Operation Breakup

The First Session

Ryder bounded up the steps and knocked on the door. He took a step back and waited as the door opened wide. 

Katelyn stood in the open doorway. “Well, it’s about time you showed up.”

Ryder shrugged and ran his hand through his unruly brown hair. “You didn’t specify a time.”

Katelyn walked back into her house, Ryder following her. “I just expected you a bit earlier.” Katelyn turned to look at him, then stopped. “Where is your textbook?”

Ryder’s grin grew. “What textbook?”

Katelyn folded her arms. “I told you to bring your textbook.”

Ryder jumped onto the couch. “But why?”

“Do you want to learn or not?” Katelyn asked. 

Ryder shifted on the couch. “Are you sure you want an answer to that?”

Katelyn walked into the other room. “Ryder.”

“You know how much I hate school,” Ryder shouted after her. 

Katelyn walked back into the room, a textbook in her hands. “You didn’t use to hate school.”

Ryder leaned back on the couch. “School didn’t use to suck.”

Katelyn sat down on the couch next to him and handed him the textbook. “Yeah well, you also didn’t use to be a bad boy.”

“I don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

Katelyn grabbed her backpack and pulled out a folder full of papers. “You didn't snap back at teachers or ditch class. You used to pay attention and learn.”

Ryder pushed the textbook off his lap. “Well, classes used to be fun.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds. 

“Well,” Katelyn broke the silence, leafing through the folder. “Let’s get started.” 

Ryder looked over her shoulder and leaned closer. “What are those?”

Katelyn glanced back at him. “Your assignments and tests from your history class.”

Ryder groaned. “Do we really have to look at them?”

Katelyn handed him a page from the folder “Yes. Yes, we do.”

Ryder flopped back into the couch. “Fine.” He held up the page. It was covered in red marks and corrections. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“That’s why you have me,” Katelyn explained. 

Ryder glanced at the paper. “What year did the 100 Years' War begin?” Ryder glanced at Katelyn. “How is anybody supposed to know this?”

Katelyn leaned over and grabbed the textbook from the floor. “Maybe by looking in the textbook.”

Ryder shrugged. “Then why don’t you do it?”

Katelyn gave him a pointed glance. “It’s your assignment.”

“But you’re my tutor!” Ryder responded. “Can’t you just help me do it?”

Katelyn shook her head. “That’s not the point of a tutor.”

Ryder leaned over and put his hands together in a pleading way. “Katie, please.”

Katelyn was about to respond when a knock interrupted her.

“We will discuss this later,” Katelyn muttered as she went to the door. 

She opened the door quickly, then tilted her head in surprise. “Ammon! What are you doing here?”

“We had a date scheduled for tonight. We were going to watch a movie,” Ammon stated. 

Katelyn rubbed her forehead and quietly cursed under her breath. “Sorry Ammon, I totally forgot and scheduled a tutoring session with Ryder.”

Ryder stood up and stretched. “Not that we were getting much done.”

Ammon poked his head through the doorway, his black hair bouncing on his head. “Hi, Ryder. I've heard a lot about you."

Ryder waved. "Nice to meet you."

Katelyn smiled at Ammon. “I hate to do this, but can we reschedule?”

Ryder walked over to her. “Why? I don’t want to get in the way of the two of you.”

“But we didn’t get much done,” Katelyn reasoned. “That would be a lousy first day of tutoring.”

Ryder walked out the front door. “I don’t know how much we would have gotten done anyway. Now you can actually do something fun.”

Katelyn gestured with her head for Ammon to enter, and he walked around her and sat on the couch. Katelyn then stood in the doorway. 

"So that's the boyfriend?" Ryder questioned, peering at Ammon through the doorway.

"Yep."

"It's nice to finally meet him."

They stood in silence for a second as Ryder inspected Ammon.

“Are you sure about this, Ry?” Katelyn asked. 

Ryder smiled. “It’s fine.”

Katelyn looked back towards Ammon, then at Ryder. “Because I’m the reason we are cutting this short, I’ll be sure to be a little more lenient with you and the homework.” 

Ryder grinned. “That’s fine by me. Enjoy your date.”

Katelyn smiled as she closed the door. “Thanks, Ry.”

Ryder slowly walked back to his house, glancing back at Katelyn’s house, a stab of jealousy worming into him. Ryder shook his head and turned. Katie and I are just friends, he thought to himself. Nothing more.  As he reached his house, he couldn't help but take one last glance back at her house and wonder.