Odessa’s POV
I stared at the piece of paper in front of me and then I stared at Landon and back at the paper.
I was beginning to understand why the school had decided I was the perfect person to tutor him.
Because apparently, they hated me.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
Landon leaned back in his chair, looking completely unbothered and twirling a pen in his hand.
“Very.” He said
I looked down at the question I’d written.
It wasn’t difficult and I had explained the same concept three times.
Three.
And somehow, Landon Harlway had managed to give me an answer so spectacularly wrong that I was starting to wonder if he was doing it on purpose.
I slowly raised my eyes.
“You wrote that the answer is twelve.”
“Yes.” He said cockily
“The answer is not twelve.”
He shrugged.
“Then why did you ask me?”
My mouth fell open and I rubbed my temples, this was going to be a long afternoon.
We were sitting in one of the quieter corners of the university library.
I’d specifically chosen a table far away from the main study area because I didn’t want an audience.
That had been my first mistake.
My second mistake had been believing Landon would actually cooperate.
The moment we’d sat down, he’d made it clear he had no intention of making this easy for me.
He’d arrived ten minutes late and thrown himself into the chair across from me.
He’d stared at my notes and then he’d asked if we could finish early, I told him no and apparently, he’d decided to punish me for the answer.
I looked at the clock, we had been here for forty-three minutes only and it felt like four hours.
“Landon.”
“What?”
“Do you even want to pass this class?”
He stared at me.
“Honestly no, im just here because you threatened and made a deal with me.”
I blinked, the only thing that could save me now was a miracle.
I looked at him and he was wearing a black T-shirt today, the sleeves stretched tightly around his arms.
I noticed the tattoos peeking from beneath the fabric, and I quickly looked away.
I didn’t need to be distracted.
“Fine,” I said.
“Let’s start again.”
Landon groaned and I smiled sweetly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He said
“Good.”
I pushed the paper toward him.”solve this” I said
The question was easy, two plus three, even a monkey would know the answer.
Landon wrote something and passed it to me, I checked it and my eyes popped out of their sockets as I fought the urge to smack him.
Landon wrote 30
I knew he was doing this on purpose.
Two hours later, I was convinced Landon Harlway was the devil.
Not metaphorically at all.
The devil had probably been thrown out of heaven for being too annoying and had decided to reincarnate as a six-foot-something university student with tattoos and an attitude problem.
“Read the question again.” I said
Landon looked at me.
“I don’t want to.”
“Landon.”
“Pink hair.”
I glared at him and he stared back.
I leaned back in my chair.
“You’re doing this on purpose.”
His expression remained blank.
“Oh you can tell” he said
“You’re not stupid,” I said quietly. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“You’re just lazy.”
His jaw tightened and I continued before he could interrupt.
“You understand everything I explain to you.
You just don’t care enough to try.”
Landon looked down at the table and he had a blank expression on his face “Whatever.” He pushed the paper away.
I caught it before it fell to the ground.
“No.” I snapped
His eyes lifted.
“No?”
“We’re not done.”
“We are.”
“No, we’re not.”
He stared at me and then unexpectedly, he reached for the paper.
“Fine.”
I blinked.
“Fine?”
“Explain it again.”
I almost fell out of my chair.
I slowly sat up straighter.
“Okay.”
I picked up my pen.
“Look here.”
This time, he listened and didn’t try to interrupt me.
He just watched as I worked through the problem then I handed him the pen.
“Your turn.”
He took it and in the process his fingers brushed mine.
I immediately pulled my hand back like I was burnt.
Why was my heart suddenly beating faster?Ridiculous.
Landon didn’t seem to notice, he looked down at the question and then he started writing.
I watched in silence and leaned closer.
He turned the paper toward me and I stared at it and my eyes widened.
“You got it.”
He shrugged.
“I know.”
I looked at him.
“That was your first correct answer.”
He rolled his eyes and stood up.
“Where are you going?” I asked
“Home.”
“We still have another hour.”
“No, we don’t.”
I looked at the clock and he was right.
I hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed and it almost felt like I was enjoying staying with him.
No Odessa get that out of your mind nowww
Landon grabbed his bag.
“Same time tomorrow?”
I blinked.
“You’re coming back?”
He looked at me like I’d asked the stupidest question in the world and maybe I had.
“You’re my tutor.”
“Right.”
I smiled nervously
“See you tomorrow, Landon.”
He turned toward the exit and stopped, without looking back, he said, “Don’t get too excited pinky.”
My smile disappeared.
“What?”
“Just because I got one answer right doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to become a good student.”
“Trust me.
I wasn’t getting excited.”
He walked away and I watched him leave and smiled.
Maybe there was hope for him after all or maybe I was completely insane for thinking I could change Landon Harlway.
By the time I got home, I was exhausted.
I walked straight into my bedroom, dropped my bag on the floor, and closed the door behind me.
The house was quiet, Dean was probably still at work, I grabbed an apple and bit into it, then I threw myself onto my bed.
For approximately three seconds, I lay there peacefully then I screamed into my pillow.
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”
I lifted my head and took a deep breath then I screamed again.
“WHY IS HE LIKE THIS?!”
Screaming was a good coping mechanism, trust me.
I collapsed face-first into the pillow and his handosme face crossed my mind again and I groaned.
Landon was impossible to deal with, he was annoying or rather infuriating and so handosme and…
Stop it Odessa
I was not going to finish that thought, I sat up and grabbed my phone then a notification appeared, I was added to a group by Maya and Naomi.
Odessa : Hello newbie here
Maya: hey girlll welcome (hearts emoji)
Naomi: There’s a party tonight for new students and you’re coming
I frowned, what the hell was that?
I stared at the screen.
Absolutely not.
I typed quickly.
Odessa : No.
Three dots appeared immediately.
Naomi : That wasn’t a question.
I rolled my eyes.
Odessa : I’m tired.
Maya: Why are you tired.
Odessa: Tutoring Landon Harlway has it’s perks
Naomi: No way!!
how did it go?
I sent crying reactions and they both laughed
Naomi: You should come it would take your mind off things and you can no longer be the new kid, you’ll mingle more.
Odessa: Being the new kid isn’t always bad, I guess.
Maya: Yeah we were all new kids once but you have to come Odessa, come onnnn(hearts emoji)
Odessa: Would Landon be there?
Naomi: ohhhh(pretends to be shocked)
Maya: (smacks lip and smiles)
Odessa: If you both keep acting this way I’m not coming
Maya: He hardly comes to parties, I’ve never seen him attend one before.
That was good, I wouldn’t run into him and would be able to have fun freely.
Maya: We won’t let you out of our sights
Odessa: (side eyes)
I sighed and nodded to myself, maybe it won’t be so bad like in those teenage movies
Naomi: Be ready in thirty minutes.
I groaned and then fell backward onto my bed.
I had just survived two hours with Landon Harlway and now I have to attend this party so I don’t look like a snob.
Apparently, the universe wasn’t done torturing me yet.
I rubbed my eyes and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower, I was done washing my hair and shaving my legs when someone knocked on my door
“Odessa, are you back?” Havana yelled
“Yes i’m in the shower, I have a party to attend tonight” I said to her
“Is it a school Party?” She asked
“Yeah im going with Maya and Naomi, is Dean home?”
“No he isn’t and he won’t be back till tomorrow so you don’t have to explain to him”
I smiled, Havana was the best, my brother would probably never let me go or worse he would follow me.
“Ok stay safe and turn on your location” she said and closed the door
Time to get ready then.