Page 82 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
I walk over to Kaleb and whisper, “What are you doing?”
He hands me a paper with lines printed out for Mr. Morgan, the English teacher in the movie.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Just do it.” He flicks his gaze to the crowd. “Or do you want to stand here for the next ten minutes being stared at?”
My face burns. “Fine.” I take a few steps back from him and realize the podium is empty. I walk over to it, set the sheet down, and begin reading.
“Okay,” I say in the manliest voice I can. “I guess everyone’s finished their poems. Anyone want to read it out loud to the class?” That’s totally not a direct quote. I know because I’ve watched it so many times.
Kaleb looks around a second and then raises his hand.
Rolling my eyes, I say, “Go ahead.” I sigh heavily like the teacher did in the movie.
Kaleb clears his throat. The paper in his hand is shaking so hard I’ll be surprised he can read it. He licks his lips, looks at the audience again really quick, and then pins his eyes on the paper.
“I…” He sucks in a lungful of air and lets it’s out slow. I kind of feel sorry for him being so nervous. “I really hate the deal I made, and the way it made you feel,” he says and takes a step toward me. “I really hate that I lied that day and made you feel betrayed.” His gaze locks with mine, and he lowers the paper. “I really hate to see you cry, and I really hate that I’m a dumb guy. I hate that I can’t hold you close or wipe away your tears. But most of all, I hate that I caused you pain, even a little, even at all.”
With each sentence, he’s moved closer, and he’s standing right in front of me where I’m frozen in place. He’s said all of this in front of everyone.
“I hate that I waited so long to tell you I love you, and I hate that I couldn’t make it rhyme.”
My vision blurs. “Is that true?”
“I can’t rhyme at all, and I love you.” The last three words are spoken softly as he rubs his thumb across my cheek. “I love you with all my heart.” He takes my face in his hands and touches his lips to mine. “Withallmy heart.”
“I love you too.” I fling my arms around his neck and kiss him like I’m not standing on a stage being watched by who knows how many people. Honestly, I forget they’re even there.
It’s how I’ve felt every time we’ve kissed. That we’re the only people on earth and it doesn’t matter what life throws at me. I have him to hold on to. I don’t know about forever, but my right now is about as perfect as I could picture.
When the cheering turns into a roar, we break the kiss, stand there with our foreheads touching, and smile. I feel more peace than I’ve felt in months. No more lying or pretending or being controlled.
I’m free, and I’m free to love the person I want the most.
Epilogue
Ginny
Six years later…
“I knew you’d pass it.” I smile at Kaleb sitting across the table from me. “You studied too hard to fail.”
The moment he got the good news a couple of days ago, we planned a celebration. It was a big feat passing that test. Lots of long hours and time spent studying for it, giving up some of our social life so he was properly prepared.
He shrugs. “I know, but nothing’s ever certain until you see it.”
I’m so proud of him. He graduated from Baylor with honors, found an internship, studied hard, and today he got the email that he passed his licensure test. We now live in Charleston, South Carolina, where I’m getting my master's in English. I’ll begin teaching at a high school in Mt. Pleasant in a few weeks when the fall semester starts. We haven’t married yet. I live a few miles from him in a townhouse I’m in the process of purchasing.
“I knew it was certain,” I reply. Actually, we both graduated from Baylor. It ended up being my first pick, and they gave me a great scholarship based on both volleyball and my grades. Waco was far enough to give me the space I needed but close enough to work on my relationship with my mom. Plus, I knew I wanted to be close to Kaleb. And even though he was accepted to MIT, Kaleb chose to stay close to his dad.
It’s been a long road, but that day she apologized behind the stage in the auditorium was life-altering for both of us. There are still times she wants to control things—bad habits are hard to break—but she’s worked to be a better person.
So have I.
I didn’t realize the anger and resentment I’d held toward her. Over the last year, we’ve both been attending counseling together. She lives in Houston, so we video chat for our meetings.
She returned to teaching just this year, moving from Port Crest to another small town a few hours outside of Lubbock called Anton. She flew all the way to Charleston to congratulate Kaleb on his achievement.
