A kiss on the cheek from a boy was almost my first kiss.

I'll take it!

I floated through the weekend, my mind on King and his soft lips on my cheek. Why did he just kiss my cheek and not go for the kiss? Maybe something was wrong. Did my breath smell bad? I had just eaten smelly food. I should have chewed some gum or maybe popped a mint in my mouth. I would know that for the next time.

Hopefully, there was a next time.

I did not spend all of my time thinking of King, I did get a lot of studying done. I typed my notes on my tablet and color-coded them in files. I had five classes. English 101, College Algebra, Sociology, Intro to Business Ideas, and American Government. The only one that was naturally easy for me was the math class.

I had no idea about the topics in sociology, it was all new to me. English was a repeat of what I should know, but it was a lot of researching and writing papers. American Government was a lot of reading and several major tests to regurgitate it all out. Intro to Business, even though it was my major, felt all Greek to me.

I was going to need a lot of help.

I texted Todd, the guy I met at the football game. Allura already told me he was their school's valedictorian, so he did not lie about being that smart.

Hi Todd, it's Rayvn, Allura's roommate

There was not even a pause before he texted back.

Hey! What's up?

Wondering if I can take you up on that tutoring offer. I can pay

No, I wouldn't ask you to do that. I offered. I would love to help

Cool

When would you like to meet up?

After my last class tomorrow. Four o'clock, library. Does that work?

Sounds like a plan

Great

Monday I needed two Starbucks drinks to get me through the day. I had my first major paper in English due this week, probably another pop quiz in Sociology, and we had a test in our American Government class next week. I was not ready. No way, no how. But this was college.

I had to stay ready so I didn't have to get ready.

King offered to work together on our papers that were due Friday, I scheduled him for a Wednesday study day. I would have to lean on Mr. Perfect for my Sociology class. And I hoped Todd could get me through American Government. Turns out he was a Political Science major, so he knew more than enough about the government crap that I did not care about.

I was registered to vote! I had yet to vote in an election.

"Hey, Rayvn," Todd said when I met him in a study hall room that he'd already reserved.

"Thanks for meeting with me. I need at least a C in this class...well, all of my classes." I tossed my bag to the floor, holding my tablet and book in my arms.

"Because of your scholarship?"

Why would he assume I was on scholarship? There were many students at Mizzou not on scholarship. Mizzou cost thirty-two grand a year. Athletes were the biggest draw to the school and they all were on full-ride scholarships. Most of the minorities were on some type of scholarship with grants and loans filling in.

I had two small scholarships not making a dent. One from Angel's mom's sorority, another I simply got because I came from a low-income family. I also received a Pell Grant but again, that did not cover most of the tuition and none of the room and board. If it was not for the trust fund Angel set up for me, I would not be here at all, struggling with the super smart and rich kids.

I didn't need to tell him about my trust fund. That was no one's business.

"Yeah," I lied to him. Obviously, I did not move like a kid that came from a background with money. If I said I was not on a full scholarship, he may wonder where this little poor kid came up with the money.

"I'll help you get better than a C," he said.

"Like an A? I'm down with that."

"What kinds of grades did you make in high school?"

"Ummm...I did okay I guess." I was not going to tell him I was a straight C student with a few sprinkles of Bs. And that was at an underperforming public school. None of my classes were probably on the level his were.

He was class valedictorian at a school that probably had adequate funding, the best teachers, and students that wanted to be there and learn. I was lucky I made it out of my high school alive, not pregnant or in jail.

If I would have moved permanently with my father and Angel, I would have been in a better school district. My mother was not allowing that...only because she needed me to be the twenty-four-hour babysitter while she ran the streets.

I cleared my head of my mother and her issues. I was here to prove that I could do this without her.

Todd was a patient tutor. Using my notes to help me learn key points. I just want to put it out there for the record, American Government is my least favorite class, the hardest class, and the class where I am the only brown face. Yes, that matters. This means I am seen as the oddball, the misfit, the one that probably needs extra help in the class. (And I do, but that is beside the point here!)

There were no whites in my school, zero! The closest was a couple of biracial kids with a white parent. Maybe there were a few Afro-Hispanics, but no one that was considered white. Hence why I needed to be around all types of people, different races, cultures, and backgrounds. All levels of socio-economics.

Yes, I was a little poor girl (don't count my trust fund, I don't). I still deserved to be here, and so did others like me. Life was not fair.

"No one is expecting you to get this overnight and get an A on the test first try," Todd said to me after I kept missing his little review questions.

I groaned and threw my head down on the table. "I'm gonna fail! I'm gonna fail!"

"No, you're not. You need to focus, I think your mind is everywhere."

He was right about that. It was really hard to focus on learning when I would rather be hanging out with Allura and Twyla, or King, or Gay, or Mr. Perfect. I have met some cool people, that got to have fun and enjoy their college experience because good grades came naturally to them. For me to even pull a C I had to study every day, for hours, using memorization, which meant I learned nothing.

I was a lost cause.

After two hours and still nothing sticking in my head, I was ready to give up, but Todd was willing to stick with me.

"Come on Rave, I know you can get this. You're here, you didn't make it here to Mizzou by accident."

"You don't know that," I whined, trying not to break out in tears. "You don't know anything about me Todd, you don't. I didn't come from a fancy school like you that taught me stuff like this. They didn't care about us poor little Black kids in the hood." I paused for effect. "You're white...you wouldn't understand."

I started to gather my things to leave. Maybe I needed a tutor who could start with me at a level I needed. A real tutor, and not just some guy.

"Hey look, Rave, I didn't bring race into this, you did. Do you have a problem with me because I'm white?"

"No, do you have a problem with me because I'm Black?"

He stood from the table, leaning over it so he was closer to me. "I think you're hot! Why would I have a problem with your skin color?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe I'm not being a good study partner because I'm distracted by your dimple or your smile...are how cute you look when you're thinking. I just want to help you, is all...and maybe ask you out sometime."

Well...that...went totally different.

"I ummm...I..."

"Don't say anything, forget about it. You probably have lots of guys asking you out." He grabbed his bag from the table. "Forget all about the nerdy white boy."

I watched him head to the door, and I didn't know what to do. Yes, he was cute. I was not that attracted to him, but there was still something about him. Maybe I needed to get to know him.

"Wait!"

He stopped and turned to me.

"Maybe we're both distracted and need a break," I said. "Want to go take a walk? We can do more studying later."

He grinned. "Sure."

A/N: As if our girl needs another guy to juggle.