We continued the same process as last time, slowly working through each problem until I successfully found the solution. Although her patience seemed to be on the thin side, we did manage to get through the rest of the quiz today.
“So,” I cleared my throat as I watched her eye the clock that was on the wall above the doors. “I know we’ve been here for over an hour, but we got our midterm study-guide.”
She nodded, eyeing the clock once more before meeting my gaze.
“Well that means you’ve got like a week to get your shit sorted. Let’s go through a couple problems today and we can keep working tomorrow,” she suggested.
“Yeah, okay,” I nodded, opening my textbook to the section we were going to be quizzed on.
After having me start on a couple of problems, she left for the bathroom. I tried to focus on finding the solutions, but I was distracted by how loud every obscure sound was in the library. The air conditioner pinging, the sound of my own breathing, theclicking of someone typing on a computer at the table outside the study room. Every time I brought my attention back to the math book my mind drifted to Shiloh’s injuries.Is she really okay? Was she really in a car accident?
My gut was telling me something was off, but I couldn’t exactly trust my instincts when I had no clue if she’d lie about being in an accident to cover up something that happened on purpose.Fuck, don’t let your mind go there, Nox. She said it was an accident. Stop being paranoid.
I took a moment to quickly shoot my parents a text to let them know that I was bringing Shiloh to dinner. I also warned them that she had been in a car accident and not to fuss over her appearance. My mom immediately responded to my texts asking for more details, wondering if Shiloh was okay and if she needed anything. Of course, my mom was incapable of not mothering another child. She was the most empathetic and nurturing soul, something I hoped to be toward my own kids one day.
The groan of the wooden door opening made me turn my body and I smiled at Shiloh as she returned to our table, trying to pump some positivity into the room.
“How’d it go?” she asked as she took her seat opposite me, letting out an almost inaudible grunt like she was in pain.
“Well…” I looked back down at the lined paper I had been scribbling on, shoving my phone back in my pocket. “It was hard to focus.”
She raised her cut brow in disbelief before shaking her head with an irritated sigh. “What’s the first step?”
And so, the session continued, me getting annoyed for being so inept with mathematics, and her sighing with frustration that my thick skull wasn’t absorbing the material fast enough. After the three problems were completed, I felt a little more confident and she assigned me ten more to complete tonight. Igroaned dramatically in protest, but she gave me an unamused expression.
“If you want to pass the midterm, you need to study. And to study means to practice. You might justpass if youactuallyput in some effort,” she said with a pointed look.
“Yes, ma’am,” I sighed, saluting her jokingly.
Like the other jokes I had attempted to crack throughout our tutoring session, it fell flatly, and she didn’t even crack a smile.Man, I guess she doesn’t like my sense of humor. She might have put up a prickly exterior, which I had concluded must just be her personality, but everybody had their soft spot, I’d just have to find hers.
“Okay then,” I said, trying not to let it bother me that I couldn’t get her to smile. “Um, if you’re still wanting to come over, I guess we should get going. Did you need to stop at your locker?”
She shook her head, so I packed up my bag and led the way out of the library, my mind drifting back to how much pain she must be in. Not that it was any of my business, I didn’t even know her last name, but if I’d gotten into a car accident and looked like that, my parents definitely wouldn’t let me be at school.
Six
October 5, Tuesday
Enoch
The mist that was falling around us turned to rain, so I picked up my pace and unlocked the car. I quickly climbed in after throwing my backpack in the backseat, started the heater up and turned down the music that I had been listening to on the way to school this morning. Not that it mattered, as the rain was pounding down so hard now that I could hardly hear it.
“Well, that escalated quickly,” I joked. “Oh crap, is that hail?” I asked, leaning forward over the steering wheel at the pellets of ice that began hitting the hood of my car.
“Aren’t you observant,” Shiloh muttered.
I rolled my eyes, smiling to myself as I clicked my windshield wipers onto high before cautiously heading out of the parking lot. It was awkwardly silent as I concentrated on theroad, but when we finally hit a red light, I looked over at Shiloh. She had her head resting back with her eyes closed and I thought for a moment that she might have fallen asleep, but then she let out a sigh and opened her eyes.
“Come on, my music isn’t that boring,” I joked over the music and hail, as I drove the final few minutes to my house.
“Huh?” She paused. “Sort of.”
I chuckled and turned the volume off.
“Sorry my acoustic music isn’t to your taste. What kind of music do you listen to?” I asked.
“I don’t.”
