A/N: I want to thank everyone for all of the awesome reviews! It means so much to me that you guys like this story and I'll absolutely do my best to keep it alive! After tonight's amazing episode 'Camp Grounded' I knew it was time to post my most recent chapter. Enjoy!

English Midterm. Friday. Lux searched through the pile of clothes on the floor, silently praying that her copy of Pride and Prejudice lay somewhere in between last week's socks and yesterday's gym shorts. She had her blinders on. Nothing was going to derail this midterm. She wasn't going to think about anything else. Anyone else. Crouching down, she peeked under the bed.

"Crap!" Lux cried, looking at the clock. Baze would be there any minute. She pulled open the drawers of her desk. Nothing. At least nothing to do with school. She took a quick breath trying to remember where the book was.

"Can I walk you home?" Eric asked.

"I'm a big girl. I can make it back." Lux responded leaning away from him.

"Lux," He said turning towards her, "I wish you didn't feel like you always have to be on guard with me. Did it ever occur to you that I might want to walk you home?"

"No!" Lux said out loud. She couldn't spend time reminiscing. Big Test. Friday. It may only be Monday, but before long it would be Friday morning. D-day.

"Lux! Baze is here!" Cate called from downstairs.

"Crap!" Lux ran downstairs. "I can't find my english book!" Tutor-bitch is literally going to decapitate me.

"Where did you last see it?" Cate asked handing Lux a blueberry muffin. Lux threw her hands up in the air exasperatedly.

"Seriously?" she sighed and took the muffin. "If I knew that...it wouldn't be lost!" Lux went to meet Baze. He greeted her with a smile and the copy of Pride and Prejudice that she had been looking for all morning.

"Hey, don't you need this?" He asked handing the book to her. Lux was in one of those moods. The one where she was going to hit Baze over the head for not calling her to let her know he had it the entire time. "I found it in the truck this morning."

"Thanks," Lux said without any real emotion. School was going to be the end of her. As they drove to school, she leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

"I don't know. I guess I'm..."

"You're what?" Eric asked.

"Not used to people wanting to be around me," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I..." Eric frowned. Lux shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It's life."

"Not it's not that," Eric replied shaking his head, "it's just..."

"Just what?" Lux asked.

"School time, space case." Baze broke Lux's trance. She allowed the images of their conversation to ruminate around her for a few seconds longer before rejoining the world. "Have fun at tutoring!" Baze called out cheerfully as she headed into the school.

Blahhhhhhh. That's all Lux thought of and wanted to say when the word tutoring was used.

"Good morning, Lux," her tutor greeted her as she walked into the classroom." Lux gave her a half-hearted smile. "So this Friday..."

"Yeah I know. Biggest test of my life sort of situation. A do or die scenario."

"Well, only if you want a slim chance to pass the class," the tutor chuckled ruefully to herself.

Did she really just say that out loud? Lux started to wonder if she was just a bitch or if this was some teaching tactic to motivate her to do better. If that was the case. A big NOT WORKING should be stamped on her face. She wished she could be anywhere but here.

"Just what," Lux repeated, putting her hand on his knee. Eric gazed deeply into her eyes.

"There are things that I want to say to you. But I can't. It's not right."

"Screw what's right. This is where you and I differ Mr. Daniels. You have too many boundaries."

"But Lux, you have like no boundaries at all," he smiled at her.

"I guess I've never really needed them...or just never wanted to be constricted by them."

"And here...this is one of those moments where I want to tell you that I really love that about you," He said quietly.

"Ah. But you can't. Because it's wrong," Lux repeated.

"So smart...and such a quick learner to boot," he grinned and stood. "I'm walking you home."

Lux's heart warmed. She was ready to face the next hour.

"Let's get started. Last Friday I had asked you to analyze one of the more important quotes from Pride and Prejudice. We spent the session discussing Of Mice and Men and forgot to go over the assignment."

Oh...not good. Her heart instantly dropped.Lux pretended to rummage through her bag. Had she just forgotten to do it? No, she had started, but her brief notes were still at home. She spent all her time looking for the damned book itself.

"Lux, the quote. Tell me your analyzation." Lux opened the book and quickly skimmed through it hoping for smart sparkles to magically fall from the ceiling.

Which do you mean?" and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."

"Okay. So basically Darcy is saying that Elizabeth isn't really pretty enough and he isn't in the mood to dance with her. To dance with someone like her. He's saying that most of the ladies at the ball are all the same."

"Did you do this assignment?" Lux nodded weakly. It was a half nod because it was the half truth. "Don't lie to me! That's the same answer you gave me last time. You are such a waste of my time! Get out and don't come back until you've done the assignment!"

Lux's eyes glazed over as she hastily packed her bag. She wouldn't let the tutor see her cry like this. She ran out of the room and down the hall. Stupid. Waste of Space. Idiot. Worthless. The words stampeded over her thoughts, leaving her breathless.

"Lux?" Eric saw a petite blonde in a hat flash by his office. Still too early for students to be in the school, he automatically assumed it was Lux. She should still be in tutoring. Eric headed into the hall and saw her turn the corner. "Lux," he called a bit louder this time. He found her crouched against the wall, breathing heavily into her hands.

It was instinct. Pure and simple. An innate need to protect her from the pain in the world. Without thinking He kneeled down on the floor and wrapped his arms around her.

It was instinct he suddenly realize that was going to get him into trouble. Quickly he realized and backed off. Only slightly...as much as necessary. But then she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. So broken. What caused this? Who caused this? The desire to inflict physical harm on the cause was overwhelming. Quickly looking around he pulled Lux into the office supply closet and closed the door. She sank back down to the floor and leaned against the door. He sat cross-legged facing from her. Their knees touched.

"Lux, what happened?" He asked, taking one of her hands into his. She shook her head. She couldn't tell him. All the insecurities of being his inferior...of being too young and too stupid...rose to the surface. It didn't matter if he thought she was his equal because she didn't feel that way. She leaned into her lap and put her head against her legs. He wished there was more he could do to comfort her. "Please talk to me. Please?" He asked gently.

"I just feel stupid," she said stifling her tears.

"Why? What did you do?"

"That's just it. I didn't do anything!" She brushed away the remaining tears and shrank back against the door. Their knees no longer touched. She closed her eyes and even though he was right in front of her, she thought back to the end of the evening the week prior, as he walked her home.

"I kind of like holding your hand...Mr. Daniels." Lux smiled as she exaggerated his name. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and they continued on to her house.

"I kind of like that you like holding my hand." She could see Cate's house at the end of the block. They would have to separate soon.

"I have to ask you something." Lux said hesitantly. Eric nodded. "Why did you leave? Why do I have a new tutor?" Eric sighed.

"Lu..." but he was interrupted by his phone. "Lux, I have to answer this. It's kind of a personal call though." Obviously he didn't want to talk to her.

"You know what? It's fine. I'm just a few houses down anyway. I'll see you in school on Monday." Just when they were making so much progress. She didn't wait for an answer. There was no romantic goodbye.

Lux looked at Eric's soft eyes. She could see how big his heart was. She could see his internal conflict, the inner war he was waging with himself. She didn't like to reason for such a battle.

"My problems are many. But right now? They're directly related to my current tutor. So I'm going to ask you one more time why you abandoned me. I'm going to only ask one more time. But if you choose not to answer..." Lux didn't know how to finish her sentence. She just closed her eyes, wishing to be someone different. To be somewhere else.

"Lux...I..." They both say in silence for a while longer. "I thought it would be too hard to be around you."

Lux shook her head.

"That doesn't explain why you left for almost a week. It doesn't explain why you aren't my tutor now."

"It's still too hard..." But his inflection was all off. Lux had many skills. Detecting a lie was a big one. She stood to leave.

"I don't believe you. But I understand that it's all you feel comfortable explaining. However you wanted to know...to understand why the weak little blonde is crying." Lux pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's because the special ed. tutor that you forced on me has done nothing but shoot me down...in fact she's been a downright verbal bitch to me." She reached for the door and looked back at him. "And that's really putting it nicely."

By Wednesday, Lux had given up any hopes of passing the test. She didn't do the assignment because she deemed herself to be illiterate. She stood by what the tutor said. She didn't bother to go back and be a waste of space. But she couldn't tell Cate or Baze that. So after being dropped off, Lux found a secluded spot around the side of the building and sat down. Trying to be somewhat productive, she opened her book. The words seemed jumbled. She had too much frustration towards this book now.

"Thought I'd find you here," a voice snuck up behind her. He sat down beside her and dropped his bag to the grass.

"I won't go back to tutoring with her. I've pretty much been verbally abused my entire life, and there's only so much I'll take." Lux flicked the cover of the book habitually.

"Well then, we've got a lot of work to do before Friday," Eric stated with mock authority.

"Wait," Lux smiled turning to Eric. "Doe this mean you're my tutor again?"

"Not officially," Eric shook his head. "It's a case by case basis, and I choose to take this week's case because it seems pretty important." He pulled something square out of his bag. "I've got a plan for you. So your mission if you choose to acc..."

"I accept it," Lux interjected happily. Eric couldn't resist a smile in response to Lux's obviously brightened mood.

"I have a copy of Pride and Prejudice. It's the DVD. Have you seen it?" Lux shook her head. She rarely watched movies. "All right then. It's yours to borrow. I want you to watch it and be thinking about the critical questions and quotations on your worksheet. Have them with you as a reference but use the movie as another tool."

Lux found herself sarcastically wishing that he was still dating Paige, so they could watch together. That was a decent night, Lux thought fondly. Eric picked up on her thoughts.

"Do you still have my phone number?" He asked, remembering the first night he met her. They had exchanged numbers. "Because if you want to work through it with someone you can call me."

"I don't think I have your phone number," Lux grinned trying to hide her lie.

"Uh huh," Eric snatched Lux's cell out of her hand and scrolled through the contacts.

"Hey private property, dude," Lux said halfheartedly. He continued to scroll. "See? No Eric in my phone. I didn't want think there was any reason to keep it." He stopped scrolling and smiled.

"So what's this?" He handed the phone back to her with the screen showing contact- Minnesota.

"Someone else. Someone I know who happens to currently reside in Minnesota," Lux lied unable to resist a slight smirk.

"Liar," he grinned, checking his watch. Students would start arriving soon. "Well since you don't have my phone number, you might as well just come over to my place to watch the movie," he said standing.

Unexpected plot twist, Lux thought as her heart started thumping.

"Why Mr. Daniels, are you asking me on a date?"

"No," Eric paused looking back at her. "It's just a study session, strictly PG." he started to leave but paused again. "Is that something you can handle?"

"Of course," Lux said thumbing through her book carelessly. "What kind of girl do you think I am?"

The kind that will get me into trouble, he thought, smiling to himself.