Maybe Happily Ever After✔️

4. I don't want the job

Thursday, October 22nd

"So how is everything coming along with your story?" Mr. Fitz asked.

It was a Thursday night and I came by to Professor Fitz's office because he asked to meet with me.

"It's going okay, I guess. I haven't exactly given it an ending yet." I said leaning back into my chair.

"Is the question proving to be harder than you thought?"

"No. I like a challenge you know. I'll have it done soon."

He pulled out a folder from his desk drawer and pushed it towards me.

"Well, that's good. But the real reason I called you in here is a bit more serious." He looked at me with his usual cheerfulness gone.

I sucked in a breath and glanced down at the folder. "I've heard some things. Rumors and stuff."

It's been weeks since Casey mentioned something about me possibly tutoring one of the football players that was failing, but I just hoped that problem would fix itself.

"You know you're one of my best writers and you've taken 5 of my courses already."

"Yeah?" I said nervously.

He opened the folder and it was one of the tutoring consent forms.

I recognized it from last year. You fill it out when you get a new tutee so that you can't spread any information about their grades or your progress together.

"I'm gonna need you to tutor him." He said.

"Why me though? There are like 5 of us. Anyone can get that job." I whined.

"I know. But this paper is the Jane Austen critique."

I immediately remembered what he was talking about. It was one of his classes that I took my sophomore year. I had to write a whole 8-page paper on Jane Austen literature and feminism. I got a 97% on it.

"Now I know this is a lot of pressure to put on you, but he needs to get at least a B minus on the paper in order to pass my class. You did really well on this paper so I know you can help him."

"I don't know."

"I figured you would be apprehensive about this so I have a proposition for you."

I sat up in my chair and leaned forward.

"I'm listening."

"I will be giving you some extra credit points in return."

My mouth dropped open. In all my years of having him, he's never given extra credit.

"How many?"

"5. That's as far as I'll go."

I smiled slightly. "You've got yourself a deal."

We both stood up and he handed me the closed folder.

"I'm getting pressure from other professors and even the president of the college. This is very important to a lot of people. We have to keep this on the hush. No one can know who his tutor is for privacy reasons. "

I clutched my collar and scratched my neck slightly. I don't even want to know what he means by that.

"People take football a little too seriously if you ask me. Did they ask you to give him a passing grade so he could play?"

"I'm not a liberty to confirm that."

I raised my eyebrows already knowing the answer.

"Thankfully this student agreed that he'd earn his grade fair and square, so he's ready to get to work."