a premeditated measure on my part as I knew I would be jogging almost daily. As I stepped out onto the street, the cool air struck me hard. It stung my nostrils and burned my lungs as I breathed.
A light fog had accrued over the night, instilling a silence on the block. Statistically speaking I had less a chance of being attacked in the morning during daylight, but that did little to dissuade me from looking over my shoulder every few steps.
Across the street, the track was mostly empty, save for a few people that I didn’t recognize throwing footballs around. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen them in the morning. Dedicated players practiced anytime they could.
The music in my ears picked up a bit, and I started to hit my stride. I had been in track in high school, and I was actually quite decent in distant running, I had the medals to prove it.
As I rounded the corner of the track, I saw him again. Hollis had decided to practice early today. I tried my best to suppress a blush, but most of my energy was being used for running. So, I just smiled and waved.
He smiled but kept walking.
The guys had joined into a circle near the edge of the track, and it looked like they were discussing something important, so I lowered the volume on my music so I might listen in. Their words rang out as little pricks of sound in an otherwise empty space, and I could hear just about everything.
“Coach says I gotta get my grade up, or I might be benched,” Hollis said.
“Dude, you need to play. If you’re not there, then we’re goin’ to get killed. The second string doesn’t have the same arm you have.”
“Yeah man, I’m working on it. I was up late last night trying to finish up this math for extra credit. But, it was hard since Sandy was over. I maybe work on it for ten minutes before she was all over me.”
“You with Sandy now? What is that, three girls this weekend?”
“I don’t know if I’d count the other two. Beth was amazing, we had this hot moment when I had to hide her under the desk. I was trying to talk to Gus, and she started going down on me while I was talking. After that, she had to split. I wouldn’t count Angie either; she kept asking me if I liked what she was doing and it was just weird. Sandy was crazy, and kept me up all night.”
I started running a little quicker; I felt a little angry and more than a little jealous. I was much more upset at myself for feeling jealous of a couple cheerleaders. They spend all day around football players; I think they get become cheerleaders just so they can flirt. I couldn’t picture myself as tha
t kind of girl.
They continued to talk.
“Anyway, Coach said that my academic advisor has been watching my grades close, and I’m about to fall under the minimum GPA I need to keep playing.”
“That’s what you get for spending more time with girls than studying. You should really get a tutor, or maybe find someone that’ll just get your work done for you. It’ll give you more free time.”
I rolled my eyes thinking about being a tutor. It’s a good thing they didn’t think I could hear them.
“Man, if I could find a smart chick that would do my homework in exchange for sexual favors then I’d be set for life.”
They all laughed; it bothered me to think that they would even consider something like that. I slowed to a stop nearby.
“Are you kidding me? You want to have sex with a girl who will do all your homework? No wonder I’ve been avoiding men my age.”
They turned to me with shocked faces. Hollis looked at me with a slight smirk.
“Are you sure you’d say ‘no’ to that?” He paused. “ You’re the girl from the office the other day, right?”
I nodded.
“You know, you’re pretty cute without your glasses on. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to take me up on that deal? Seems like you need to get laid.”
I couldn’t even comprehend words at that moment. All my work in debate club, and now I couldn’t think of anything more than expletives to shout back. But, I was, at least, cool tempered enough not to yell.
“I wouldn’t even dream of dating you. I could think of many better ways to disappoint myself.”
He laughed, but my frustration was still boiling over.
“Aren’t we in the same class?” he asked.
“We are, as a matter of fact, Chemistry on Tuesday and Thursday,” I proudly stated, “I sit in a seat that allows me to actually listen to the teacher while you enjoy staring at your phone in the back, if memory serves.”
“Ah that’s right. You’re the Firecracker in the front row. Aren’t you the top of the class right now? You should come tutor me at the party this Friday?”
Now I couldn’t help but laugh. His friends were already giggling in the back. “You’re hopeless,” I said. I started to run again, but I could hear him yelling out from behind me.
“You don’t have to answer now; I can wait for your response!”
It bothered me to think that I was a bit attracted to him the other day; and at that moment, I wish I had taken up boxing at a young age.
3.
“Alright Class, this week we’re going to be working on chemical bonds and their different types. Now, this is going to be a very experiment heavy week. You’ve already worked on molar equations, and we’re going to step it up and put those equations into practice. I have assigned pairs for this lab, and the two of you need to find an example of each chemical bond.
“Most of this can easily be found in chapter eight of your chemistry book, so you don’t have to overthink it. And, before you say anything Christine, no, you may not work alone on this topic; this is a partnered exercise, and you must work in tandem with your partner to complete it.”
I rolled my eyes and lowered my hand. Of course, I would have to work with one of the other useless appendages in my class to finish a simple exercise. I wish I could’ve tested out of this course; I had already practiced chemistry in High School, but unfortunately, they made me retake the course for credit. I wanted to smash my head into a wall repeatedly.
“Looks like we’re working together,” I heard a familiar voice say.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I replied in disgust.
Hollis had moved to the front row and was sitting next to me, his almost never opened tex book sat in front of him as a trophy to his laziness. I shot from my chair and approached the teacher.
“Mr. Takahashi, I really don’t think I can work with this –ahem- peer.”
The face of my teacher read like a book; he didn’t make any attempt to hide his contempt with my attitude.
“Ms. Reynolds, you’re the best student in my class. Hollis is, unfortunately, my worst student and he’s near failing. I paired the two of you up in hopes that your brilliant scientific mind might rub off on him a little.”
I looked back to my desk; he sat there waving. I turned back to the teacher who was now sporting a cheesy smile.
“Will that be all, Ms. Reynolds?”
I did my best to hide my disgust and gritted my teeth, returning to my seat.
Hollis was staring at his phone at some social media website probably.
“Okay, listen to me now and listen well,” I started.
He continued to click away on his phone.
“I am a hard worker, and you are not. If we work diligently, then we can finish this quick and I won’t have to look at you for another second.”
He continued to tap away at the screen on his phone.
“I’m sorry, is this not important enough for Mr. Popular?”
He still didn’t say anything. I tried to peek at what he was writing, but when I leaned in, he would turn just enough to keep the screen from my view.
“What are you writing, is it about me?” I asked innocently.
The lack of communication was bothering me, but this time, he held a finger up that appeared to plead for another moment.
I waited, and after waiting, he clicked the screen of his phone off and set it on the table.
“I was trying to organize a party; it’s hard to concentrate on two things at once.”
“You must be joking. You’re organizing a party while in class? Do you even want to pass at all?”
He shrugged and laughed. “I want to get a grade that keeps me from failing. This one is currently pulling my GPA down just enough that I might not be able to play in the next football game. If you can help me get this grade up a little bit, then you’ll be a hero to me and my friends.”
He flashed me a smile with his perfect teeth.
I collapsed to the table, hoping that he would understand the gesture. He must not have.
“Hey, are you alright?”
I pushed myself from the desk, pulling his science book to the middle of the lab table and started rifling through the pages.
“Listen, this stuff is easy. I know I can handle it, pay attention if you want, but I think I can manage on my own. Just make sure to put your name on the final draft and I can guarantee you’ll get an ‘A’ grade.”
He seemed to like the sound of that. But, it was short-lived.
“Hollis, Christine, I know you two are probably making a deal where Christine does all the work, and Hollis just sits back and soaks up the credit. I, fortunately, am not that gullible.” The professor paused. “You two have a special extra assignment. Hollis has to perform an experiment in front of the class and knowingly explain the processes involved in the chemical reaction.”
I sat there open mouthed as he continued.
“Christine, your grade in this class depends on him handling this assignment. I will even have a few questions for him to answer, just to make sure he was paying attention and not just memorizing a script.”
I was doomed. My perfect record was about to be shattered, and I could do nothing about it at all.
“Whoa, that’s rough,” was all that he could manage to say before going back to his phone and tapping away.
My anger got the best of me as I yanked the phone from his hand and threw it out the window. He watched it fly out several feet and fall the four stories to the campus courtyard.
With that done I packed up my things, wrote my phone number on a slip of paper, and handed it to Hollis.
“If you find your phone, you can reach me at this number. Hopefully, the next time we have work to do you’ll be more interested in working.”
With that said, I walked out of the class. I was overwhelmed and decided it would be best to go to my favorite spot to unwind for a bit.
4.
I don’t know how many other people knew about it, but I really like this spot. It was quiet and secluded, and I had never seen anyone come up here before.
I was on top of the tallest school building, and it overlooked the courtyard from just enough of a distance that I could make out Hollis poking around and looking desperately for his phone.
It took me a while to regain my composure after he bumped into another classmate and knocking her paperwork all over the grounds.
Granted, I think he ended up getting her number written on his arm before she gathered up her things and walked away. He really was the worst kind of man, but he was still a man.
I did feel a little bit of pride when I realized that I’d get the chance to be his partner and nobody else would. Thinking about it made my heart sink, as I knew there was no way he’d pass this assignment.
I still felt myself sigh a little thinking about all the other women he had been with. I started to think less about the girls on his list and started to think more about the girls that weren’t. Thankfully I was securely in the ‘not’ list, but a part of me wished that I could meet an attractive man, like Hollis, that also had the brain to match.
Hollis found his phone under a bush nearby. I did feel a little bad about throwing the thing out the window. I have been known to have some anger issues in the past.
Then my phone started ringing.
“Hello,” I said.
“So this really is your phone number; I had a feeling that you were just playing a prank on me.”
It was Hollis calling me.
“I see you finally found your phone.”
“I did.”
“So, back to planning your party,” I asked.
“Actually, I had something better in mind. How about the two of us call a truce?”
“A truce? I didn’t know we were at war,” I said.
“I have a feeling this isn’t a war I’ll win; so I’m hoping that we can reach an understanding before it gets any worse.”
I couldn’t help but feel prideful, and a sense of power washed over me.