20

Tom explains his part of the story. "I came to your house for tutoring, when I saw the door open," he says. "I thought is was pretty unusual, so I walked in trying to make as little noise as possible. Then I heard someone banging on a door, so I followed the sounds and found Michael telling you… you know." his cheeks flush. "So I punched him in the nose."

I have walked out of the bathroom and Tom and I are now sitting around the dining table. Michael is still unconscious on the floor.

"Thanks for that," I say. "I was about to panic."

"Don't mention it." Tom answers.

"By the way, what are we supposed to do with him?" I ask, pointing at the slumped body.

"I guess I could take him home. I know where he lives." Tom says, which makes me raise an eyebrow.

"How do you know where he lives?" I ask.

"Well, we've been friends since we were born, actually," Tom says. "But he slowly turned into a perverted asshole, so I stopped seeing him."

"Oh."

Tom sighs. "So, no tutoring?"

"Is that okay with you? I'm sorry, but after this, I'm not in the mood." I say.

Tom doesn't answer but punches the air in joy.

"Why so happy?" I ask. "Am I that bad a teacher?"

Tom looks startled. "Are you kidding? You're the best teacher I've ever had. But, as you know, I hate Physics. And Math."

"Yes, I am aware of that fact," I say, a smile tugging at my lips. Tom and I suddenly lock eyes. His green iris reflects the light of the kitchen lamp, but I can also see a tiny reflection of myself. Then, as soon as it had started, I take my gaze off his.

"So, uh…" I start to say. "When do you want to tutor again?"

"Um…" Tom stammers, and I can tell that he's shaken up too about our little episode. "What about Saturday?"

"Perfect," I say. "My place? Same time?"

"What about you come to my place this time?" he offers. "You still haven't been there."

I think about it for a second. What if this is how he gets to me? An image of Karen pops into my mind. Be reluctant enough. But who am I kidding? I've known Tom for a few months now, and he still hasn't done anything. I'm sure we'll be fine.

"Sure, okay. Same time as today?"

"Yes," Tom says. We stand up from our chairs. Tom picks up Michael and puts him in the back seat of his car. I accompany him.

Before entering the vehicle, Tom looks at me and smiles. Nothing else. Just a genuine, bright smile. At that moment something happens to me: my heart feels heavy but happy at the same time, and my brain feels like a bunch of little flowers are floating around, making everything prettier.

The thing is, that even after Tom leaves, I still have that feeling. And I suspect that it won't go away for a while.

I tell Karen about Michael as soon as I see her the next morning. By the time I'm done with the story, she's furious.

"That dick!" she exclaims. "I swear, I'm going to kick that motherfucker right in the balls."

As much as I would have enjoyed seeing that, I feel like I should stop her. "Please don't. Besides, Tom already took care of it."

"By the way," Karen says, and I have a feeling of where this conversation is headed. "How's it going between you two? Anything happened yet?"

"Karen, I'll say this one last time," I say. "Nothing is going on between Tom and me. We're just friends."

"Really? 'Cause the way you were telling me how Tom saved you from that ugly ogre was pretty hot."

"Hot? Seriously?" I complain. "I described it in a completely objective way."

"'Then I heard a thump and something falling to the floor. I opened the door and found Tom in front of me, with his backpack still on his back.'" Karen says, imitating my voice. Except that she was adding a seductive tone to my accent. "'He told me that he's punched the guy right in the nose, and I couldn't help falling in love with him.'"

"Okay, you're just making up parts now," I say. "I never said anything about loving him."

"It was implied," Karen answered.

I just rolled my eyes and looked out of the window.

"I notice you aren't denying it," Karen says.

"I have denied it multiple times, but you're just too stubborn to accept it," I say.

"Whoa, no need to insult." Karen joked. "I just think that you're being a little naïve. It's pretty clear you two have a connection."

I sigh. "Maybe, but it makes no sense. I'm the nerd, while he's the cool guy. We have nothing in common, so even if we had feelings for each other, I don't see it going anywhere." I confess. These thoughts have actually been roaming in my mind for a while, but I've never talked about it to anyone.

"I guess that makes sense," Karen says. "But it doesn't mean you can't try."

I think about it. You know, maybe she's right. I need, no – want – to have an experience with someone. I've never had a boyfriend, but at my age – seventeen – I should at least have had something romantic.

"You're right," I say.

"I am?" Karen asks. "Are you really going to try?"

"I mean, I can't deny that Tom and I have some sort of chemistry between us. And I think it's time for me to do something like this."

"Yes!" Karen punches the air. "We have to celebrate! Today, we won't take notes!"

I give her a look. "Fine, maybe not. But we'll find something to do, okay?" she says.

"Yeah," I answer. "Okay."

On Wednesday morning, as soon as I arrive at school, I see Michael. I can clearly see that he has a black eye, even though he'd tried to hide it with some makeup. Otherwise, he looks okay.

As if he senses my presence, he turns around in my direction and glares at me angrily. I look away, already shaking in fear. Suddenly I feel an arm snaking around my waist and pulling me close.

"Walk away," Tom says. He guides me away from Michael, who's still flashing me angry looks. "You should avoid him for a while, just to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless," Tom tells me.

"Okay," I say simply, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. My proximity to Tom's body makes me shiver. His muscular arm is still around my waist, and I can't help grinning. Fortunately, Tom doesn't seem to notice.

"I saw him talking to his friends earlier," Tom continues. "It looked like they were up to something. Just be careful."

"Okay."

"Was there any homework today?" he asks after a short pause.

"Okay," I say, then realize my mistake. "No, I mean… uh… no, we didn't have any homework."

Tom give me a confused look, and I can feel my blood rising to my face under his stare. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just… you look confused," he tells me.

"Yeah, well," I say. "I'm still thinking about what happened with Michael." I lie. In reality, I look confused for another reason, and it's standing right next to me.

"Listen," Tom says and stops. He steps in front of me and places a hand on my shoulder. "What happened on Monday was his fault – don't beat yourself up over it. And you should be proud of yourself. You were able to kick him in the crotch and escape. I bet that hurt him more than my punch." he says, a smile on his face.

"Thanks," I say, grinning.

"Another positive thing about it? Michael is a sucker for pretty girls. He wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't the most beautiful creature on the planet." he says, and I can see a little blush on his cheeks.

I look away, my mind going into overdrive. He just told me that I'm beautiful. He told me that I'm the most beautiful creature on the planet. As expected, the feeling in my heart deepens.

"Thank you," I say, still looking at the floor.

I'm not expecting it, but Tom leans in and wraps his arms around me, holding me in a hug. I hug him back. After a few quiet seconds, we let go of each other and head to our Physics lesson.