In the morning I regret texting Ace. But I'm still pissed at Collin. There's a quick text from him, "sorry, i'll explain tmro". I roll my eyes. Not even "i'm sorry". I put my phone down and grab a purple hoodie. Shivering in my room I head to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Ace never responded.
The past few days have been overwhelming and I want to feel better, so I start on my makeup and put on my favorite leggings, wondering if I can avoid Collin for the entire day.
In Calc I can tell he's trying to catch my eye, he texts me once, and even waits outside the door for me. I wait and talk to Mr. Patten until I know he has to leave so he's not late. Mr. Patten asks if i'm okay, noting how I've been off for the last few days. I apologize and tell him I'll be back to normal tomorrow, hoping it's not a lie.
I have a free block so I make my way to the library, the halls mostly empty. Jay- the librarian- welcomes me, asking if I already need a new book.
"Once I finish my homework maybe. If I finish it."
"You'll be fine, you always are." Jay is sweet, and has seen me in here practically every day since my first day of high school.
For the first time this week I'm able to focus. I finally figure out why my experiments haven't been giving me the right results. I finish calc for the week and do all of my reading for American Studies. I'm going to get a new book when I see Ace walk into the library. Twice in one week is probably a new record for him. I turn around, thinking of how he's ignored my text even though he's the one who asked me for help. If he wants to fail his classes and lose his scholarships, then he can go ahead.
"Kiera." His voice is quiet but direct.
"Kyra." I don't turn around.
"Kyra. I saw your text." I think maybe he's being so quiet because he doesn't want anyone seeing him in here. Or seeing him with me.
"And ignored it." I still don't turn around. I don't want to look at his face. Being attractive doesn't make up for being an asshole.
"Yeah sorry. Um I'm free today. If you wanna start." I pause, I don't know what I expected him to say, after all he did seek me out. But this still surprises me. "I'll pay you. I just don't have much time to fix this."
"Right. Okay I'm free too." I wonder if I can get him to explain more about Collin. I wonder if i should feel guilty for what i'm doing to Collin.
"Okay. I'll pick you up after practice." He nods and doesn't bother to wait for my response, turning to go.

The day passes too quickly, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, but i'm still too mad at Collin to talk to him. He's tried two more times since first block. But by lunch he was eating and laughing with Olivia. I'd talk to him tonight, he was still my best friend and I felt pretty sure that should mean something. But not yet.
I pass Sonal and Ananda in the hallway, stopping to say hey.
"The weirdest thing happened earlier. I think i'm tutoring Ace."
"NO WAY"
"You're so lucky. I think I actually love him."
"You've never talked to him."
"Okay?"
I laugh as the two talk about Ace. That's pretty much how every girl talks about him. I don't see it though. He's attractive sure, but he seems anything but nice.

I touch up my makeup and redo my hair while I wait for Ace. I've already done yoga and showered and all my work is done for the week. So the only real issue I have is Collin.
I look pretty in a simply way, purple earrings that match my top and black leggings. For a second I wonder what Ace will think. Then I hate myself for letting it cross my mind.
Theres no knock, Ace just texts "Here." I wish I knew what happened to men being respectful. I grab my backpack and lock the door, quickly texting my mom that I'll be back tonight, although I doubt she'll even read it.
Ace drives a black jeep and the windows are tinted enough that I can't see him until I open the door. I try to smile at him but we fall into an awkward silence instead p. His hair is wet and I can tell he took the time to shower in between practice and picking me up. His cologne smells good and he's wearing a plain white Nike hoodie with grey sweatpants.
"Listen, you can't tell anyone we are doing this okay?" If I didn't know better I would think he sounded nervous. "My parents don't know about my grades, and people at school already have enough to say about me."
"Okay. What exactly do you need help with?" I don't mention that I already told Sonal and Ananda.
"Just calc, chem, am-stud, and APUSH."
"Just?" He named all of his classes except P.E. I end up wishing I had kept quiet when he presses his lips into a tight line and doesn't respond. I'd ask where we are going but after that I can't find my voice.
After ten more minutes of painful silence we pull into a small cafe parking lot that I've never been to before.