Stepbrother | l.h

35: Chumming on the highway

Chapter Thirty-five

"Chumming on the highway"

Tutoring sucks on its own, but, when you're doing it with the one person you despise it's absolute torture.

I've been sitting here with Calum for about an hour and so far its been nothing but awkward. I've done about three questions on my homework and said about four words throughout this whole time.

The only thing i've been actually counting is the minutes until i leave.

"So, if you subtract the ratio from the circumference you should get the answer, but first you need to find the ratio, since it already tells you the circumference." Calum explained slowly, making sure that i was listening to each word he said. 

I nodded, telling him that i understood as i raked my brain for the formula to find the ratio. I remember my sixth grade teacher teaching me about it but no matter how hard i searched my brain for what she had said, my hands always came up empty.

 "Do you know how to find the ratio?" calum asked me after about a minute of me just staring at the piece of paper blankly. 

"yeah, i do." I lied as I picked up my pencil and attempted to solve the problem with furrowed eyebrows.

After about five minutes i had finished the problem and i couldn't have felt any dumber. I bet Kayli didn't take five minutes to answer a sixth grade math question.

"Is this right?" I asked Calum quietly, my  eyes glued to the paper as I let Calum scan over my work.

"Uhm.." he started, his voice raspy as he spoke. "No.. No it isn't."

"God damn it." I groaned as i dropped my pencil on the table with a huff. "You might as well leave now because I'm never going to get this."

"Don't say that, Amber." Calum frowned. "I bet if we just work at ratios tomorrow you'll be able to do this problem in your sleep."

"I doubt it." I mumbled as i began packing my stuff, since Luke would be coming to pick me up soon. I shoved my overdue homework into my binder before tucking it safely into my bag, slinging it over my shoulder carefully.

"You need to be more confident in yourself." Calum told me, gathering his stuff as well as her prepared to leave.

"And you need to learn how to not sound like a motivation speaker 99% of the time." I groaned as I made my way over to the classroom's door. 

"See you tomorrow." Calum called after me as the door shut behind me with a slam. 

I rolled my eyes as i made my way to the front exit of the school. The kid tried way too hard. If i didn't want to be associated with him he should accept that and not throw himself at me any change he gets, I almost pitied him.

I continued walking until i was out and on the sidewalk out front of the school, scanning over the very few cars in the parking lot looking for Luke's truck. 

When i didn't see his car, i frowned. He was usually never late when it came to picking me up from tutoring, since he knew what circumstances they were under.

Kitten: where are you? 

read 4:45 pm

I furrowed my eyebrows, he usually didn't hesitate to respond to my text messages. But, my worries were soon set aside when i saw his truck swerve into the parking lot and stopping in front of me.

"Hey, where were you?" I asked once i hopped into the truck. The air smelt foul. It was a smell i'd smelt before, but, i decided to brush the thought aside when i couldn't figure out what  the smell was.

"Nowhere." luke giggled, hiccuping as he spoke. And, thats when i figured out what the smell was..... alcohol and very strong alcohol at that.

"Are you drunk?" I asked the giggly blond, though I already knew the answer and it was a stupid question.

"You're really pretty." He smiled, giggling following his words soon after. 

"So you are." I groaned. Luke was so confusing, he acted completely fine one second and then the next he was a drunk mess who couldn't even remember his name, sometimes, he worried me.

"Get out of the car." I told the blonde, making sure my words came out hard so he knew I meant business. And, to my gratitude, it worked and he hopped out almost instantly with a childish giggle.

I helped him walk over to the  front seat, buckling him in once he was seated before i shut the door and headed over to the drivers side. I wasn't about to let luke get a DUI, and i figured driving without a license is at least a little better.

The only other time i drove was in kindergarten and my mom let me steer her car into the driveway, and even that ended with her minivan in a bush. So, as you could probably could guess, my nerves were going crazy.

I pushed on the gas pedal and lurched the two of us forward, since i immediately pressed the brakes soon after.

"Amber im going to puke." Luke groaned as he clutched his stomach in pain.

"Please do it out the window, luke." I told him, my eyes flicking from the road to him as i pressed the button that rolled his window down.

Then, i pressed down the gas pedal once more, this time it went a little more smoothly than before. And, with the exception of going 20 under the speed limit, we made it home in one piece, well except for the few chunks that Luke threw up out the window as we drove down the highway.

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I'm really tired but i didn't update yesterday so here

sorry if its bad quality its because, again, im reallllyyy tired.

I love you guys so fu cking much.

-maddy