The Deal (ON HOLD)

Chapter 2: Connect

As my teacher assigns the homework, I can't help but look at the clock, ready to go home. The final bell of the day rings and I grab my bookbag leaving AP Biology. I walk out of the classroom and head straight for the double doors leading outside. Before I can reach the front doors, someone pulls me into a nearby classroom.

"What the fuck!" I punch the assailant.

"Ouch, shit!" a familiar voice says.

The attacker, who was bent over, stands as straight as he can while he's in pain and I see that it is no one other than Axel Tailor. He seems to be holding his stomach in pain.

"Why the fuck did you attack me?!" I yell at him.

"Me, attack you?" he looks at me with a bewildered expression, "You're the one who punched me."

"Well don't be pulling people into random ass places. I didn't know who you were."

"I needed to talk to you."

"And you couldn't have came up to me like a normal person and said 'Hey, I need to talk to you.'"

"You and I both know that I'm not normal," he gives me a smile that I am sure has the girls going wild.

"Ok, what do you want?" I ask unimpressed.

Taken aback by my nonchalant response to him, his face turns into confusion. For awhile he says nothin. Deciding that he is wasting my time, I head to the classroom door. He grabs my arm stopping me, landing him a slap to his arm.

"Fuck," he exclaims, "stop hitting me."

"Well stop touching me," I fold my arms over my chest, "I don't know you like that."

"Ok, my bad."

"Once again, what do you want? Because at this point you're wasting my time."

"Ok," he says, "I need your help."

"With what?"

"You're the smartest person in school and I need a tutor."

"Ok, go to the principal and sign up for the tutoring program."

"Yeah, I tried that. Except you're not on the tutoring list."

"Yeah because I don't tutor."

"I figured that is why I am personally asking you for help."

"The answer is no," I turn towards the door.

"Oh come on," he blocks the door, "please? I hate asking people for shit so for me to say please you know that I desperately need help."

"Why do you even want a tutor?"

"My mom basically said if my grades don't improve by parent-teacher conferences then I'm getting cutoff."

"Ok, what does this have to do with me?"

"Like I already stated you're the smartest girl in school and with the way my grades look, I definitely can't afford to get help from anyone else."

"What makes you think that I will do it?"

"Because I will make it wroth your while," he smirks at me.

"You can take that smirk right off of your face because that stuff doesn't work on me," I tell him, hopefully bringing his egotistical self back down to earth, "I'll do it-"

"Thank you so much," he cuts me off, and begins to walk to the door.

"But," I stop him in his tracks, "I want to be paid."

"Ok sure, how does twenty dollars a day sound?"

"Boy you got me fucked up. The average paid tutor makes between 10-40 dollars an hour. You are not about to play me."

"Ok, how much would you like?"

"Twenty-five an hour."

"Why that much?"

"Because I am taking time out of my schedule to help you, when I don't help anyone," I respond, "And no, I'm not budging on the price, I know how much I'm worth."

"Ok, fine.  Twenty-five dollars an hour it is."

"Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I will tutor you after school."

"Ok, cool. So we have a deal?"

I sit there and think about if there's anything else I want from this deal. The more I think, I think about how my high school career, shoot basically my whole school career, has only been focused on school. Nothing exciting, just homework and more homework. Unlike most high school students who were out partying or hanging with their friends on Saturday nights, I was at home watching reruns of 90's cartoons. And to be honest, there's nothing wrong with that, but I honestly feel like I would regret not trying some typical high school stuff at least once.

"Also," I say to him getting an idea, "I want you to help me make my last year of high school memorable."

"What do you mean?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't really do much. If I'm not at school, I'm at home or at Nzuri's house. I just don't want to go to college feeling displaced. I want to have just a handful of normal high school experiences, just to say I did them. And who knows, I may just enjoy them too."

"Ok, so what exactly do you want to do?"

"I don't know, just stuff different from my normal life," I answer him, "so, deal?"

Without a second thought he stretches out his hand and says, "Deal."

We shake hands signally the confirmed deal. I walk out of the classroom, to an abandon hall. How long were we in there for? Pushing that thought to the back of my mind, I walk out of the school doors. I cross the parking lot and begin the fifteen minute walk home. Before I can get around the corner my name is called.

"What?" I turn around, seeing Axel by his car.

"Would you like a ride home?"

"I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Why are you so adamant about giving me a ride?"

"Well seeing as we're going to be spending a lot of time together, I just figured it was the nice thing to do," he opens his car door, "But since you don't need one, have a good day."

He pulls out of the parking lot and drives past me. I shake my head at him and continue walking to my house. I reach my house as my phone buzzes, signaling a notification. I go inside and check my phone. I see a notification from Instagram: amt_ has requested to follow you. 1 message request.

'Hey, I figured since I didn't get your number, I would find another way to contact you.'

'First you pull me into an empty classroom, then you practically beg me to ride home with you, now you somehow find me on Instagram. If I didn't know any better, I would say you're stalking me.'

'You wish.'

I roll my eyes at his reply and accept his friend request. I then carry on about my day like normal.