Good Night Sweetheart

Math

“OH, I HATE THAT MAN!” I yell in the passenger seat of Megan’s Honda. Sitting in the parked car alone, waiting for Megan to get out of class as well. I got a few odd looks from people walking by, but I’m too mad to care. Barns has spent the last week making my life hell. I’m doing most of his work for him, and he enjoys watching me struggle. Not to mention the flirting; he wasn’t super obvious about it, but today he kept telling me how much he would love to help me. I should stay late to work on assignments with him, and the look he gave me was anything but innocent.

I can’t go to the Dean because Barns hasn’t done anything inappropriate, only made random hints of things that sound innocent. Still, if you could see the look on his face, you know it isn’t meant innocently. I sink deeper into the seat, thinking about all the looks he’s been giving me, and I cringe. I swear he has spent more time staring at my a*s than anything else. I would have walked out on day one if I didn’t need the extra income.

Megan walks up to the car, reading my face and frowning. “What happened to you?” She asks, getting into the driver’s seat.

“Barns,” I growl out through clenched teeth.

She makes an oh with her mouth, starting the car. She knows all about him, and I have spent the whole week venting about him to her. “Why don’t you just quit already.”

“I can’t. You know that. I need to get paid, and now if I piss him off too bad, he might mess with my grade. I wouldn’t put it past him at this point.”

“True. You could still quit. Just make it sound like you can’t handle all the extra work or something. Don’t throw anything at him. But if you do throw something, make sure you hit him where it counts.” She winks at me, making me smile.

“I’m not the one that throws things at people. That’s you.” I tease back at her.

“That was only one time, and the creep was following me,” Megan says defensively.

“He was going to the same class.” I laugh.

“Yeah, he still asked me out, didn’t he?” She laughs even harder now. “I only threw an apple at him.”

“And yelled for him to quit following you,” I add.

“Okay, okay, but still, he’s kinda the best, isn’t he.” She smiles. She’s referring to her now-boyfriend, who later confessed he did follow her around a little that day, but when she threw the apple at him, he was just going to class. Matt is kind of the best and definitely the calm to Megan’s storm. They ended up being great together.

I really envy Megan; she has someone to lean on and not to mention two great parents that support her and love her. They help her out whenever she needs it, as parents should. I don’t know what that’s like, really. I had my mom growing up, but my dad left when I was small. Being a family man wasn’t for him, and he left one day. My mom did her best, but being a single mom was hard for her. I don’t know where she is now. She found a new boyfriend shortly after I graduated high school and took off with him. Every now and then, I get a text from her with a random picture from some new place she has found herself in. I can’t ask her for help. I tried once, and the conversation didn’t go well. I sigh unconsciously, and she looks over at me.

“Hey, don’t let professor Creepy get the best of you, okay? You know you can still move in with Matt and me.” She offers.

“I know, and thanks, but really it’s okay. I need to make it to graduation, and everything will be fine. I’ll get a great job in some city far away. I laugh a little as she glares at me out of the side of her eye.

“Yeah, making plans to leave me as soon as you can, I see.” She pouts, teasing me.

“Oh please, you aren’t staying here, are you?” I giggle, knowing she and Matt have plans of their own. “Can you believe graduation is only two months away?”

“That’s only if we pass Brans’ class.” She huffs.

“I need to pass math.” I roll my eyes hoping to maintain my C average in the class. I have an A in everything else, but that class is killing my GPA.

“Don’t worry. I think I’m a great tutor.” Megan boasts playfully as we pull up to the bookstore. She knows just how to cheer me up. “Hey, I got to run to work, but I thought you would rather I leave you here to work.” She smiles.

I collect my stuff, thanking her as I get out. She smiles and waves out the window before taking off again. She’s always in a hurry, probably because she’s always late. I think as I head inside the store. I drop my bag at my usual table and pull out the math book, giving it a dirty look.

“Okay, math, it’s just you and me,” I grumble under my breath.

“Glaring at it won’t help.” The voice from behind me startles me, and I turn around to see him standing there, a half-smile on his face as he pushes his glasses up. I haven’t seen him since our lunch, but I have thought about him daily, unable to get him out of my head. He walks across the empty store from his place by the poetry section, still smiling a little. I feel a bit embarrassed that he caught me muttering to myself, but he couldn’t have heard me could he? He was too far away to hear.

“You hate math that much?” He asks, looking at the book on the table and picking it up to flip the pages.

“I just can’t seem to understand it. I think Latin or reading French might be easier.” I complain, watching him. “I have to get it, though. Finals are coming up, and if I don’t get better at this stuff, I’m not passing.”

“Well, I’m happy to help. I like math.” He looks right into my eyes, and my heart speeds up.

“You really want to help me study? Don’t you have patients to see, Doctor Morgan?” I ask, hoping he can stay. But knowing how silly I’m being.

“I do, but I’ll be done for the day in a couple of hours. I was here for a book between appointments, but I can come back after.” His lip corks a bit like he’s suppressing a smile.

“Okay,” I reply slowly as he hands my book back to me. “I’ll be here.”

“Good, wait right here for me then.” He smiles now, and I think I may melt; how does he have this strange hold on me? I hardly know him, but I would gladly do anything he asked. He turns and leaves, checking his watch as he turns and looks over his shoulder at me. I sit in the seat and try to look busy with my things and not watch him leave, but I’m sure he caught me staring at him. How am I going to focus on math with him right there next to me, looking the way he does?