Tutor for a Day Ch. 01

He stood in the doorway blocking it with his body. He leaned, relaxed as if he owned the not just hallway but, the entire school. I stood just outside the classroom waiting, praying for him to move, but he didn't. He just stood there staring at nothing, taking in everything. He smiled at some giggly girl who asked him to move.

"You're in my way Mikey", she said. Her face flushed, her eyes avoiding his glance.

"My bad", he said, flashing that heart stopping smile again. She hurried past him as if the building were on fire. I knew the panic that she felt very well.

He was an easy 6 feet with a medium build that was easy to see even through his baggy shirt and loose fitting jeans. His skin was a creamy color that was neither pale nor tan, but with a slight pinkness made him look more innocent than he was rumored to be. Michael had shoulder length jet black hair than hung in loose spirals as if the angels had roller set his hair in Heaven.

He had the longest eyelashes that I had ever seen on a man. His eyes slanted slightly, just enough to keep others guessing at his derivation. If one dared, they could look at his eyes, but they were such a clear, bright, startling blue that most people didn't look directly into them. I guess that most people would say that he was beautiful, well at least everyone that I knew, saw or heard of thought that he was gorgeous. It wasn't just his looks that made students and teachers stop and stare. It was the way that he moved.

He had a grace that was beyond his 18 years. He was not awkward or clumsy. He practically floated through the halls. There was none of the usual teenaged shuffling, no, he moved as if every cell in his body was in perfect accord with the universe. I had never seen him stumble, trip or drop anything. He didn't drag his feet, but his step wasn't noticeably bouncy either. I swear, he glided, and to my mind, he always moved in slow motion.

Mikey, as everyone affectionately called him, or Miiikkkeeeyyy, always wore a wallet chain that dangled down his leg, near his near. Never in my life have I wished to be a linked metal chain more.

Most people would expect him to be conceded and cocky since he constantly had girls and guys telling him that they wanted him, but I never saw even a glimmer of boastfulness in him. He was humble, almost to be point of being insecure and he was really nice to everyone, from the most popular, to the geekiest. You would have thought he'd have an entourage of worshippers to follow him around and heed his commands, but he was basically a loner. His loner status only added to the mystic and charm that made most of the school sick with want for him.

He was still standing in the doorway when the bell rang. Why is he just standing there? I thought. I had no choice, I had to walk past him and soon, or I would be late for class! So I took a deep breath, pushed my glasses up on my nose and attempted to pass. Just as I tried to slide past him, he spoke to me.

"Hey Tia, can I borrow a pen?"

I was floored. He said my name. Pen? Suddenly I couldn't remember what a pen was. My stomach knotted instantly as I tried to clear my mind but then I made a big mistake. I looked up into the blue jewels of his eyes. He was smiling. I was frozen. A dull thought in my mind returned, pen? I vaguely processed that the two plastic things in my hands were pens.

"Here", I said, opening my sweaty palm to him. His hand touched mine as he took the black pen.

"Thanks, I'll give it back to you after class", he said. And there was that smile again with the flash of perfect white teeth.

Class was hard. I could not concentrate. Mike sat two rows away and in the front. I spent the entire class staring at the back of his head, watching tendrils move slightly as he took notes. Right when Senor Mario was conjugating past tense verbs I started to fantasize. I thought about what it would feel like to kiss Mikey and what his mouth tasted like. I decided that it tasted like cherry since that was my favorite flavor.

By the time that the bell rang again, I was naked in my mind and giving Mikey the best brain job of his life. My panties were soaked. And there he was, at my desk to return my pen, and he was talking to me again. I must tell you that it is very difficult to hold a conversation with someone after you have spent the previous half hour imagining them in lewd sex acts. All I could do was look at the floor as the shame burned into my face. I couldn't concentrate on a single thing that he said. The heat of his presence was burning a whole straight into me.

"Hey, are you okay? You look sick. Do you want me to walk you to the nurse?" He whispered. My brain was screaming for me to look at him or say something. My mouth was stuck, my stomach was churning double time and the insides of my thighs quivered. I managed to mumble that I was okay and just really hungry. I told him that I didn't think that I would be able to make it until lunch with no food. I was aware that my hands were continuously tucking my hair behind my ears as I spoke. Nerves, pure nerves.

"I get like that sometimes too, he said as he opened his backpack and grabbed something out. "Here, eat this", he said, handing me a granola bar. "It will hold you until lunch."

I almost cried, really, how freaking sweet could he be. I mumbled thanks as I took the bar from him and our hands touched again, making me shiver slightly. I wanted to leave so that I could be early for my next class, but he was still standing by my desk staring at me.

"Oh, here's your pen and thank you. I always lose all of mine." He held the pen out to me still assaulting me with his warm smile.

"Keep it", I said. "I have plenty." He smiled and tucked his hair behind his ears. I nearly fainted from the sexiness of that movement.

"Um, Tia? This is going to sound weird considering that we don't talk much, but Senor Mario suggested that I ask someone in the class for help before the final. He said that I should pick someone who takes their work seriously and someone who really understands the material. So, I was wondering if we could maybe study together? I know you probably think that I am just some stupid jock wannabe who tries to get people to go their work for them, but I'm not! I have been really trying hard in this class and I have never, ever asked anyone to do my work for me.

He looked down at the floor, completely flustered. I just sat there silent, not knowing how to respond to his outburst.

"I just need some help" he continued. "Real help, not someone who will do the work for me because they thing I'm good looking."

My mouth would have been on the floor if I wasn't frozen to my seat. My brain commanded my mouth to move and say the following: "Of course I will help you, meet me in the library after 7th period. We can go over a few things and see what you need help with."

I don't know how I was able to say it, but I did. He thanked me again and said that the granola bar would help me. I watched him as he walked out of the classroom and I felt his heat and warmth go with him.

My day was a blur after my encounter with Mikey. Talk about being distracted. I walked into the wrong class three times that day and left my back pack in the class twice. Everything that anyone said to me was a jumble of mush. The only thing that I could hear was his plea for help replaying in my head. He asked me to help him! No one would ever believe me. Of course I ate the granola bar that he gave me. I ate it slowly, letting each bite turn to mush in my mouth before swallowing. I also saved the wrapper.

There were five minutes to go in the 7th period when I had a total panic attack. I realized that I would be alone with Michael and I would have not choice but to talk to him. The final bell rang and kids rushed from their classrooms with the usual post school day zeal. I on the other hand, had to drag myself from the bathroom stall where I was hiding. Maybe he would ditch the study session or have to reschedule, that would have been great. I would be off the hook at least for the day, but when I rounded the corner and looked through the double glass doors of the library, he was there.

He was standing by the information desk reading the bulletins. I stopped and watched him as he mouthed the words and used his finger as a guide to read the flyers.

He looked completely adorable! He must have sensed me watching because he looked up and saw me staring. I was caught, there was no way to deny that I was staring, but he didn't say anything he just walked over to me.

"Thank you so much for coming, I was afraid that you would think I was dumb for asking you for help and that you would bail on me". His eyebrows furrowed slightly when he said this, making him look really serious.

"What would make you think that I think you're dumb. I don't think that you are dumb. Everyone needs help sometimes, everyone!" I tried to use my words to ease his ego, but I just felt really stupid. I didn't know how I would be able to be alone with him without him seeing my hand shaking or hearing my heart pounding.

And how, oh how would I be able to explain the drool coming from my mouth every time I had to look at him? This was my dream and my nightmare and it was coming true.

He reserved a study room which was no more than broom closets with desks that measured approximately 4x4. They didn't even have PC connections. There was a standard wooden desk and two chairs as well as a lone window that faced the football field. We had a clear view of football practice but I wouldn't have cared if the National Hunk of Burning Love team was out on that field, my whole world was in that room.

The tight configuration and the fact that we were there to study meant that we would probably touch before the session was over. Oh my heart, my chest, my head. I suddenly had a throbbing pounding headache. The pounding in my temples matched the drum of my heart and the room began to spin.

"You have that sick look again", he said as I flopped in the chair to keep from hitting the floor. "Did you eat lunch?"

"Yes", I mumbled.

"Well do you need a soda or a snack or something, I have one if you want it." He pulled a diet soda and a bag of potato chips from his back pack and opened them. We both glanced at the "No Eating or Drinking" sign and laughed. I drank some of the soda and ate a few chips while he got settle next to me and pulled out of his books. I was sitting as far from him as I could and keeping my eyes on the desk as not to stare.

"Do you feel better? You look at little better", he said while peering down at me and trying to look into my downcast eyes.

"Yeah, a little", I mumbled again, feeling completely stupid. Why couldn't I just sit there and talk to the boy like a normal person. He was going to start to think that I was crazy if I didn't get myself together.

"I'm hypoglycemic so I have to eat like every 2 hours or I will get completely nauseous and dizzy, kinda like you just did. You should have your doctor check you out. They wrote me a note saying that I can have food in class and everything. It's a sweet deal. You really should see someone. I mean, you don't want it to get so bad that you pass out, right?"

He was really concerned about me and I just couldn't form the words to tell him that my "condition" wasn't medical, but emotional. I couldn't tell him that he was the cause for my "sickness". So I just agreed with him and said that I would talk to my doctor.

"Well I guess we should get started", he said after and awkward 2 minutes of silence. He scooted his chair closer to mine and slid the Spanish text book toward me as he leaned in. I could smell his scent when he moved closer to me. It was a mixture of cologne, strawberry candy and his natural odor, which combined with the heat of his body near mine made me feel dizzy again.

We began the stud session with masculine and feminine nouns. I quickly realized that one of his issues was one that most people have when studying romance languages. He confused the articles that went with some of the nouns. I showed him some of the tricks that I used to remember exceptions to the el and la articles and we made reminder cards for him. It was strange, but once we started talking about schoolwork, I was able to focus and my nervousness faded some. He was on my ground now.

An hour had flown by once we got in the groove and we were both reluctant to stop. He was a willing student; he listened closely to what I said and took notes. We progressed well and he was really grasping the concepts, but by the end of the second hour we were both mentally drained and starving. At the tale end of present tense verb conjugation he put his head on the desk and sighed loudly.

"Tia, I need a break, I'm going to barf if I don't eat soon and my ass is getting numb from sitting here. How do you study like this for hours and hours? You are really focused, I can see why you get such good grades." He turned his head to look at me from beneath his folded arms and I thought this must be what he looked like when he was little. I just stared at him for a moment memorizing the cute puppy look on his face.

My trance was broken when he grabbed the soda can and drained it without a second thought to the fact that I had been drinking from it as well.

"Um, sure, we should probably call it quits for today anyway. I know that I can be a bit of a drill sergeant at times, I just get in the mode and the hours fly by. See I'm an absolute hardcore dork." I shut myself up and this point because he was just staring at me and I felt myself starting to ramble.

"You are not a dork! You are very smart and intelligent and I wish that I had the focus that you have. You really should put yourself down like that. You are a good and wonderful person, never let anyone tell you different!" He was sitting straight up looking at me like he wanted to smack me.

"You know", he continued, "You remind me of my mom..."

As a side note this is not something that a teenaged girl wants to hear from a guy she is in love with. My displeasure with the statement must have shown because he started to back peddle.

"No, not like you're old or anything, but your personality is like her. She's so smart and amazing but she has the worst self esteem ever! She is always down on herself and taking everything that everyone says about her to heart. And I hate it. I just want to scream at her sometimes. Fuck what other people think, just fucking be yourself!"

So he's screaming at this point, and I'm just sitting there with no response. He put his head back down on the desk and sighed.

"I'm sorry about that, I just get really pissed when I see wonderful people wasting away with self hatred. I hate when I do it to myself as well. It's just really stupid. Look, I'm starved and I so owe you one for helping me like this, so how about we go and get some dinner, my treat?"

I wanted someone to shoot me in the face so that I would at least be able to blink. He wants to take me out to dinner! My mind was screaming. Okay so I had to calm down and think. Think of exactly what to say and how to play this. Play it cool, Tia, real cool. Act like you could care less that he is gorgeous and you want to do filthy things to him. Stop staring at him with that stupid look on your face. Move your mouth, say yes, yes to whatever he wants to do from this point on, no matter if it will compromise your morals and make you hate yourself later.

I was able to force a weak "sure" from my lips. I also told him that I needed to call my sister to let her know that she didn't need to pick me up since he was going to take me home. I left my sister a text to let her know that a "friend" was going to bring me home later and Mikey and I gathered our stuff and walked out into the parking lot.

It was 7:00 and the parking lot was almost empty except for a few teachers cars and some of the maintenance staff. I was glad that there weren't any students outside because I didn't want him to feel embarrassed about being seen with me. He didn't say much until we were in the car. He just kept looking at me, not smiling, or anything, just looking at me blankly. Finally when he started the engine of his 98 Camry, he said, "I didn't know that you had a sister. Does she go to school here?"

As a note, no one knew that Tasha and I were sisters. We had the same mother and father and the same last name, but we certainly didn't look related. Tasha was petite, and cute. She had big hazel eyes, long dark brown hair which was always fly, and a body that was made for seduction. She was a diva. I was not. I was the chubby to her slim, the dork to her diva, the garbage to her goddess.

When people found out that we were truly blood sisters, they usually laughed and told me that I got the short end of the stick in the gene pool. Tasha was a doll about the whole thing really. She always took up for me and had gotten into quite a few fights with people who insisted on picking on me. In short she was the beauty, so I had no choice but to be the brains. She never called me ugly and she wouldn't let anyone else do it either. She did however call me fatty on those rare moments when we fought. My only rebuttal was to call her stupid.

"Yeah, my sister goes here, she's in 11th grade, I know that you know her, everyone does, Tasha Simmons."

"Wow, that's your sister, I never would have guessed!" Here we go, here comes the "What happened to you" comments, and "How did you get so fat if you both have the same parents".

"What is that supposed to mean!" I said with my defense mechanism all ready to go.

"No, I'm not even saying it like that, it's just that you two are so different. She's loud and kinda wild action, and you aren't. And she dresses kinda um, provocatively, and you don't. She's is always in the halls hanging on someone's shoulder and you like to hang out in the library. You guys are different, not in a bad way, just really different."

"Oh yeah and you forgot to mention that we look different too. Yeah, my sister is really pretty and I'm not, right? And she has lots of friends and I don't, right. And she has been to the prom 3 years in a row and I don't even know if I am going to have a date ever, right." Okay so at this point I was getting hysterical. I really wish that someone had been there to slap me and tell me to shut up, but there wasn't. I wanted to cry and that made me even angrier. I felt my face getting redder, I was holding my breath to keep from screaming at him and he just looked at me.

"God, Tia, I am sorry if I hurt your feelings in any way. I didn't mean it like that! Not at all, actually I don't really care for your sister all that much, I don't like girls that feel like they need to hang all over guys to get attention. She tried that with me last year and it was a major turn off. Then she told everyone that I must be gay since I didn't respond to her advances. I thought the whole thing was stupid and immature. I was trying say that I think you are a way better person than your sister. You don't flaunt yourself around and force yourself on people, you just keep to yourself. I like that. I like you."

Okay so by this point we are close to the restaurant, but I wanted this ride to go on forever. He likes, he said he likes me! My mind was doing flips and so was my heart, but I was conflicted as well. He likes me, but he's saying bad things about my sister.

"Don't talk about my sister like that! You make her sound so one dimensional, like she is just some dense slut, she's not, you don't know her, and you don't anything about her. She's is confident and yeah, she likes to show off, but she's beautiful, she can do that. Where do you get off saying that you don't like her? You had one encounter with her and decided to write her off as a bad person, that's pretty shallow of you!