Page 6 of Kicking It with the Point Guard

Fingers crossed that Dr. Harrington pulls through for me with a miracle.

* * *

“I’m an idiot. A grade A idiot.”

I thunk my face against the bed, shoving my face into the pillow. Now that I’m done with class, I’m back in my room, attempting to do math again. But just looking at the book has me remembering what an embarrassing idiot I was in the library this morning.

“Hey now, head up! I don’t have time for sadness!” My roommate, Mia, pats the top of my head before jumping up on her bed opposite mine. “I’ve got a shift at the diner this afternoon, but now I’m glad I left my stuff here this morning instead of bringing it with me to class. Why the long face?”

I fill her in on what happened with Professor Drivels and my advisor first, before breaking the news that her bestie is a total failure when it comes to the opposite sex.

“Vi… It sucks about the math thing, but you’ll pull through. You’re tougher than you give yourself credit for, and you’re being too hard on yourself. You may have spent close to an hour with the guy, but it sounds like your interaction time may have been closer to two minutes.” She tosses a cookie at me before continuing with her lecture. “Besides, if you’ve gone this long without seeing him, what are the chances of you running into him again?”

“Well, actually, I saw him again in the cafeteria literally right after that.” I slump down in my chair, nibbling the cookie Mia assaulted me with. “He was with some big guy who likes hockey.”

“Maybe fate is intervening. Maybe it was love at first sight for him,” she deadpans.

“I don’t know about that. I basically told him he wasn’t smart enough to do math. I’d like to avoid him if I can.”

I look for the package of cookies Mia just had.

“Give up, sweet cheeks. I ate the last one just now.” She hops off the bed, laughing, and puts on her all-black diner uniform, then digs through several piles of clothes. Probably looking for the apron that completes the look.

I huff but join her in her search, making quick work of the piles. She holds the apron up like it’s a trophy, a victorious smile on her pretty face.

She hugs me and leaves. I mope around for a bit, then get to work trying to decipher the math problems I already tried to solve once.

I don’t see Mia much for the rest of the weekend. Between keeping up with school and working two jobs, it’s a miracle I get to see her at all. But despite worrying about my bestie, I manage to complete my math homework and move on to one of the projects from one of my education classes.

By the time the weekend is over, my spirits have lifted. I just have to make it through algebra tomorrow, then I can meet with Dr. Harrington. I’m ready for her amazing idea that will help me to pass math class and never have to deal with it or stupid Professor Drivels ever again.

Violet

“A tutor?” I can’t keep the skepticism from my voice.

“Yes. A tutor,” Dr. Harrington says, giving me a pointed look. “I know you said you’ve had other people try to explain the problems to you, but that’s not the same as an actual tutor employed by the academy.”

I slump in my chair, a habit I’m developing quickly, thanks to my no-nonsense advisor.

Her expression softens. “Look, I know this is hard for you. But the person whom I’ve asked to help is one of the best math students in this academy. I’ve even seen some of the more advanced math professors ask him questions about problems they weren’t sure of. He’s helped multiple students in the past, and all of them passed their various levels of math classes with flying colors.”

I sit up a little straighter. That doesn’t sound so bad.

“Is he patient? Because he may have helped people in the past, but he hasn’t helped me. I’ve been told on more than one occasion, by more than one person, that I’m impossible.”

My parents showed a lot of patience and restraint while helping me get through that last semester of math in high school. I’m pretty sure, at one point, my dad went to the garage during homework time and just started hammering the crap out of a random board in there just to release some of the pent-up frustration he felt from trying to get me to understand the material.

I have never been afraid of my father. I wasn’t afraid of him then. He is loving, patient, and attentive. He catches the bugs that find their way into the house and releases them back outside. He’s the most gentle man I’ve ever met. But I’ve never seen him get so frustrated.

Dr. Harrington chuckles.

“Don’t worry, dear. Mr. Jones is as patient as they get. He’s quiet and polite, and I think his calm demeanor will be good to balance out your… particular brand of quirky.”

I snort. So, in other words, Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected will teach me math, and I won’t drive him up the wall with my complete lack of ability to understand anything mathematical.

I heave a defeated sigh.

“Violet, I promise, if things don’t work out with Mr. Jones, you can come back and we’ll work together to find another solution.” She smiles warmly. “As I said before, Professor Drivels drives me nuts. I would love for you to rub it in his face that you passed his class.” Her warm smile quickly turns evil.

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