Ray watched Mariah run away, her pink hair bright against the white polo. She was a strange one, but smart.

When Mrs. Kincaid told him she found a tutor for him, he was relieved. When she told him it would be Mariah Wong, he became worried.

Her comments about his parents bothered him - how would she know anything - but the truth was, she wasn't wrong. He'd heard his mother complain about the girl more than once. He could never figure out what the problem was; all Mariah did was do homework and pass test. But after listening to the girl speak about wanting more, he couldn't blame her for her frustrations.

Ray walked to the student parking lot, still thinking about the weird girl he'd actually had a good time with. To his surprise, Tyson was sitting on the curb next to his car. He was pouring over the book they were reading for class, his pain expression making Ray smile.

Ray quietly approached, leaning over behind Tyson. "Funny seeing you here. Did Hilary get to you?"

Tyson looked up at his friend, lips pulling into a funny pout. "Yeah, she was complaining again," he grumbled while closing the book and stuffing in his backpack, which overflowed with crumpled papers. "How was the hour with the wicked witch?"

Ray narrowed his eyes at the name. "Actually, it wasn't too bad. She's not what she seems."

"Whatever, that girl's insane. I heard that she challenged Dr. Kay's analysis of Shakespeare, right there in front of the class."

Ray had heard that, too, and after meeting Mariah and listening to her explain what he considered to be complex math for an hour, he wouldn't be surprised if she did argue with one of the most difficult teachers.

Ray unlocked his car, tossing his bag in the back seat along with Tyson. He navigated the nearly empty parking lot carefully, coming to a complete stop at the intersections, even though he knew no one was coming and despite Tyson's complaints. They'd had this argument before; Ray felt he should drive as though the lot were crowded and Tyson would prefer if he'd just cut through, ignoring the lines completely.

It was about habits! And doing the right thing even when no one was watching.

"Dude, what's got you so quiet?" Tyson asked as Ray merged with traffic on the street.

"Huh?"

"Is it the girl?" Tyson smiled widely, "You don't have a crush, do ya?"

The golden-eyed boy rolled his eyes. He wouldn't dignify that baseless accusation with a response, but since Tyson was still clearly willing to talk about her, Ray did have a few questions. "Does your grandfather ever complain about her?"

"Naw, he doesn't mind. He actually thinks that the school should offer more spots to the inner-city kids,"

"Like a charity?" He wasn't sure Mariah would like to know that people thought of her that way.

"Don't really know," Tyson shrugged, "I think he just thinks mixin' and minglin' is good for us,"

Ray wasn't sure what to say. His father was pretty quiet on the subject, but his mother had a lot to say, as she usually did about most subjects.

"Why?"

"She said something before she left. It's just got me thinking,"

Tyson snorted. "I wouldn't listen to a word that girl says. She's not all there, you know,"

"Tyson, you don't listen to anything anyone says,"

"That's not true and we're not talking about me right now. Besides, whatever she said can't mean that much. I wouldn't think about it at all."

"Yeah, I guess," Ray said, though he was still thinking about it. He entered their neighborhood, driving slowly and carefully in case any kids shot out into the street.

Tyson snapped his fingers, "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but you know what, call Hilary!"

Ray looked at him with shock. "Why should I do that?"

"Because Hilary will know if there is a benefit to having an inner-city kid at school. Plus, whatever it is she said that's bothering, Hilary will be able to talk you out of it. She's great at that - talking. And she loves talking about you. Me, she just goes on and on about how I never do the homework, and if I don't start putting in some effort I'll go nowhere in life, and do I really think playing video games is gonna take me anywhere,"

Ray ignored Tyson as he continued to ramble about Hilary. They were friends - sort of - before Ray had met them. At first, he wasn't sure what kept them together because they argued nonstop. At first, he thought they were both too stubborn to be the one to end the friendship, but he found out later that both of them were loyal to a fault.

Ray dropped his friend off in front of his house before driving the short distance to his. After parking the in the three-car garage, he grabbed his things from the backseat. He slipped his shoes off before entering the house into the kitchen. His mom was at the island chopping vegetables, recipe book on a stand in front of her, and various kitchen tools spread out around her.

"Hey, Mom," he said. He reached for one of the carrots she'd already cut but she lightly smacked his hand away. She gave him a pointed look but laughed anyway

"How was your day?"

Ray set his stuff down to sit on one of the bar seats at the island. "Fine, nothing much happened,"

"How was your first study session with the tutor?"

"Good," Ray said. He avoided making eye contact, knowing that if she suspected there was something he wasn't saying, she'd pry it out of him. And if she discovered who is tutor was, she'd make him find a new one.

She placed her vegetables in the pot on the stove. "Good. You should go upstairs and finish your homework,"

"Yes, Mom." Ray slid off the stool.

Upstairs, Ray's room was orderly. Bed made, all of his dirty clothes in the hamper in the closet, clean clothes hung up or in draws. He found it difficult to think when things were out of place, and he liked to have time to meditate in the morning. He'd seen Tyson's bedroom and was sure that in contributed to the hazy way his mind seemed to function.

Ray covered the rest of his homework with his usual ease. As usual, he saved math for last. Looking over the assignment, he sighed. He'd worked out a deal with Mrs. Kincaid: she'd count the time spent with a tutor toward his grade as long as she could see an improvement in his test scores. But he still had to do the assignment. Problem was, the assignment was still in a foreign language.

Just as he was struggling through the example problem for the third time, his mom called him down for dinner. Knowing he'd have to come back to it later, and also that it wouldn't be any different then, he marked the page with his pencil and shut the book.

Dinner was served at the table downstairs, where his mom and dad were already seated. His plate was filled with hot food, already portioned out into perfect sections. His dad was already eating, scrolling through the evening news on his phone, despite the fact that his mom and repeatedly asked there be no phones at the table.

"Ray has a tutor," his mom stated proudly, as though she were the one who went out and found him one.

"That's great," his father replied, glancing up from his phone briefly to look at Ray. "You'll get that grade up in no time, no doubt."

"What's their name? Maybe I can send a thank you gift to their parents,"

"Is it someone we know?"

Ray stalled, looking for a way out. He knew revealing his tutor's identity would result in his needing to find a new tutor.

But why was he looking for an out, he thought. Sure, Mariah was smart and knew her way around an equation, but she was also rude and made assumptions about him and his parents. Why was he so keen on keeping her around? There were other smart kids in the school.

"Well, Rei?"

"Emily Watson," he blurted. He stared at his plate, afraid to make eye contact with either of his parents. They'd immediately know he lied.

His mom smiled, her warm eyes lighting up. "That's great. Emily's at the top of your class. I'll send her a fruit basket. Do you think she'd like that, or maybe something else,"

Ray shook his head. "No, fruits great. But let me take it to her. I'd like to show my appreciation as well,"

"I'll pick it up tomorrow,"

Ray nodded, taking a bit of his dinner. Afterward, he returned to his room to continue working on the impossible assignment. He brought a cup of green tea with him, taking small sips as he read through the explanations and the following the steps closely. It was the same as always; as long as he had the steps in front of him, he could plug the numbers from the assignment in and come up with the right answer. As soon as word problems were involved, or the steps were taken away, he was completely lost.

He finished his cup before finishing his homework, and it was starting to get late. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his eyes.

Deciding there was nothing more he could do, he flicked his desk light off and took his normal shower before unwrapping his hair from its binding. Most of his friends didn't realize it, but it was almost down to his ankles already. As he ran the brush gently through the sections, he thought about Mariah again and her comments about his parents. He'd always wondered why the school let him get away with his hair being the length that is was. Tyson told him not to rock the boat by seeking answers he didn't really want to know; Hilary said it was because he was nice and kept it out of the way.

But with Mariah's comment, he sat on his bed, methodically pulling the brush in short strokes from the ends of his hair to his roots, wondering if it could possibly be something else.

He saw Mariah arrive on campus the next morning. He was sitting on one of the school's benches next to Tyson as Hilary stood above them, lecturing him on the importance of a balanced breakfast.

"Can't you give it a rest, Hil?" Tyson finally snapped, "Or focus on Ray for five minutes at least? Ask him about his homework or something,"

"Hey, don't drag me into this,"

Hilary's dark brown eyes lit up. "How was your tutor session yesterday?"

"He has a crush on the weird girl,"

"I don't have a crush,"

" You already have a crush? You were supposed to be studying,"

"I don't have a crush," Ray said, watching from the corner of his eye as Mariah lugged her heavy-looking shoulder bag across the schoolyard.

Tyson pointed at him, "You're looking at her right now!"

"Tell the entire universe, Tyson," Hilary smacked him across the head. "Ray, while I don't think it's really a good idea for you to have a crush your tutor, I can't say it's a complete surprise."

"You, what?" Tyson rubbed the back of his head, glaring at the girl. Ray felt sorry for his friend, but he couldn't deny that he was surprised by Hilary's comment as well.

"Tyson, it's normal to develop an attraction to a teacher or tutor. You know that; you had a crush on our fourth-grade teacher,"

Tyson laughed, a toothy smile spreading across his face, "Oh, yeah,"

"I don't have a crush on Mariah,"

"Then why would Tyson say that?"

"Because it's Tyson," Ray shrugged. "Look, the session was good, I'm looking forward to our next session, but I don't have a crush."

"You're sure?"

"Positive,"

"Okay, I guess," Hilary hit Tyson again, causing him to shout. "Stop spreading rumors,"

Ray had math early in the day, which always bothered him. As much as he tried, there was something about being made aware of his failings before ten A.M. that just sent his day on a decline. Now, that he had Mariah's help, he was hoping that it would become easier soon.

"Uh, Ray," Mrs. Kincaid stopped him before he found his seat, "how did everything go last night."

Ray smiled. "It went really well, I thought. Mariah helped with some of the concepts I struggled with, but we were only able to get through one chapter,"

Mrs. Kincaid's lips pulled into a slight frown. "Oh, well. Oh no,"

"What's wrong?"

"Well, Mariah stopped by this morning and recommended finding a new tutor for you. She made some suggestions - there's Kenny or -"

"Wait. She doesn't want to be my tutor anymore?"

Mrs. Kincaid's eyes were sympathetic behind her glasses. It was an expression Ray was used to seeing from her by this point. She motioned for him to take his seat, saying that they'd talk after. Ray tried to pay close attention during class, but between already being behind and now being distracted, he didn't absorb much. It felt like the class went on forever while yesterday's conversation with Mariah went through his head again and again. She said she'd see him today, even agreed to three days a week. So, what had changed overnight?

When class was over, Ray gathered his things and walked up to the teacher's desk. The teacher folded her hands in front of her.

"She didn't explain anything to me, though I tried to ask. She simply said that she didn't think it would work out for her and recommended finding someone new,"

"I don't understand," Ray wanted to argue, but he knew it was no good. It wasn't Mrs. Kincaid's mind he needed to change. Students from her next class were already coming in and Ray knew he needed to get going before he was late.

"I'm sorry, Ray," she said, "I really thought it would work out."

Ray walked away, confused and agitated with the way things had worked out. He gripped the straps of his backpack as he walked through the school from class to class. During lunch, he tried to find her, scanning the room for the bright pink hair amongst the sea of white and tan. Finally, he saw her sitting with Queen near the door. He dropped his bag off with Tyson and Hilary, quickly asking them to watch it while he walked over to the duo.

"Incoming," he heard Queen mutter behind her hand, though her dark eyes watched him closely, almost mockingly.

Mariah's head jerked up from her phone, "What - oh! Ray,"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Go ahead, talk right here," Queen answered.

"Answer your own questions," Mariah said, pocketing her phone. She grabbed her bag and stood, allowing Ray to leaned her away from the crowded room. They hadn't attracted any attention yet and Ray hoped it would stay that way. Once outside the doors, Ray led here around a corner where they'd have some make-believe privacy.

He turned to her, surprised she'd follow him that far. "Why'd you go back? I thought we had a good time yesterday,"

"A good time? Ray, we weren't on a date. And besides, I realized it was a bit of an inconvenience. It's just better if someone else studies with you,"

"What if I don't want to study with someone else?"

Mariah crossed her arms and leaned to one leg. "Why, are you already in love with me?"

Between Tyson, Hilary, and now Mariah, Ray thought he might have to write in big letters on his forehead "I don't have a crush" but instead he just rolled his eyes. "You wish,"

"What if I did?"

"What?"

She shrugged, looking away. "Kidding. God, have you never flirted before?"

"Uh,"

"Anyway, there are other smart kids in the school who would be happy to spend an hour alone with you,"

"Mariah, please reconsider. You explained things in a way that I was able to understand. I just don't think I'll find that anywhere else."

"You got a lot of faith for someone who just met me," her chin jutted out, challenging his reasoning.

He stepped forward, getting closer to her. "Tell me I'm wrong," he said. Mariah could dance around the truth all she wanted, but Ray knew they worked well together. They were able to focus on the material and the whole hour went by smoothly, despite her comments about his parents.

Mariah eyed him closely, her eyes darting around his face, looking for something he didn't know. He noticed that her eyes were golden, like his own, but lighter, closer to the honey his mom put in her tea. Then, she stepped forward, narrowing the space between them even more.

"You're wrong," she said. She moved to turn away, her hair, down today, brushing across his polo with the momentum of her spin.

"What changed?" He asked before she could get too far. "Maybe I can fix it,"

"There's nothing in it for me, Ray," she said, her back still turned away. "I realized that there's nothing in it for me."

"Can I put something in it?"

Mariah turned around, her eyes wild with laughter.

"I mean, what would it take to make you stay?" With the way he was speaking, anyone would assume they'd had some torrid love affair, not that he was begging her to teach him something so benign as math.

She sighed. "It's really that important to you?"

"Yes, it really is,"

"Okay, fine. You drive, right?"

Ray, absolutely shocked by her response, nodded and stumbled over his words. "Yeah, I drive,"

"Good. Meet by the student lot after school. Tell your friends they're own their own today,"

"Okay," Ray agreed, not at all thinking of how Tyson would take have to walk home or, worse, ride with Hilary.

Tyson's was unrelenting about the girl and his non-existent crush for the remainder of the day, constantly arguing that Ray didn't need her, and couldn't he tell this was reverse psychology. Hilary hushed him eventually, say that they needed to support Ray because what he was doing was important, even if unconventional.

"What do you mean?" Ray asked in response to her comment. They walking together between classes as it was nearing the end of the day. Ray had been well distracted since lunch, wondering what Mariah was planning.

Hilary looked away. "I guess, just that she is a little weird, and spending so much time with her could have negative side-effects,"

"Like what? And what do you mean weird? She seems normal to me,"

"Hil's right," Tyson said, a rare instance of the two being in agreement. "She's just not the same as the rest of us,"

"Do you have examples? Evidence?"

"Only everything she's said and done since she started attending this school? The way she argues with the teachers in class; she never hangs out with anyone, who knows what she does in her spare time. Once, I heard another kid asked her what she did for fun, and she just stared at them before walking away. She's weird, Ray."

"Just be careful around her," Hilary put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently, "she's not from around here."

Ray shook his head, not wanting to argue anymore but unwilling to ignore their concerns.

Mariah was where she said she'd be, standing front and center in front of the student parking. Others spared her odd looks as they walked by, but she didn't seem to notice as her eyes landed on him.

"Ready?"

"For what?"

She just smiled. "Bring me to your car,"

Ray led her to his white two-door, unlocking the doors. She slid in comfortably, like she'd been in their hundreds of times before, chucking her bag into the back. "Nice, I like the red trim,"

"Thanks, I guess," he responded with a shrug, turning the car on. The engine purred quietly as he waited for instructions.

"What? You don't like it?"

"It's fine,"

Mariah watched him intently.

"What?"

"I would be very careful of what you say right now. I'm testing you."

"Testing me?"

"Yes, to see if you're worthy of my time. Everything you do or say is going to tell me if I should waste my precious hours helping you. Life is limited, you know,"

"What do I have to do?"

Mariah snorted. "I can't tell you that, it would defeat the test,"

"Don't you usually study for a test? Know what's going to be on the test beforehand? How can I pass if I don't even know what's being graded?"

"Fair point," Mariah looked out the window. "I know everyone talks about me. But people talk about you too. Did you know that?"

Ray nodded, hands tapping on the steering wheel, eager for something to do. "I'm aware I have a reputation,"

"I'm testing to see if what they say is true,"

Ray didn't know how she planned on testing that, or what it would tell her about his worthiness, but he decided he was willing to play along if it meant keeping her on has his tutor. "Well, my parents expect me home by a certain time, so if you want to test me, it's going to be a timed test. When do we start?"

"Oh, Ray, we already have," he could see her grin in his side mirror. "Go to the street and make a left,"

Ray, aware of the unusualness of the situation but unable to stop his curiosity, did as he was told. He followed her step by step directions as they took him deeper into the city. He knew, based on the time it was taking them to reach wherever Mariah was leading them to, that he wouldn't make it home on time. There were two options he could see.

Turn around and tell her he couldn't be late. He'd already lied to his parents about being tutored by Emily. If he messed up now, they'd figure it out.

Or he could stay.

He found himself fighting the most against this option, knowing that leaving was the smarter of the two. But he couldn't physically turn the car around.

"Up here," Mariah said, pointing to a shopping center. He pulled in and parked when she pointed again. "Wait,"

Ray watched as she slipped out of the car and walked into a restaurant. He couldn't believe she'd dragged him all the way out here so that she could get food. And where did she think she was going to eat it, because he had a strict 'no food' policy after an incident with Tyson and some sushi. Nonetheless, she returned minutes late with a bag and got back in.

"I have been craving this for weeks but can never get over here before they close," she started unpacking the styrofoam boxes. She passed one to him, which he took if only to keep her from dropping it. After passing him a plastic fork, she popped the lid and stared at it with adoration before stabbing at the contents and shoving the bite in her mouth. Strings of cheese stretched from her mouth as Ray watched her chew as though the bite itself was straight from heaven.

She caught his stare and smiled. "What?"

In that moment, she reminded him unbelievably of Tyson and Ray wondered why he attracted such people. "There's no food in my car,"

"What? How boring,"

"A car isn't meant to be entertainment?"

"No, it isn't something to treat like it's holy," she said, taking another large bite. "You spend a considerable amount of time in your car, why wouldn't you eat in it?"

"To keep it clean,"

"Ever hear of a carwash?"

"If that's the case, next time we can take your car,"

She shrugged, "Sure, if only you don't mind 50 other people joining us,"

"What?"

"I take the bus." She pointed at his box, "Are you gonna eat that?"

He opened the lid to the box she handed him. Inside was the same thing she was eating. He could see meat and fries and cheese, and thoroughly unhealthy; definitely not on the menu at home. But it looked good. Really good. Mariah held out the plastic fork for him. Suddenly, he remembered her comments in the parking lot and that this was a test.

Grasping the forking, he forcibly stabbed at the dish in front of him, opening his mouth wide to allow the large fork-full. As soon as the food touched his tongue, the flavor exploded. His eyes widened as he chewed and swallowed, eagerly going back for another bite.

"That's it," Mariah nodded, happily going back to her own meal.

They ate quietly for a while, until Ray was about halfway through his plate and he started to feel full. His eyes drifted to the clock on his dashboard. "I'm so late,"

"And how does that make you feel?"

He looked to Mariah as she took another big bite. "Anxious," he answered, closing his container. "So, have I passed your test?"

"Yep,"

"Are you going to tell me what the test was about?"

Mariah closed her own container, putting it back in the bag they came in. She dabbed her lips with the napkins from inside. "I wanted to see how dedicated you are. You asked what it would take to make me stay, so I wanted to know that you're willing to step outside that good boy reputation you've spent your entire life creating,"

"And you did that by making me late? What does this even prove? What does it have to do with teaching me math?"

"Hanging around with me is going to have some repercussions," Mariah smiled, her eyes narrowed in a way that was becoming familiar to him. "I wanted to be sure you'd keep up, and not fold. I told you I take the bus. So if I'm going to be wasting my time after school with you, I needed to be assured that you wouldn't turn tail and run at the first challenge. Now, I know you're willing to disappoint your parents,"

"Why are you so hung up on my parents?"

Mariah stared at him, her eyes no longer playful. Turning away, she opened the car door before grabbing her bag from the back.

"I can give you a ride home," Ray said as she got out.

"It's fine. It's a short ride from here." Before she closed the door, she said, "I'll see you tomorrow for our regularly scheduled session,"

Again, Ray watched the girl walk away. He was struck by the idea that he knew very little about Mariah, despite all of the rumors he'd heard about her.

He arrived home a full hour later than he was supposed to, and judging by the missed calls on his phone, he wasn't going to get by without a discussion.

"Rei," his mother was waiting in the kitchen, standing by the island, "where have you been?"

"I was with my tutor," Ray answered quickly. He'd practiced the lie-not-really-a-lie all the way home. "Sorry, I forgot to check my phone before coming home,"

"You are later than we agreed,"

"We studied longer; I have a test at the end of the week and Emily wanted to make sure I am prepared,"

His mom's eyes pinned him, watching for any cracks in his story. Ray kept his face straight under her examination. He wasn't lying, he told himself. He was with his tutor.

The rest of it? Well, yes, that was a lie.

"Go upstairs and finish your homework," she finally said, turning back to the kitchen counter. "I'll bring your dinner up in a bit,"

Ray had already disposed of his dinner that Mariah had given him. As he climbed the steps, he wondered how much he could get away with eating so that it wouldn't be suspicious. As he sat at his desk, pulling out the textbooks and folders he needed, he found himself looking forward to seeing Mariah the next day. As complicated as she made is life in only two days, it was the most interesting it had been in a while.

Edited 06/01/2020

Editing is really hard, everyone. I can't thank you enough for your time.