The Bad boy's Secret Tutor

Open Study Hall Chao's

Tuesday, 3:15 PM.

The library was officially dead.

In its place: Open Study Hall. Room 204. 40 kids. Zero quiet.

Mia walked in and immediately missed the rain.

Jake was already there, at a table in the back corner, saving her a seat. But it wasn’t _their_ corner anymore. Ashley was three tables over. Two of Jake’s teammates were tossing paper balls. And someone was blasting music from a speaker.

"Welcome to hell," Jake muttered as Mia sat down. He pushed a worksheet and a granola bar toward her. "You eat lunch?"

She shook her head. "Too busy hiding."

"Stop hiding."

It was impossible to focus. Every 2 minutes someone would "accidentally" walk by their table.

"Oh, hey Bennett. Hey... Mia."

"Working hard or hardly working?"

Mr. Reyes tried, but he couldn’t keep 40 teenagers quiet.

Mia’s handwriting got messier with every distraction. Jake noticed.

"Hey." He leaned close so only she could hear. "Look at me."

She did.

"Ignore them. Same as before. Just us. Okay?"

She nodded. And somehow, it worked.

Pen to paper. Numbers. Graphs. The project presentation slides.

For 45 minutes, the noise faded.

---

Then Ashley stood up.

"Mr. Reyes?" she said sweetly. "Can Jake and I present together on Friday? Since we used to do projects together?"

The room went silent.

Mr. Reyes frowned. "The assignment was partner-based. You and Jake were last semester, Ashley. Mia is his partner now."

Ashley’s smile dropped. "Oh. Right. The new partner."

She sat down hard, glaring.

Jake didn’t look up from the slides. But under the table, his foot bumped Mia’s.

_I’m here_, it said.

---

After the bell, everyone flooded out.

Except Jake and Mia.

They stayed to pack up slowly.

"You okay?" Jake asked.

Mia zipped her bag. "It’s just... loud. And everyone’s watching."

"I know." He hesitated. "You wanna... not do this here tomorrow?"

Mia looked up. "Where else? We’re banned from the library."

Jake shrugged, trying to act casual. "My house? My mom works nights. It’s quiet. We have Wi-Fi. And my dog won’t judge us."

Mia blinked. "Your house?"

"Only if you’re comfortable," he added fast. "We can do it in the kitchen. Door open. My mom will be home by 8. No weird stuff, I promise."

The hallway was empty now.

Mia thought about Ashley. About the picture. About the whispers.

Then she thought about finishing the project. About Jake’s foot under the table.

"Okay," she said. "Your house. Tomorrow."

Jake’s whole face lit up. "Really?"

"Really. But if your dog judges me, I’m leaving."

"Deal, bookworm."

They walked out together. The whispers followed them.

But this time, Mia wasn’t looking down.