Happy Thanksgiving everyone! : )
Warning: Language.
Chapter 2
Brittany's POV
I turned onto Brook and was overwhelmed to see that there were millions of houses on the street. Then, I was assured when I saw the white van with the logo 'Löded Diper' printed in black on the side. I laughed silently to myself. That had to be the most hilarious name for a band. I finally got out of the car and walked up to their house to ring the door bell. The cobblestone pathway that led to the stairs was traced alongside with small landscaping bushes. Their white house was so cozy.
"Get out of the way twerp!" I heard Rodrick yell.
He opened the door with a smile.
"Hey. Come in," he said as he put his arm around my shoulders and led me inside.
He showed me around the downstairs. It was a very comfortable, yet contemporary home. The whole house was immaculately spotless without any clutter in sight. Everything seemed to have its place.
"Hi Susan," I said as we walked into the kitchen.
I waved at two little boys who were sitting at the table.
"Hello Brittany. Welcome to our house. Make yourself at home, and if you need anything, just ask," she said with a grin across her face.
"Are they your brothers?" I asked before I walked through the kitchen and into to the morning room to greet them.
"Yeah, that's Manny, he's three, and Greg who's thirteen," he rolled his eyes.
"Hi boys," I smiled. "I'm Brittany."
"Bitty!" Manny pointed his fork at me.
"Hi Britt," Greg looked up from drawing comics in a book.
"I like your cartoons." I inched closer to get a better look.
"Really? Thanks! Rodrick thinks it's dumb."
"It's a way to express yourself."
He looked up and just smiled approvingly for a minute and then continued what he was doing.
"Mom, we're uh, going to study in my room." Rodrick rushed.
"Alright, have fun," she said putting food into the oven.
He left the kitchen and I followed him up the stairs.
"Listen to Brittany, and learn something useful!" Susan yelled from the kitchen.
Rodrick opened a door for me that was tucked away in the right corner from the main stairway. I climbed another set of stairs to find an attic that was converted into every teenager's dream bedroom. There were band posters and Christmas lights that hung lopsided on the walls. Disco balls and flashing bulbs illuminated the area. Clothes were flung around furniture and papers were thrown carelessly on the hardwood floor. There was a queen sized bed alongside an open window covered by blinds that shed the slightest light in. Chairs were placed anywhere they could fit, and against the railing, was a working desk with a laptop. He frantically started throwing stuff in his trash bin and sweeping things under his bed to somewhat "tidy up" what was a complete disaster.
"Uh, I'm sorry about the mess. I haven't had time to clean it. The guys get a little messy when they're here for practice."
"It's okay. Everyone gets messy." I giggled.
"You know you should come over one day and listen to us. Our band plays so loud that we make people's eardrums bleed," he said while throwing his crinkled comforter back over his bed.
"That would be sweet." I agreed. I loved listening to bands.
He spun around, almost surprised at my answer. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." I pulled a second seat at his desk. "Let's get started I guess. Here," I gave him a paper as he sat down. "fill this out so I can learn a little more about your ability to work. And answer it truthfully. Your responses are gonna help me help you."
We sat at his desk and he started scribbling down answers.
Rodrick's POV
I really wasn't excited for this whole tutor thing. I hated school, I hated work, and I hated to learn. This is all pointless shit to me. The only reason why I'm doing this is because Mom is paying me a lot of Mom Bucks. It's the only time she could ever get me to do anything. Otherwise, everyone could screw off cause I do nothing for free. And I can't lie, another reason is Brittany. She was so hard to describe. Like, she wasn't one of those geeks, but she was smart as shit. She had a hippy and rock n' roll style going on, but she wasn't part of the pot smoking gang. She loved to party, but she wasn't one of those alcoholics that makes a fool out of themselves. And she didn't get turned off when I told her about the band. I usually get either slapped or turned down by every girl I talked about it to. It was almost like… she was perfect, and she was beautiful. Anyways, at least it would help pass the time away if I bullshitted with her. She handed me a paper with questions on it. Really? You had time to type this bullshit up? Even though I got bored super fast, I just thought of getting paid and answered them quickly.
1. Do you do homework? No Ha who does she think I am?
2. Do you study? Not really only when my mom makes me Absolutely not. Lie.
3. What classes do you most have trouble in? Pretty much everything Ah, truth.
4. Do you have a favorite class? Lunch Is that seriously a question?
5. What are your future plans after high school? Land a major record deal and play gigs around the world. Have the total rocker dream.
…
I finally finished the fifteen question "quiz" and handed it to Brittany. She looked at it with no emotion. I was trying to figure out what she was thinking, but her face was expressionless.
"So basically you're just lazy," she laughed, but in a joking tone.
"Yeah I guess so," I agreed as I fiddled with my thumbs.
"Okay, well if we go over a routine and do some study exercises, you should be able to bring your grades up," she explained.
"Sounds awesome. Where do we start?" I asked in a non exciting way.
"By learning these words we got in English class," she replied.
Shit. Those words are hard.
"Tell me what aesthetic means," she ordered.
"Uh," I had no idea. I didn't even know that was a word. "I- um, I don't know."
"Eclectic?"
"Does it have something to do with electricity?"
"No," she laughed. "Alright, I kind of knew that you didn't know these. It's okay. We're going to make note cards."
Note what? She gave me a stack of flash cards and a pen and told me to write the word on one side and its definition on the other. At first I thought it was a stupid idea, like seriously? I didn't want to write them in class, what made her think I wanted to write them now? But I hate to admit it. It was actually a good idea. Once we started reviewing them, I remembered some of the words. In an hour, I mastered all twenty five of them.
"See, wasn't that easy?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess it was." I confessed, trying to act cool.
"Okay one more time, give me an example of aesthetic." she giggled.
"You." It slid out of my mouth so fast without thought. Shit. Why did I say that? Aesthetic is beauty. I never compliment girls. Damn I need to keep my bad ass composure. Composure? Where the hell did that come from? Her smartness is rubbing off on me. "You… you unicorns!" I couldn't think of anything better.
Her face was beat red and she looked down. My little unicorn save didn't help me too well. It actually hurt sitting in my seat waiting for a response. It was so awkward just sitting there. She finally managed to look up and change the subject.
"So you don't want to go to college after school?" she asked.
I finally calmed down.
"No. Why would I do that? I have my band. We're going to be huge one day," I replied.
"Don't you think that's unrealistic? It's great to play in a band, but what happens if someone leaves? Or something goes wrong? Don't-cha think you'd need some kind of education to fall back on?" she asked.
Damn I never thought of that.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I never gave it much thought. Music is my life."
"Well there are jobs that involve music. You could even discover something totally cool while looking into what colleges offer, and major in that," she said.
"No one really talks to me about college. I think my parents just gave up." I chuckled.
"I think they just don't understand you, and they kind of need my help to get you focused." A grin stretched across her face.
Brittany's POV
Wow, I couldn't believe that he didn't even consider college. We were already in our junior year! I mean, I started to look into colleges a while ago. Although there was a good sign because he did agree to try and look for something that sparks his interest. I took out my phone and checked the time.
"Well, it's six o'clock. I think I should get going," I said.
His head shot up and looked at me in disbelief. His tan face was so cute, and his hair was perfectly messy. Does he really want me to stay? He touched my arm and tried to think of an excuse for me not to go, but then his phone vibrated on the desk. I caught a glimpse that said, 'one text message from Lyndsey'. He picked it up quickly and was in tune to her message. He didn't even manage a goodbye. What the hell was I thinking that he actually didn't want me to go? His familiar instincts came into play. I brushed the whole situation off and found my way out of his room and downstairs. I passed the living room as I headed for the door.
"Hey Brittany," Susan said as she put Manny on her hip and got up from the couch. "I have money on the counter for you."
"Oh no Susan, it was our first session. I just had him fill out a paper so I got to know him a little better. We went over our English words, but that was it. I don't need mon-"
"Don't be silly. At least take half of it, but you're taking the full amount next time you come back." She smiled.
"Okay thank you. You didn't have to do this." I put the money in my bag. "Maybe before Rodrick goes to bed you can ask him his words one last time."
"I can definitely do that."
"I also brought up the subject on college, and he agreed to try and find something he's interested in," I explained.
She looked so happy. Then, she placed the rest of the money in my hand. "You are to take this. I can't believe you got him to do that. It's a miracle. Thank you."
I didn't even object toward the rest of the money. We exchanged our goodbyes and I left the Heffley house. When I got home, I ate dinner and then went to my room to go to bed early. I was too pissed to stay awake.
