Page 5 of Hidden Truths

Pulling out my books, I get to work on my homework for next week. I’ve gotten ahead in my reading already and have done most of the homework a week in advance so I don’t ever get behind. Most of my papers for the year have also been started. The great thing about the syllabus here is we know all papers, projects, and homework assignments from day one. The professors have included everything in the syllabus so I can get ahead. If there’s a change to anything, I’ll deal with it as it comes up.

“Excuse me,” a guy says as I work on my math homework. “Are you available to tutor?”

Looking up, I find a guy standing at the end of my table. He’s got brown, tousled hair, black rimmed glasses on, and is wearing fancier clothes than I’ve seen on most people here. The guy has a smile on his face as he waits for me to answer him.

“Um, yes. I’m available for tutoring. What do you need help with?” I ask him. “By the way, I’m Arabella.”

“Hi Arabella. I’m Danny. I need help in math. I just can’t seem to work with numbers. It’s the only class I’ve ever had problems with. For some reason, the numbers just don’t seem to make sense to me,” he says, introducing himself and giving me a bit of information I’ll need to help him the best.

“I can certainly help you. Are you sure you want to work with me?” I question, not wanting to get my hopes up that Danny isn’t playing some sort of joke on me because of Karmen and her friends.

“Why wouldn’t I want to work with you? Dean Maddison told me you’d be my best chance at catching up and figuring out how I can pass math. I’m not asking you to do the work for me or anything. Just any tips or tricks you can think of to help it make sense to me,” Danny says, still standing in front of me.

“I can help you out. Do you have some work with you today?” I ask Danny, not sure if he’s prepared to start tutoring today or not.

“I do. I didn’t want to come here and waste your time,” he answers, looking at the ground instead of me.

I stand up and gather my stuff before heading into the same room I use when I’m working with Brock. Shutting the door behind Danny, we take seats next to one another. Danny pulls out his work and I take a minute to figure out what his class is working on. He’s not as far as Brock’s class and that’s perfectly okay. Not every class is going to be in the same spot with classwork and not every person is going to be where they need to be in class. It’s my job to work with Danny and figure out what the best solution for him is. What works with Brock won’t necessarily work with Danny.

“Why don’t you work through the first problem you have for homework so I can get a sense of where you are and what I need to do to help you,” I tell Danny as he takes a deep breath and pulls out his notebook.

While he’s working through the first problem, I pull out my planner so I can figure out when I can meet up with Danny without getting in the way of everything else I have going on. When Danny’s done with the problem, I look over his work and immediately find the problem. He knows how to do the work. It’s inputting the numbers into the equation he doesn’t understand.

I pull Danny’s textbook closer and read the problem to him out loud. Taking a separate piece of paper, I write down the correct equation. Danny watches me like a hawk as I explain the steps and why I’m putting the numbers where I am. For a minute he simply looks at me before nodding his head in my direction. Taking his notebook, Danny works on the second problem. This time he manages to put every number where it goes with the exception of two. After I explain why they need to be switched up, he works through the problem.

The rest of the afternoon goes much the same. I look over each of his math problems and point out any problems before he solves them. By the time we’re done, Danny looks more relaxed than when he first walked up to me. There’s just one more thing we have to go over.

“I’m currently only working with one other student. I work and have responsibilities at home, so I’m not on campus when I’m not in class or tutoring. These are the days and times I can work with you. Do any of them work?” I ask, sliding my planner close to Danny so he can see what I’m talking about.

“Both of those days work for me. I’m not taking a full course load so I can get caught up on math. Next semester I won’t be able to say the same though. My family expects me to be taking the maximum credits each semester and aren’t happy with me right now,” Danny informs me, a sad smile on his face.

“I’m sorry. I know how it is to be a disappointment to your family. Hell, I’m the town piranha. That’s why I asked if you really wanted to work with me. Everyone hates me and no one wants to work with me,” I state honestly as a knock sounds on the door. “I’ll mark you in my calendar and see you here again in a few days. If you see me around campus and have any questions, just let me know. Most days I do sit here in the library for a while to see if anyone needs help.”

Gathering his things, Danny gives me a nod and disappears. Brock enters the room even though we don’t have a tutoring session today.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him as he takes Danny’s vacated seat.

“I heard Karmen was a bitch to you today. Called you out for stalkin’ someone when you walked through the quad on your way here. Are you okay?” he asks me, his voice full of concern.

“I’m okay. It was just Karmen being her usual bitchy self. If I got upset every time she did something to me, I’d be a fucking wreck. No one is gonna take my college education away from me for any reason,” I state, holding my head high while looking at him.

“Okay. If you need me to defend you, you know I got your back.”

“I know. That’s gonna do nothing more than paint a target on your back, Brock. It’s already bad enough you work with me for tutoring. If you want to get in with Fallon and the guys, the less time you spend with me will be better in the long run,” I tell him simply, knowing Fallon and the rest of the guys rule here just like they did in high school.

“I don’t give a fuck about Fallon, Karmen, or anyone else. I’m here with you because I consider you a friend and you check on your friends when they have somethin’ goin’ on in their lives. If Fallon wants to leave me alone because I’m friends with you, that’s his choice. Personally, I believe he’s missin’ out on a great person and it’s his loss. Karmen is just a bitch because you threaten her. She knows you’re smarter, prettier, and better than she is in every way. Girls like her don’t know how to compete with shit like that. The same for all of her little followers,” Brock says, making me blush at his compliments. “One of these days you’ll trust me enough to give me all of your secrets. Until then, just know I’m here for you and I’ve always got your back. I don’t care who I gotta go up against.”

“Thank you, Brock. Now, I gotta get home. I’ve got an hour home before needing to get to work. Just enough time to do what I gotta do,” I say, knowing it’s gonna be a cold walk home as the sun has been hidden behind clouds all day long.

“I’ll walk you to the gates. I don’t get why you won’t ever let me give you a ride, Arabella,” Brock says, his frustration filling his voice.

“Maybe one day I will.”

The truth is, I don’t want anyone to see where I live. See how rundown the house I live in is and the potential of my mother starting her shit before they can leave. My life is my own and if I don’t want anyone to know what I deal with outside of school. It’s my secret and burden to bear because it’s the only way I know how to make it through each day.

We walk across campus in silence. Fallon and the guys are no longer holding court on the quad. I’m guessing they’re all at their various practices or doing whatever, or whoever, it is they do. None of them are in my life any longer and it doesn’t matter what they do or who they hang out with. At least that’s what I try to tell myself. My reality is that I miss them more than I’ll ever be able to put in words. We might not have spent a ton of time together, but for a little while, they were my entire world. Now, I’m not even a blip on their radar and I have no clue why.

Searching

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