A Little More Than Xs And Os

I THINK the worst of it's over

I've sat in this chair before. Never for reasons like this. Usually, it's to talk about my delinquent behavior. But not today, or, at least at this moment.

When your mother takes away your car and your girlfriend breaks up with you and you're failing all of your classes, you'll want to get to the root of the problem.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

However, I don't want anyone to know I'm in here for that reason. My friends can know, but that's it. These nerdy office assistants might spread the word that I'm signing up for a tutor. Of course, so might my ex-girlfriend now.

"Can I help you, Adam?" See? Even the secretary knows my name by heart. Does that say anything? Maybe not. It could also mean that I'm a goody-two-shoes. Which if you think about, everyone has two shoes...what makes shoes goody?

"I just need that clipboard....." I trail off and mumble the rest. She gives me a glance with the same beady eyes she usually does when I'm in trouble.

"What clipboard?" She looks hesitant.

"The one to sign up for a student tutor!" I practically yell. All the office assistants look at me. I turn my head away. Ms. Conners hands over the clipboard and I snatch it from her.

This is stupid. I can't believe I'm doing this just to get Colleen back. Wait. No. I'm doing this for the car! I shouldn't even want Colleen back! It's only been 5 minutes! I should be celebrating that now I'm a free man!

I flip the page over and see how many nerds have already signed up to help us pathetic failing students. I wonder how long they'll last if they get me.

"Hi, Ms. Conners." A girl walks in the door, and I'm almost positive I've never seen her, so how is she this friendly with the secretary already? Maybe she's a trouble-maker like me. No, I think I would've known her. Maybe she's this goody-two-shoes they speak of.

"Hi, Peyton. Did you finally come to sign up?" Ms. Conners asks with a smile. So she needs a tutor, like me. I'm liking this girl already. But wait! Check her shoes!

The shoes are actually kinda cool. She's wearing ankle boots that are heeled. I may be a dude, but I don't think I could pull those off if I was a girl either. How would you walk in those?? She's wearing a dark purple plaid shirt and skinny jeans.

Peyton sighs. "Yes, I'm here to sign up. Where's the clipboard?" Ms. Conners looks over to me and points. Peyton turns and walks towards me. Uh-oh. What did I do? Oh yeah I have the clipboard. Duh. Taking the seat beside me, she looks at the blank spot where I have yet to fill in my name.

"Are you going to be a tutor?" she asks. I look down at the page and realize that's what it would appear to be. I quickly flip the page back over and scribble my name. She glances at me with questioning eyes. Deep, blue eyes.

I hand the clipboard over to her, but I don't leave. Instead, I lean against the wall and prop up my feet on the table in front of me. I see her flip the page over. OH. She's going to be a student tutor. Well. Guess that proves me wrong. I'm wrong about alot of things so what's new.

I watch the way she curls almost every letter in her name in any way possible and dot the "I" in her last name with a heart. Peyton Releigh. What an interesting name.

She catches me looking over her shoulder. "Can I help you?" She tosses her thick blonde hair around to face me. She just had her face buried in the clipboard! How did she see me looking at her?

"Sorry, no. So, you're going to be a student tutor?" She throws her bag on her shoulder. "Yeah, and maybe you'll be lucky and get me. Unlike some tutors, I don't do the homework for you." You would think she'd be snippy when she says this, but she's smiling and rolling her eyes at every word. Wait. Is she flirting? I don't understand anything anymore.

"Well, I honestly wouldn't want you to do that." She rolls her eyes, "Yeah, sure." This time she walks out and I watch her shoes click against the floor.

So, to recap, I'm failing my classes and I've been dumped. I can only get my car back if I do better in school. I can fix this whole situation if I can get my grades up. If I get that girl as my tutor, this can all turn around for me. She's my chance at getting back on track.

And I just let her walk out the door. I'm an idiot. Of course, that's why I need a tutor.

***

As the rest of the day blurs by, I finally realize where I'm at and where I'm headed when it comes to football practice. But it's when I'm getting into uniform that I hear my name being yelled by Coach Darwin. "Greene!!! We need to talk!" I rush up to him as fast as I can, wearing my full uniform. "Yeah, coach?"

Coach Darwin is always a little harsh, but this sounded like I was in huge trouble. "You're off the team!"

Yup, there it is.

Wait. What?

"Sir, I don't understand." He shakes his head. "Of course you don't, Greene! Your grades are in the toilet and you can't be on the team until otherwise!"

These grades of mine...I swear, things can't get any worse. Well, I mean, they could but- Okay! Get it together, Greene!

"Coach, I'm getting a tutor, I'm already trying to fix this, please don't do this!" Pleading to a man three times your size is probably not going to get you anywhere.

He looks to my teammates and they don't make eye contact with me when I look back at them. "I'm sorry, Adam, but it was a group vote and you're out."

But my friends make up half the team. So all my friends voted on me being kicked off the team? Even Tyler?

This day really couldn't get any worse.

"Get your stuff together. Clean out your locker." I make my way through the guys and to my locker when I think of something. "Who's replacing me?" They all look to me worried. "We haven't given it any thought," says coach.

A freshman speaks up, "Yeah we have! We've-" then he gets punched by Aaron.

I grab my stuff and walk out of the locker room, leaving my helmet behind. "I guess I'll bring my stuff back tomorrow." I say, looking over my shoulder. Coach nods, apologetically.

I watch the door slam behind me as I walk out, shame weighing on my shoulders.

No car, no girlfriend, kicked off the football team, no friends. It's all because of my stupid grades! This has got to end! Or...start? Man, I killed it.

Anyways, I'm going to save all this! And it starts tomorrow when I get to see who my tutor is.

Right now I just have to figure out how I'm getting home.