my new tutor
It was the last day of the first semester of 11th grade.
I had always had a tutor, but my previous one quit a while ago because he had too much going on with university and his job at a convenience store. Because of that, my grades were… not the best anymore.
Today, when I left school and was waiting for my chauffeur, I got a message from my mom.
“We found a new tutor for you. Here is his number. He’ll come over soon for a short introduction with coffee, so make sure you look presentable when you get home. I gave your chauffeur a few things you might need, like your hairbrush.”
I was a little annoyed knowing I was getting a new tutor. Some tutors could be really strict, and one of them had actually been my tutor for a few weeks when I was younger…
Guess what?
He was annoyingly strict.
He wasn’t bad at explaining things, but shouldn’t you be able to get along with your tutor and maybe even look forward to your lessons?
Shortly after, I saw my chauffeur.
During the drive home, I brushed my hair again, drank some water, and put on my perfume with the slightly rosy scent. I loved that scent.
Just like the other hundred perfumes I owned… or at least that’s what it felt like.
I was curious about what he would be like. Questions started appearing in my head:
“How old is he?”“Will he be nice?”“What school does he go to?”“What are his grades like?”
As soon as I walked into the living room, I saw him sitting on the sofa with my parents.
They were talking and smiling a lot.
I knew he had already won my parents over, but he wasn’t supposed to tutor my parents. He was supposed to tutor me.
When he saw me, he immediately stood up, walked over to me, and held out his hand to shake hands.
“Hi, you’re Aleyna, right? I’m Alex, your new tutor. I’m in 12th grade. Do you want to go to your room and talk about everything first? Like your grades and your current level?”
He seemed nice enough…
But would he really be better than Leo?
My previous tutor, who, by the way, is also a good friend of mine.
I just nodded briefly.
He only stayed for one or two hours.
He looked through my school notes, my previous exams, and things like that. He also brought a few chemistry and math tests to see what I knew and how well I could do.
Guess what?
I only knew a few things out of everything he asked me about. But at least the things I knew were correct, right?
He gave me a small homework assignment. I had to watch two learning videos before our next meeting.
“So that’s it for today, right? When is our first actual tutoring lesson?”
“The day after tomorrow at 5 p.m. And correct the one test and give it back to me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? I thought we weren’t seeing each other until the day after tomorrow?” I asked, slightly confused.
“Wait, we go to the same school. Didn’t you know that?”
Oh. I didn’t really like that.
“Ah, right. I guess I didn’t realize. Where can I find you? I’ve never seen you before.”
I had no idea we went to the same school.
“In the cafeteria. At the popular table.”
“Okay, but just to make sure… Do you mean the popular table with the guys and girls, or the one with the scary-looking guys who look like gangsters?”
I knew he couldn’t actually be one of those gangsters, but…
“Yeah, the table with the gangsters,” he said with a laugh.
Apparently, he actually was.
That same evening, I told my best friend Amy about my new tutor during a video call.
I told her he seemed okay, but I wasn’t sure if I should change tutors again.
“What if he gets violent when I don’t understand something after he explained it a thousand times?” I asked Amy.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied.
“You’re right. Then you can come with me when I give him my corrected test.”
“So… that’s not exactly what I meant, but yeah, okay.”
The next day, Amy and I were standing in the cafeteria, looking for Alex.
Then we heard someone call my name.
“Hey, Aleyna! How’s it going? Sit down. Did you do your homework?”
My heart stopped.
Was it because we were standing in front of the gangster table now…
or was it because of Alex?
