Xavier and the Wolf (Legends of Pinewood 1)

3. If you thought this would be fun

When I arrived home after my first day of tutoring, I was absolutely gassed and grateful I could sink into a large fluffy sofa at home. Thankfully, I didn't have to do anything else tonight aside from being a couch potato. I didn't even understand why I was so tired. Aside from the encounters with Aquila, my first day of work was pleasantly uneventful. I only tutored Sara, an adorable eighth grader who needed some help with her science project. It was always fun to work with a student who wanted to learn, and to see that exact moment when everything clicked and they understood the material.

The students like Sara were the reason I wanted to be a tutor. Not grouchy seventeen-year-old babies who likely wouldn't listen to my instructions without a fight. I yawned and stretched myself out. Even thinking about having to teach Aquila made me tired, but he was a concern for later. All I had to do tonight was hang out with my mom in the living room, which we often did when dad had to work late at the woodworking shop. Mom was wrapped up in a blanket while she watched the fifteenth rerun of Friends, and I read a book.

At least, I was trying to read a book. I was only five minutes into the first chapter of One Last Stop when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Out of curiosity, I snuck a peek at the notification and opened it when I saw it was an email from Mr. Murray titled "new schedule." It didn't surprise me, really. Pinewood wasn't the most organised school, and it was pretty normal for people to decide last minute their kid couldn't make it for a tutoring session.

"Hi Xavier, I had to shift some things around in the schedule because one student needs more tutoring than expected. You find the new schedule attached to this email," I muttered as I read.

The mail came without an attachment. Five seconds later, a second mail reading 'sorry, now with an attachment' landed in my inbox, which made me chuckle.

My laughter abruptly stopped, however, when I opened the new schedule. I nearly dropped my phone on my face when I saw the name Aquila in there three times a week. Swearing under my breath, I shot upright on the sofa.

"That bastard!" I then said out loud when I realised he had me teaching Aquila three times a week for an entire month. I understood exactly what had been going on this morning now, and why Mr. Murray had looked so nervous. It was Aquila glaring at him, and now he was dumping it all on my shoulders.

My mom looked up and gasped exaggeratedly. "Language, Xavier Davis," she said, trying her hardest to look serious. It failed utterly, with the playful spark dancing in her dark brown eyes.

I pulled a face. "You would be swearing too if you had to tutor Aquila three times a week."

"Aquila?" Mom frowned, then her thin eyebrows raised. "Oh, Boris' nephew."

"Yeah," I said, stretching out the word. "Boris says he's harmless, but I don't know about that. I met him this morning. Total asshole."

"Be a little patient with him, Xav," Mom reached out and ruffled my hair. "He's in a strange situation here, being the only newcomer in a small town."

"Yes, I know that," I replied indignantly. I had come to the same conclusion. "I get that it's hard. But it doesn't give him the right to be a complete asshole. I'm not his punching bag. And Iris thinks he came here straight from juvi."

My mom started laughing. "What? You all have wild imaginations. No, Aquila didn't come here straight from juvi. Aquila just lived with his parents in a secluded place where there aren't many people around."

"So, basically the same as Pinewood then, right?" I asked. "If his parents are alive and well, why is he with his uncle, then?"

Mom shrugged. "I don't know. Boris didn't mention that," she said.