Connor thought everything was stupid.
This school was stupid
This class was stupid.
Mr. Lee was stupid.
And…the way he couldn't focus on anything but the girl in front of him was stupid.
Connor almost growled at the thought as he buried his face in his arms, trying to fall asleep like he normally did in this class. It wasn't that he hated English; Mr. Lee just happened to be the biggest douche bag on the planet and that was enough to make Connor stop caring.
His heart dropped at the thought. Midterm grades went out last night and his dad was going to lose his shit when he saw what grade Connor was getting in this class.
Luckily, Connor was able to fill up his bike yesterday so he didn't plan on going home anytime soon.
"Hey."
Connor lazily lifted his head and arched a brow at the girl in front of him, trying to keep his face as stoic as possible. There was no way he was going to blush now.
Her pretty green eyes met his and she held out a stack of papers. "This is a partner assignment, do you need a partner?" she asked as he took the stack of worksheets.
Connor took the top one and handed the rest to the kid behind him. Why would she want to be my partner? We've barely talked all year.
He looked over at the seat where the girl she usually partnered with, Claudia, would sit. It was empty.
Oh.
He looked back at her and nodded, resting his elbow on the desk and rested his chin on his palm.
"Okay, so this is over Othello. We must be going over that next," she said, giving him a small grin.
Connor felt his heart rate pick up and he nodded, letting her guide him through the assignment. He didn't really pay attention to the assignment. He paid attention to her instead. She mumbled aloud as she read the questions and occasionally asked for his input. The way she moved her hands as she talked and tapped her pencil against her lips as she thought was cute.
He didn't know why, but ever since Ellie Johnston sat in front of him at the beginning of the semester he couldn't help but watch her. He knew she was one of the goody-two shoes girls that he usually avoided, because-let's face it- those girls usually jumped to conclusions and didn't give him the time of day.
But, here she was, willingly being his partner and not seeming to care about it.
They finished their assignment about 15 minutes before the bell would ring, so he decided it would be a good time to nap.
Just as he rested his head on his arms, he heard, "What does the symbol on your jacket mean?"
Connor slowly brought his head up to meet her gaze again.
She bit her lip before starting to turn away. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"
"It's the logo of the garage I got my bike from," he answered, deadpanned. He thought she looked really cute when she bit her lip.
Ellie arched a thin brow and rested her elbow on his desk. "So, the rumors are true," she said with a teasing grin.
Connor sat up straight. "What rumors?" he asked, trying not to blush. Why was she paying attention to him? This wasn't right in the universe of Saratoga High School.
Not that Connor minded.
"Oh, that you're part of a biker gang and that you've been to jail twice," she said nonchalantly. "You also have been rumored to have eaten a duck whole."
Connor almost laughed. "Wow, so what gang am I part of?" he said sarcastically. Well, he had a group of friends that helped Old Man Achilles and Mario out at the shop, but they weren't a gang. Hell, Connor hardly knew what gangs really did. It was just him, Desmond, Ezio, and a few others just working on cars and having fun.
Ellie rolled her eyes. "I don't usually believe rumors. They must get that because you looked like you stepped out of Sons of Anarchy."
Connor snorted. He only saw one episode of that show and he thought it was stupid.
"So that leaves the other rumors. Have you been to jail?" she joked.
"Are you kidding me? If I went to jail I would still be there because my dad wouldn't bail me out," Connor chuckled. It was true, Haytham Kenway believed in learning from your mistakes and he usually took that to a ridiculous level.
"And the duck?" she asked, eyes twinkling in amusement.
"That's true."
Her eyes widened with disbelief before they narrowed suspiciously. "You're lying."
"You're right, I am."
Ellie put a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back her giggles and Connor felt triumphant. He actually managed to talk to a girl and make her laugh without making a dick of himself.
And for the first time in history, he was disappointed when he heard the bell ring. Ellie picked up her book bag and smiled down at him. "See ya, Connor! We should talk more," she said, waving as she walked away.
Connor tentatively waved back, blinking in shock. She wanted to talk to him more? Grinning, he stood up and draped his leather jacket over his shoulder.
Not even the stink eye Lee gave him on his way out could ruin his mood.
The others were waiting for him at the garage as he pulled up on his bike.
"About time you get here asshole!" Desmond laughed, running up and putting him in a headlock.
Connor quickly brought his legs down so his bike wouldn't topple over and he shoved Desmond away with a laugh. "Unlike you, I actually go to school on Fridays," Connor retorted, swinging his leg over and kicking the stand out.
Desmond held out his pack of cigarettes, arching an expectant brow at Connor.
Connor took one and they leaned against the side of the shop. Connor lit it and stuck it between his lips.
"Altair is supposed to visit today. Jerk just has to have a steady job and all now," Desmond said, blowing a thin stream of smoke out.
Connor blew some smoke past his own lips, trying not to cough. He honestly hated cigarettes; he just let Desmond bully him into smoking whenever they hung out.
"Does he not have a case right now?"
Desmond shook his head, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "Nah, he doesn't. I just can't wait to show him my new Baby."
Connor glanced toward the new bike Desmond had helped Achilles build. It had a lithe, quick looking design. Its black paint job gleamed in the sun and the garage's red logo stood proud on the middle of it.
It looked completely different from the bike Connor helped Achilles build. His bike had a big, powerful frame that was still able to turn on a dime. The cobalt blue paint job with the white logo was Connor's favorite part of the bike.
Deciding it was time to stop relaxing; Connor tossed his cigarette to the ground and snuffed it out with the heel of his heavy boot. He playfully punched Desmond on the shoulder before making his way toward the entrance of the shop. "C'mon, Achilles might need help today."
He heard Desmond's grumble, but didn't pay any attention to it. He wasn't going to listen to Desmond's whining more than he had to.
The sounds of welding tools firing up and the clang of metal on metal ran throughout the garage. Connor made his way through and pushed the door to the office part open. The sounds from before became muffled as he shut the door behind him. "Old Man?" he called out.
"In here."
Connor walked toward the Achilles' office, not even bothering to knock before opening the door. "Do you need anything from us?" he asked.
Achilles groaned as he slowly stood up. "Actually, for once, no. You boys can go and do whatever today."
Connor nodded and moved to walk out of his office.
"Connor."
Connor halted in his tracks, glancing at the old man over his shoulder.
"How was school today? Are you doing well?"
Trying to not grimace, Connor turned and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm doing okay…except for in English. My teacher is a d…" he quickly trailed off before he could let the name slip out. Achilles didn't mind cursing; it was the disrespecting an authority figure part that pissed the old man off.
"I see. And, by the way, your father called about an hour ago. He wants you home before midnight."
Connor flinched, knowing that his report card was in the mailbox at home. "Did he sound…mad?"
Achilles smirked knowingly at him. "Connor, he just sounded concerned. Now, go have fun."
Connor escaped as quickly as he could and punched Desmond on the shoulder before walking out into the shop again. "Achilles said that he doesn't need help. Want to meet Ezio and Altair at the lake?"
Desmond whooped. "Hell yeah!"
The boys raced to their bikes and were on their way in no time.
"What?!" Ezio laughed, almost falling off his bike.
Connor shrugged, catching the can of cheap beer Altair tossed to him. "Yeah, she told me that people think we're some sort of biker gang or something."
"If we're a gang," Altair grumbled, "then I'm Jesus."
"You wish," Malik snorted.
"Maybe it's because we're so badass. Huh, Connor?" Desmond smirked, chugging his beer.
Connor arched a brow at him. "Hey numbskull, don't drink too much, you still have to drive home."
"Yes, Moooooom."
Connor rolled his eyes.
"So, Connor," Ezio said, sitting up straight.
Connor didn't like the look in Ezio's eye. That usually meant he was going to be embarrassed soon.
"Was this girl cute?"
Connor was glad his face was already flushed due to the chilly, autumn breeze.
Desmond suddenly perked up. "Wait, you said this girl sits in front of you in English?"
Oh no.
"That's Ellie! Damn Connor, you know how to pick 'em."
Ezio scowled. "Wait, Ellie Johnston? As in my sister's best friend?"
Shit.
Ezio suddenly stood directly in front of Connor with a grim look. "That girl is like another sister to me so if you hurt her I-"
"Jesus Ezio, I barely talk to her. I doubt she's interested anyway," Connor snapped. He hated it when people got in his face. It took every ounce of willpower he had to not shove Ezio away.
Ezio straightened and nodded in approval. "Good. I don't want to kick your ass like I had to kick Duccio's."
Connor flinched. Duccio was Claudia's last boyfriend and Ezio basically ripped him a new one when the guy cheated on her.
"Quit picking on the kid," Altair growled, throwing his cigarette in the dirt and stomping it out. He stretched and let out a long sigh. "Well assholes, I have to work tomorrow, unlike some of you."
He made his way up to his bike, which was parked up in the parking lot like it should be next to Malik's car, leaving the rest of them on the lake shore. He let out a wave as he swung his leg over his bike and zipped out of the parking lot.
"Unfortunately, I have to work too. Later losers," Malik grumbled, beginning to walk away as well.
As soon as he left, it was just Connor, Desmond, and Ezio.
"Damn, they have a point," Ezio sighed, throwing down his own cigarette.
Desmond groaned. "C'mon! Aren't you guys supposed to be having fun and shit now that you're out of high school? One year out and you guys are suddenly party poopers!"
Ezio arched a brow. "Because, Desmond, it's something called responsibility. And, frankly, I don't want to depend on my parents. So bite me."
Desmond waved the comment off. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Ezio shook his head in amusement before punching Connor's shoulder playfully. "Hang in there."
Connor didn't fully know what Ezio meant by that, and he couldn't stop thinking about it as Ezio sped off on his bike.
"He means it you know," Desmond grumbled.
Connor stared at his best friend in confusion. "What?'
"He was talking about Ellie! Let me guess," Desmond rested his elbows on the seat of his bike, "You think she won't give you the time of day because you're the tall, dark, and intimidating guy, right?'
"Uh…"
"Dude, she's cool. She was my lab partner in chemistry and she's pretty chill about everything. Don't worry about it." He suddenly pulled his phone out of his pocket and smirked. "Speaking of girls, Lucy wants to hang out. Later!"
Before Connor could process what Desmond said, his friend was already zipping away on his new bike.
Connor stared out into the lake, watching the moon's reflection ripple on the water.
Damn, his friends were weird.
Going home wasn't as bad as Connor thought it would be. He parked his bike in the parking lot and sighed, staring at the two story, brick house in the cul-de-sac.
Connor had been living with his dad for about five years now; he could still remember the day he moved in perfectly. Connor remembered feeling petrified, not to mention worthless. His mom had died not even a month before that before he was shuttled off to Saratoga. The first couple months were rough, but Connor eventually got used to Haytham, and Haytham got used to Connor.
Connor kind of got along with him now, but that didn't mean everything was rainbows and butterflies.
Haytham hated motorcycles, for one, and Connor refused to drive anything else. Haytham also wanted Connor to college, when Connor just wanted to go to Tech school and work as a mechanic.
And, even though Connor hated to admit it sometimes, they were so alike that they irritated the shit out of each other.
He saw the light in the living room on and Connor decided it was time to stop avoiding what was going to happen.
He eventually got off his bike and finally walked inside.
"You're home early."
Connor halted in his tracks in the living room as Haytham flipped the top of his newspaper down. He set it to the side and picked up a folded piece of paper on the end table next to the ottoman.
"Mind explaining what a certain D on here represents?" Haytham asked, frowning.
Well, it's not an F.
"I just don't like that class," Connor grumbled, scuffing his boot on the plush carpet.
Haytham sighed and tossed the report card back on the table. "Connor, I have a proposal for you."
Connor arched a brow at that. His dad rarely 'proposed' anything. It was usually an order.
"If you get at least a B in all of your classes for the rest of the year, I'll pay for your tuition to any Tech school you want to go to."
Connor almost collapsed. What the hell?! "Are you serious?" Connor managed to choke out, sitting down on the couch.
He was dreaming. There had to be something in those cigarettes Desmond gave him.
Haytham leaned forward. "Dead serious. But that means you need to show me that you're willing to put some effort into something, even if you don't like it. I know that when you actually want to do something, you can do it, no matter what it is."
Connor was honestly surprised his dad had that kind of faith in him, but the gears in his brain were more focused on how he was going to achieve this goal. He knew he was doing well in his other classes. He actually didn't mind school. It was just Lee and English he hated.
How was he going to get his grade up by the end of the semester?
Maybe this is part of my problem, Connor thought to himself as he tried to look at the board instead of Ellie.
He couldn't help but stare at her, and he was beginning to feel like a creep because of it.
When he told Desmond of his dad's proposal, Desmond had what seemed like the perfect idea for once.
"Get Ellie to tutor you! Claudia tells us she's smart and I'm sure she would do it! Besides, that means that you don't have to do too much work and you get to spend time with her."
Connor wasn't so sure about the 'not having to do much work' part, but he liked everything else about that idea.
But, there was one problem.
How would he ask her?
Dammit. He sucked at this bullshit. The way he was able to easily talk to her Friday was a fluke.
The class ticked by slower than usual and Connor tried with all of his might to pay attention to the lesson and not on the girl in front of him.
The bell finally rang and Connor's heart pounded as he tried to muster up the courage needed for the situation. Tech school. Keep thinking about tech school, Connor kept telling himself as he tapped Ellie's shoulder when they reached the hallway.
She turned around and her eyes widened when she saw him, but her surprised expression quickly turned into a bright smile.
Oh God.
"Hey Connor, what's up?"
Connor mentally smacked himself into focusing again. "Uh, c-can I talk to you for a sec?" Nice going, Kenway. You're stuttering. Just don't make an ass of yourself, Connor growled to himself.
"Sure," Ellie said, "want to talk about it on the way to my locker? I gotta grab something."
He nodded, willing to do anything at the moment. They were halfway there before Connor finally said it. "I actually need your help."
"Hm? With what?" Ellie asked, giving him a bewildered look.
Connor tried to not think about how cute she looked today as he scrambled for a smooth way to ask her to tutor him. She had on an oversized, green sweater over skinny jeans and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. Shit. "Uh-well-I need to get my grade up in English."
Ellie arched a thin brow. "That bad, huh? Sure, I can help," she said with a good natured smile.
Connor blinked in surprise. She actually agreed?! "Seriously?"
They reached her locker and she shrugged as she put in her combination. "Well…you obviously care if you're looking for help. Besides, why wouldn't I want to?" she asked, giving him a teasing grin.
Connor felt his cheeks flush from her grin and he looked away, crossing his arms as he leaned against the lockers. Most of the juniors in the locker bay were giving him a wide berth and giving him weird looks. He didn't care as long as they didn't get in his face.
He suddenly thought of a smooth way to respond. "I'm part of a biker gang remember? You wouldn't want to get mixed up with the likes of me."
Ellie's laugh caused a surge of pride to fill him. Again, he made her laugh without making a dick of himself. "True, and the fact you ate a duck whole doesn't help," she joked with a wink.
She grabbed her coat and shoved a few books into her bag before gently closing her locker. "So, when do you want to do this? Just telling ya, I won't be able to on Mondays or Wednesdays. I've got stuff going on those days." She shrugged her coat and bag on.
Shit, Connor didn't think that far ahead. "Uh, when do you want to? I don't really know how this goes."
They started to walk toward the student parking lot.
"Usually a time after school would be good. I don't know about you, but I don't think either of us wants to talk about English on the weekends," she said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand.
"So…what days do you want-"
"How about Tuesdays and Thursdays after school? And where do you want to do this?" she asked, digging through her book bag.
"Uh…my house?" Connor suddenly realized that his dad would most likely see them studying and it would only prove to Haytham that he was taking his proposal seriously. What could be more perfect?
"Okay, let's start tomorrow. I'll just follow you after school, 'kay?" she agreed with a bright grin.
She began to walk toward the other end of the parking lot, waving to him as she walked away. "See ya tomorrow!"
Connor waved back and it felt like there were a bunch of butterflies in his gut. He felt a stupid grin come to his face and he didn't even bother to hide it as he walked over to his bike, which was parked next to Desmond's.
"You actually frickin' did it. I'm so proud of you dude!" Desmond laughed, holding up his hand.
Connor high fived him and swung his leg over his bike. "Yeah, I did."
"You'll get that grade up in no time! Now let's go see if Achilles needs our help. I feel like we haven't done anything in a while."
The boys zipped out of the parking lot, and all Connor could think about were twinkling green eyes the whole way to the shop.
The next day, all Connor could feel was nervousness.
There was no way he could do this. His dad was going to tease him forever if he saw them, not think that he's trying to uphold his side of the deal. Not to mention that he would be spending time alone with Ellie.
Connor almost slammed his head against his locker before English. He had to pull himself together or he could just wave tech school goodbye.
"Hey! Injun!"
Connor clenched his fists as Thomas Hickey's annoying, loud, and obnoxious voice slowly got closer. He turned and started to walk down the hallway, hoping that Hickey would just forget it if he walked away long enough.
"I'm talkin' to you Red-skin!"
Connor kept walking. There was no way he was going to get in a fight and get suspended now. Not with Tech School on the line.
Thomas Hickey could piss off for all he cared.
"Can you not hear you dumbass in-"
The heavy hand landing on his shoulder did it. Connor was proud to say that both of his grandfathers served in various parts of the army. Grandpa Edward served in the British Navy before moving to America after his service and his Tóta served among the Navy Seals. That being said, he knew some tricks from both of them.
Twisting his arm around, Connor easily threw Hickey's hand off of him and shoved him away while kicking one of his feet out from under him. Hickey fell with a yelp, glaring up at Connor.
"You motherfuc-"
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today," Connor growled, promptly turning on his heel and walking away before any teachers came and inspected what was going on.
Nothing pissed Connor off more than being called any of the slang words Hickey threw out just then. His people were more than those labels. His people had a culture and lifestyle that was significantly different from others. They weren't just some 'Red skins' hanging out in damn teepees. Mohawks didn't even use teepees!
Dammit! He should have punched Hickey in the mouth while he had the chance.
He tried to calm down before he got to English. He didn't want Ellie to see him this way and he also didn't want to give Lee the opportunity to give him shit.
The whole class was chattering away as he walked in, but they quickly fell silent as they saw him. Shit.
He quietly and calmly made his way to his seat, hoping that he looked indifferent instead of upset.
"Are you okay?"
Shit.
Ellie was giving him a concerned look. "Sorry, I just saw what happened in the hallway as I was making my way here. He said horrible things."
Jesus, this girl was a Godsend.
"It's fine. It happens all the time," he grumbled, trying to not look her in the eye.
"That doesn't mean its okay," she said quietly, causing him to look at her in surprise.
Wow, she actually looked concerned.
She quickly turned around as Lee walked in the room and Connor tried to pay attention again. Basically, the lesson today was that a guy named Iago in Othello was a dick and that killing your wife was a bad idea no matter what.
He made his way out into the hallway as the bell rang, hoping to make a quick escape before anyone could give him any more weird looks.
"Connor!"
Connor turned to see Ellie quickly walking toward him. "You ride that big, dark blue bike right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, so I'll just follow you then?" she asked, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder.
"Y-yeah, that's fine."
"Great! I'll meet you out in the parking lot," she chirped with a smile.
Connor stared after her, wondering why she was so nice to him. Not that he minded. He thought back to what she said about earlier. That doesn't mean its okay.
Desmond was 100 percent right about her.
All of Connor's earlier nervousness returned and it came back with a vengeance. He could feel his palms starting to sweat and his stomach felt like it was riding a roller coaster.
Due to this, he didn't see Hickey and the gang waiting near the door of the school.
He grunted when rough hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him around the corner of the building the cameras couldn't see.
Hickey slammed him up against the rough brick. "You're going to pay for embarrassing me you Injun!" he snarled.
His friends, Benjamin Church, Thomas Biddle, and a couple others were sneering at Connor.
Rage started to boil up in Connor's gut and his last thread of patience snapped.
He quickly brought his knee up and slammed it into Hickey's groin. As Hickey began to hunch over in pain, Connor quickly brought his hand around and slammed his fist into Hickey's eye.
The other dicks joined in, but Connor was on a roll now. He punched Church in the nose, making sure to not hit hard enough to break it. Bruises were easy to blow off, a broken nose wasn't. Church was momentarily stunned from the blow and Connor was able to grab the collar of his shirt and shove him into the wall of the school.
The other guys ran away, racing toward their cars.
Unfortunately, Biddle was able to get a hit in and Connor grunted as Biddle's fist connected with his mouth.
He could taste the blood already and he was slowly getting more pissed off by the second.
"Hey! Back the fuck off assholes!"
Thank God for Desmond.
Desmond easily shoved Biddle away and the two boys glared at the other three. Hickey now supported a black eye and Church's nose was bleeding and there was a scrape on his forehead. Biddle just looked plain pissed off.
"Hey Hickey, won't you get expelled if you get caught in another fight?" Desmond reminded with a wolfish smirk.
"Fuck you Miles, this has nothing to do with you," Hickey spat.
"Hey fuckhole, you mess with Connor, you mess with me. Now get the fuck out of here before I decide to tell Ezio and the others what happened."
Hickey's face literally paled and the other's looked like they pissed themselves. Ezio was well known for his ass kicking skills, not to mention that Altair was the scariest thing on the planet when he was pissed. Malik was even worse than Altair. Connor wished that the three of them didn't graduate last year so they could see this.
"You win this time Injun!" Hickey growled, stomping away toward his truck. The other boys slowly followed, glaring at Desmond and Connor over their shoulders.
"Jesus, what happened this time?" Desmond asked, eyeing Connor's lip in worry.
Connor wiped the back of his hand on his mouth and sighed when he saw how much blood was on it when he pulled away.
"I knocked him on his ass after he called me some names today and he was sore about it," Connor grumbled, walking toward his bike.
Desmond followed behind. "Dude, you need to get that looked at, it looks like shit."
Connor grunted and looked toward his bike, blinking in surprise to see a '64 red Volkswagen bug parked next to it.
"Holy shit, that's Ellie's car. Were you guys supposed to do your thing today?"
Shit, now Ellie was going to see him with a busted lip.
Deciding to just get the humiliation over with, he walked over toward the driver's side of the bug. Ellie rolled down her window and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. "Holy cow! What happened?" she exclaimed, leaning out the car window to get a better look.
"Hickey was being a douche. Do you still want to come over? Even though-"
"Well, yeah! I can also help you with that split lip. Let's get a move on before it gets worse," she said, sitting back and rolling up her window again.
Connor shrugged and quickly got on his bike, waving goodbye to Desmond, who was now giving him a thumbs up from his own bike.
Connor was almost tempted to flip him the bird.
Connor made sure to drive extra safe on his way home. He didn't turn corners as sharply as he usually did and he didn't try to beat out yellow lights either.
They made it back to his house and he let out a sigh when he didn't see his Dad's Fusion sitting in the driveway.
Ellie parked behind him and slowly got out. She tentatively walked toward him and Connor suddenly realized that his mouth was set in a hard frown. Dammit. The last thing he wanted to do was make her nervous around him.
"Sorry about earlier," he mumbled, feeling ashamed.
She studied him for a moment before putting her hands on her hips. "Why are you sorry? Anyway, I want to make sure you don't need stitches so let's get inside."
Connor nodded and got off his bike, leading her toward the front door. The nervousness from earlier came back, replacing the anger he felt the whole ride there. What if Ellie didn't like his house? How was this tutoring thing going to go? What did she mean when she said she could help him?
He opened the door for her and let her walk in before leading her into the kitchen. "Uh, we can hang out in here," he said, gesturing to the table sitting nearby.
"Okay, do you have a first aid kit?" she asked, setting her book bag in one of the chairs.
"Um…yeah, I'll go get it," he mumbled, hurrying toward the bathroom.
He halted and looked at himself as he saw his reflection. Damn, his lip looked bad. The corner was split and there was dried blood on his face. He grimaced and grabbed the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet, hurrying back to the kitchen.
Ellie was drying off her hands with a paper towel when he returned. She looked up at him with a grin. "Alright, I just need to you to sit on the counter or something really quick."
Connor set the kit on the counter next to the sink and he easily hopped up and sat beside it.
Ellie opened the kit and took out a packet.
Connor inwardly winced when he saw that it was a disinfecting wipe.
"This might sting a bit," she apologized, gently grabbing his chin with one hand and dabbing at his lip with the other.
Connor's skin tingled where she touched him and his heart began to race at a mile a minute. "So when did you become a doctor?" he asked, trying to keep his lips from moving too much.
Ellie rolled her eyes at him as she kept dabbing away.
A hiss escaped from between his teeth when she touched it directly to where his lip was split. "Sorry! I work as a lifeguard in the summer. This honestly isn't the first split lip I've helped with. The other one was caused by wet concrete rather than a jerk's fist though."
Connor had to keep himself from grinning. The last thing he wanted was scars like Altair, Ezio, and Desmond. He started to imagine Ellie in a lifeguard suit and he had to stop thinking about it so he wouldn't blush.
"What happened? If you don't mind me asking," she asked, tossing the rag away before grabbing a dry paper towel.
Connor inwardly flinched. Shit. "Hickey didn't like how I embarrassed him earlier apparently," he grumbled.
She hummed in thought as she dried off his lip with the paper towel. "Did he do this? Or was it one of his jerk friends?"
Connor stared at her in surprise as she set the paper towel down and walked toward his fridge. She opened the freezer and got on the tips of her toes as she searched for something. Connor suddenly realized how tiny she was as she hopped a little to try to see the back of the freezer.
Holding back a chuckle, he got down from the counter and reached over her head and grabbed the icepack sitting at the back of the freezer.
She turned around and pouted up at him. "Jeez, you're too tall," she grumbled. Her eyes twinkled with amusement.
Connor felt his heart thud in his chest and he couldn't stop the blush from reaching his cheeks this time. He suddenly realized how close he was standing to her as she looked up at him with a teasing look.
Clearing his throat, he quickly shut the freezer and stepped away.
"Keep that pressed to your mouth. A swollen split lip is worse than just a split one," she ordered, making her way toward the kitchen table.
Connor pressed the icepack to his mouth and slowly followed her.
She already had her textbook, her copy of Othello, and a notebook set out on the table before he sat down beside her. He reached for his own bag and set his own textbook on the table.
"Okay, so what did you get from today's lesson?"
Connor never enjoyed English more.
For the next few weeks, Connor slowly started to get better grades on Lee's assignments and he felt confident that he would be able to get that B by the end of the semester. Plus, he was learning more and more about Ellie every time she tutored him.
He found out that she loved to bake, and that she wanted to be a teacher someday. He knew she would be good at it from the way she was helping him. She also hated being cold and her favorite thing to do in her free time was to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and a book.
He also was ecstatic when she started to ask about the reservation he used to live on. Before he lived with his dad, Connor had lived on a Mohawk reservation with his mom and it he missed it almost every day.
On this particular Thursday in November, she was asking him about his people's language. They had just finished talking about To Kill a Mockingbird for their tutoring session and they were just killing time now.
As the weeks passed, Ellie started to stay over for longer and longer periods of time and Connor loved it.
"So, did you know how to speak Mohawk before English?" she asked, taking a sip from her mug of hot chocolate.
Connor nodded before taking a sip from his own mug. "Yeah. Mom said I used to irritate my teachers when I would reply in Mohawk instead of English."
Ellie giggled and leaned back in her chair, giving him a playful look. "Say something in Mohawk, please?" she asked.
Like Connor wouldn't do anything she asked. "Ontiátsi ne' kí:ken."
"What did you say?"
He pointed at her. "This is my friend."
Ellie beamed at him and Connor felt his heart start to race again for umpteenth time.
"How do you say 'hi'?" she asked, setting her mug aside and hugging her knees to her chest.
"Kwhe."
"Bye?"
"Ó:nen ki' wáhi."
"Thanks?"
"Nia:wen."
"Mom?"
"Ista."
"Dad?"
"Raké:ni."
She paused and Connor swore he could see a blush on her cheeks before she softly asked. "Don't think I'm weird, but how do you say 'I love you'? I think it's cool to hear that in other languages."
Connor's heart was going at hyper speed now. "Well, uh, we say 'Konnorónhkhwa'."
Ellie studied her for a moment. "That sounds…really nice, actually. It's better than some other languages I've heard."
"Like what?" Connor asked. He knew about the phrase in Spanish, but that was it.
"I used to like French the most, but I think this became my new favorite."
Connor put that little fact on the list of things he knew about her.
She tilted her head, an action that Connor had grown to like, and she asked, "Is it rude to ask if you have a Mohawk name too?"
Connor shook his head. Even if it was rude to ask, he knew she wouldn't mean it that way. "It's Ratonhnhaké:ton."
"Rato-what?" she giggled.
"Ratonhnhaké:ton," he said, making sure to say each syllable slowly.
"Does it mean anything?" she asked, looking curious.
"Life that is scratched," he admitted.
"That's really cool," Ellie said with a smile.
That sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Ellie had her mug in her hands again and Connor with his elbow propped up on the table.
Connor suddenly wondered if now would be a good time to ask what he wanted to ask for the longest time. No, she would just say we're just friends. Don't put yourself in that situation, he growled to himself.
Or you could grow some balls and just ask her out on a date, a voice that strangely sounded like his dad's replied in his mind.
Deciding to listen to the second thought, Connor took a deep breath. "Uh…E-Ellie?"
Her eyes met his and Connor's mind momentarily went blank. His stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster again and his heart was going to bust out of his chest any second now. "W-would you like to go somewhere with me tomorrow?"
Shit.
Smooth Kenway strikes again, he growled to himself, what the hell was that?!
"Go somewhere?" she asked with a teasing grin.
Connor almost frowned. He had the slight idea that she knew what he meant.
"I'd love to," she said, taking another sip from her mug.
Connor stared at her in surprise, wondering what to say. She actually said yes?! Am I awake right now?
"Cat got your tongue?" she giggled, looking at him over the rim of her mug.
Clearing his throat, he shook his head.
"So what time are we 'going somewhere' tomorrow?" she asked, tilting her head with a shy grin.
"Uh…5:30?" he asked.
"Sounds good to me," she said, getting up from her chair.
She set the mug in the sink and Connor couldn't stop staring at her. He couldn't believe his luck. She actually agreed to go on a date with him.
He suddenly realized she was getting ready to leave as she put on her coat and started to pick up her book bag.
He quickly hurried over to the front door and held it open for her. She paused in front of him and looked up at him with another shy smile. "Bye," she said before standing on the tips of her toes and pressing her lips to his cheek.
Connor felt like his whole body was ready to self-combust as she hurried out to her car.
She waved to him as she pulled out and he had to remind himself to wave back.
When she was way out of sight, he finally closed the door and collapsed back against it with a goofy grin.