Stuck with Mr. Popular ( COMPLETED)

Chapter -3

I was sitting at home, engrossed in reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Suddenly, I heard the doorbell, and to my dismay, I realized I was alone in the house. My mom had gone to the nearby supermarket, and my younger sister, Lavy, was at her friend's house. Reluctantly, I had to see who was at the door.

At first, I thought it might be Ray, but he had promised to pick me up at 5, and it was only three o'clock!

As I opened the door, I was surprised to see Mike standing on the porch of my house.

Oh, no.

I had completely forgotten! Aunt Telsa, our neighbor, had asked me to help Mike with his Mathematics. Mike was her only family. His father had left when he was six, and Aunt Telsa had never remarried, despite it being nine years now.

"Hey, Soaf," Mike greeted with a tired smile on his face. I could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

"Hey, Mike! Come in," I said, gesturing him to enter.

He seemed upset as he stepped into the dining room. We sat down, and I began teaching him, but it seemed like his mind was elsewhere. He appeared lost in his thoughts.

"Mike... Mike, what's wrong?" I inquired, sensing that something was bothering him.

"Um... nothing," he replied, but I could tell there was definitely something troubling him.

"You know you can always talk to me, right?" I reassured him with an encouraging nod.

"Soaf... I failed my test again," he said, looking down and letting out a sigh.

"It's alright, Mike. It was just one test. We'll work hard from now on, okay?" I tried to comfort him.

"No, it's not just that, Soaf. My mom is already working so hard to afford a good school for me. You know about our financial situation, right? I don't want to disappoint her. I'm not good at anything. No sports, no extracurricular activities. Studying was my last hope. Can you see that?" He confessed, tears welling up in his eyes. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, and took a deep breath.

So much for a fifteen-year-old.

"It's okay, Mike. You're determined to work hard, aren't you? Nothing can stop you. Everyone faces failures in life, and without failure, success has no meaning. These tests can't determine who you want to be. Besides, we'll put in the effort and study harder. So, don't worry, alright?" I tried to convince him, giving him a tight smile. I couldn't let him give up so easily. I knew what he was capable of, and he deserved much better than what he was experiencing at school.

You can do this, Soaf. You have to help him through this!

"By the way, how's everything going at school?" I attempted to change the topic to uplift his mood.

"Well, everything's pretty fine," he replied, his eyes fixed on the table.

"Is Lavy still acting snobbish?" I asked. Since Lavy and Mike shared most of their classes, they knew each other well, despite their inability to stand each other's presence for too long.

"You have no idea. I don't know what I did, but she treats me like a jerk at school. Always," he said, scrunching up his nose in frustration.

"She's not like that, Mike. Not at home. She's a really good person," I defended my sister.

"And beautiful too," Mike commented, a small smile playing on his lips. I looked at him and saw him lost in his own thoughts. His eyes sparkled, and all the stress seemed to vanish from his face. He appeared relaxed.

"You know, despite her attitude at school, she volunteers for peer tutoring. She's even a member of the Students Union! And she's only 15! She's like the 'it girl' of the freshman year," he finally finished, revealing a secret.

Damn it. Mike has a crush on Lavy.

"You're totally smitten," I chuckled, teasing him.

"What do you mean?" he replied, sounding confused.

"I mean, how can you not realize that you're crushing on L-"

"NO! Don't even finish that sentence, Soaf. I'm not. Okay? NO. I already told you she's a jerk anyway."

"But you also said she's beautiful, and she's the 'it girl'," I pointed out, emphasizing 'it girl.'

"Ughh. Everyone at school thinks that way, Soaf. It's nothing new. Besides, she has a boyfriend," he shrugged his shoulders.

What? How did I not know about this?

"She does?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious. She's kinda popular."

The doorbell rang again. I stood up and asked Mike to continue practicing the questions while I went to attend to whoever was at the door.

I opened the door and came face to face with the popular blockhead, Raymond.

"Hey, princess! Umm... looking good," he commented, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

Yeah, thanks!

I must look great in my minion pajamas and with unwashed hair.

"Nice joke," I glared at him.

"I guess you're not ready yet. It's fine, I can wait," he said, shaking his head slowly.

Oh, please. How about you wait here FOREVER?

"Ummm... no... yes... uhhh, come in, I'll explain," I reluctantly invited him inside. I needed to tell him about Mike. It was the right thing to do, I guess. I couldn't leave Mike in that state.

The strange part was that Raymond asked if he could help Mike too. I went to the kitchen to get some snacks, and when I returned, I saw Raymond actually helping Mike with his math.

"Soaf, he's really good at explaining things. Seriously!" Mike exclaimed, excitement evident on his face.

I smiled at Ray, who smirked back at me.

Jerk.

Mike left at seven. Raymond and I chatted for a while, and then I walked him to his car. He had an Audi. No wonder he was wealthy.

"I had a great time with you, princess," he said, his gentle eyes fixed on mine.

"Thank you, Ray. And I'm sorry for ruining everything today," I replied, feeling guilty.

"No, Soaf. Instead, you made the day," he said, his smile widening.

Oh boy, that smile.

His eyes continued to meet mine. I could feel the electrifying sensations running down my spine.

"Goodbye, Soaf," he said, ruffling my already messy hair. I swatted his hand away, giving him a playful glare.

"Goodbye, Ray," I whispered as I watched his car disappear into the darkness.

****

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