Serena approaches the table, out of breath like she ran a mile to get here. She levels down at the chair opposite me and sets her bag on the tabletop. Suddenly, I’m speechless as I actually look at her now that we’re in such close proximity.
Coffee-brown eyes bore into mine. She’s wearing light blue mom jeans with a white shirt that hugs her upper body. Her raven black hair gracefully falls down to her shoulders, and curtain bangs frame her face. As I sit beside her, I can’t shake off her addicting scent: a blend of fruity freshness, delicate floral notes, and a subtle hint of musk.
“Thai green tea.”
I realize I’m staring at her. The nickname shakes me slightly back into reality.
“Now that you two are acquainted. I’ll leave you to it.” Ms. Kelly scurries back to her workstation, leaving Serena and me in the empty tutoring center.
“Thai green tea, huh?” I lean back in my chair, arms crossed. “You know my name.”
“I do.”
“Then why are you calling me by my drink order?”
“You like Thai green tea.” Serena giggles, her lashes fluttering.
That laugh.
I clear my throat, “If we’re on a nickname basis, I should be able to call you something other than Serena.” I tap my chin, contemplating nicknames for her. Once I have it, I inch forward, eyes locked onto hers. “I think we’re friendly enough to where you can invite me over for a movie,sunshine.”
My eyes are still locked onto hers, her cheeks flush pink and she must realize it when her coffee-brown orbs widen in surprise. It all happens in a couple of seconds, then she turns her head to the side to look away.
I lean back with my hands linked behind my neck. I decide to switch topics. “So, I didn’t know you tutored.”
Serena returns her attention back to me, opening her bag for a notebook and pen. “I was talked into it.”
“Ms. Vaughn?”
“Yeah, she’s very persuasive. She just wanted me to take on an extracurricular activity,” she bats her eyelashes, eyes peering over me. “So, let’s get started.”
She takes her pen, her tongue sneaking out of the corner of her mouth, fully concentrated. “Okay,” she waves at me with her pen to pay attention. “Ms. Vaughn hasn’t told me much about you other than you need help with trigonometry. Is there anything specific I need to know?”
I release the hands behind my neck, letting one hand scrub my chin. “Fuck if I know. I never thought I was dumb enough tobe told ’you’re falling behind’.” I pull out my binder, which contains my assignments and the latest quiz that took me all night to study for.
“That’s no reason to call yourself dumb.” Serena counters.
I chuckle. “I’m sure I’ll come to terms with it at some point.”
“No, seriously. I struggle too sometimes.”
“Yeah, right,” I retort, not entirely convinced.
“Hey,” Serena’s voice catches my attention again, “We all need help sometimes. Plus, you’re lucky it’s me,” she jokes, making me chuckle.
She starts going through my binder, eyes scanning left to right. My face scrunches up as I watch her analyze my work. For a second, I can’t tell if she’s realizing Iamdumb, or she really can’t figure it out. After a few minutes have passed, she sets the binder down and her eyes narrow.
Damn, maybe I’m dumb.
“You’re not totally bad at trig. You just…” She pauses, her brows furrowed together like she’s trying to think of the best way to lay it out on me.
I raise a brow when she’s taking longer to finish.
“Look, trigonometry is a puzzle. You have the pieces laid out and it’s up to you to put it together so it’s one perfectmasterpiece.” She holds up my latest quiz. “This? You get the right answer, sure, but you don’t really understand how the pieces fit together–the process, the connection, and seeing the big picture–which is why you’re getting all these points marked off.”
I rub my chin and accidentally let out a chuckle. “That was really philosophical of you.”
“It is, huh?” Her face brightens, a hint of pink creeping up on her and a light melodic laugh escapes her lips. She tucks strands of hair behind her ears, shifting in her seat as she scribbles something in her notebook. “We’ll work on solving basic functions. It’s all about understanding the process as you work out the problem.”
