A Single Candle

"What do you see in me? In you, I see all these wonderful things, but I have nothing to give you in return. I'm not pretty or popular, and heaven
knows I don't have the money or the smarts."

--Yolie, A Single Candle

Chapter Two: When the Pupil Is Ready to Learn, the Teacher Appears

She punched in Ken's phone number and held the phone to her ear, anxiously waiting for someone to pick it up. On the last ring, Ken finally picked it up. "Hello?" It was Ken's voice. And it made her shiver, when she remembered what he said... 'I guess it wasn't meant to be.' She sighed and smiled. She knew there had to be some explanation to this. Ken would never try to get in the way of her happiness. He was her friend, right?

"Hey, Ken!" She smiled, pushing her bad feeling aside. He was her friend. She knew it. And he would never hurt her, no way, no how! "It's me... Yolie!" She laughed, casting a smile at her friend Miranda. Miranda gave her a thumbs up and giggled. "I have a slight problem... And I thought... no, I was sure that you could fix it!" She said, trying her best to sound sad, yet determined. She wanted to win Ken over. She didn't want pity... unless it was pity that would get her a tutor. Then, she would crawl on the floor, cry, and beg for pity, as long as Ken would tutor her. Ken laughed.

"Sure. What did you do now, Yolie? Last time I had to rewire a computer, buy a new hard drive, and clean up your room. And believe me, that was no small task." He said, grinning widely. "Now. Seriously, what did you do this time? It can't be worse than the fire you accidentally set in the park while you were trying to cook for our picnic. No one will ever forget that. We had to tear out all the burnt grass and replant new seeds, because you decided that running around in circles was a logical answer to your problem." This made them both laugh.

"Ok, it's not THAT serious, but it's very important. It is to me, anyway!" She said. "It all started with science class. To make the story short, I caused my project to blow up and now I can't go to the dance unless I can master that project and some others. Thing is, I was asked to go with Devon! He's the hottest boy in our school! I know this sounds stupid, but I can't miss this! It may be my only chance with him, Ken! And then I'll just be a nobody again! I can't let that happen! So, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to..." She trailed off.

"Be your tutor?" Ken asked. "Damn, Yolie! If I were to do that, I'd probably be dead by the time you got it right!" He said, trying to hide a strange feeling. When she mentioned Devon, it felt like his whole body had gone numb. Yolie really liked him. And that's what was bothering Ken. Or so it seemed. He sighed. "But what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you try to get this right." He said. "Sure. I'll help you. But you WILL owe me for this one. And I want to have all my arms and legs once this is over or else you will pay for the surgery!" He laughed half-heartedly.

"Ohhhh! Thanks, Ken. You're the best! I can't wait! With you on my side, there's no failing! I'll be with Devon at the dance and everybody will be happy!" She grinned. Miranda smirked. Yolie looked so happy. Ken wished he could have seen it. Because he wasn't feeling so happy. He had been feeling great when he heard her voice and realized that she had called him. But now that he heard the story, he wasn't feeling so good. It was all for another boy. He knew he shouldn't have been jealous. Yolie was his friend. It's not like they were... anything else.

"Yeah. You're welcome. Just don't make me regret this." He groaned. "We'll start as soon as possible. You need all the time you can get." He said. "When do you have to have this figured out by?" He asked. Yolie looked at Miranda and bit her lip. She hadn't told Ken the worst part yet... Well, the worst part as far as Ken was concerned. She laughed nervously and smiled. "What? What's so funny?" He asked.

"Tomorrow." She said softly. She heard Ken shout something on the other line. She couldn't tell what he said, but it wasn't good. "I know that it's soon, but I'm ready! I can do this! But I need you to help me do this!" She begged and pleaded. "Please?"

"Fine. But I can't promise you anything. I'll be right over." He said. And with that, he hung up the phone. Yolie sighed and turned off her phone. She turned to Miranda and smiled. Miranda laughed.

"Are you two always like that?" She asked innocently, picking up her bag. "Whatever!" She laughed. "I've got to go. I'll let you two start studying. I've got some work of my own to do. Good luck, Yolie. I hope Devon appreciates everything you're doing to be with him." She said. Yolie waved as her friend left. She sighed heavily, leaning her head back. She was exhausted, but this was just the beginning. She had a long way to go if she wanted to go to the dance. She got out her notebook and waited patiently for Ken to arrive.

He got there ten minutes later. It was a good thing they lived close to each other. He calmly walked to her room, running a hand through his black hair. He sighed and cautiously knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door burst open and Yolie jumped out at him, surprising him. In his shook he fell backwards onto the floor. Yolie laughed, helping him up. "Don't go getting all scared now! Come in!" She said, gesturing him to go in first. He nodded and stepped inside her room. He looked around and smiled. Her room fit her personality perfectly.

He saw her science notebook and picked it up. He started leafing through it when Yolie came in and wrapped her arms around his waist. Once again, she surprised him. He threw the book up into the air by accident and blushed. She giggled, letting go of him to go retrieve it when it landed on the floor. "I was going to say thank you, but the look on your face says I should have said 'surprise!' She handed the book back to him. "So... where should we start?" She asked innocently, sitting down on the bed and looking up at him with huge, inquiring eyes.

He sighed and sat down next to her. He turned to face her and shook his head. He had mellowed out and his cheeks had returned to their normal color. "You're hopeless. Do you know that, Yolie?" He asked. "I guess we'll start at the only logical place... the beginning." He said. She nodded, listening intently. She had to do this. It was important. For a while, he read out of the book. Then, he asked her questions until she knew them all by heart. After hours of this, she started to see a shining ray of hope... or was that because she was starting to drift asleep?

She couldn't hold her eyes open anymore and her body instinctively fell forward into Ken's arms. For the third time that day, he was surprised. But this time, he didn't jump or fall down. He set down the book and looked at her. He smiled down at her. She looked so peaceful. And he couldn't help but wonder if Devon knew how truly wonderful she was. Did he even know her name? Probably not. He hated to think that she was being used. Or that she would sink so low as to look only to the outside. But whatever it was, it didn't feel right to help her get him.

He slowly eased her out of his arms and on to her bed. He lifted the covers and placed her under them, tucking her in. He took her pen and a piece of paper and scribbled a short message onto it. He put the pen back and laid the note on the pillow next to her. Then, he slowly creeped out of the house, back to his own. The whole time, he kept thinking about her. He wished he could stop it, but something made him uneasy.

The next morning, when Yolie woke up, she turned to find herself in bed. She sat up and smiled. Ken was such a gentleman. Then, she noticed the note he had written her. She picked it up and smiled. On it, he scribbled 'You are ready.' She smiled, holding it to her chest. "Prey for me, Ken." She said, getting up out of bed. She quickly got dressed and put the note in her pocket. She put her stuff in her bookbag and put on her shoes before rushing to Miranda's house. They were going to walk to school together, today. They needed it.

TBC

Sorry it was such a short chapter. I think the next one will be short too, but then they will get longer again, I promise. I tried to keep everything nice and smooth. Tell me what you think! Review, please! Thanks.

Christine Lennoire