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“Aw Come on man.” Tyler sighed staring at a big red mark on his paper. It was a F, the worst grade in the class if he had to guess.
This was bad, if he kept this up he wouldn’t be able to play sports anymore- according to school policy anyways.
What good was he as a jock if he was banned from physical activities?
Tyler had never pretended he was the brightest but, he tried. Every night he studied textbook after textbook reading the information until it blurred in his brain but, it was useless. Tyler wasn’t sure what else he could do.
“Maybe you should study harder next time.” His teacher responded to his dejected look.
“But- I studied really hard for this test man..” Tyler frowned, flipping his paper over before his friends took note of his less than stellar grade. It wasn’t exactly something he wanted to display, the rest of his team didn’t seem to struggle academically in the slightest.
“If you’re telling the truth then maybe you could get some extra help..the school does offer after school tutoring for all kinds of subjects.” She recommended looking unsure. Tyler didn’t blame her, he didn’t exactly exhibit scholarly energy. The truth was if someone like him admitted to studying he wasn’t sure he would believe him either. Tyler had a way of making things confusing for himself without trying, now his head was spinning at the thought of him talking to a clone of himself.
“Right..uh I guess I’ll go down there after school.” He said with a polite smile.
She only nodded at him and kept walking, passing out the remaining stack of papers in her hand.
Tyler sighed and sat back in his seat, he could feel his friends eyes on him, wanting to say something but, knowing that the room was near silent. It was a welcome standstill as he tried to relax. He had never thought about it before but, tutoring wasn’t a bad idea. He had seen the flyers same as everyone else but, he had never considered the fact that he might need help. It was embarrassing but, as long as no one found out it wouldn’t be a big deal, right?
It did mean that he would be late to practice, but he could manage it was still pre-season so he had time before the coach started cracking down on tardiness.
Tyler smiled to himself, feeling slightly better about the marked letter on his paper. Maybe the teacher would offer some extra credit in the mean time? Tyler was willing to write an essay if it meant not seeing an F on his transcript, the thought alone scared the crap out of him.
It would all work out, then he could go back to only caring about sports, like it had always been.
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Tyler took a look around the library as he walked through the heavy double doors. He admired the tall oak shelves with various books lined up along them. He also took note of the various colorful displays showcasing a variety of titles in the center of the room .He had been at the school for nearly three years yet he had never thought to look around the near silent building. It wasn’t like he was surprised at the fact. He wasn’t big on reading outside of textbooks anyways, it just wasn’t his thing.
He only gained more reason for his lack of entry as his shoes squeaked on the tile floor. The pattern below him was checkered, all the squares nearly making him dizzy as he looked around nervously.
He had reread the tutoring flyer religiously before walking in but, he suddenly felt lost all over again struggling to find the main desk.
“Hello can I help you?” A women asked from across the room, saving him from making further confused glanced around the room.
Tyler swallowed hard, awkwardly walking to the other end of the room to speak with her. He had been way off base, the desk was right in front of his face.
“Hey uh I was here about the tutoring after school..for organic chemistry.” He admitted scratching the back of his head as she observed him. He may not have looked the best dressed but, his tracksuit was efficient when he hit the court or the field- it varried depending on the season. Basketball being a winter sport and track being in the spring, it left plenty of time for football in the fall and swim when he wasn’t doing that. Maybe he was a bit obsessed with athletics but, they were one of the only things he enjoyed doing. It was why he was taking such a drastic step and asking for help. He wouldn’t risk getting kicked off just for his pride.
“I see well you’re the only one..” she said bitterly.
“I almost didn’t even bring anybody on today but, one guy kept insisting that he needed the volunteer hours so I guess you can study with him.” She said rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
“He’s a student here too, just so you know we don’t have the budget for actual tutors but, he’s pretty good- honor roll and all so he should do fine.” She explained stepping out from behind her desk and guiding him over to a secluded alcove of the library. Maybe secluded wasn’t the right word, the entire library felt desolate- you could practically hear a pen drop.
“We got a bunch of text books near the back there so don’t worry about materials he’s probably sitting down over there somewhere I told him to keep himself busy but, he insisted on putting all the library books away.” She said looking unimpressed.
Tyler was beginning to grow more worried. The guy sounded stuck-up. He didn’t feel like being mocked for his less than stellar school performance, he just wanted help and that was that. Then he could go on with his life and forget this ever happened.
“Well good luck hope it helps..thanks for actually using the school resources.” She muttered, she looked like she wanted to say more but, held her tongue.
“Thanks dude.” Tyler said as she walked back towards her desk.
Tyler took the opportunity to glance around the room, walking closer to the wall with a large window overlooking the rest of the campus. It looked rather impressive from the third floor although Tyler felt sick thinking about falling out of it. Maybe he would pass on sitting so close to the giant sheet of glass.
“Ah my friend are you here for tutoring?” A voice asked, Tyler could hear a distinctly Spanish accent which only made him grow more curious as to who the guy was. He couldn’t recall ever hearing his voice before.
Tyler quickly turned around, eyes widening at the guy in front of him, he looked like he had walked straight out of a magazine. His hair was long, longer than Tyler’s anyways, and he had an ear piercing. That wasn’t even the half of it, his attire consisted of a sleek red shirt, white undershirt and gray pants- and to top it all off he had boots? Tyler wondered if his outfit was in dress code, he sincerely doubted it.
The guy certainly looked preppy but, Tyler didn’t sense an ounce of hostility from him, at least not at first glance. In fact he seemed like a people person- someone that half the cheerleading team would be fighting over. Tyler had to admit he felt a bit jealous, feeling small in comparison.
“Amigo are you okay?” The guy asked looking concerned as Tyler had effectively zoned out. Right, tutoring. Tyler couldn’t help the embarrassment that burned on his face. He had just zoned out while ogling the guy, not exactly the best first impression.
“Yeah..sorry man I’m super nervous or..uh never mind.” He said as more word vomit spilled from his mouth. This was his fault he had lost his train of thought and now he was scrambling to piece it back together again.
“It is quite okay my friend I understand..you and I will get through this together.” He said giving him a smile.
Tyler nodded his head and took a seat at one of the circular tables.
“I suppose I should introduce myself..from the look on your face you don’t know who I am.” He said grabbing a couple books from the shelf and sitting down across from him.
“I am Alejandro..tutor in all known subjects and foreign languages as well….soy muy inteligente.” Alejandro said clearly bragging.
“Oh that’s cool dude..I’m Tyler..”Tyler said awkwardly. The silence was beyond deafening, Tyler hated that he could hear every breath he took.
“Tyler yes well what subject can I help you with?” he asked lining up the textbooks on the table.
“Chemistry..I don’t know man it’s pretty hard.” Tyler complained bouncing his knee in a sudden burst of anxiety.
“Sí of course I am an expert on basic chemistry allow me now simply tell me what chapter and unit and we can begin.”
Tyler nodded his head staring at Alejandro who was waiting on his input.
“Right..” Tyler said before telling him the most recent unit. It felt weird but, he found himself observing the way his muscles flexed as he reached for a certain book, brow creasing in focus as he turned the pages. Tyler even noticed the way his eyes sparkled intently once he landed on a certain page.
It felt weird to be staring but, Tyler couldn’t stop himself until the guys- Alejandro’s- green eyes met his, a charming smile coating his face. He looked like he had just won something, Tyler wasn’t sure exactly what was going on in his head.
“Alright let’s begin my friend I see you are working on simple chemical equations with converting grams to moles.” He described to which Tyler only nodded.
This would work, Alejandro looked like he knew what he was doing, only his leg kept bouncing up and down.
What really scared him was that he didn’t have an alternative, Alejandro was his best shot (read as only shot) at accomplishing his goals.
That meant he would ignore whatever strange feelings cropped up when looking at him. It was just admiration, a strong sense and a bit of jealousy too.
Tyler was jealous.
Yeah that was it.
_________________________________
“Girls look over there it’s Tyler.” Lindsay called, waving her hand at Tyler as he passed by.
Tyler returned the smile, cheeks warm. She was his crush, as all his friends joked. She was one of the cheerleaders, not only was she nice but, she was also gorgeous. The only problem was Tyler hadn’t actual spoken a word to her outside of hello. They had made eye contact and she always cheered for him at his games but, they had never really gotten to know one another. He didn’t know why he was hesitating, she was right there and clearly interested so, why did she feel so out of reach?
Maybe it was just that he was nervous? He knew he liked her but, the thought of approaching her with all her friends watching made his stomach clench up. He could always try tomorrow and prove that to be true, yeah tomorrow sounded like a good idea.
Tyler slowly passed by Lindsey and kept walking, headed to his locker to put away the various books that had stacked up throughout the day. It was lunch time thankfully, the only part of the day where he had any time to reach his locker without being rushed to get to class. Unlike the movies lockers weren’t that big of a deal, Tyler only had one for emergencies- otherwise known as a second pair of gym clothes.
He was in the process of opening the lock, trying extra hard to remember the combination- when someone passed by him.
“Ah Tyler hello.” The voice said.
Tyler quickly turned around to see Alejandro walking down the hall, stack of papers in his hands.
“What are you doing here dude?” Tyler asked eyeing the giant tower of paper that looked a second away from falling over.
“I am simply performing some deliveries for the library for community service hours I am close to the 100 I need for my scholarship.” He explained.
“But, don’t you have class or something?” Tyler asked feeling stupid.
“I have classes at the local college, it is why I am not on campus often.” He explained.
“Oh..I didn’t know you could do that.” Tyler said dumbfounded as he finally popped the lock open.
“Sí well I will see you this afternoon I have prepared some notes to help you understand some of the more complicated material.” He said smiling at him, the sight made his heart do something weird- it felt like it was racing. At the sight of Alejandro? That didn’t make any sense.
“Oh thanks man you don’t know how much this helps I need to pass this next test or else I’ll get kicked off the football team..and the basket ball team..and the..Uh you get the idea .” He said happily shoving the books in his lockers.
“Of course it is what I am here for after all.” He said giving him a wink before walking off.
Tyler felt like his brain had been manually restarted as he watched him leave. Had he winked at him? He was definitely overthinking things, it was normal to wink at someone Lindsay did it all the time when she was making eyes at him.
Did that mean that Alejandro-
Tyler shook his head and shut his locker, clicking the lock back in place and making sure it was secure.
He didn’t want to think about any subtle hints, they weren’t his thing and if the guy wasn’t going to do anything head on then he wasn’t going to address it. That made things a whole lot easier.
Tyler smiled to himself and kept walking along the hallway. He had to get lunch before the bell rang and he knew the long line that awaited him.
Tyler sighed. This was going to be a long day.
_________________________________
Tyler found himself smiling as he walked down the hallway.
It had been a couple weeks since he had started going to tutoring and he actually found himself looking forward to it. He couldn’t exactly pin point the reason but, the thought of studying chemistry didn’t seem to bad, it didn’t even feel embarrassing anymore.
In fact it was almost time for his first big test since his less than stellar grade on the last one. That meant that he was cramming. Alejandro had made the flash cards he promised and they had been going over everything he didn’t understand. If everything went well he wouldn’t need the tutoring anymore.
Tyler wasn’t exactly sure what to think about that.
“Ah amigo you are early.” Alejandro said as he walked into the library. There were a couple people dotting the various tables this time around but, the room was still largely quiet.
“Hey dude..yeah figured I might as well get a head start.”he said giving him a smile.
“Well vamos.” Alejandro said walking towards the table they always sat at. It was secluded near the rack of textbooks but, Tyler didn’t mind. In fact it helped him focus.
Tyler pulled out a chair and took a seat as Alejandro grabbed a textbook and sat next to him. For some reason they had shifted positions as the weeks progressed- Alejandro slowly sitting closer to him.
It had started with Alejandro standing up and hovering over him- pointing at something specific- to pulling up a chair and sitting next to him so that their knees were practically touching. Tyler didn’t mind , it gave him a strange rush-heart beating faster and face smiling a lot more when he was close by. He didn’t think to much into it, he didn’t like to think to hard about things, he would have rather just sat back and see how things worked out.
“I’ll start with the flash cards and then we can look over the review for the test.” He explained.
Tyler nodded his head.
“Hey uh..thanks man for helping me..I know it’s your job or whatever but, I think it’s really working so yeah..”he said unceremoniously. At least it got the job done.
“Of course I enjoy our time together mi amigo.” He said winking again. He had been doing that a lot lately.
Tyler only gave him a dumbstruck smile. He was melting over Alejandro’s wink, again? It didn’t make sense he was a guy, an attractive guy but, a guy none the less.
Tyler wasn’t sure what to make of the feelings but, he at least attempted to reign in his thoughts before Alejandro’s arm brushed against his. The motion once again caused his brain to short circuit.
“Alright this one is easy, what would the converted form of 60g of Sulfur be in relation to moles?” he asked.
Tyler observed the flash card he was showing, vaguely remembering. This was easy he knew this one, Alejandro had made sure of that.
“Oh yeah..”Tyler said writing down an equation on a spare piece of paper.
It was strange, with Alejandro’s help it felt like he actually knew stuff. Where a jumbled blur of textbook pages laid before, a semi put together picture of the material replaced it. It was easy once it got dumbed down and Tyler found himself getting every practice question right, every review problem too. He felt happy, happier than he had been since he started and Alejandro looked happy for him.
“You have improved significantly Tyler.” Alejandro said discarding the flash cards and patting him on the back. It was a victorious pat that called back memories of winning games and making a good shot during practice. Tyler smiled, not only did he smile but, he blushed bright red at Alejandro’s close proximity.
He would let himself go with the flow, he enjoyed Alejandro’s company and that was that he didn’t want to think anymore about it.
“T-thanks man..it’s weird actually being smart and stuff I don’t know.” He said scratching the back of his head nervously.
“I hope it’s enough because I gotta pass this test tomorrow..”
“And if you do will you require my assistance anymore?” Alejandro asked, it was a perfectly innocent question but, Tyler found his smile dropping. If he passed he wouldn’t get to see Alejandro again, he wouldn’t have to anyways.
Tyler found himself considering coming back, just to see him.
That wasn’t his jealousy talking. He had realized that a while ago.
“Uh..I don’t know- maybe..I like spending time with you..or uh hanging out Uh..sorry man this is awkward.”he stammered.
“Nonsense I rather enjoy your company as well mi amigo.” Alejandro responded, words flowing off the tongue.
“You do?” Tyler questioned, looking dazed.
“Sí.” Alejandro said leaning in closer to him. It could have been unintentional but, the way Alejandro’s eyebrow was arched told him otherwise. What was he doing? And why did Tyler like it?
“I Uh…I..”He muttered painfully aware of how close they were. His surroundings were blurring, vision taken up by Alejandro.
Was it weird that he wanted to kiss him? That was weird.
Was it weird that Alejandro seemed to want the same thing.
“You’re blushing my friend.” Alejandro said smirking.
“You’re hot..it’s hot in here..”Tyler muttered no longer surprised at his lack of tactics.
Alejandro smirked almost inviting him to close the gap.
Tyler wasn’t sure what to do but, he didn’t protest as the distant began to close. The truth was he didn’t want to resist . Besides he was curious as to why he was feeling so strongly about him. This would prove once and for all whether or not he was misinterpreting things.
Alejandro slowly leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, it was a sudden motion that made his head spin. The brief contact made his heart to speed up, the feel of his lips was amazing, wonderful even. It was new, he didn’t mind it.
Then he pulled back, small smile dancing on Alejandro’s face.
“A parting kiss.” He said flirtatiously before standing up and setting the chemistry book back on the shelf.
“Woah..man.”Tyler said in a truly riveting display of commentary.
“Good luck on your test my friend.” He said smiling innocently once again and causing Tyler to look all the more confused.
“Thanks.”He said not sure if he was talking about the studying or the sudden kiss.
“I will be awaiting news of your passing grade.” He said brushing the hair out of his face.
“Yeah I hope I can give it to you.” He said collecting his stuff and trying to calm the redness on his cheeks. This wasn’t how Lindsay made him feel, no this was a lot stronger. There was no denying that he enjoyed it- maybe a little too much.
“Will you be here next week?” Tyler blurted out before he could come across as too desperate
“Yes, I always come here after school to volunteer.” He said.
“Oh uh then I’ll see you..I guess..I can bring the test just so you can know what I got.” He said cringing at how awkward he sounded.
“I will be waiting.” He said watching him stand up and turn towards the exit.
“Oh Tyler.” He said.
“Feel free to come back for more tutoring anytime.” He said closing the remark with a wink that’s purpose was clear.
Tyler flushed nodding his head embarrassed.
“Yeah sure.” He muttered as his shoes began to squeak on the tile floor. He nearly stumbled towards the door, face red.
Alejandro had kissed him, it was strange but, nice?
Tyler sighed, his brain hurt from all the thinking he was having to do lately.
Tyler wasn’t sure what would come next but, he felt hopeful.
Maybe he would take Alejandro up on his offer of further tutoring services, he had certainly enjoyed the last one.