Big Time Passing By.

The rest of the week went by pretty fast. Carlos and I met everyday after school and he really seemed to be improving. Everything seemed clearer to him. At the end of the day I really believed he could do well on Friday's quiz, it was the oral test I was worried about. He was still having some trouble with pronunciations.

James and I hung out after I met with Carlos. We went to Jamba Juice or watched TV at my house. He told me how Logan hadn't made him do any homework lately and he wondered why. He always made me smile when he brought that up. No more extra work for him. Katie continued to drool over him every time he came over. He brought her cookies to keep her away when she got too clingy.

Friday came and I sat in my desk, impatiently. I couldn't help but to constantly look over at Carlos to see how he was doing. I filled in all my answers and stood up to turn my quiz in. I sat back down and tapped my pencil on my desk. Five minutes before class ended Carlos turned in his quiz. He sat back down and sighed loudly. I stared at him. He turned to me and smiled. I gave him a 'good job' nod and relaxed in my seat.

The weekend was even tougher for Carlos. We spent hours at the library, practicing how he was going to do his oral exam on Wednesday. He got better and better everyday. I was actually pretty impressed with him. He was beginning to trust himself.

On Saturday I told James about Carlos. He wanted to hang out, but I told him I had already made plans to work with Carlos. At first he didn't understand why I was helping him, but he trusts me. I know Carlos didn't want anyone to know but James is my best friend and I don't want to keep secrets from him.

Wednesday before first hour Carlos was at my locker panicking. He wore a disguise. It bothered me, but that was the least of my worries.

"You're going to do fine," I told him.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me, you will be fine."

"If you say so."

Mr. Smitty called Carlos up to go first, figures. He turned to me before walking up to the front of the classroom and smiled. He took a deep breath and kept his eyes locked on me. Mr. Smitty gave him a list of words. He had to read them out loud and give the definition from memory. Our job was to write them down. Everyone had a different list of words to read. For some reason I felt that Carlos had the hardest ones. When he spoke, he never looked away from me. He words came out clearly and understandable. At that moment I felt so proud of him. I couldn't help but smile whenever a word came out of his mouth. After class he ran up to me at my locker, no disguise.

"Dude, that was amazing!"

"It really was," I smiled.

"You have no idea how happy I am."

My smile grew wider.

"Thanks again, man."

"No problem. Just let me know whenever you need help again."

"Well, I was actually wondering if you wanted to continue helping me. I really want to pass the semester with at least a C."

"Sure-,"

"Hey Carlos," Logan came up behind him and leaned on his shoulder. "Why you talking to Ken-dork?"

Carlos' eyes widened when he realized he wasn't wearing his disguise.

"Oh hey Logan, are we still hanging out after school?" He asked him changing the subject.

"Hell yeah, I got the stuff," he whispered.

I stood there pretending not to pay attention, but I couldn't help to wonder what they were talking about. Logan walked away, leaving Carlos and I alone again.

"I'm going to go to class now," I told him.

"Um, yeah me too, I'll see you later."

I didn't look back.

There was something about Logan that had Carlos around him all the time. I had no idea what it could be, but it worried me. I bet James thought the same thing whenever I hung out with him too, but he knows I'm only helping him. There was something different with Logan and I know it's bad. Logan is the definition of bad news.

It's now April, Carlos and I remained our meetings a secret. He passed first semester with a B, and now his biggest concern was passing freshmen year. I really believe he's doing great, but he always insists on continuing with my help. I was more than happy to help him anyways. His disguises didn't bother me as much anymore. I was just happy to have him around. He also continued to hang out with Logan. I only knew that because he would randomly cancel our plans and I would later find out he was with Logan.

James and I only became better friends everyday. He taught me how to make those delicious cookies he would bring over. Our moms also became really close. Katie also made a friend at her middle school. Everything seemed to be going great, but everyday I lived in the fear that my mom might get transferred again. I kept my helmet close everyday and night. It gave me luck, I know it. It worked when I really needed it.