Page 17 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
“Push on you?”
“It’s only a few hours away, and I need something farther away.”
He takes a deep breath, his fingers digging into the sand between us. “I get that.”
“Why did you tell me?” I ask. More than anything, I want to hear the answer to that.
Kaleb shrugs. “The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t go through with it. I just can’t do it. Which means your mom is going to hate me even more.”
“Not if we go along with it.”
He blinks. “What?”
I smile. “You heard me. We go along with it. It allows me to tutor you, and you get the letter of recommendation and a meeting with her MIT friend.” I keep the part where I’ve never heard of my mom speak of an MIT friend to myself.
For a minute he stares at me, and I wonder if I’m growing a second head or have something hanging from my nose. I discreetly check my nose to take it out of the running.
“If your mom finds out—”
“She won’t.” I cut him off. “Plus, she’ll back off because she thinks you’re in cahoots with her.”
He laughs. “Cahoots. Nice.”
Then it hits me that he doesn’t want to date and maybe he thinks I’m pushing because I like him. Which I…don’t. “Look, you get what you want, and I don’t get grief. It’s not like I’m interested in you.”
His lips turn down so quickly that I’m sure I’m seeing things. “Right. I’m not interested in dating anyone. This would only be to get my grade up and get me into MIT.”
“And make it easier for me to tutor you.”
“Exactly.” He pauses. “So, how will this work? I haven’t really…dated anyone, not serious or anything.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”
He rolls his eyes. “I mean, no one that I thought could lead to anything. It was all for fun. If she ticked my dad off, that made me like her even more.” A smile stretches on his lips. “How about you?”
“Dating? You’ve met my mom, right?”
Kaleb busts out laughing, and it’s infectious, which makes me laugh.
“See, even you can’t picture me dating anyone.”
“Actually,” he says, his gaze catching mine. “You’re the kind of girl a guy dates with forever in mind. You’re smart, kind, and gorgeous.”
That sobers me, and I swallow hard. “Uh…”
Then I remember it’s all a game and break the intense eye contact. This pretend thing is going to end up biting me if I can’t keep things straight. Kaleb has had his issues, but I don’t have to dig too deep to see most of them stem from being hurt.
My mom has hammered into me that love can’t change anyone, but I don’t think that’s true. I’m not saying it’s true for everyone, just that it’s not written in stone. Sometimes, I think the right person can change someone’s heart. Faith and hope and love are powerful. At least, I think so.
“It’s true,” Kaleb says. “I think that’s why most guys avoid you. Well, that and the barbed wire fence that is your mom.”
Snorting, I cover my nose with my hands. It makes Kaleb nearly double over from laughter.
I pop him on the arm, keeping one hand over my nose. “Stop laughing.”
“No.” He laughs harder.
“I need to get home before my mom turns into the troll under the bridge. We can talk aboutWarm Bodieslater.” I stand and swipe my hands over my backside to knock the sand off.
