4

I wake up hungry and still tired. I pick up my phone to look at the time, and immediately jump out of bed. How is it 9 AM already?! Did I sleep through dinner? I don't have time to worry though, because I am now late for school. I hadn't set an alarm since I didn't think I would take a 15 hour nap...

Though my stomach's growling, I hurry past the kitchen. I'll buy something at school... Luckily, one of our private drivers is awake, and I ask him to drop me off at school. Just 2 minutes before the bell rings, I storm into the classroom, relieved that I made it.

Today is a less boring day. I have music, arts, geography and Latin. All lessons pass uneventfully, and the school day ends quickly.

I meet up with the band again. "No new e-mails or messages yet," Noah tells us. "Should we just focus on covering songs?"

"We can for now, but if we want to create a steady fanbase, we need more. We can't keep making use of other people's songs," Caden says.

"It's only been a day. Don't give up yet." I try to encourage both them and myself. The other three hum.

"So, what song are we gonna do?" Lucian asks excitedly, as energized as ever.

We end up picking one of our favourite happy songs. Time flies by, yet we receive no new messages, no new e-mails. We sigh as we clean up the band room.

"Hey, Nuriel, have you heard anything about that Micah yet?" Caden asks.

"I haven't. He's not in my class, so I wouldn't know anything about him." I shrug. I haven't checked my personal messages, not expecting anything. My phone's in my pocket more often than it is in my hands.

Not much later, it is finally time to go to the library. I look for a redhead, a small boy, as my friends described him. I take a seat at the table designated to homework tutors. No sign of any red haired boys. I wait for a few more minutes, until a small orange haired guy walks in.

"Micah Skye?" I ask, offering him my hand.

"Yes," he answers awkwardly, reluctant to shake my hand, but doing it anyways.

"I've been waiting for you," I tell him.

"So, you haven't read the message? We switched partners," he tells me quietly. He looks tired, almost dead. I feel sorry for him.

"No, I didn't. Sorry for bothering you. May I ask, who is my new partner?" I try to smile as open and warm as I can.

Just then, a familiar monotone voice pops up behind me. "Ah, it's you, singer boy. Are you Nuriel?" The blond boy that annoyed me so much yesterday stands behind me, looking even more bored than he did in class. Not that I looked at him.

"Yes. And who are you?" I pretend I don't know him, but I am a very bad liar. I do not know his name, though, so is it really a lie?

"Jerah. I heard you are my new tutor and student. Maybe you can sing for me now." He smirks a bit.

I huff, not pleased by this sudden turn of events. But if he is good at math and languages, I will need him.

"Sit down. You are way too late, so we'll have to start immediately. Goodbye and good luck with your lessons, Micah.' I wave the smaller boy goodbye.

"You might wanna watch out and stay away from that shrimp," Jerah whispers.

"That is not for you to decide. Now, tell me, what do you need help with?" I frown.

He seems unbothered by my rude behaviour. "I am bad at geography and science," he answers.

"Good. I need help with math and languages."

I don't like being helped by this boy, but his explanations are amazing. I feel like we're talking about primary school lessons. It makes me kind of embarrassed that it took me so long to understand, and that I needed to hear it from him, out of all people in the world.

"Try to make these exercises now." His long, trained arm suddenly stretches out in front of me, pointing at a few exercises in my math book.

Startled, I lean back, not really able to see what exercises he meant. So I decide to make all that are on the open pages, going through them way too fast, and thus making dumb mistakes. I watch him cross out my answers exercise per exercise.

"You only got three right and made way more than I asked you to," he sighs.

"I'm sorry," I mumble.

"Fine. I have a solution. Every time you get an answer wrong, you'll have to sing me a song."