She checked her phone for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. He was late. She wondered if he had changed his mind about their study date. Maybe he had realized that he didn’t want to be friends with her after all. Maybe he had found someone else to hang out with. Someone more interesting, more fun, more attractive. Someone, like… his lifelong frenemy? Now that she took the time to think it over, Angelina did seem like a stereotypical ‘alternate love interest’, forming the third side of a love triangle. But she knew all too well that Ashton would never cheat on her, and especially not with the girl he hates.
She shook her head and tried to calm herself down. She was being silly and paranoid. He had agreed to meet her at the library after school to help her with math. He had even texted her this morning to confirm their plans. He wouldn’t bail on her without a good reason. He was probably just stuck in traffic or something. For all she knew he was at the library creeping up on her, waiting for just the right moment to scare her out of her wits.
She looked around the library and saw that it was almost empty. Most of the students had left for the day, leaving behind a few stragglers who were browsing the shelves or working on their laptops. She felt a pang of loneliness and wished he was here with her. She missed his smile, his laugh, his voice.
She heard the door open and turned her head, hoping to see him walk in. She felt a surge of joy and relief when she saw him enter the library, carrying his backpack and a paper bag. He spotted her and waved, then walked over to her table.
Ash grinned. “Hey, I’m sorry I’m late. I had to stop by the art store for something,”
She looked at it in curiosity, wondering what was inside. She felt her cheeks heat up as he pulled away and handed her the paper bag.
“Go on, open it,” Ash prompted. “I got it for you.”
She opened it and saw a sketchbook and a set of colored pencils. She gasped and looked at him with gratitude and awe.
“You… you got me this?” she asked. Inspecting the box with curious brown eyes beaming with joy and excitement, she couldn’t help but open it right away and pull a pencil out of the box.
Ash nodded. “I noticed how you like to draw in class, so, I got it to… kind of, inspire you?”
“That’s so sweet of you, but… don’t you we should study now?”
“Yeah, we do. So, which lesson should we begin with?”
Leann took a moment to think out her answer. She scratched the back of her head. “Maybe… geometry?”
Ashton looked at her with an unimpressed, deadpan stare, which looked cold as ice. He shook his head. “Nah, I know you’re good at that. Let’s do algebra instead.”
Fidgeting with the new red color pencil, her mind raced with thoughts of ‘how does he know I’m good at geometry?’, and ‘how does he know I’m not good at algebra?’. She wondered, was it just a coincidence? Had she ever told him in the past? Ignoring all these thoughts, she took a deep breath, and let out a reply,
“Sure,” she shrugged, and placed the pencil back in the set.
Ash pulled his Math notebook and textbook out of his backpack and flipped to the fifth chapter, ‘Algebraic Equations’. It was mostly a repeat of what they had been introduced to in sixth grade, elaborated on in seventh grade, and revised all over again in eighth grade. And yet it was all confusing to most students.
Leann found herself struggling with the equations and formulas as they kept studying. She couldn’t remember how to solve for x or y, or how to simplify the expressions. She felt frustrated and embarrassed. She just couldn’t cry about it, even if she felt like it, especially in front of Ashton, who seemed to have no problem with algebra.
“This sum is really easy,” he said nonchalantly. “Have you found the answer yet?”
With a strained smile, she told him to wait a minute. She didn’t want him to see how much she was struggling. She put her pencil to the paper, hoping to solve the question on the worksheet. She felt stupid, not knowing something that seemed so obvious to him.
She wondered why he was interested in her, why he liked her. He was smart, handsome, and popular. She was none of those things. She felt like she didn’t belong with him, like she was holding him back. She felt lost, and confused. She wished she had paid more attention in class, or that she had studied more. She wished she could impress him, or at least not disappoint him.
Ashton noticed her staring at the math worksheet, biting her lip. He knew she was having trouble with the sum, but he didn’t want to embarrass her by offering to help. He decided to wait until she asked him.
He watched her scribble some numbers on the paper, then erase them. He saw her frustration grow, as she couldn’t figure out the answer. He felt sorry for her, wishing he could do something to help.
“Hey,” he said. “Do you need any help?”
“It’s easy, okay? I know what I’m doing.” She snapped, hiding her annoyance poorly, hoping he would stop questioning her.
Ash shook his head. “Then how have you not found the answer yet? We both started together, didn’t we?”
Leann shouted, “Not everyone is a freaking Math whiz, okay?!”
He flinched, taken aback by her outburst. “Hey, calm down. I was just trying to help. Come on, I’ll explain it to you.”
He explained the steps and rules to her in a clear and patient way, using examples and diagrams. Showing her how to check her answers and avoid common mistakes, he encouraged her and praised her when she got something right.
Leann appreciated his help and kindness. Thanks to him, she felt herself understanding algebra better than before. She also felt herself enjoying his company more than she expected. She liked his smile, his laugh, his voice. He made her feel smart and special.
Along the way, they chatted and joked, making the study session fun and enjoyable. They laughed at each other’s silly jokes, teased each other about their hobbies and interests, and shared their hopes and dreams for the future.
They didn’t notice how fast time flew by, until they heard the librarian announce that the library was closing in five minutes.
They packed up their stuff and got ready to leave, feeling reluctant to part ways.
“Hey, do you want to go grab some pizza?” Ash asked, hoping she would say yes.
She smiled and nodded, feeling happy that he wanted to spend more time with her.
“Yeah, sure,” she said, taking his hand in hers.
They walked out of the library hand in hand, feeling like they were on cloud nine.
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