A Little More Than Xs And Os

Everybody talks

For the first time ever, I'm actually running late to school. I guess the fire alarm didn't go off loud enough this morning.

After I brush my teeth, I throw on an old, red t-shirt and slide on a ripped pair of jeans. I reach for my drumsticks on the way out the door.

I stay after with my tutor today.

I know that if I run to school now, that I'll be late for sure. Hopefully I can catch a ride with Trevor but what does it matter anyways? I'm getting a tutor- not changing my moral values.

These past few days, I've been arriving to school sweating. Today, I just walk. I'm already going to be late. What's the hurry to be scolded at?

When I finally show up, everyone's crowded outside. "What's going on?" I find Trevor. He shrugs. "I don't know. I think-"

"Greene!" There's that name that's oh-so familiar. "Ma'am?" I ask a little too innocently. Ms. York gives me the most evil glance she's ever given me. "Why did you trash the school?! Including my office?!"

I have absoultely positively no idea what she's talking about. I look to Trevor and he shrugs. "Ms. York, I didn't-"

"Save your lies, Adam. You just had to get your vengance on someone, didn't you? And why are you late?"

Gosh, this women never seems to find anything good in me.

"Ms. York, I didn't do this. You can call my mom. I haven't been out of the house for any other reason than school. I've had to walk to and from school because my car was taken away. You really think I would walk all the way here to pull some stupid little prank?"

She looks at me with beady eyes- a common look coming from her.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and you will be punished, Adam." I roll my eyes when she turns around.

"So why is everyone just standing around? Is it really that messed up?" I walk over to Peyton, who stops smiling when I ask her. "How are you still hanging around? Shouldn't you be hauled away by Ms. York by now?" she says with disgust.

"I would never walk out of my house to pull such an immature prank." Trevor's by my side in an instant. "Oh, and I suppose he's supposed to back you up on this?"

"Actually no. I think he did it-" I elbow Trevor in his stomach and Peyton thinks this conversation is over when she turns around, her pink tutu flouncing as she spins to face her friends. I repeat, tutu. I'm telling you- no limitations. I don't know how I've managed to ignore her presence all these years if she's been wearing stuff like this.

"So, we still on for this afternoon?" I know that will get her attention. But she spins on her heel in an instant and grabs my arm, pulling me away from her friends and Trevor.

"Okay, one thing you need to get straight is, I'm not letting you ruin my social life. Nobody will know that I'm tutoring you, got it?" she says through gritted teeth. I nod, though I'm not scared of her.

What she doesn't know is, when I'm with her, everybody will talk. I'm going to make sure of it.

***********

Is it possible for someone to throw daggers at you with their eyes? It happened all day. I walk into the library just as 6th block ends. Which was algebra. Bleh. But now I get to torture Peyton. I don't know why I feel so proud of my plan, maybe it's because I rarely have genius ideas.

"Adam!" Trevor shouts to me. I turn around to see him sprinting up to me in the hall. "Yeah?" I ask, right as I pull on the door to the library.

"I just wanted to let you know that I overheard Aaron and a lot of the other football players saying that they would win for sure without you-"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, what else is new?" He shakes his head. "You didn't let me finish. And that with the new game plans they had in store, they might go to championships. Do know what they're talking about?"

I would say I don't care, but now I'm actually very curious. "New game plans? None of them could set up a play by themselves. Not even Coach Darwin! Who did they get to write out game plans? I haven't heard that there's a new coach, have you?" Questions are filling my head. Trevor shrugs.

"I got to go, catch ya' later!" I hear Peyton coming down the hall. I continue to hold the door open as she walks in with her pink tutu flouncing and black leather pants to go with it. "Do you take ballet?" I ask her. She turns her neck way to fast to look at me. "It would be none of your business if I did. You can get used to my sense of style, though, I ain't changing for you."

Trevor looks traumatized. I am too. "Who is this kid, anyways?" She looks to Trevor and since he can't speak, I speak for him. "This is Trevor. My best friend. I'd ask where your best friend was but I'm not so sure you have one."

Trevor hides his smirk with a cough. Peyton doesn't look the least bit offended. She opens up her text book in one swift movement. "Are you doing your own homework?" I ask, feeling somewhat abandoned. She looks up at me in the corner of her eyes. "No. I'm finding a page that you might be able to do. But-" She closes her textbook. "I'm not sure what your capabilities are. What level math class are you in?"

Uhhhhhh......

I look to Trevor, but how would he know since he's not in my class? I shrug. "I don't know. I think Algebra 2?" She looks at me with squinted eyes. "Are you kidding me? You don't know what class you're taking?" I shrug. She asks too many questions.

"Let me see your schedule. And meanwhile you look at theses problems and tell me if you can do them." She slides the textbook over to me and I tap a pencil against my chin. I hand over my new schedule for the semester and she huffs when she finally catches her eyes on the math class I'm in.

"Ah. You're in....Adam, do you realize you're in AP statistics?!" I glance up at her. "Is that advanced stuff?" She looks to Trevor almost to ask if I'm for real. "Who's your teacher?" she demands. I shrug. "Mr. Calaway. Why?" Her eyes widen. "How?! He teaches lower level math! I'm so confused."

Again, I shrug. "Me too."

She slides her chair back. "I'll be right back. I need to straighten a few things out." She walks out the door and Trevor takes her seat. "So when does operation 'Everybody talks' come into play?" he asks and I laugh. "I think it's going to take a while before I can ask her out or whatever. She seems to hate my guts. I'll wait until she gets used to me. Maybe even fall for me." I lean back in my chair and Trevor pushes me to the floor. Peyton comes back in right at that time.

"You're clumsy, you know that?" I pull myself to my feet. "Yes. Especially when I'm pushed." Trevor lets her have her seat back. "And you're really in AP courses. Do you even know what you make on your report card?" she asks running the two sentences together.

"My mom usually throws my report cards away before I can even get my hands on it." She doesn't say anything. "I don't know why, because you're in advanced classes and you're acing them." Trevor takes the paper from her and she tries to snatch it back but fails miserably.

"He is not! Peyton! Why'd you lie?!" She looks super embarrassed. I continue to say nothing. I knew it was too good to be true.

"Look, I don't have time for tutoring in my schedule, okay? I was trying to see if there was a way out of this, and based on what I heard between you two just now," She glances between the two of us and we both turn away, pretending we don't know what she's talking about. "You feel the same way. I have to focus on some other things right now but maybe if we can both really try to-" She's pulled out a notebook and I see a bunch of Xs and Os scribbled around and arrows too. She stops talking when I put my finger on a page.

"What's this?" I ask her. She closes it really fast. "You...you don't have time for tutoring because....because..." I can't seem to get the words out. She huffs and gives up on hiding it.

"Yes. I'm writing the playbook for the football team."