Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or A Walk to Remember.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but my computer got a virus =( Amyway, I hope this chapter is up to par. I'll try to update as soon as I can.
Eli scowled as he chipped the black nail polish off his fingernails sitting in a desk on a Saturday morning. Not only did he have to tutor some stupid kid, but he had to do it on a Saturday? This was ridiculous.
It took a cup of cold water over his head, courtesy of Cece to get him out of bed at 8 a.m that morning. Normally he would have rolled over and fallen back asleep if Cece hadn't returned with a bigger cup of ice water.
He noticed Clare who was helping her student write an English paper. Of course Saint Clare would be here. He noticed the book they were reading which was Chuck Palahniuk, and he grinned inwardly. He would never admit it, but English was his secret shame.
Ms. Oh, the coordinator of the tutoring program, tapped the desk in front of Eli to get his attention. "Mr. Goldsworthy, you were very vocal about choosing music as your subject, so here is your student eager to learn from you. Meet Wesley Betenkamp."
A small, pale freshman with curly hair and glasses smiled timidly. Eli just smiled curtly at Ms. Oh acknowledging Wesley's presence. He took one look at Wesley and scowled. Couldn't he at least have gotten a cooler kid?
"Hi," Wesley said timidly. He awkwardly stood with a guitar case in his hand.
Eli leaned back, not in the mood to teach. He knew how to play, he just didn't want to. This kid's a geek, he thought. He can learn by instruction.
"Open up that bad boy. Let's get started."
"Oh, uhm okay," Wesley fumbled with the clasps before strapping on his acoustic guitar over his shoulder. "Aren't you getting yours out?"
Eli smirked. "I wouldn't want to embarrass you."
Wesley looked confused. Eli just chuckled, putting his feet up on the desk and rocked on the hind legs of his chair. "All right, put your fingers on the g-chord and strum."
Wesley looked down at his guitar and put his fingers somewhere randomly on the neck and strummed. It was not a pleasant sound.
Eli winced. "What are doing? I said g-chord."
Wesley blushed a deep red. "Sorry."
He put his fingers on the proper chord and strummed, but it still sounded awkward. Eli winced again and said, "Okay, stop. Stop. Geez, I thought you were smart."
Wesley continued blushing, but he got defensive. "I am. Being smart has nothing to do with your musical capability."
"Perhaps, but doesn't being smart mean you can listen and follow instructions?" Eli smirked daring him to respond.
Wesley blushed, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. He packed up his guitar and stood up angrily. "Whatever."
Eli leaned back again. Job well done.
Ms. Oh tugged Eli's feet off the desk and looked at him in disapproval. His smirk faded.
Eli blasted Dead Hand on his ipod on the bus ride home so that no one would sit near or talk to him. He could see Clare a couple rows ahead glancing back at him with a bible in her hand.
He made eye contact with her for a second before focusing his attention on the buildings and stores outside. He was still staring out the window when he felt the seat beside him shift. He glanced at Clare who had moved to sit next to him but just glanced back out the window again.
"Hey, I saw you in there with Wesley," she began confidently. "It's tough the first time, but it also helps if you befriend the student a little."
He smirked and answered her, still staring out the window. "What, like this little transaction between us?"
She smiled lightly and spoke again, "So are you going to visit Dave Turner in the hospital? They've moved him out of the ICU."
He ripped off his headphones leaving them to rest on his neck and turned to look at her. His annoyance simmered for a split second when his attention was caught on her big bright baby blues. She blinked and fidgeted with her bible, and the distraction alone was enough to make him annoyed again. "Is this your idea of small talk? 'Cause you suck at it."
"No," she smiled almost sadly. "I thought someone should talk to you since everyone else is ignoring you."
He smirked and laughed once. "They're ignoring me? Me?"
"Popularity is an opinion."
"Does it teach you that in your little book?" He scoffed replacing his headphones.
Clare silenced looking down at her worn out bible. "Don't pretend you know me, Eli. You don't know the first thing about me."
He grinned looking at her again. "Oh but I do, Clare. But I do. See, you're Clare Edwards. Saint Clare. We've gone to the same school since the first grade. You go to church every Sunday, and annoying, so do I. You have exactly one sweater. You like to look at your feet when you walk. And oh yeah, for fun, you like to tutor on the weekends. How's that for knowing you?"
"Predictable," she answered simple. "Nothing I haven't heard before."
When he didn't answer, she sighed, "Well, if you ever need a friend."
She let her sentence drag on before she got up to sit back in her original seat. Eli secretly watched her. She moved her curls out of her face before stilling for an instant. She looked back at Eli, and he got caught in her eyes again. He blinked then looked out the window.
A/N: I know Eli kind of sounds like a jerk, but he will get better with a little help from the owner of those baby blues. Don't forget to review! =)