The Tutors

ROXIE

I’m rolling my eyes as I put my car into park. It’s 6 p.m. and I’m arriving to my tutoring session in a worse mood than when this stupid punishment was assigned.

It could only be described as a punishment because it’s unnecessary. Five more months, one cheer competition and I’m done, I think to myself.

I’ll never see this place and these people again after that. I’ll give them two hours tops then I’m out of here. I have better things to do—like sleep.

I’m exhausted from another practice after school before rushing here. I really just want to relax. Is that too much to ask for?

Heading up the walkway to the door, I think back to the one time I’ve been here. It was the time we had that moment, Nari and I.

That was almost four years ago, the beginning of freshman year when everyone was still trying to get to know each other.

We had all come from different middle schools and were trying to find our cliques in the crowd of teenagers.

Nari had let a group of us know she had her parents’ entire basement to herself almost like an apartment and we all came over to hang out.

Her parents had set up the entire basement for her. She even had her own bathroom down there.

We played Seven Minutes in Heaven that night. Somehow Nari and I had gotten picked to go into the closet together. We were both kind of shy but neither wanted to back out.

Things got a little carried away with Nari and I that night. She looked pretty in the light we were in and I wanted to kiss her. She made me feel things I had never felt for a girl before that night.

It honestly scared me, but I was kind of intrigued. Things kind of just happened somehow, but it ended before it began.

As we walked out of that closet back into her basement, it was like nothing had happened. We didn’t even look at each other.

I wish things were different then and we weren’t so scared of what we were feeling. Maybe we could have tried to figure it out together. But here we are. She’s who she is and I am who I am.

I ring the bell and wait, clutching tight to my backpack. Nari opens the door but doesn’t say a word to me. She’s wearing a short black skirt and a crop top I’ve never seen her wear to school.

She actually doesn’t look like the nerdy girl who comes to school. She looks pretty damn sexy to be honest. I try not to think too much into it—she and Kai must have plans after this session.

Instead of saying something like people normally do when they welcome you into their home, she looks me up and down then steps aside to let me in.

She heads back to the basement without so much as looking back to make sure I was following her.

It looks like she’s not thrilled to have me here. Well, guess what, sweet face? I don’t want to be here either, I think to myself. I’d rather be in my bed in my empty house.

I close the door behind me and head down to the basement, making sure to take my time. Since she’s being rude, I can, too. It’s not like either one of us asked for this.

Nari is sitting on the bed with her legs crossed when I finally make it down to her room.

The whole basement is an open concept, like a studio apartment, and looks much different from when we were younger. She’s decorated with new couches and art on the walls.

She has a huge beanbag chair near her flat screen, too. I honestly don’t know what I expected it to look like in here. I see the computer chair across from her and place my bag on the desk.

“Kai will be here in an hour. He asked me to get started,” Nari says, pulling out papers from her backpack and still not making eye contact with me.

For some reason, I’m frustrated just sitting here as she digs through her bag. I don’t know if it’s because she won’t acknowledge me or if it’s just because I don’t want to be here.

I blow out a deep sigh and try to relax myself. I don’t have time for this. Nari looks at me under her long lashes and rolls her eyes. I never realized how long her lashes are.

I’ve always known how pretty Nari is, but right now she’s sexy. Sexy as fuck. But she clearly doesn’t like me, and I don’t think I like her. What’s her problem with me anyway?!

“Nari, I don’t have time for this, and you clearly don’t want me here,” I mumble.

“If you don’t want to graduate, be my guest, Roxie. No sweat off my back, and I never said I didn’t want you here.” She shrugs and continues to dig through her backpack.

“What’s your problem? Can you tell me that? Why don’t you like me? What do you want, Nari? What can I do to get out of this? Get you in at the popular table? Help with a guy?

“What can I do? I just can’t do this every day, I have too much to do. Between school, cheer, and college tours, I don’t have the time. What can I do to get you to sign my paper?”

I throw a million questions at her, and I’m not sure what I want answered first.

“First off, I would never need your help with a guy. I’m in love with Kai, have been for the last four years, that won’t change. I don’t want any other man.

“Second, I’ll pass on the lunch table because I would never ever fit in with your friends. But I think you can do something we both might enjoy,” she finishes.

I look at her in shock—I have never seen her this bold and outspoken. Other than to answer a question, I hardly ever see her speak. I wait for her to continue.

Nari smirks and looks like she is trying to figure out her master plan, but it doesn’t take long.

“I’ll make you a deal. Instead of three times a week, you’ll come over to see us once a week until we graduate, and Kai and I will get to do whatever we want with you. I do mean whatever, Roxie.”

She looks me in the eyes awaiting my reaction. My mouth opens, closes, then opens again. The shock has to be clear on my face. Who the fuck is this girl?

Is she fucking serious?! Are she and her boyfriend into some three-way kink? Does he even know about this shit? This is all very shocking. Was this their plan all along?

But they couldn’t know Mrs. Joseph would force us all together. Nari is trying to blackmail me, and this is unbelievable. I almost can’t even comprehend it.

But it’s also kind of turning me on to see her like this. I could finish her in this school, and she doesn’t even care.

But without her and Kai, I definitely won’t get signed off on my tutoring forms for graduation. Fucking Mrs. Joseph put me in this spot. This can’t be my fucking life right now.

What does she mean by ‘whatever they want’? All these damn questions in my head.

But how bad could it be? They are probably only experienced with each other and they look very vanilla. Nari can’t be too much of a freak, and neither can her boyfriend.

I think through my options a little longer. By agreeing to this, am I agreeing to be some kind of sex slave? That could actually be fun, maybe even relaxing.

I’m not usually nervous around her, but all of a sudden I am. I need to decide.

I swallow my nerves and look into her eyes. They happen to actually be beautiful. And she looks like she’s trying to read my thoughts. Fuck it.

“Yes,” I whisper.