Picture Perfect

Chapter 5

Jonathan POV

"Sooo how'd tutoring go?" Parker asked as soon as I walked through the door of Pattie's.

"She hates me," I said before turning to put on my apron.

"What? A little kid hates you? How is that even possible aren't you like a kid whisperer or something?" He laughed. It was partly true. Since I have four younger siblings, I learned how to deal with kids. Whenever one came into the store, let's just say I could handle them better than Parker.

"Yeah that's just it. It's not a little kid. That lady was Alessia Vera's mom." That wiped the smile of his face.

"Wait? The Alessia Vera, one of the most popular kids at school. Isn't she like an icy bitch?"

"Yeah she kinda is. She made it very clear that she didn't like me. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do this, man." I scratched the back of my neck. It was true. The whole reason I was hired was to be her friend and she would barely talk to me and when she did it was some sort of jab at me.

"Ok, so with trig you need to have the unit circle memorized. Do you already?" I asked while handing her her packets.

"I don't know, do I have a social life unlike someone I know?" She smiled sarcastically as she took the papers. "I guess we can start there, Curly."

"Curly?" I laughed hesitantly. A nickname was a good sign, right?

"Yeah, it's a nickname. You know things people use when they don't bother to learn someone's name."

"She really said that?" Parker questioned.

"Yeah, and that was her being mild. I don't think it's personal though. She was really upset with her mom when I came in. I was probably just an easy target."

"Dude, you are too nice. Alessia is a snob and she treated you like a bitch. That's it." Parker then headed to the back.

Maybe he was right. But how can she be so rude when her mom was so sweet? There is more to her. Then again, maybe I am too nice.
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Alessia POV

"No, it is root two over two. Let's try another one."

"It has been a week and I'm still not getting it. Can we just try something else?" I said frustrated. I still couldn't get the radians and unit circle thing right. Nothing was sticking.

"I guess, but we have to come back to it. You can't do the rest of trig without it." Jonathan said.

"Great," I groaned. This made him smile, even though he quickly tried to hide it. "It's not funny."

"I-uh-I didn't say it was. Um, how about we switch to chemistry?" Blushing, he quickly changed the subject. Literally.

"Yeah that's fine." He went over the notes he had made and the worked through some problems. This was a little easier for me to understand. After I finished the last problem, I looked up at him.

"See, I'm not dumb," I eyed him.

"Is that what you think? That I think you are dumb?" He asked, seeming worried.

"Well yeah I kinda do. I mean why else would I need a tutor right? Besides I see how you react when I get frustrated. I get it, we can't all be boy genius like you, Curly." I folded me arms and continued to stare him down.

"I don't. And so what you need a tutor. A bunch of people need tutors, and not because they are dumb. Besides your mom explained that you had fallen behind, that's it. Don't assume people are thinking the worst of you. And I'm not perfect either, just for the record," he explained, somehow still being the usual nice Jonathan. Instead of responding, I just looked at him for a second before smiling. "What?"