Chapter 5
Five
“The King Lear homework is fresh in my mind,” Milo says from across the table. “We should tackle it first and get it out of the way.”
“I thought we were gonna start with something easy.”
“English is an easy subject. It’s easier than math or chemistry.”
“Geez. Just the mention of math turns off my brain.”
“We’ll get there. I promise to teach you in a way that you’ll get it.”
I frown. “We’ll see.”
Milo goes over the scene we discussed in class that wasn’t more interesting than figuring out Kai’s thing with Tabitha. He explains that King Lear being trapped in a storm symbolizes his realization that his cruel daughters are capable of victimizing him.
It’s weird how it starts sinking in. I click my pen, take a deep breath, and promise to try my best with the discussion questions Ms. Jenkins gave us at the end of class. I take a long time on each question. Milo finished his answers by the time I finished question two out of eight.
“It’s not a race,” he says. “I’m just going to work on my chemistry homework. Tell me if you need help and I’ll take a look at it.”
“I’m too slow,” I counter. “I have math homework too.”
“Just make a start and then I’ll take a look,” Milo replies. “We’ll have time to look over your math homework too.”
I wiggle my eyebrows and smirk. “Or you could just do it for me.”
“It’s all right for your teachers to know you’re getting help, but they don’t want to see you straight-up cheating.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Milo deadpans. “Do you want to stay at Ashworth Academy, or not?”
I raise a palm in surrender. “Fine.”
I go back to my question set and work on my third answer. As it nears closing time and patrons clear out of the cafe, I’m close to finishing question seven and moving onto my final discussion question.
“Guys, I’m going to clean the kitchen,” Aunt Maddy says, stopping by our table. I huff and shift off the seat. Maddy presses onto my shoulder, making me sit back down. “No, I’m just letting you know you have at least thirty more minutes to work. Make the most of it.”
I double-take at her. “You don’t want me to help?”
“I want you to finish your homework,” Aunt Maddy says, backing away. “Keep at it.”
I smile and nod. Ha. I could get used to this studying thing if it keeps me out of work.
Milo leans over to view my work. “Do you need help with anything before we go over your math homework?”
I slide my paper over to him. “I’m done with this. Will you let me know if I’m even close?”
Milo takes the paper. “The good thing about English lit is the answers are subjective. Generally, if you can back up your statement, you have a right answer.”
I rock my jaw, not entirely understanding what Milo means. “So, does that mean I have right answers?”
Milo lowers the paper and chews on his lip. He winces as he meets my gaze. “Not really. You haven’t given full explanations.”
I slouch in my seat. “Dang it.”
“But you’re close,” Milo adds quickly. “All you have to do is expand on these.”
“Expand?”
Milo pulls a red pen from the front pocket of his bag and begins writing below my answers. “I’ll fill in what you need to add, then you can rewrite your answers when you get home tonight.”
I huff. “I have to redo my homework?”
He smirks. “Only if you want your grades to improve.”
I rub the side of my head. “Fine.”
“You’ve got this, Jamie.”
“Thanks.”
He smiles at me, and I can’t help smiling back. Wow. I never knew finishing homework could swell such a feeling of accomplishment inside.
The front door opens, and I look up ready to tell the person we’re closed. I grizzle and hunch my shoulders when I realize it’s David walking through the doors.
“Oh, hi, honey,” Maddy calls from the front counter. “We’re just closing up. I'll be done soon.”
David throws his arms wide and wears his cheesy grin. “What can I do to help?”
“You don’t have to,” Maddy says, walking toward him with an awkwardly flirtatiously strut.
“Come on, I’m here. Put me to work,” David says, with googly eyes all over Maddy.
Maddy giggles and scoops up a spray bottle and a cloth from a table. She hands them to David, leaving her hands lingering by his. “You could wipe down the tables along that wall.”
David leans down and pecks Maddy’s lips. “I’d love to.”
Aunt Maddy giggles in the kiss. When they pull apart, she gestures to our booth. “David, have you met Milo Nelson? He’s Jamie’s tutor.”
David turns toward us. “Oh, hey, kids. Nice to meet you, Milo. Jamie, looks like you’re busy at work. Good to see.”
I give him my phoniest smile and return to my paper.
“Nice to meet you,” Milo says to David.
“This is David,” Maddy tells Milo. “He’s my…” She pauses, stammering over an embarrassed giggle. “My boyfriend.”
“Oh,” Milo says, and I look up to see the surprise and enthusiasm running over him. “I didn’t know you were dating someone. That’s awesome.”
Aunt Maddy tucks loose hair behind her ears and fixes her ponytail. “Yeah, it just sort of happened.”
“Maddy catered a function at my office,” David explains. “I couldn’t let our story end there. I had to get to know her more.”
Milo nods, watching the couple smile and laugh together.
Aunt Maddy takes David’s hand and moves him toward the tables on the opposite wall. “We should let you guys finish up,” she says.
“Okay,” Milo says. He clears his throat and says to me, “He seems nice.”
I retch. “He makes me want to barf.”
Milo rears back. “Oh. You’re not into lovey-dovey stuff?”
“I…” My mouth hangs open after the syllable.
Is that what he got from that? Do I really want to project that I’m not into romance?
I just don’t like David, that’s all. I don’t care if he brings Maddy flowers.
The fact that no one will ever do it for me isn’t why he irritates me.
It’s that… Well, that… Oh gosh, it’s been ages since I spoke. “Ahh, it’s fine, I guess.”
Milo watches the counter and smiles. “Well, Maddy looks happy.”
I look over my shoulder and witness Maddy smiling at David. I turn back to Milo and reply, “Yeah, she does.”
Milo goes back to his notes, and I think about his comment. Did Kai not tell me about Tabitha because he assumed I wouldn’t care? That if he admitted he liked her, I’d puke in response?
“Did Kai tell you about Tabitha?” I ask.
Milo looks up from the page. “What about Tabitha?”
“That he’s into her.”
Milo furrows his brow and pushes his glasses back. “No, he… Oh.”
He pauses, thinking over something, and I need him to speak, not think. “Oh, what?”
Milo shakes his head. “Nothing. It just makes sense.”
My fists curl. “What makes sense?”
“Kai was yammering about a girl,” Milo says nonchalantly. “I guess, Tabitha was the girl.”
“He was talking about a girl? What did he say?”
“I dunno. I wasn’t really listening.”
“Come on, think. Use that big noggin’ of yours.”
Milo shrugs. “I don’t butt in when he thinks out loud. Last time I did, he punched my arm. I just ignore him these days.”
“Hmm.” In the past, I’ve seen Kai get irate when Milo tried to talk to him. “But you heard something?”
“He got my attention because he had this whiny tone to him. It actually seemed like he wanted advice.”
“From you?”
“Anyone, maybe. He was thinking about asking someone out but didn’t know if it was the right call. He couldn’t tell if she really liked him back. Anyway, he kept muttering about it while walking into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him.”
I frown, picking up my pen. If he needed someone to talk to, why didn’t he text me?
“He probably didn’t ask you about it because he figured you’d make fun of him,” Milo suggests.
I wince. “You think?”
Milo grins. “Yeah. He was off brand, being pretty pathetic.”
I smile back. “It is weird to see him with puppy-dog eyes.”
Milo nods. “Very weird. Besides, if he couldn’t talk to you about it, I doubt there’d be anyone else he would tell.”
“Yeah? I just thought maybe he’d open the twin vault.”
Milo smiles and looks down at his homework. “Nope. We haven’t been like that in a long time.”
Oh my gosh. He looks kinda sad about that. Yikes. I need a subject change. “Umm, can we look at my math homework now? Aunt Maddy still needs to finish in the kitchen, but can’t seem to pry herself away from Mr. Stuffy over there.”
Milo sends out a hand. “Let’s take a look.”
I pull out my homework and give it to Milo to decode.
He flips the textbook so it’s upright for me and uses a pen to tap against the numbers and letters.
When Milo explains how to solve the equation, his voice turns into white noise.
It’s the same magic trick my teacher does.
Why do they think these explanations will work?
Milo snaps his fingers, breaking me from my trance. I jolt forward. “Huh?”
“You were glazed over.”
“What? No, I wasn’t.”
“Then why did you jump and say, ‘huh’?”
I fidget in the seat and lean an elbow on the table. “Okay, fine. I drifted off. Do you have to make this so boring?”
Milo stares at the textbook page. “What’s boring about it?”
I snort. “Are you kidding?”
Milo taps the page, looking up at me. “Okay, I like a challenge. I’ll figure out how to explain this so even cool girl Jamie West is interested.”
I smirk. “Cool girl Jamie West? I don’t think so.”
“What? You are cool.”
The honesty in his expression makes me pause. No one from a school outside of Kai, Parker, Lewis, and Tyler has ever talked about me positively. There’s a tingle under my skin that makes me want to smile, but I ignore it.
“If you can make math non-boring, I’ll make you the most coordinated soccer player that ever lived.”
Milo laughs, slipping a hand under his glasses to rub his eye. “Oh man. I love your optimism.”
“It’s probably the most optimistic thing I’ve said all day.”
Milo smiles at me, and the tingles come back.
I clear my throat and pick up my pen. “Okay, try explaining the solution to this problem again.”