Lincoln

Annoyance pricked at my skin. I can't say I was feeling great after that tutoring session. One, because I barely understood anything she said. And two, because she turned my offer down and now I was going to have to go through with this tutoring crap.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I moved my way through the food court. On the far side sat the stairs to The Underground, the university's most popular bar. I descended the steps two at a time, nodding to the bouncer as I entered.

It didn't take long for me to find Andrew. Furthest stool on the left—his usual spot.

I passed by, clapping him on the back. "Already have a drink in your hand, huh?"

A wide grin appeared on Andrew's face. "Hey, it's five o'clock somewhere."

"It's five o'clock right now."

"Well, then there you go." A cheshire grin split his face as he brought the bottle to his lips.

"Where's Sadie?" I asked, scanning the dimly lit room for my little sister. I spotted her before Andrew could respond.

Without turning around in his stool, he motioned towards the billiard tables.

"She's been playing with Rachella since we got here." Andrew placed his drink back on the bar. "You know she's always the centre of attention."

That was probably why Andrew chose to hangout with Sadie down in The Underground when I needed him to babysit on campus. The bartenders made it their duty to play with her and keep her entertained. Even Felix, one of the guys from the security team, would occasionally piggyback her around. She was their youngest patron.

Andrew waited for me to take a seat beside him before he continued. "How was tutoring?"

"Just as dull as I'd imagined it would be." I dropped my backpack to the floor. At this point it was strictly for appearances. "Were you expecting a different outcome?"

Andrew shook his head. There was an amused gleam in his eye as he brought his beer up to his lips. "Nope, that sounds about right. I'm assuming that means your offer wasn't accepted."

I dug into my forehead with my index finger. "Didn't even budge. She's a bit of a hard ass—mentioned something about needing a reference letter."

Andrew clicked his tongue. "I guess you're shit outta luck."

"It's a load of bullshit," I said. "It's not like I'm failing anything else... surprisingly."

"Fenton strives for academic excellence," Andrew reminded me, wagging a finger in the air. "Even from their athletes. It's a wonder we're even here."

"Nah," I said. "You managed just fine back in high school. I'm the flooky one. If it wasn't for this scholarship, I don't even think I would have made it into community college."

I wouldn't have even gone to community college. This scholarship set me up in ways I didn't dream possible when I was a high school freshman. It's the only reason why I didn't shoot down tutoring from the start. Don't get me wrong, Whitmore cornering me was intimidating, but even without him staring daggers at me, I wouldn't have turned it down.

"You would have managed just fine. If this doesn't end up working out, you could always get into modelling." Andrew winked.

I shook my head at his usual sense of humour. Some things never change.

A comfortable silence settled between us and the bartender sauntered over.

"Can I get you anything?" The tall brunette cooed from the other side of the bar.

"Water's fine."

"Coming right up." She held my gaze for a moment longer than necessary, before she tapped the counter and walked off to grab my order.

Andrew's eyes followed after her, more specifically, her ass. "I've been sitting here for thirty-minutes. She didn't bat her pretty brown eyes at me like that."

"Maybe it's because I don't stare at her ass whenever she turns around."

"I'm admiring."

"Admire less."

Andrew—while a good guy and a fucking phenomenal friend—had been a playboy since the moment I met him in our co-ed high school gym class. He was out on dates every other weekend and had a new flavour every month. That pattern slowed down once we hit our sophomore years at Fenton and part of me wondered if he wasn't actually afraid of losing his "mojo" (as he liked to call it), but of commitment.

"Not all of us can be saints like you."

I scoffed at that. "I'm no saint. Far from."

"I don't know. You seem pretty saintly to me." Andrew swished the beer around in the bottle. "You have more self-control than anyone I know."

"I guess you have Whitmore to thank for that."

"Fight with purpose. Train with discipline. And grapple with self-control." That was Whitmore's motto.

When he had found me during my senior year of high school I was mad at the world. My mom and I were at an all time low and boxing had become my outlet. It was my way of lashing out and releasing bottled up frustration. But it never really worked. I felt like I was perpetually angry at everything and everyone. And no matter how much I fought, the feeling only got worse.

"Which is why I know, while this tutoring shit is a pain in the ass, you'll get through it." Andrew said, turning his head to check on Sadie.

"You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right," Andrew took a swig of beer. "I'm the smart one, remember?"

I cracked a smile. "Fuck off."

The bartender returned with a tall glass of water. She slid it across the counter, the liquid threatening to slosh over the edge. I reached for it the second it was on my side of the counter, unaware of how thirsty I actually was. That tutoring shit sucks the life outta people.

"Thanks Jessie," I said, taking note of her nametag.

She sent me a wink before strutting away. "Anytime."

Andrew tapped his watch, causing it to flash to life. "I've got fifteen more minutes of freedom."

"Class?"

Andrew shook his head, causing his curls to sway. "Red Room."

Red Room was a small pub on campus that served the best deep fried pickles, and the kind of greasy food that cures hangovers. Needless to say, it was quite popular among the student body.

"Since when do you work Friday nights?"

"I've picked up extra shifts," Andrew admitted, eyeing the small amount of beer left in the bottle. "Accounting textbooks don't pay for themselves. Neither does gas or groceries or—"

"I don't imagine they do."

Andrew was quiet for a moment before he continued. "I hate to do this, but I won't be able to watch Sadie much these days."

Well, fuck.

This wasn't the most opportune time to go without a babysitter. Boxing was picking back up, Whitmore's training regiment was growing in intensity, my mom was picking up more shifts at the hospital, finals were coming up, and now this tutoring crap...

Things were going to be a little tight.

"Like I said, I've picked up some extra shifts and—"

"Hey. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I'll find a way to make it work. Don't I always?" I sounded more confident than I felt. The truth was that Andrew helped me out a lot by watching Sadie. Now that I knew he wouldn't be able to help out much, the pressure was already weighing me down.

Back when I was in highschool, my mother tried her best to scrape together enough money to afford childcare for Sadie. It lasted for a few months before we could no longer continue to bring her. My mother would stay home all day with her and then work the nightshift so that we could get by. On days when Sadie or I were sick, she'd have to miss work entirely. It wasn't long before we started digging ourselves into a hole, financially.

That's around the time I started missing classes, to help my mom out with Sadie. At one point I thought I'd have to give up fighting, which was the only semi-relief I got. But Andrew stepped up big time and took some of the load off of my shoulders.

"If I could afford to give you a little something for your time—"

Andrew cut in. "I wouldn't take it anyways."

"I know you wouldn't." He was more stubborn than I was at times.

I downed the rest of my water and tapped the counter. If I wanted to make it home at a half decent time, I was going to have to catch the next bus.

"Alright, I'm going to head out. Gotta get the kid home and fed."

Andrew rose from his seat, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to show up before my shift starts."

Laughter vibrated in my chest. "Yeah, that would be a good idea."

Andrew sent me a two finger salute before heading towards the bar entrance. "Peace out, girl scout."

Realizing just how long it would be before we reached home, I sighed.

"Hey Sadie," I called over the low hum of music. "Are you ready to go?"

My sister's little, blonde head perked up at hearing her name. Her eyes grew in surprise, as if she didn't realize I had even been sitting fifteen feet away from her this entire time. She hopped off the stool she was on and hurried over to me, throwing her arms around my leg.

I ruffled her hair. "We're taking the bus home tonight. You like the bus, right?"

Sadie nodded. A smile etched into her porcelain skin.

The exhaustion I was feeling moments before washed away when she peered up at me with her big blue eyes.

"Purpose," Whitmore's voice played in my head. "Fight with purpose."

* * * * *

author's note:

Little Sadie is back! Going through my old comments on His Last Hope, I was surprised to see how many people said Sadie was their favourite character. Honestly, I can see why. 

Long-time readers: Who's your favourite character from the original version? I really want to know. 

Anyways, have a great weekend, I'll see you all on Wednesday!