Jacob's Tutor | Jacob Day

Chapter 2

"Jackie: read chapters 5 and 6 and take notes, complete Module 4 by Friday." Reading over the assignment again, Lily pressed send. In her periphery she saw a distinctively tall figure nearing her table. Ignoring it, she continued to stare at the ominous list of homework assignments she had to allot to her students. As one of UCLA's top rated undergraduate tutors, the work to meet the demand was never-ending. But she loved her job, and taking these steps towards her goals was entirely fulfilling. Much to her dismay, the figure kept coming closer, and the hairs on her neck stood up straighter by the second. She inhaled quickly, conscious of something like fresh laundry and sandalwood in the air. Whoever they were, they were able to cross a room in seconds. "Hey," a deep voice said suddenly. Her big eyes shot up, meeting his. Great, it was the same guy who stopped her from taking a swing at that brat from LA. His eyes were medium blue and he was very, very tall. "I'm Jacob. I just wanted to apologize for how my friend acted the other day." He had one of the deepest voices she had ever heard, yet the way he spoke had a distinct softness to it. One thing about Lily is that she could discern a liar from a truther with little effort. To her surprise, she only saw sincerity in his apology. Raising her brow slightly, she stared back at him, waiting for any indication that he too was an asshole. Lily shifted in her seat. "Why are you friends with people that fucking rude?" She blurted out, not caring how harsh it sounded. To her surprise, he laughed. The sound was unexpectedly genuine, breaking dimples in his sturdy jaw.

What a goof this guy is. "Yeah, I have horrible judgment about picking friends," looking down as he poked fun at himself. Remembering how angry the girl had made her, and how close she had been to getting her back, Lily refocused the conversation. "I'm mad at you," she said, lifting her chin up and closing her eyes. "Why?" Jacob asked, conveying genuine confusion in his voice. Lily didn't budge. "Why?" Though her eyes were closed, Lily could feel the air moving as he sat down next to her. Fresh laundry and sandalwood. "Tell me," he said playfully, his voice much closer to her now. Her stubborn heart pulled a bit, and she opened her eyes slightly to glance at him. "You stopped me from getting my revenge on her." "Awwgh," he sighed, pulling the tassels of his hoodie tighter and shoving a hand through the front of his hair. It was fluffy, fanning back out to its original state like a waterfall.
"Someone could have gotten hurt." Getting riled now, Lily countered, "What, you don't think I could take her?" She stared back at him relentlessly, hoping to invoke intimidation. But Jacob only saw humor in her intensity. "I didn't say you'd be the one to get hurt." Realizing what he meant, amusement poured through her veins. "Good answer," she said quietly, leaning forward towards her work. She felt him come a bit closer, and the hairs on her neck stood up once more. "What are you working on?" "Planning assignments for the students I'm tutoring," she answered, squinting at her laptop. She was pretending to focus, but couldn't do so with someone breathing down her neck. "Your students? How are you a teacher so young?" Again, his genuine curiosity caught her off guard. Secretly, Lily enjoyed the interest. She didn't know many people who truly connected with her academic goals. "I'm only nineteen, but I've been a daycare teacher since I was sixteen, and now I'm a kindergarten teacher. But this is for tutoring– I tutor students at the Los Angeles Literacy Center." "Woah, so you're like, really smart." "Don't worry, only for English-related things. The math side of my brain is dumber than a doornail." Jacob chuckled, leaning his head down and shaking it a little. He stopped suddenly, two fingers on his forehead, clearly struck with a thought.

"Wait, are you good at writing essays?" "Honestly? I could do it in my sleep." Lily wasn't one to be cocky, but she couldn't lie about this one. She was an excellent writer, and saying anything to the contrary would be a blatant lie. "Yoooo. I've been needing someone to help me write a personal essay for this influencer thing so bad." He explained to her his job as a Tiktoker and the demands of the entertainment industry. "So that's why that girl was bragging about all the money she makes," Lily voiced aloud, the pieces all coming together. She was starting to believe Jacob would laugh at anything she said. Either that, or she was just funny. "Seriously though, I would pay you if you helped me write the essay," Jacob said, sobering. Lily shook her head slightly. "I usually tutor, like, five year olds." "I am five years old." Oh, so he's sarcastic. "Oh, that's right, forgive me for being so rude," Lily said, playing along. "It's just that I won't be used to it. I mean, I give them stickers when they get three answers right in a row," "I like stickers," Jacob said quietly. "Give me a sticker right now," he ordered. There he goes again with the sudden solemn expression, Lily thought.

It was exhausting on the senses, but she could take it. "I am not giving you a sticker for doing absolutely nothing!" Jacob inched closer in his chair, looking down at her sternly. Lily's eyes widened with determination as she fought to match his stance, astounded at the nerve he had. Deciding to mess with him a little, she slowly reached for her bag, sliding out a glossy sheet of stickers as slow as molasses. "Damn you," he scoffed under his breath. "Give it." Smirking, Lily peeled a yellow star off of the sheet, placing it on her hand. She tilted her wrist up and down, dramatically admiring its shimmer. A sudden movement swarmed her vision. Jacob had reached for the sticker sheet, making Lily hold it effortfully over her head, screeching. "Think you can hold it over your head forever? Huh?" He went to snatch it a second time, anticipating her defense and clasping her wrist in his right hand. Startled, she froze and they locked eyes. God, how she wished she could turn him to stone. She begrudgingly let her wrist go limp as he plucked the sheet from her fingers. Not wanting to dwell on her loss of the game, she distracted him in conversation. "I can tell you're going to be a horrible student," she said, watching as he proceeded to peel an entire row of stars off the sticker sheet and place them on himself. "I'm a star student already," he retorted, completely serious again. "Just look at me." She looked at this idiot covered in stickers, which looked especially absurd on someone his size. "I'll be the judge of that," Lily said, simultaneously packing up her things. "Next Tuesday, the campus cafe at West Main, I'll help you with your essay," she called over her shoulder, unable to turn down a request to do what she loved most.

A/N: Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed! If you did, please remember to vote :)