The Comeback Season

|chapter eleven|

"And that is how you solve a problem with a variable. Now you try the next one." I'm sitting on Bryce's bed trying to help him with his math homework. We have been at this for an hour because I have to keep pushing his hands off me.

I'm not complaining though.

When we first got to Bryce's room, I was frozen in place. His room was huge. He had a sitting area with two couches in front of a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. When I walked in further he has a PS4, XBOX, and a WII. There is a stack of games and movies on a shelf next to his TV. His bed is a California King with royal blue bedding. The cream-colored walls make all the furniture in the room coordinate beautifully. I can see doors leading to his bathroom and walk-in closet. Damn, this room totally outdoes mine.

"Umm, what the hell is a variable," he says looking at me. I can't help but laugh because we have been going over similar problems for the past 30 minutes. I try to think to myself how I can get him to understand. When I look at the problem closer, the explanation appears.

"Ok, so the problem is: 10+2x=1,400. Let's say on a scale of 1-10, you are a 10. The 2x part will represent your relationship status. On a scale of 1-10, Sabrina is a 2 and you must find me, x."

In my mind, I know that bitch is a ten, but her personality is a two.

"Does that help?" I look at him and he is just smiling at me. "Why are you the 'x'?" "Because I know I'm not a two." When I look at him this time, I can see admiration in his eyes. His brown eyes changed to a hazel color. In a way, they were pulling me to him. "You definitely are not a two," is all he says before working on the problem. "Is the answer 695?" I nod my head smiling at him. Before continuing to work on the rest of his problems, he says, "that number is not on the rating scale, but I'll allow it." I lean over and softly hit his shoulder. He lets out a loud laugh and holds his hands up in defense.

I check my phone and it is 5 o'clock. Damn, we have been working on homework for 2 hours. "Bryce, when are your parents coming home?" He looks at his clock that was sitting on the nightstand and says, "they usually get here around 5:30. Why?"

"I just don't want it to be weird with me here alone with you." He stares at me for a minute before bursting out laughing. He is laughing so hard that he holds his stomach. It's slightly irritating me. "I'm sorry my concerns are so funny," I say defensively. He notices the annoyance in my voice and slowly comes down from his laughing fit. "I—I'm sorry Lia, but don't worry about my parents. There has been a lot of girls over here without them."

Seriously, a lot of girls. The only guy that has been to my house a lot is Reid and we both know he doesn't swing that way.

"A lot?" I raise my eyebrow in a skeptical way because his last comment caught my full attention. He shakes his head at me as if what he just said clicked in his mind. "That came out wrong." "Uh, huh," I say smiling at him and go back to doing my homework. Bryce reaches over and takes my book from me. It causes me to leave this long line from my pencil in it. "Hey!" "Cahlia, I didn't mean it like that. A few girls came over to hang out. That's all." His eyes have turned dark brown and I can tell that he is serious. "I said ok, Bryce."

Part of me cared and a part of me didn't. Bryce is good looking and I completely understand how he attracts girls like the last piece of meat in a cage full of lions.

He gives me a soft smile before giving me my book back. As I'm erasing the pencil mark, I hear the alarm chime to the door. "Ready to meet my mom," he says getting off the bed and holding his hand out to me. I get slowly off the bed and grab his hand. As we are about to leave his room, I stop and pull him back.