Chapter 3 The Personal Tutor

VANESSA'S POV

I'm walking as fast as I can. I just want to get to the cafeteria and hide with Lena. My heart is beating so fast like it's trying to break out. I can feel people looking at me as I walk past, because it always seems like I'm the scholarship girl who always looks like she's about to bolt.

I'm halfway to the cafeteria when a loud shout shakes the whole hallway.

"VANESSA VANCE!"

I stop dead in my tracks. I know that voice. I turn around slowly, my hands shaking as I grab my bag straps.

Adrian is storming toward me. He looks like he's about to explode. His face is still bright red from the history class, and he's holding that paper like it's a piece of trash. Everyone in the hallway stops moving. People are leaning against the lockers, bringing out their phones. They don't want to miss the king of the school losing his mind.

"What the hell is this?" Adrian yells. He doesn't care that everyone is watching. He stops right in front of me and shoves the paper in my face. The big red F is the only thing I can see.

"I... I don't know," I say, looking him in the eye, and keeping my face as blank as possible. Being this close to him makes my wolf feel restless and angry.

"Soviet disco dancers?" Adrian's voice is so loud it echoes off the walls. "And a pink heart over my name? Do you think this is a joke?"

A few girls nearby start giggling. I can see Melissa standing a few feet behind him. She has her arms crossed and a look of pure hate on her face. She looks like she wants to slap me, but she’s also holding her phone up and recording this.

"I must have mixed up my notes," I say, keeping my voice very quiet. "I'm sorry, Adrian. I was tired and—"

"You're a liar," he snaps. He's so close I can smell the peppermint on his breath. He's totally in my personal space. "You did this on purpose. You wanted to make me look like a fool in front of the whole class."

I look him straight in the eyes. I’m done acting like a scared little bird. "It’s only a joke if you’re too lazy to read your own work, Adrian. Did you even glance at the first page? Or are you so used to people doing everything for you that you forgot how to use your eyes?"

The hallway goes dead silent. I can hear someone gasp. Adrian looks like I just slapped him. His eyes aren't just angry anymore; they’re searching. He’s looking at me like he’s trying to figure out how a nobody like me had the guts to say that to him.

"You think you’re smart?" he says, and now his voice is a low, scary whisper. "Fine. Since you have so much to say, you’re going to fix it. Tutoring starts Monday. You’re meeting me in the library every day after school until I have an A. No excuses

"I have a job," I say, not backing down. "I don't have time to sit and hold your hand because you're failing.

"I don't care," he says. He leans down until his face is right in front of mine. "You’re going to be my personal tutor. And if you try to prank me again, I’ll make sure you’re gone by dinner. I’ll tell the Dean you’re taking money to do people's work. You’ll lose that scholarship so fast. You understand me?"

I stare at him for a long time. I want to tell him exactly where he can shove his threats, but my scholarship is something my parents are really proud of. I can't throw that away, I have to swallow my pride.

I nod my head. Inside, I'm really mad, but I'm also scared. If I'm stuck with him in a quiet library every day, he's going to notice things that aren't normal. He's already looking at me too closely.

"Good," he says. He balls up the paper and drops it at my feet. "See you Monday, Vance. Don't be late."

He turns around and walks away, and his friends follow him. The hallway starts moving again, but I still feel like I'm being watched. I can feel Melissa's eyes on the back of my head. She isn't laughing. She looks like she's already planning how to get me kicked out.

My stomach feels sick as I walk to the cafeteria. I wanted to have a little fun, but I walked right into a trap. Adrian isn't just a jock I can ignore anymore. He's focused on me. And having the king's attention is the worst thing for someone with a secret like mine.

I find Lena at our table. She's looking at me with her mouth open.

"V, what just happened?" she asks as I sit down. "The whole school just saw you talk back to Adrian Thorne"

"I messed up his homework."

"That's dope," Lena laughs, but she looks a bit worried too. "He deserved it. That guy is such an asswipe. But the library? Every day? That sounds like hell."

"It is," I say. I look up and catch Adrian staring at me from across the room.And I know… this isn’t just about homework anymore.