Mackenzie

Chapter 8

"His lessons start tomorrow," I told mom as I set dinner up.

"Really? I hope he isn't being forced to do it," Mom said.

I shrugged, "He can see for himself that his grades are low.. why should he be forced to do the lessons?"

"Alright. He's coming here, isn't he? He'd like-"

"No, mom. He wouldn't like anything because we wouldn't be having the lessons here."

"Why?" Mom asked.

"Becauses if we do, you'd go out of your way to make sure he's comfortable. First off, I don't want you stressing, then, he doesn't deserve to be comfortable in my house."

Mom chuckled as she shook her head.

"Can you imagine? The jerk thought I wanted the lessons in his house just so I could get close to him." I said as I poured two glasses of water for me and mom.

"Well, that was expected, wasn't it? He doesn't want girls close and next thing, a girl insists on coming to his house to teach him."

"Mom, do you have to be so understanding? You're meant to be on my side," I smiled.

"I understand you.. it's just that since he's doing the lessons, he's meant to come over. If I were him, I'd think so too."

"Mom!" I groaned as she laughed.

"Alright, alright." She said, still laughing. I wished this was how it'd be forever.

................

"I'm coming over by four today." I told Tanner the next day after our last class together.

"I knew that already," he said as he walked away.

I rolled my eyes behind him as I mimicked, "I knew that already," I said, making my voice deeper and giving a look of disgust. He turned around and started walking towards me. f**k. He heard me and he was coming to cuss me out. I swallowed as I carried a fearless face and tried walking confidently and fast, he doubled his steps. Oh no.

"Hold on. Where the f**k are you running to?" He grabbed my arm

I swallowed as I looked at him.

"I hope you find your way to my house," he said as he looked at me, then walked away .

I wondered what he meant by that as I stared at his back. My eyes widened. I didn't know his house! I walked fast up to him.

"Wait!" I said and he turned to look at me blankly,"Uh... What's the address of your house?"

"I'd leave that for you to figure out," he answered​, then walked away.

"What kind of a person are you?!" I shouted after him, but he didn't even look back, and this earned me stares.

"What?!" I shouted to them.

They must think I'm mad. But, yes! Tanner makes me mad. So mad. How does he expect me to figure out the way to his house? Did he think at all?

"What's up, chum?" Ryan's voice startled me out of my thoughts and I shook."Easy," he laughed,"What's up?"

"I have no idea of the way to Tanner's house and the i***t told me to figure it out. How the f**k am I supposed to do that? He probably thinks I'm those stalker girls who follow him," I said.

Ryan laughed, "I wonder how those lessons are gonna be like for you two."

"I know, right! Especially when we're both like oil and water."

"But even sometimes, oil and water do mix to create something beautiful."

I looked at Ryan in disbelief and he rose his hands in defense as he said, "Just saying."

I shook my head, "Ryan! Say something to make me feel better, lie to me even," I buried my head in his chest and pretended to cry. He laughed as he said,"You're pretty."

I looked up at him," Are you lying to me?"

He looked at me for sometime and then, we burst out laughing.

"You'd be fine, trust me," he said.

I nodded as I said,"I gotta go now, though. I wanna stay with mom until four. Tell Bambi, please."

"Oh.. okay. Say hi to mom for me."

"I will." I smiled.

"And be careful." He said.

"The fuck." I laughed.

He laughed as he added,"By the way, it's two streets after yours. The eighth house."

I was still laughing when he walked off, and when I stopped, I realised he just told me the way to Tanner's house.

................

By 3:35, I picked up my jacket and a sling bag with a pen and a small notebook in it. No need carrying a textbook. One, it was heavy. Two, Tanner should have one. I put on my shoes and left my room.

"Mom?!" I called,"Mom?!"

"Yes, MZ?" She answered from the kitchen.

"What are you doing in the kitchen?" I asked as I went to the kitchen.

"Trying to see what we can eat for dinner."

"I should worry about that," I told her, "Once I get back, I'd fix dinner."

"No, I wouldn't let you do that. You'd be tired by the time you get back."

I knew I'd be tired when I got back definitely, talking to Tanner alone was tiring, but I didn't want mom stressing.

"Don't worry about it.. please," I said as I kissed her cheek,"I'm serious mom. Bye." And I flew out of the door.

Two streets after this. The eighth house. Tanner's house.

..................

Fifth..... Sixth..... Seventh....

For a moment, I thought Ryan gave me the wrong address, but what did I expect?

This house was MASSIVE. Way too big for anybody to live in. How many rooms did it have in it? If I may ask, how many kitchens did it have too? The lights outside were beautiful.. the surrounding was very neat. The garage was closed, but I wondered how many cars were in it. I walked to the front door and saw the doorbell. It was way different from the ones I've seen. I stared at it for a while and pressed it. It did work. I sighed in relief. I pressed it again and the door opened.

"Hey, don't damage that s**t. I heard the first time," Tanner said. He was dressed in a black T-shirt over black jeans. To cut the long story short, he looked hot.

"And how the f**k was I supposed to know that?" I shot, pushing the thought of him looking hot aside.

"Are you coming in or what?" He asked.

I sighed, rolled my eyes and entered the house. Immediately, the sharp smell of a fragrance hit my nose. It was a candle fragrance.

What?

It was even a Hopscotch Cedar and Pine! I sneezed as I followed Tanner at his back. He turned to look at me, and I acted like I didn't know he ​looked ​at me.

We entered a large room. It had plush shelves and each shelf, had big books on it. Coloured books- like the ones lawyers or law reporters read.In the centre, was a large table in which Tanner stood at, clearing up. It had books on it too, and my eyes dropped to the biggest dictionary I've ever seen in my life. My eyes widened. What words were in it?

"That's one gigantic dictionary," I said, thinking aloud

Tanner looked at the dictionary and looked away.

"Who uses it?" I asked.

He hesitated, "I do."

"You could just use Webster's dictionary to check for words," I said

"I don't read the Webster's dictionary."

Wait. He didn't read the Webster's dictionary... That could only mean...

"You read this?" I looked at him in disbelief.

He glared at me for sometime then answered, "Because you're tutoring me on just one subject, doesn't mean I'm not smart at others."

He was right. To be honest, I thought since he wasn't good at Trig, he wasn't good at his other subjects. That was a terrible mentality I carried. He actually read this f*****g big dictionary.

"Sorry," I said.

"Stay here. I'd be back," he commanded as he left the room.

...........

I looked around. I desperately wanted to explore this house. I walked out of the room. He told me to stay there but he was taking my time anyway. I hadn't walked so far when I saw a framed picture on the wall. The woman in it was so beautiful. She held a baby in her arms. A man stood beside her holding a little boy. A little boy that looked like Tanner. Of course, that was him. His black eyes were lit up in a beautiful smile, his-

"I'm very sure I told you to stay in that room. You came here to tutor, not snoop around," Tanner said, making me jump.

I rolled my eyes as I mumbled to myself, "What fun is it staying in a place, idiot."

"Excuse me? Were you trying to say something because I didn't hear that," he glared at me.

"No.. nothing," I shook my head.

"I thought so," he nodded.

I rolled my eyes behind him. We entered the room again and I sat on a chair. He also pulled out a chair and sat.

"So..." I got out my small notebook and pen as I looked up at him,"Where's your textbook?"

"I don't know. Where's your textbook?"

"You're supposed to have one!" I said.

"I didn't say I didn't have one. I don't just know where it is... You're the tutor. You should have brought yours."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I looked at him in disbelief,"Ugh, never mind. I'd just take you on what's in my head then."

"Oh. Must be bullshit then," he said, looking at me.

I looked up at him in shock. Why would he say that? I knew this was a bad idea. I shook my head, replying him would change nothing, so I said,

"Let's start with the basics of trigonometry."

...................

"You're not paying attention, Tanner," I said to him for, like, the 20th time this evening.

"How do you know that?" He snapped.

"Okay, what did I say last?"

"Some s**t about how a right angle triangle isn't equal."

"Why?"

"Dammit, I don't know."

I sighed as I asked tiredly,"What are the three basic functions in trigonometry?"

"The sine... Tan, and the other stuff."

"Which is?"

He glared at me for some time and said, "Uh... Cosine."

"Thank you," I sighed, closing my eyes.

I drew a right angle triangle in my notebook.

"Look. Here's a right angle triangle. The right angle is indicated by the little box in the corner," I drew it and showed him, "Which other side do you know?" I asked him.

He looked at the drawing, "The longest side, the one opposite the right angle."

"Yeah, that the hypothenuse," I said, quietly happy that he didn't say anything stupid,"The side facing the right angle is the opposite, and the side next to the right angle which is not the hypothenuse is the adjacent," I looked at him,"Do you get it?"

"I'm sure I do," he rolled his eyes.

I looked at my wrist watch. It was already past 6. I remembered I was to make dinner. I had to leave.

"I guess that'd be all today. I gotta go," I said as I packed up my things.

"Oh, please don't go. I was having fun!" Tanner said, rolling his eyes. I definitely couldn't miss out the sarcasm.

I rolled my eyes too. "I'm patiently waiting​ for the day you have some sense."

"I got tired waiting for you already... I saw it's never gonna happen," he fired back.

I stared at him for a while.

"Bye," he said, smirking.

My lips quivered for some time, I wanted to say something to hurt him bad, but.. I just took my sling bag and walked out.

"Tanner?" I'd barely gotten to the door when I heard a tiny voice call.

I stopped where I was.

"Hey, girl," I heard Tanner say.

Tanner had a girl in the house? What happened to not wanting girls close? Was it because he already had a girl? Was she the person he went to see when he told me to wait in the room? Why did it make me feel down all of a sudden?

"You're done already?" She asked.

"Yeah.. c'mere," he said.

I wondered what was happening now that the girl went to him.

"Who was she?"

"She... Uh, she's from school."

Why was he so nervous to say that? He probably didn't want her to think we had something.

"Okay," the girl said.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her.

Was he going to cook for her? I had to take my leave before I burst in.... Jealousy. Wait. Jealousy? No. It couldn't be. Tanner was an ass. For crying out loud, he insulted me before I took my leave.

Whoever that girl was, she definitely had his love.