“An Uber’s gonna cost you like sixty bucks. Get in, I’ll drop you off at the airport.”
“You sure you have time?”
“Yeah it should only take me like thirty minutes there and back.” Which should leave me with more than enough time to drop my car off at home and walk over to the library for tutoring. “No biggie.”
“You’re the best captain I’ve ever had Jake, I mean it.” Olliepulls his bags out of the trunk of his car and throws them into mine, and a few minutes later we’re pulling out of the parking lot.
“Make sure you let Adam know that. His ego’s been getting a little big lately.” That was the farthest thing from the truth, but a solid part of our relationship was me busting Adam’s balls while he rolled his eyes in response.
“Seriously man, you’re really saving my ass. I was scared I was gonna miss my flight.”
“Don’t worry Ollie, we'll get you there in no time.”
Getting Oliver to the airport with enough time for him to make it through security? Check. Getting myself back to campus in time for tutoring? Big fucking fail. I was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic moving less than a hundred feet every five minutes. Eliana was going to kill me.
And to think this time I actually worked my ass off to finish the homework and was even going to arrive early if not for the emergency detour I had to take to help Ollie. What an absolute nightmare.
It’s fine, everything’s fine. I’d just skip the trip home and head straight to the library. I still had a solid fifteen minutes until I had to be there and I was only two miles from campus. No need to freak out yet. Except with every minute that ticked by I realized how absolutely screwed I was.
There was no way I was going to be on time which meant I had to cross my fingers and hope that Eliana hated last minute rescheduling much less than she hated me showing up late. I reach for my phone to send Eliana an email when I realize it;s dead. This has to be a joke. There’s no way that I’m stuck in traffic AND my phone is dead. I reach over to theglove box, digging through it like a mad man and sending all of its contents onto the floor. I send a silent prayer out for a charger. No such luck.
This was bad. Really, really bad. I bang my head against the steering wheel. With every minute that passed by, I felt the hopes of me playing hockey this season fade.
Chapter 9
Eliana
Unlike last time, when I sat alone in the library fuming waiting for Jake to show up, this time, I came fully prepared with my own agenda of things I needed to get done this week. I’m not sure whether I should thank him for giving me the extra time to submit my research paper for my Childhood Adversity and Resilience seminar but it was one less thing I had to worry about for this week. I check the time on my computer and can’t help but snort. Of course he’s over thirty minutes late. Again. And of course he couldn’t be bothered to send me an email.
I composed a quick email to the tutoring center informing them that I can longer commit to being Jake’s tutor and request that they find someone else willing to tolerate his bullshit. Well, I don’t use that exact phrasing, but the message is clear. I’m free of Jake Keeley.
I close my laptop and head into the lab a few minutes early. A part of me hoped Violet wouldn’t be in today, because I didn’t want to tell her I had quit. She probably wouldn’t even be surprised given she did warn me that Jake had a bit of anego. Still, I had worked with some pretty difficult clients in the past and this was the first time I wasn’t able to make something work. Tomorrow. I will tell her tomorrow.
I’m two feet away from the entrance to my lab when I hear someone running down the hall. From his frantic expression and the way he keeps glancing down at his very fancy and likely expensive watch, Jake’s definitely piecing together how much trouble he’s in. I feel my heart twinge a bit and for a second, I debate how bad it would be if I give a third chance.
My therapist’s voice starts to play in my head from our last session. “I get that helping people can be very aligned with your values, but burning yourself out is not a solution. Sometimes the best way we can care for others is by taking care of ourselves. And also not enabling their behaviors.”Stephanie was right. I would just have to stick to my decision to no longer be his tutor.
I keep my head down hoping Jake won’t notice me. Maybe it’s a bit cowardly to hide but telling him I quit was going to be really hard. Setting boundaries was still very new for me, and if he poked my wall hard enough, the wall and my resolution would definitely cave. I hear him call my name. Shit. I guess we’re doing this now then.
I turn around and get a face full of his chest, craning my neck up to look at him. “Jake.”
“Listen I know you’re pissed—” He takes a moment to catch his breath.
“Honestly I’m not.” It was the truth. The reality is I never should have taken on an extra client this semester. I had tried to make it work, but clearly he wasn’t going to put in the same amount of effort so all I can do at this point is move on.
His eyebrows knit together. “Oh um…well that’s good. So should we head back to the library?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. I realized I may not be the best fit as your tutor so I emailed the main office asking them toreassign you with someone who can meet your needs.” Easy. Polite but firm. I give myself a mental high-five for not immediately caving into his request.
His eyes widen. “Please don’t quit on me. I had to drop a friend off at the airport. It was an emergency. I got stuck in traffic on the way back.”
“I understand that emergencies come up, but you could’ve told me you were running late. Or that you needed to reschedule.”
“I tried to, but my phone was dead.” The sincerity in his voice, paired with the mix of panic and guilt in his eyes, made my heart squeeze. My stupid bleeding heart.
“I see. Well I appreciate the transparency, but I’ve already emailed the tutoring center asking for you to be reassigned. I just don’t think our schedules and my tutoring style are compatible with what you need. But I’m sure they’ll connect you with someone new soon.”
“Wait, are you serious?”
