Wow, I did not expect such a positive response! I was sure it was going to get flamed or at least ignored. I'm glad you all enjoyed it and that you even thought it was in character! Not bad for an AU and my first attempt! ;)

Chapter 2.

"I don't know how to tell you this, Booth, because you're one of our strongest players, but the way things're headed, you're not even gonna scrape through on the NCAA's minimum standards," Coach Wilson told him later that afternoon.

When he'd called him into his office, Booth had figured that it was to discuss the upcoming game, but now he found himself getting angry.

He'd always believed that his skills on the field would be enough to get him into a decent college. Maybe that was why he'd found it so easy to slack off when it came to school.

"Can't you just pull a few strings? You know, call in a favour?" he asked, not realising how this would sound until the coach looked at little affronted.

And why wouldn't he? He'd basically accused him of corruption. "Then all the boys'll be wondering why I didn't do the same for them," he reminded him, a note of disapproval in his tone.

Booth let out a resigned sigh. "So what do you want me to do?" he insisted. He barely had enough time for the homework he had with games, and practice, and his other… commitments.

"I've taken care of everything," the coach explained, and he felt some of the tension lift, thinking that he might not have to do anything after all, until he continued, "All you need is a pass, right? So we're gonna make sure you get one."

"How?" That meant that he was going to have to do the work himself.

"I've found you a tutor."

"A tutor?!" he repeated. He had his pride. Then again, if he couldn't play… "Who is he?"

"She. Temperance Brennan."

Just the name alone made her sound like a geek. "Never heard of her." Which wasn't surprising, considering that girls like that weren't on his radar.

He probably passed her in the hall every day without taking the time to acknowledge her, he realised with a stab of guilt that he shook off by reminding himself that that was just the way that it worked.

"She's a new student. Transferred in from Chicago," the coach said, flipping open the file in front of him so that he could rattle off her list of achievements. "GPA of 4.0. PSAT score of 240." He glanced up at Booth. "She also happens to be the youngest senior this school has ever had."

Great. As if he didn't look dumb enough, he was going to have to get tutoring from a twelve year old. "How old is she?"

"Just celebrated her sixteenth birthday," the coach told him and he relaxed. That was slight improvement on what he'd feared.

"So this kid is some kind of a genius?" he asked. While he would never admit it, he couldn't help being impressed. He couldn't imagine being that smart.

"Looks that way," the coach agreed, closing the file, fixing him with a sympathetic smile. "Listen, Seeley, you don't have to be her best friend, but if it's the difference between you getting a scholarship or not…"

He couldn't deny the fact that the man had a point. He sighed again. "When can we start?"

At this, the coach grinned, clapping his hands together as he stood. "I was hoping you'd say that."

He exited the room, Booth heard voices outside, and when he returned, it was with a dark haired girl with piercing blue eyes and sharp, angular features – the girl from the bleachers. "Seeley Booth, meet Temperance Brennan."

He was so stunned to see her there that he didn't know what to say, a fresh blush creeping into his cheeks as he remembered their earlier encounter.

"You!" she hissed when she spotted him sitting in the chair in front of her, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as though she thought he'd set this up on purpose.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" he retorted, recovering his voice in his irritation. How could she be upset with him? She was the one who'd ruined his chances with one of the hottest girls in school.

The coach glanced from him, to her and back again, confused. "I thought you said you didn't know her?"

"I don't," he insisted, folding his arms and slumping back in his seat. What had he done to deserve being tormented like this?

A flicker of hurt passed over her features before she replaced it with her usual mask of indifference. "He's right, he doesn't," she agreed, to his surprise, her pale eyes boring into his.

"Then why don't I leave you two to get better acquainted? You can work out the details," the coach told them, stepping out into the hall and closing the door.

As soon as he was gone Booth leapt up from his chair, rounding on her. "Why're you doing this?" This was all some kind of sick joke. It had to be.

She folded her own arms, defensive, as she complained, "What?"

"This," he seethed through gritted teeth. "You show up here, humiliate me in front of Missy Winters – like you have any idea what that means--" he added off her unmoved expression "--and I'm supposed to listen to you just because you have an IQ of like… a thousand?"

"Actually, the highest IQ ever recorded was only 228," she corrected him in a haughty tone – as if he even cared – before rushing on, "and I did not humiliate you, I merely pointed out that her br—"

He shot her a warning look, holding his hand up to silence her before she could bring that up again. "I can do this," he said, repeating it like a mantra as he massaged his brow with the other. "God give me strength… I can do this."

He glanced up at her once he'd managed to get his temper back under control. "Let's just cut to the chase, all right? What d'you want in exchange for you tutoring me?"

She perked up at this, the corners of her lips lifting into a wry grin. "Twenty bucks an hour. And a recommendation to any of your friends who need tutoring."

He could feel himself losing it again. What was it about this girl that managed to get under his skin? "Twenty bucks?! That's extortion! Five."

She levelled him with a cool stare. "Fifteen."

"Okay, ten." He wasn't going to let her win this round. Not after what happened last time.

"Good luck with your midterms," she told him with a smirk as she turned to leave. "I hear it gets easier once you fail the first time."

She was laughing at him, he realised. He wanted to let her go, just to show that he didn't need her, but he couldn't. He was desperate and she knew it.

"Fine, fifteen," he agreed, eyeing her with a begrudging look as he forced himself between her and the door, holding it closed. "Happy?"

Her face lit up into a broad grin, and for the first time, he noticed how attractive she was… for a nerd. "It's a deal…"

Chapter 3: Booth learns some things about Brennan, and gives her a nickname... ;)