Chapter 4: Chapter Four

RILEY

My phone slipped from my fingers, landing on the desk with a thud. I spun around in my chair.

~Damn it!~

~Why him, of all people?~

I groaned inwardly, squeezing my eyes shut. When I opened them again, I realized he hadn’t figured out it was me yet.

I scooped up my phone and began to type a message.

Riley

This won’t work out.

Riley

Sorry.

I glanced up, catching his reaction. A smile tugged at his lips as he looked at his phone, then he began to type.

Asshole

Drop the act and come over here, Adams.

~Damn it!~

Was I that transparent?

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to Tristan’s table. He was watching me, a knowing smirk on his face. I wanted to bolt, but instead, I had to face him.

This was beyond embarrassing.

“How did you figure out it was me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t exactly a mystery, Adams. You were on your phone the moment I walked in. You went ghost-white when I texted back my outfit, and our eyes met instantly.”

He smirked. “Plus, everyone in our class, including me, knows you’re a math whiz. I just added it up.” He shrugged nonchalantly, and I sighed in defeat.

I hadn’t expected him to know that about me.

“This is going to be epic,” he said, leaning back in his chair. His shirt rode up slightly, revealing a glimpse of his abs.

I quickly looked away, despite the temptation.

“Why would I agree to tutor you? You disgust me, Tristan. This isn’t happening.” I was about to walk away when he sighed.

“Just sit down. Let’s talk this out like adults.”

I turned to look at him, confused, then reluctantly pulled out the chair across from him. I sat down, not wanting to cause a scene in the library.

“I don’t get it. I thought you hated me. We’ve broken each other’s phones. Why would you want me to tutor you? This is going to be a disaster!” I hissed, barely keeping my voice down.

“You’re quite the firecracker, aren’t you?” He smirked, while I kept a straight face. “Look, I need to pass math to graduate, and I’m failing. Football can only take you so far. I really need this, Adams, and it has to stay a secret.”

He paused. “No one can know about this. It’s embarrassing enough as it is.”

He gestured between us, as if we were in some secret relationship. It stung.

Was I that embarrassing to be seen with?

“And why would I keep this a secret, if I even agree to do it?” I asked, trying to hide my hurt.

“What if I promise to stop bothering you if you do this?” he replied almost instantly.

I stared at him, trying to gauge if he was serious.

“I won’t retaliate for the phone incident,” he added, his tone serious.

I eyed him warily. “Tutoring you is going to be a nightmare,” I muttered.

“Look, I didn’t expect you to be here, okay? I’m surprised too. But I think you’re what I need, Adams.” He looked straight into my eyes, and I forgot to breathe for a moment.

He cleared his throat. “To teach me,” he added slowly.

I was caught in his mesmerizing, sea-green eyes. I bit my lower lip unconsciously. His gaze flicked to my lips, and I quickly looked away.

~This is playing with fire.~

~I can find someone else to tutor, right?~

“I don’t know, Tristan. I’m sorry,” I stood up and started to walk away, my heart pounding in my chest.

“What if I pay you double?” he called out, drawing the attention of everyone in the library.

My eyes widened in shock.

~Double?~

Was he that desperate to pass?

It was a tempting offer; the only problem was him.

I was torn. Finally, I took a deep breath and walked back to him.

“Quiet down. It’s not happening,” I whispered. Then I hurried back to my desk, not looking back. I needed to talk this over with Lucy.

Riley

Need to talk to you. ASAP!

Lucy

Shit! I’m coming over right now to pick you up from the library. Okay?

Riley

Yeah, okay 🙁

I buried my face in my hands. My peace was shattered by a loud thud on my desk. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Tristan.

“What now?” I asked, not bothering to look at him.

“I’m returning this book. I’ve got a tutor now.”

I jerked my head up at his words. He was smirking, about to walk away.

“I didn’t agree to anything, jerk,” I called after him, but he ignored me.

My phone buzzed with a new message. It was from him.

UNKNOWN

Yet

UNKNOWN

😉

Not an unknown number anymore.

~Oh God! What the hell do I do now?~

***

“Are you serious?” Lucy asked, her eyes wide as I recounted the whole encounter.

“Yes, and he offered to pay me double. I don’t know what to do. I need the money, but I don’t think I can handle tutoring that arrogant jerk,” I complained.

We were sitting in her car, parked outside McDonald’s, munching on burgers and fries.

“Well, he ~should~ pay you double for all the grief he’s caused you. And he did say he’d stop bothering you, right?” Lucy asked.

I nodded, taking a big bite of my burger.

“Seems like a win-win to me. Why not give it a shot for a week?” she suggested.

I chewed on my lip, mulling it over.

“I could try, but I’m scared, Lu,” I admitted.

She just smiled at me. “He needs you to teach him, Ri. You’ve got the upper hand. Don’t let him see you’re scared; show him how strong you are.”

I listened, taking it all in. “Okay. I’ll text him and lay down some ground rules.”

“That’s my girl.” She gave me a side hug.

We hung out a bit longer, then she drove me home.

Around ten o’clock, I kept typing and deleting a text to Tristan, unsure of what to say.

~“I’m willing to do this under certain conditions. Let me know when we can discuss them.”~

~That sounds professional enough.~

I hit send and tossed my phone aside.

Why was I getting all worked up now?

What if this was just a joke?

I started imagining the worst and made a mental note to clear everything up with him.

Asshole

About time, Adams.

Asshole

This is great tho, let’s discuss it now.

Yeah, I saved his number as “Asshole” in my phone. It felt fitting. I started to type out my rules and conditions one by one.

Riley

1. You will stop bugging me at school. This includes your friends too.

Riley

2. You will pay me double.

Riley

3. When you said this should be private, that doesn’t include my best friend, Lucy.

Riley

4. How do I know this is not a prank?

Riley

5. We keep this arrangement completely professional.

Riley

6. You do as I say when we are together.

Riley

7. I can tutor you after my working hours at the library. That’s after 8 pm on weekdays.’

I smirked to myself, knowing he’d be caught off guard.

I didn’t get a reply for a long time and started to wonder if he’d changed his mind.

I let out a big sigh and decided to call it a night. Just as I was drifting off, my phone started buzzing with his responses.

Asshole

1. Agreed, ma’am.

Asshole

2. Yes, of course.

Asshole

3. I hope your friend can keep her mouth shut or you will be in deep trouble, Adams.

Asshole

4. Trust me, this isn’t a prank no matter how much I love to prank you. I can show you my test grades if you wish.

Asshole

5.What else did you expect, Adams? 😉

Asshole

6. Fuck, why does this sound dirty?

Asshole

7. I’m okay with weekdays. We will discuss weekends tomorrow.

My jaw dropped at his reply, but I couldn’t stop the stupid grin spreading across my face!

~No, I can’t be smiling at his dirty texts.~

Still, I felt a flutter in my stomach as I read his messages over and over.

Damn, he was so cocky.

Riley

Stop being a pervert and meet me at the library with your test grades tomorrow.

I plugged my phone in and tossed and turned in bed, trying to sleep. But I was too distracted by a certain arrogant jerk and his gorgeous green eyes.

Little did I know that my whole life was about to change because of the simple decision I’d made that day.