The Hockey Player’s Secret Tutor

A tutor for you?

Lyra's POV

I don’t feel like going to school, but I know I have to. I have to face Nate and Veronica, and I don’t even know if Sebastian has broken up with her, although I really do not care. My heart is still broken, and I feel like a fool because I thought that he loved me, but obviously, he did not. It feels like he was only playing me, or playing games with me, and maybe he even wanted to take my virginity, I don’t know. I keep thinking that behind my back, Nate and his friends are laughing at me, and it makes me feel even worse. If only I could get a real boyfriend and show everybody that, although I am a little overweight, I am not useless and I can have a boyfriend of my own.

As I walk into the school, Sebastian walks straight toward me, and I immediately wonder what he wants from me. We never talk, so why is he coming toward me as if he is on a mission?

“Hi, Lyra, I have been waiting for you. Why are you so late today? Don’t tell me you are hiding from Veronica and Nate,” Sebastian says.

“Hello, Sebastian. Why are you waiting for me? Are you expecting me to tell you anything about Nate and Veronica? I did not see anything,” I say.

“Liar. I know you were at that party. I heard that you just walked out after you went upstairs to look for Nate. People talk, Lyra. Anyway, that is not why I wanted to talk to you. I have to ask you a favor. Pretty please, don’t say no just because of Nate. I promise you, I don’t even like my stepbrother,” Sebastian says.

“What do you want from me?” I ask.

Sebastian’s friends call him Seb, and I am obviously not a friend of his. I hardly know the guy, and I have no idea what he wants from me. Why would he come to me? He is the captain of the hockey team, and he dated Veronica, although I assume they are not dating anymore. What does he want with a big, fat, nerdy loser like me? I am not someone he would normally socialize with.

“First, I won’t say no because of Nate,” Sebastian says.

“It depends on what you want from me. I won’t say no because of Nate, but I might say no because of what you want,” I reply.

“I want you to be a tutor for me. They want to kick me off the hockey team, and as you know, my grades are not too good. I really need a tutor,” Sebastian says.

“And what is in it for me? Are you going to pay me? I am not interested in money, so if this is your way of saying that you feel sorry for me because we are poor, then you can go to hell,” I say.

“No, that is not what I meant. I was thinking that since you want Nate, I could help you lose weight. If you agree to tutor me, then I will train you,” Sebastian says.

“No, so you also think I’m fat, nerdy, and ugly like everyone else,” I say bitterly.

“Oh, come on, Lyra, are you fishing for compliments? We both know that you are damn beautiful. I don’t even care if you are a little overweight. You have the most beautiful face out of all the girls in this school, and I am not just saying that because I want you to be my tutor. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something for yourself. You can become a better version of yourself, and you can shut the bullies up. I can even teach you how to defend yourself as well,” Sebastian says.

“A tutor for you? I’ll tell you what—put your money where your mouth is. If you really think I am not ugly, fat, stupid, and nerdy, then be my boyfriend. Not a real boyfriend with kissing and all that. I just want us to pretend to be a couple, so if you are not ashamed of me, then be my boyfriend. I assume that you and Veronica have broken up,” I say.

Deep down, I am smiling because I am sure he is going to come up with all kinds of excuses about why he cannot do it. Maybe he will say he already has a girlfriend, or that she won’t like it, or that he wants Veronica back. I wonder what excuse he is going to use because I do not believe he actually thinks I am beautiful, and I find myself waiting for it. However, instead of making excuses, he smiles and sticks out his hand to me.

“Deal. You will be my tutor, and I will be your fake boyfriend, and the two of us will go to the gym every night. What do you say? Are we going to do this?” Sebastian says.

“Are you serious? I thought you were going to come up with all kinds of excuses. I was just playing around. I didn’t mean that you actually had to be my boyfriend, but it will help. It will make everybody stop laughing at me because they think I have been in love with your brother, and I was. I know that he was just fooling around with me, treating me like a joke. He never cared about me, and he never will. I don’t know why he pretended to care about me,” I say.

I know I talk too much when I get nervous, but being Sebastian’s girlfriend, even a fake one, is a big deal. He is the most sought-after guy in school, even more than Nate, and girls would probably sell their livers just to have Sebastian Carrington as their boyfriend. However, Sebastian takes my hand as we walk to class, and I try to pull my hand away, but he just grabs it again.

“If anybody asks, we have been secretly dating. I am not going to make excuses because I do like you. I think you have the most beautiful face in the world. I have been cheating on Veronica with you, and you never really liked Nate. You only pretended to like Nate because the two of us were seeing each other in secret,” Sebastian says.

“Sebastian…” I start.

“That is what my father calls me when I am in trouble. Call me Seb, or even better, call me babe,” Sebastian says.