The Way Life Goes

Helpful or Helpful?

“I’m so stressed out!” Olivia wailed, dropping on the bed face first while Noah spun in her chair nibbling a chip. “Are they trying to kill us all?! It’s been three weeks since we have been in school, three f*****g weeks, and the amount of essays and deadlines is ridiculous! We’re not even in college yet. I have Green on my ass about the chemistry project, I have Danson on my ass about my two missing essays for Macbeth, and I have Sullivan on my ass for his economics bullshit.”

“I’m in the same boat, Liv.”

“This isn’t a boat! It’s a submarine and I’m going under!” she screamed into her cushion. “Why are you here again?!”

“Angela and I had a fight.”

“Oh yeah,” she muttered with a grimace. “It’ll be fine! Look at Adam and Samantha, they're always fighting. They love and hate each other. It's so ridiculous that it’s kind of sad.”

“This isn’t about them, it’s about me! Her mom hates me!”

“Esther is a softie at heart,” she said, pulling her laptop on top of the bed. “It’ll be fine, Noah, you trust me, right?”

“Sometimes,” he muttered with a sneer.

“Asshole,” she said. “Look, you love her, she loves you, all that kind of crap. You always sort it out eventually. I have bigger fish to fry and my lack of motivation and concentration is at zero, Noey, a big number zero. It’s not helping that I’m knee-deep in essays that need to be “a star”, okay?”

“Fine.”

“Thank you,” she said with a tired sigh. “Fancy watching some Netflix?”

Noah looked over to her and shrugged in agreement, getting up and dropping down next to her. It was procrastination at its finest moments as they lazed together watching reruns of RuPaul's Drag Race.

***

They spent the rest of the night watching the show before her dad came home and ordered Noah home and ordered her to do her homework. She pouted but he didn’t relent as he threatened to switch the internet off.

“I need it for my essays!” she shouted back and sighed, dropping into her seat.

“You need to do your homework, Olivia, I know you’re behind. You mumble to yourself!” he shouted back whilst getting dinner ready.

“Well don’t listen...” she muttered while opening her laptop.

“I heard that.”

She rolled her eyes looking at the questions in front of her and wished she could get drunk instead. It was a long night ahead though when she eventually settled down to do them. She even drank several energy drinks she would later regret when she couldn’t sleep at all due to her medication and the caffeine running in her system.

***

The next day was absolute hell when she dropped her head on the desk during English Literature and actually fell asleep. It was a gentle hand in her hair that woke her up and she blinked awake slowly to see Tyler staring down at her in concern and the classroom empty. She jerked flailing and straightened up staring up at him.

“Um… Sorry, I have no explanation,” she said with a guilty shrug.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I was up all night with essays, I’m usually on my game but everything has been falling away from me lately, and I had an energy drink. I’m not allowed energy drinks,” she replied with a hard swallow wanting to go back to sleep. “I don’t have your essays.”

“You’re past both deadlines,” he said sitting on the other desk looking at her thoughtfully. “If you need help, Olivia, then help is always there. I can offer my assistance if you wish.”

“Do you have to sound so formal?” she said with a smirk. “I don’t need help, I just need motivation, quiet, and away from people.”

“How about extra lessons?” he suggested.

“What?”

“I’m offering my help, Olivia, you’re top of the class, your grades are excellent, and I want it to stay that way. I’m offering extra lessons after school where you can complete the essays and I can help. However, it’s up to you,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“But that’s your free time?”

“I know.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll take the extra lessons?”

“Why not?” she answered softly, watching him bob his head and stand up.

“Okay, we’ll start next week… how about Wednesday?” he said, writing something down and handing it to her when she walked up to him.

“That sounds okay,” she said looking down at the note explaining why she was late. “Thanks… I guess.”

“You’re welcome, you’re already late, you better go,” Tyler said, perching on the end of the desk.

She nodded quickly leaving and glancing over her shoulder at him before heading to mathematics. Her heartbeat was too quick to be normal when she handed the note over and sat down feeling butterflies erupt in her stomach. It was the strangest feeling, but she liked it.

Extra lessons would help her out because even if it was her favorite lesson, everyone always needed help, she thought,

***

“You look happy,” Adam commented at lunchtime when she sat down and shoved a chip into her mouth.

“It may be because I have extra lessons with the one and only Mister Danson and it’s going to be awesome!” she sang with a grin.

“That crush of yours will get you into trouble one day,” Adam said with a snort. “How did you manage that?”

“I fell asleep in his lesson because I got no sleep last night and I missed two deadlines,” she admitted with a frown. “I’ve lost my game recently. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but everything is sliding through my hands so he’s assisting me. I don’t care what he does, I get Wednesdays with him and I’m thankful for his help.”

“Lucky. I’d beware of every girl out for your blood though,” he whispered and she grinned looking around the cafeteria.

It didn’t take long for the others to join them. She liked the little bubble of happiness in her chest and wanted to curl around it protectively. It made the day pass a lot quicker and she actually longed for next week which was the weirdest part.