Risking It All

Chapter Fifteen- Jade

I bit my lip, focusing on the paper in front of me as Noah sat across, engrossed in his own work. A cup of coffee stood beside me – a daily offering from Noah for the past week. Despite the forced company, it had been comforting to have someone around while preparing for finals.

Finishing the last problem on my review sheet, I organized my materials into my folder. "Alright, well, I'm gonna head out. Do you need anything before I go?" I inquired.

He glanced through his paper before looking back at me. "No, I'm good. See you tomorrow?"

I nodded and walked toward my car when Coach Jackson's voice interrupted.

"Ms. Singh!" he called, approaching me.

"Hey, Coach Jackson, how can I help you?" I asked.

"It seems like Noah is not improving in his Statistics class. In fact, he failed his last test," he informed me.

"What?" I exclaimed, surprised. "He told me he did well," I added, confusion etching my face.

"Apparently not. I'm sorry, Ms. Singh. Unfortunately, we might have to stop this tutoring arrangement and find someone better for Noah if you are unable to teach him well," Coach Jackson explained.

"I understand. If you don't mind, I would like to ask him what went wrong," I responded quietly.

"Of course, but if we don't figure this out, I'm afraid you will have to quit tutoring him," he warned.

Heading to Noah's car in the parking lot, I knocked on his window. He rolled it down with a smug expression.

"What? Couldn't get enough of me?" he teased.

"Noah, why didn't you tell me you failed your Stats test?" I questioned.

"Oh, it must have not crossed my mind," he shrugged casually.

"How did this happen? I thought you were prepared for this. How did you fail when you were acing those practice questions?" I shook my head, bewildered.

"I don't know, sunshine. Maybe we just need to do more sessions," he suggested, flashing a confident smile.

Realization hit me – he did this on purpose.

"You did this on purpose," I accused, locking eyes with him.

His gaze held remorse, confirming my suspicion. "Sunshine, I'm sorry. Coach told me that if I do well on this test, we could stop our sessions. I didn't want that, not when I was finally getting to know you," he explained, stepping closer.

"I didn't mean to make you upset. I know you wanted me to get a good grade on this test," he added.

"I don't want you to fail," I whispered.

"I won't, sunshine. I swear I'll make up the test, get my grade back up, and I'll explain everything to Coach. He won't blame you," he promised.

I nodded, giving him a small smile.

"I need to go now, but don't worry, sunshine. I'll fix this," he said with a grin.

I watched him drive off, my stomach churned at the thought of not seeing him daily anymore.

Getting in my car I glanced at myself in the mirror, I have changed over the past month.

Coming more out of my shell, and I guess I owe some of that thanks to Noah.
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I pulled into the driveway, greeted by an unusually quiet atmosphere as I entered the house. The absence of familiar sounds prompted me to head upstairs, passing Drew's room where hushed voices emanated.