Page 20 of Teaching the Teacher's Pet

I gripped the practice test tightly. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be reacting this way. If this was some sad little sophomore, I would’ve been more understanding. More helpful. But everything about Connor pressed a button inside me, one that screamedget away and stay away. The feeling I got whenever Rachel or Ava brought up the latest jock gossip.

The feeling I got wheneverthat worldbled into mine.

“You hate me,” Connor said suddenly, and for a moment, I wondered if I’d said any of that aloud. “I get it. You can hate me for whatever reasons you’ve got, but can’t you hate me and tutor me at the same time?”

Could I? Was it possible to stomach everything about him for a few tutoring sessions? Well, more than a few. He’d gotten everyquestion wrong. And stomaching him and his over-inflated ego might’ve been possible as long as I had aTUMSor something ready.

“Listen,” I said slowly, because attempting more than a few syllables at a time might’ve caused my fury to relapse. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but it is a lot to learn before the month’s over, and if—”

“You think I don’t know that?” he demanded, but his voice wasn’t nearly as sharp as before. A hint of defeat had trickled into his words. “I know I’m basically screwed. That I’ll be kicked off the football team and held back a year. But I have to try.”

“You showing up forty minutes late isnottrying. You can’t learn an entire year of math in fifteen minutes because you want to gossip with your coach.”

Dragging his legs up to his chest, Connor slouched until his forehead pressed on a knee, giving up on the conversation.

There were two sides me: the tutor side that felt bad for giving him such a hard time when he was obviously in a hard place and the side of Maisie who was dancing and skipping around that Mr. Perfect didn’t have it all together, no matter how hard he tried to portray the distorted image. Ava could write Brentwood Babble articles about him all day long, but I’d seen the façade fracture. I’dbeen the one to crack it.

Tutoring Maisie won out. “Every student I’ve helped has gone on to pass. I’m not going to let you ruin my streak.”

He didn’t lift his head, but the tension in his shoulders loosened slightly. Slightly.

“But we have to meet on time. It’s a lot of ground to cover in two and a half weeks. Four units with ten chapters each. It’s too much to go over in two hours a week.”

“I can’t miss football practice. It won’t matter if I pass or fail Algebra—Coach will cut me from the team.”

Was he seriously more worried about football than the possibility of not graduating on time? I wracked my brain for a possible solution. “How about we meet after practice? Four days a week?”

His hazel eyes widened further. “Four days?”

“Four units, forty chapters in total. In two and a half weeks. That’s not even ten chapters a week, Connor.” Did he understandthatbasic math? If he didn’t, I might as well dust my hands of this situation now and kiss my valedictorian status goodbye. “Some of it will be easy, since you did get some questions right, but it’ll take time to do a proper refresh of everything.”

I focused on Connor, watched as he scrubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Fine, fine. Four days a week after practice. Not on Fridays, though. Those are game days.”

Mentally, I swiped everything off of my schedule, not that I had a lot going on anyway. Thursday night was bowling night with Alex, Rachel, and Ava, but that wasn’t until six. I stuck my hand out between us. “Deal.”

Connor eyed my hand as if it were covered in mud. He made no move to take it. “And you swear not to say anything?”

Him and his stupid discretion. “I swear.”

“And to help me pass?”

“Jeez, yes.”

My arm began cramping before Connor finally reached across the space, fitting his palm against mine. His shake was firm; Dad would’ve been proud.

Connor stretched his long legs out in front of him once more. His shoes nearly touched the opposite shelf. “Who was that guy with you in the hall today?”

At the mention of the scene his girlfriend caused, my skin prickled. I tried not to let my discomfort show. “His name is Alex.”

“You got a crush on him?”

His words punched me in the stomach. Of course, it made sense that Connor wouldn’t know about our relationship—Connor barely knew who I was and had no idea who Alex was—but it stung that he couldn’t tell Alex and I were a couple. That he’d have to ask. “Well, he’s my boyfriend, so I’d hope so.”

“Boyfriend.” He turned the word over in his mouth, savoring it with a visibly suppressed grin. I wanted to knock the look off his face. “I never would’ve guessed.”

“Oh, I’m sorry we weren’t jumping each other while your girlfriend berated me,” I shot back at him, ready for this stupid tutoring session to be over. “Let’s get back to studying.”Before I lose my patience.

“We only have five minutes left.” He rubbed his thumb along his lower lip in a way that Rachel, in her Connor Bray infatuation phase, would’ve gushed over. Ava would’ve scrambled to get it caught on camera. “Not nearly enough time to get started with the actual tutoring. How long have you two been dating?”

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