More Than Friends

Struggle Plates

Kenya POV-

I looked at my watch, it was almost 8pm. "Where is this person?" I looked around the tutoring center.

To make extra cash, I work as a tutor in the school's education center. I've always done that. That is of course how I met Odell.

I took my junior year off, to fully focus on getting myself prepared for Rhodes. But since that didn't happen, I got back on board the staff. This was senior year and due to having more expenses, I need the extra cash. Especially for all these grad school applications I was going to have to fill out. They have application cost.

They never let us know who we were tutoring ahead of time. They just assign the student a number and a subject, then the person meets us. Sometimes people can request you. I've had friends do that in the past, but you never know until they show up. Today I had to tutor a student in math. And they were a half hour late.

Just as I was about to pack my bags up, I saw...

"Oh god." I mumbled and put my face in my hands. Just what I needed.

"Sorry I'm late." Juice sat down at the table across from me in his football gear. "I rushed over right after practice. Coach kept us a little bit late."

He smelled like it. Generally they shower after every practice and game in the locker room (this is for you people who keep saying O must be musty. No they shower in the locker room people. Y'all read and think entirely too deep."

But I guess since he was already late he skipped out on that.

"Did you request me?" I asked him.

"Yeah cause I know how you helped O. And I'm trying to pass this shit so I can graduate."

"I cannot tutor you Jarvis." I began to pack up my stuff.

He stood up to try to stop me. "K I need this. I'm sorry about what I did. I told you that. But this is my senior year. I am on the verge of failing this class. I fail this, all my hopes and dreams are gonna fall from right up under me. My mother didn't even finish college K cause she had me. It's not enough for me to give her draft day, I want to give her that degree to. Make up for what she did for me."

I rolled my eyes and sat back down. "Give me the problems."

He got them out his book bag and handed them to me.

"I appreciate this K. I really do."

I ignored him and looked over the problems.

I could feel him looking at me. But I ignored it, giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was just looking at me do the problems.

I broke down three problems for him in steps and explained it to him. Then I got my stuff.

"Where you going?"

"You were a half-hour late, it's pass time and I need to get home. We'll have to work on the other stuff at the next session."

Before he could say anything, I got out of there. Me tutoring him could go really wrong or really right. Let's hope the latter.

---

I walked into my apartment, exhausted to see O at the stove.

"You came in right on time. I was just finishing fixing you dinner."

"Odell you don't cook." I said taking off my jacket and putting it on the coat rack and taking off my shoes.

"What I fixed was easy. Just sit down so I can cater to you like you did me after that young Mississippi State win." He smirked.