Chris came into the library thirty minutes after school had ended. Dylan didn't really mind, he'd taken that time looking at biology topics that they could discuss. He'd never really tutored anyone, a fact that made his stomach grumble with nervosity.
"Look," Chris sat down in the chair across from Dylan, a serious expression on his face. "I kinda don't have that much time right now, can we just get this over with?"
"Yeah, fine." He knew that he sounded bitter, but in fairness, it was Christopher who was being an ass.
"Are we going to have a session now?" Chris frowned at Dylan's books.
"No. I just want to take some notes, for myself to remember." Dylan scratched the back of his neck, relieved when Chris nodded in understanding. "Okay, so there's a project coming up next week, have you given any thought to what you'll present?"
Chris scoffed slightly. "No? It's literally the second day, and we haven't even been given the assignment yet. My god, you're a nerd." Dylan's face reddened. It wasn't his fault that he cared about school. Why did Chris even want a tutor if he was going to insult him?
"Whatever, you should start thinking about it. Is there any particular topic in biology that you like? Or dislike less than the other ones?" Dylan inquired, picking up a pencil, ready to write something down.
"No. I don't know? What topics are there?"
"There's zoology, ecology, genetics, evolution, anatomy, basically every single system in the body, but that might be part of the anatomy-"
"Okay, so there are a lot, got it."
"Yeah, and you should start planning, or at least google some of them." Dylan sighed, more than a little annoyed. Why had he signed up for this again? Extra credit, and boredom, mostly. Maybe it hadn't been the greatest idea since he hadn't taken into account the other schoolwork that was to come, but it was too late to back out now. "We should make a schedule, as well. Both of us will have sports so we gotta get around them." Chris sighed but nodded.
"We usually have practice Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays." He thought for a bit, then noticed Dylan's tired expression. "What?"
"Well, I normally have practice Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays." He tapped the pencil against the tabletop rapidly. He would preferably not have sessions on the weekends, but was it avoidable?
Christopher was quiet for a long time. Dylan's mind was racing, trying to figure something out. Maybe he could leave practice early some Tuesdays? Or-
His thoughts were stopped by a long sigh and annoyed look from Christopher.
"We can have a session on Thursdays. But they will have to be later because I can't skip practice completely." He kept looking at Dylan, no emotion showing on his face as if to ask if it was fine.
Dylan nodded. "Good. When do you think you get off?" He scribbled down the word 'Thursday' along with the other reminders that he'd written.
"I dunno. Maybe 3:45?"
"That's fine, then we work as long as is necessary-"
"Yeah, good, I really gotta go now so... Bye." Chris rose from his chair and grabbed his bag. Dylan glared after the other boy. At least Felicia wouldn't have to wait for him any longer. He packed up his things and swung his bag over his shoulder. When he turned toward the exit, Felicia was already walking toward him.
"You didn't tell me you would tutor him!" She hissed once she'd crossed the room and stood in front of him. Dylan rolled his eyes at his friend.
"Yeah, I wish it wasn't 'him'," he muttered and began walking toward the doors. "He's a douche."
"Really? Huh, you would think that he's nice, considering that everybody wants him." Felicia got quiet and Dylan scoffed.
"Don't kid yourself. The only reason that people want him is because he's hot." He snapped and instantly regretted it. Felicia's hurt and angry expression made his heart ache.
"No need to be rude." She growled, then continued to walk in silence. Dylan wanted to say something, but it was probably better to wait a bit. At least until he was sure that he wouldn't snap at her again, although god knew she could have a nasty bite of her own. If she wanted to fight, she would surely win.
He opened the door on the driver's side of his car and made his way inside it. Felicia, too, slid into her seat and slammed the door.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Dylan said apologetically, looking at her with pleading eyes. She seemed to consider his words before a small smile crossed her face.
"It's fine," she replied, working with the aux cord to get some music going, "He must have really riled you up, that Christopher."
"Not only was he thirty minutes late, but he also stayed like ten minutes before taking off." Dylan ranted before he could stop himself. "And he did not give a flying crap about what I was telling him! It was all 'yeah, yeah's and 'okay, fine's, it was so frustrating!"
Felicia nodded along to what he was saying. "It does sound like he was distracted." She uttered when he was finished, before choosing a track on her phone.
"Yeah." Dylan sighed, letting his head rest against the back of his seat. They drove in silence for a few minutes, before Felicia spoke up again.
"Hey, can you just drop me off at the college campus instead? I was planning on checking in on Xander." Dylan just barely suppressed an eye roll as Felicia continued. "He said he'd be busy, but it's only the second day so I thought I could surprise him."
"Yeah, sure," Dylan turned right at the next intersection, instead of straight toward Felicia's house. "But you gotta get a ride home yourself."
Felicia smiled mischievously. "If I need one."
"Oh my god, gross," Dylan groaned. He slowed down in front of the Greenhill College campus and turned in his seat to face Felicia. "Gross."
"Yeah, whatever," she got out of the car and waved him off as he started driving again. "Bye."
It was quiet in the car now that Felicia had taken her phone out and he pressed the radio button to fill the silence. He had a few minutes' drive to get home; the college was on the opposite side of town from where he lived.
The radio was, as per usual, playing the newest 'hits'. By that, he meant the same old basic songs over and over. And, of course, the way too long commercials about new medicine and what-not. Soon, his mind wandered away from what the voices were saying.
His thoughts were interrupted, though, by the loud ringing of his cell phone. Reaching toward the cup holder, he got his phone and pressed the green 'answer' button.
"Come pick me up." Felicia's voice came from the speaker before Dylan even had had a chance to greet her.
"What? I just left you there like a few minutes ago." Dylan frowned as he made a U-turn and started to go back. Typical, he thought to himself, of course, Xander would be somewhere else.
"Yeah I know and I'm sorry but he wasn't there." She said and sighed. "I'm going to call him and ask, but you still gotta pick me up."
"I'm already on my way." Dylan went a little faster so that she wouldn't be kept waiting for too long.
"I mean, I asked the receptionist where he had his dorm, and I think I got the right one. I might just check again before you get here." She was rambling, obviously already bored of waiting. Dylan hummed in response and turned again to get to the campus. "Okay, never mind, I see your car right now."
Dylan pulled up, partly on the sidewalk, a few feet from where Felicia stood with her phone to her ear. When he'd stopped driving completely, she ended the call and opened the passenger door.
"Hi, I'm so sorry, but I thought he'd be home." She closed the door and let her bag down in front of her feet. "I'm going to call him."
"Okay, and it's fine," Dylan reassured, "I did just make you wait for forty minutes while I met with Christopher." Felicia gave him a smile that said 'yeah that's true' and dialed her boyfriend. As Dylan drove, he kept an eye on Felicia.
"Hey, babe," she greeted and then got quiet for a little while, as Xander spoke, "Mm, yeah it went well- or as well as can be expected. Yeah. Hey, by the way, where are you?"
Dylan took his eyes off the road and looked at his best friend. The small smile that had resided on her lips faded a little, into something sadder. Dylan frowned, his mouth opening as if to say something, but nothing came out.
"Oh..." Felicia breathed. "Yeah, we can do that, okay, bye babe."
"What did he say?" Dylan asked, quickly looking at the road before turning back toward her.
"Oh, it was nothing, I probably got the wrong door after all." She smiled and put her phone away. For some reason, her words got his stomach to twist. He grunted some short reply and turned back toward the road.
"Anyway, you can give me a ride tomorrow, right?" She asked and looked out the window.
"No, of course not. It's not like I gave you a ride basically all last year and the last two days." He gave her a teasing smile and she shoved him lightly, making him stare at her wide-eyed. "You can't push me while I'm driving!"
Felicia rolled her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic, that's my job." She laughed.
Eventually, Dylan slowed down and pulled up onto the driveway of Felicia's house. Mr. Solander was on his knees in one of the flowerbeds and looked up when Dylan's black car came.
"Hi!" He exclaimed as Felicia stepped out of the car. "You're home late. Hey, Dylan, are you joining us for dinner tonight?"
Dylan leaned over the passenger seat to be heard better and smiled. "No can do, Mr. S, mom said I gotta eat at home every once in a while. Thanks for the offer, though."
"You know you can call me Rob, son." Mr. Solander sighed and Dylan chuckled.
"I'm afraid I can't do that either, Mr. S." He smiled. "I better get going, I'll see you later!" He waved as Felicia closed the door and backed out onto the road again. Just because he wanted to, he drove around the cul-de-sac once. Mr. Solander and Felicia waved at him as he turned right, out of their sight.
He was still smiling when he pulled up in his own driveway. There was a certain comfort in feeling like being part of another's family, as well as one's own. It wasn't strange, considering that he and Felicia had been friends for such a long time.
"Hey, honey!" His mom greeted as he opened the door to the house. "How was school?" He hung his jacket and bag on the hooks in the hallway and came into the kitchen where his parents were making dinner. His dad was frying something at the stove as his mom was cutting up vegetables for a salad.
"It was fine," Dylan smiled and started setting the table. "I joined the tutoring program. Mr. Evans had already assigned me to a student and asked me to join personally." His mom beamed at him.
"Wow, what an honor." She exclaimed. It really wasn't that big a deal, Dylan thought as he cringed inwardly. "We're so proud of you."
"Yeah, thanks," he responded, feeling a little awkward. When he'd finished setting the table, he took a seat. "Is Riley home?"
As if on cue, his younger sister came racing down the stairs and grabbed a seat on the other side of the table.
"Yes, I'm home, and I'm hungry." She looked expectantly at her dad who just smiled.
"How do you hear everything we say downstairs when you're upstairs?" Dylan frowned, confused. He had never understood how she already knew everything that had been going on when she had been upstairs.
"Uh, I have ears? It's not my fault everyone in this family is deaf." She raised an eyebrow.
Dylan swore that she was a seventeen year old in a fourteen-year-old's body. She certainly had the sass for it.
"Yeah, whatever." He smiled. Soon enough his parents brought the food to the table and sat down themselves.
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