Page 2 of Kicking It with the Point Guard

“Okay. I can’t have a student I advise fail. I’ve been here for fifteen years and haven’t had a student fail yet.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” I mumble.

“Hush! Now I’m going to check on a few things this weekend. Let’s meet again on Monday, and I’ll have a solution to your math problem.” She snorts. “See what I did there?”

I roll my eyes at the corny joke but smile at the woman.

“You’re going to pass College Algebra. We’ll show Professor Drivels. I’ve never liked that guy, anyway.”

“Thank you, Dr. Herrington. I’m glad I got you for an advisor.”

She smiles and stands, holding out her hand. We shake, and I can’t help but feel a little lighter. I probably should have had this conversation with her my freshman year.

“You’re welcome, my dear. Don’t forget to come back on Monday. I’ll have everything figured out by then.”

“It’s a date.”

Violet

I’m too annoyed for it to be this sunny.

Walking across campus toward the library—my second home here at Fox Academy—usually puts my mind at ease. It’s a beautiful campus. The campus green is always filled with students hanging out or studying or straight up taking a nap. The atmosphere is the epitome of Zen.

Even though I do feel better after speaking with Dr. Herrington, the more I think about my conversation with Professor Drivels, the angrier I get.

I tried to fly under the radar, but after our first real pop quiz, he started calling me out in class, and it wasn’t long until he realized I know almost nothing about math. The other students think it’s hilarious. Bunch of pretentious know-it-all freshmen.

They’re not all bad. I studied a few times with a couple of them, and one girl even let me use her notes. But that James Lewis and his little crew… I hope they fall asleep studying and miss the final exam.

No. No, I don’t want that bad juju coming back to haunt me. Maybe they’ll just be late… I can handle that much. Probably.

Because I knew that whatever days I had algebra would be horrible days, I only scheduled one more class for that day and it’s after lunch. So I have several hours to study, rest, eat, and rejuvenate my mind from the complete drain that math always seems to have on me.

I barely passed my math classes in high school. My senior year, Mom and Dad were so afraid that I’d fail and not be able to graduate that they sat down with me every night and helped me do my homework. I scraped by with a low C on the final exam. It was a stressful time.

Hence me putting off the one math class I have to take until I can’t put it off any longer. I mean, I could have taken it next semester, but then I would for sure have no cushion, and it would be all or nothing, just like in high school, and I’m not doing that again.

I finally reach Citrine building. It’s the home of Fox Academy’s prestigious library and my favorite place on campus, aside from the dorm room I share with Mia—my slightly crazy, but loveable roommate. Entering the three-story, ivy-covered building, some of my anger melts away and I take a deep breath. Maybe now I can calm down before lunch and my pedagogy class.

Waving at Julina Starks, one of the library assistants, I stroll through the stacks to study room twelve. It’s my favorite. If I get a jump on my algebra homework, I can spend the rest of the evening having fun. I think I deserve it after the morning I had.

There’s no light shining through the small window in the study room, so I go in and flip the light on. A groan sounds to my left, and I jump, shrieking.

A head of messy blond hair lifts off muscled forearms, and a very handsome face, with a few sleep lines, comes into view.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there was anyone in here. I always use this room at this time, so…” I trail off. Not sure what to say. I’ve never seen anyone this hot in real life.

“Don’t apologize. I had the light off. So unless you were looking right at me, you wouldn’t have known I was here.”

His voice is rough from sleep, but it sends a shiver down my spine, nonetheless.

“I can go to another room,” I offer, but I don’t really want to. I like this room. It’s smaller than most of the study rooms, but it’s at the back of the library, where few people ever wander, and it’s quiet.

“That’s okay. I’ll leave. I’ve been here longer than I should have.” The guy pushes himself away from the table.

“You can stay.” I rush to say before he stands up. “I’m just going to be doing homework by myself. So if you still need to rest, I won’t bother you.”

He pauses for a minute, then nods.

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