Chapter 39: Someone Help Me. I Think I Entered a Parallel Universe

       I thought Sawyer would have been concerned with me constantly hitting my head against the desk in our bedroom, but he said nothing about it. He just continued to put his laundry away, not even paying any attention to the pain I was putting myself through.

       I was starting to get a headache so instead, I leaned back in the seat and sighed heavily. Sawyer still paid no attention to me whatsoever, so I sighed even louder, so loud that it did not seem like a natural yawn.

       Sawyer stopped putting his clothes away as he looked at me. "What's up, Jamie?"

       "Well, since you asked..." I said. "I have my final exams coming up and I'm trying to study, but the information just isn't sticking. And if I don't pass, I won't be able to graduate. And if I don't graduate, I'll have to go to summer school. And if I go to summer school, I won't be able to go on tour. Then I'll have to send you nudes to satisfy my sexual desires."

       Sawyer closed the dresser drawer before standing up and walking over to me. "Aren't you doing well in school?" he asked, standing behind me as he looked over my shoulder to see exactly what I was studying. Or at least attempting to study.

       "The truth is... I haven't been doing too well in math," I said. "I don't know why but I just can't concentrate in that class."

       "What are you getting in that class?" Sawyer asked.

       I mumbled my answer, not wanting Sawyer to know what I was actually getting in my math class. It was a lot worse than he was probably thinking. In fact, he was probably thinking that I was being melodramatic like I was sometimes.

       This was not one of those times.

       "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Sawyer said. "C'mon, surely it can't be as bad as you think it is."

       I sighed. "I'm getting a fifty-two."

       "A fifty-two?" Sawyer asked. "As in... Five two?"

       "Yeah, I get it, I'm dumb," I said, closing my textbook. "You don't have to rub it in."

       "Jamie, I wasn't calling you dumb," Sawyer said. "I just... didn't expect your mark to be that low. Are you sure it's just not being able to concentrate in class?"

       "Well, I have missed some days when I wasn't feeling too well," I said. "And... I haven't always done my homework..."

       "Why not?" Sawyer asked.

       I hesitated, not wanting to admit it. I sighed heavily before saying, "Because I was too busy practicing for the cross-country competition." 

       "...What?" Sawyer asked.

       I groaned, placing my face in my hands. "I know, I know. It was stupid. I'm stupid. I should have done my homework first before practicing. I just really wanted to get onto the tour. I didn't think that I was going to be close to failing."

       Sawyer rubbed my back. "Hey, all you have to do is pass the exam and you'll be fine."

       "How will I pass the exam if I can't concentrate on studying?" I asked. "Even if I was able to concentrate, I just don't understand any of this." I placed my arms on my table and rested my head on top. "I'm going to fail." I lifted my head and looked at my textbook. "Like... What is a polynomial function? Why does it exist? Why are there letters in math? I thought math was just... numbers. Any chance you know what..." I pulled the textbook closer to me and peered at the page. "Cubic regression is?"

       "You're asking the wrong person," Sawyer said. "I put math behind me two years after I graduated. But... I do know someone who is quite the math genius."

       "Who is it?" I asked. "Is it one of your siblings?"

       "No."

       "One of your friends?"

       "Not exactly..."

       I looked at Sawyer, trying to figure out exactly who this math genius was. As soon as I took one look at his face, I had an idea about who it was. "It's Kitty, isn't it?'

       "Yeah, it is," Sawyer said. "I wouldn't suggest it if there was any other option, but considering she's your age and she's a math genius, all the learning is still fresh in her mind."

       "Do you think she'd even be willing to help me out?" I asked. "Because the last time I checked, she doesn't exactly like me. In fact, she once called me a 'boyfriend stealing, good for nothing, ugly, idiotic, piece of trash'."

       "That... sounds like something she would say," Sawyer said. "But you did stand up for her at the competition. I still don't know if she actually made the team, but you did tell Lauri the truth about the error in the judging. Kitty might actually be grateful for that."

       "I doubt that," I said, turning back to the textbook. "I'll just try to learn this on my own and hope for the best."

       "If you do need help, I'll try my best to do so," Sawyer said. "It just depends if I can remember exactly what you're looking." He kissed my cheek before going back to putting his laundry away. I tried to focus on studying once again, but I just couldn't.

       Not because I didn't want to. But because I ended up falling asleep.

       I ended up being woken up by someone shaking me. I quickly sat up. "I wasn't sleeping!" I said. 

       "Right, which was why you were snoring," someone said, so I looked over to see Kitty standing beside Sawyer.

       "Okay, first off, I don't snore," I said. "And second, what are you doing here?"

       "Sawyer texted me," Kitty said. "He said you need help with math so you can pass the final exam and go on the tour."

       "And you're willing to help me?" I asked.

       "Surprisingly, yes," Kitty said. "Because of you, Lauri offered me a spot on the team. She would have completely looked over the fault if you didn't tell her about it. I guess this is my way of paying you back. That, and if you're not able to go on tour, Steph will get your spot. I do not want her to get your spot."

       "Isn't she your best friend?" Sawyer asked.

       "Not anymore," Kitty said. "I can't prove it yet, but I know she was behind the fault in the judging. She's willing to do anything to win, and since she was in second by the time Jamie competed, the only way to make sure she got a spot on the team was to beat me."

       "Wow, you two must have gotten along great," Sawyer said.

       Kitty glared at Sawyer. "I'm going to be tutoring your boyfriend, so you might now want to be a bit nicer."

       "I'll be nicer when you stop being a pest," Sawyer said.

       "I'll work on it," Kitty said sarcastically. "In the meantime, you're going to have to leave the room."

       Sawyer furrowed his eyebrows. "But... this is my bedroom."

       "And right now, this is a tutoring area," Kitty said. "If you want Jamie to pass, you can't be in the same room as him because he's get distracted too easily."

       "How do you know if I'll get distracted?" I asked.

       Kitty looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Because..." She gestured towards Sawyer. "Look at him. It's Sawyer. Any sane person would get distracted just by looking at him."

       "Right?" I asked. "He's hot. Especially shirtless."

       "I used to take him to the beach or the pool just to look at him shirtless," Kitty said. "And to rub it in to my friends. And basically anyone near by."

       "Wow, I can't believe I never thought of doing that," I said. "Looks like you're more than just a math genius. Maybe I should take him to the beach..."

       "I'm standing right here," Sawyer said.

       "Yes, and you should be leaving," Kitty said, pushing Sawyer towards the door. "You can come back in when we're done with today's tutoring session. In the meantime, go do some farm work or something, cowboy."

       "Alright, I'm leaving," Sawyer said. "Just be prepared because Jamie gets distracted easily. And he won't stop making sexual innuendoes."

       "That's not... Yeah, that's true," I said. "Which reminds me, wanna--"

       "And I'm gone," Sawyer said, closing the door behind him.

       Kitty walked back over the desk. "Thanks," I said. "For helping me."

       "I should be thanking you," Kitty said. "Believe it or not, getting on the tour was really important to me, and I wouldn't have gotten a spot if it weren't for you. Even after everything I've done to you, you still stood up for me."

       "Well, you did deserve it," I said. "It wouldn't have been fair if you didn't get a spot on the team when you definitely should have placed first at the competition. Speaking of..." I reached for the medal I got for placing first in that competition, since the judges never actually fixed their mistake. "This is yours."

       "No, I can't take that," Kitty said.

       "Really, you should," I said. "You would have gotten it if those stupid judges fixed their mistake. This shouldn't be mine."

       Kitty smiled softly as she took the medal from me. "Thanks, Jamie. And I'm sorry. For everything I've done to you. You're actually a great guy. I could see why Sawyer loves you so much."

       "Are you... Are you actually being nice to me?" I asked.

       "Don't get used to it," Kitty said, though she still had a smile on her face. "Now, let's get to studying."

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oof is this a kitty repemption i smell?

also there's only one chapter left before the sequel woo. i can't wait to get started on it and to see more of jamie being annoying lol.