Chapter 16
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Chapter 16
The end-of-semester exams were looming, and Leah’s room was a battlefield of open textbooks, discarded notes, and pens strewn everywhere. She leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against her temple.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered to herself. “Who even needs calculus in real life?”
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen. Jason is here to help you study, read the message from her mom. Leah groaned. “Of course, they’d pull something like this.”
Moments later, the doorbell rang. She trudged downstairs, opening the door to find Jason standing there, looking annoyingly casual and composed in a white shirt and jeans.
“Great,” Leah said flatly, crossing her arms. “You’re my babysitter now?”
Jason smirked, leaning against the doorframe. “Your parents begged me. How could I say no?”
“Begged you? Right.” She stepped aside, motioning for him to come in. “Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s get this over with.”
---
Upstairs in her room, Jason surveyed the chaos. “Wow. You really have a system here,” he said, picking up a crumpled sheet of paper.
“It’s called organized chaos,” Leah replied, snatching the paper from him. “Don’t mess with it.”
Jason chuckled, pulling out his own notebook. “Alright, boss. Where do we start?”
“Math,” she said, flipping open a textbook. “But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, his grin widening.
---
The first hour was surprisingly productive, though Leah’s sharp tongue kept Jason on his toes.
“You know, if you actually paid attention in class, this wouldn’t be so hard,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
Leah shot him a glare. “And if you weren’t so good at football, maybe people would actually notice you’re a nerd.”
Jason laughed. “Touché. But at least I’m a useful nerd. You’re just stubborn.”
“Stubborn?” Leah raised an eyebrow. “I prefer ‘determined.’”
“Determined to give me a headache,” Jason muttered, earning himself a playful swat on the arm.
---
As the evening wore on, the teasing escalated.
“You’re holding the pen wrong,” Jason said, leaning over to correct her grip.
Leah snatched her hand away. “And you’re holding onto life wrong, but I don’t see anyone correcting you.”
Jason blinked, then burst out laughing. “Okay, that was a good one.”
“Of course it was,” Leah said smugly. “I’m full of them.”
---
At one point, a book slipped off the table. Both of them reached for it at the same time, their hands brushing.
“Careful,” Jason said, his voice softer now.
Leah met his gaze, her usual bravado faltering for a moment. “It’s just a book,” she said, her tone quieter than usual.
Jason didn’t reply, his eyes lingering on hers. The moment stretched, the air between them charged with something unspoken.
Then Leah cleared her throat, breaking the spell. “Are you going to pick it up, or should I?”
Jason grinned, leaning back. “All yours, boss.”
---
As they wrapped up their session, Jason leaned back in his chair, stretching. “You know, you’re not as scary as you pretend to be.”
Leah smirked. “And you’re not as charming as you think you are.”
“Harsh,” Jason said, clutching his chest dramatically. “You wound me.”
“Good,” Leah said, standing up and gathering her books. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before calling me stubborn.”
Jason chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re something else, Leah.”
She paused, looking at him. “Yeah, well... thanks for helping me. You’re not the worst study partner.”
“High praise,” he said, grinning.
---
As Jason left that evening, Leah watched him from her window, a small smile playing on her lips. Despite her initial reluctance, she had to admit—studying with Jason wasn’t so bad.
And maybe, just maybe, she was looking forward to their next session.