This is a Love Story - Part 5

It's more than safe to say I was pissed.

Like, extremely pissed. And that's saying something.

The thought of even speaking to that bratty, inconsiderate, demeaning, rude and- the thought of even speaking to Dasher after what he pulled was enough to make my blood boil like a witch's cauldron.

But I was desperate, and when you're desperate, well, like the definition implies, you'd go to about any lengths to achieve your goal.

The next Monday came, and the countdown on my hunt for a date had begun. Stats approached slowly, as if life itself was mocking me. I took a seat and waited for the bell to ring. Of course, he strolled into class a good ten minutes late. It was silly how I had barely known him but his actions didn't seem to phase me at this point anymore.

I took note of a scab on his forehead, and remembered he had been bleeding the last time I saw him.

"Glad you could join us today, Mr. Jackson." Said Mr. Rugby without taking his eyes off of the board. Dasher didn't respond, only retreating to his seat in the back of the room. He passed me, glancing at me once with a look I couldn't quite comprehend. I can't remember if I glared or simply glanced back, but our eye contact didn't last more than a second.

My stomach churned. I was having second thoughts.

I could feel Dasher's cold stare burning into my back. Or, maybe he wasn't staring at me, and I was just paranoid, but still. The feeling made me more than uncomfortable, and I squirmed in my seat.

Mr. Rugby's words turned to murmurs, and the notes I took were all over the place. Time seemed to pass slowly. Too slow.

I was more than thankful break followed the period. The bell rang then, and once again I had been caught up in my thoughts. The class fled their seats, exiting the room in a heap. I, of course, took my time in gathering my items.

"Dasher," Mr. Rugby spoke. "A word, please."

I turned, finding that Dasher was still lingering in the back of the room. He looked up, his eyes going from me to Mr. Rugby. He approached him unwillingly, and I did my best to pretend I wasn't paying attention.

Moving extra slowly, I listened in like the nosy person I was.

"If this is about being late, I'm trying this new thing where I'm attempting to wake up earlier and I-"

Mr. Rugby raised a hand. "It's not about your excessive tardies." He said. "It's about your grades."

I placed my notebook and pencil in my bag carefully.

"Yeah, what about 'em?" Dasher complied.

"Unfortunately, your score in this class is still far too low to be considered passing. Now, I've given all advice I possibly can. You refuse the extra credit, don't bother with the assignments. If you flunk my class, graduating becomes ten times more difficult for you. I'm afraid you're running out of options here."

"You can't say I haven't been putting in effort."

I pressed my lips together to suppress a laugh.

"I think I can, Mr. Jackson. Now here's what I have to offer. The next final is enough to bring you to at least a C. Study, practice, ace it, you'll be fine."

"You know I practically suck, right? And you expect me to ace this all on my own?"

I had heard enough by then. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I made way for the exit, but then paused just briefly at mention of the next words.

"I recommend finding a tutor."

Bingo.

***

"You are one nosy brat, you know that?" Dasher said, as he took a violent bite of his licorice.

I'll admit, offering to tutor him wasn't in my book of plans. In fact, it had never even crossed my mind. Though the opportunity was there, so I swooped. I caught him under a tree, munching on a piece of cherry Twizzlers and scrolling through his phone. I wasn't sure how to approach him, and I was reluctant as I should have been.

He didn't even look up when he asked if I was back to scream at him some more. I had ignored his remark, then I made my offer.

"Yeah, I know." I said, crossing my arms. "But you're about as desperate as I am."

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow at me questioningly. He had suddenly become less intimidating in a sense.

"Look, I'm well aware we don't know the first thing about each other, and it's quite apparent we hate each other's organs, but I'm in need, you're in need. I say it's a decent trade, no?"

"Who says I'm in need?" His stare was increasingly questioning.

"The fact that you still bother trying to pass stats says you're in need."

The corners of his chapped lips twitched slightly.

"Fair enough." He said, taking another bite of the chewy treat. "I guess I can't pass up the chance now, can I?"

I stayed silent, waiting for an answer. He sighed.

"What do you want, anyway?"

Before saying anything, I gave thought to what I was doing. I had come this far, and Rachel was not having the last laugh under any circumstance. The many times I had thought of retreating, I would think back to the pink, puffy, and sparkly catastrophe I would be confined to wearing. That alone was enough to keep my incentive.

"I need you to be my date."

He blinked, and it was quiet for a while until the roar of his laughter broke the silence.

I waited, annoyed and slightly embarassed with the sudden outburst. No one on this damned Earth would take me seriously.

"You're...you're kidding, right?" He asked, as he tried to control his chuckles.

"I wish I was." I admitted.

"I think you're far more desperate than I am."

"Yeah, so what if I am?"

He leaned against the shady tree. "A date, huh?"

"I'm trying to prove something to someone. It doesn't have to be anything long term. Just one night, that's it."

He seemed to ponder a bit, considering. I was surprised he gave it thought at all, and I grew excited. It was working so far.

"Wait, a minute," He paused. "Since when do you tutor?"

I rolled my eyes. "Since now. Come on. I have a 102 in that class. It's not all that difficult. So, we have a deal or not?"

He took a second, his blue eyes scanning the grass.

Two seconds. Three seconds. And then...

"Fuck it."

I beamed, grinning like an idiot. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, whatever. But I'm not doing it for you, just so you know. I have things I wanna prove too."

I didn't care, this was good enough. Better than good. This was going way further than originally planned, so I had no room to complain about anything.

"Great! We start your lessons after school in the library. Don't be late!"

I practically skipped away from him, not even paying heed to his response. My entire body was glowing with excitement, and I began imagining which pair of sweat pants I was going to wear to Rachel's wedding party.