"Scott. Which college are you planning to go to?"
It was an AP Physics class. When I suddenly asked Scott, who was preparing for the experiment, he tilted his head.
"Me? Of course MIT."
As expected, I see.
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm still deciding where to go."
I was planning to list the universities my parents had suggested and get his advice. But then, Scott mentioned a school I'd never even heard brought up before.
"I thought you said you were going to Caltech."
"Me?"
Wow, I didn't even know I had a dream school.
"Yeah. You said you liked that Caltech focuses on theory-based experiments."
I see.
"But your parents are still stuck on the Ivy League, huh?"
His question triggered a memory of my parents scolding Chloe with dissatisfied faces.
"Yeah…"
So that was it. Chloe had been struggling with the same thing. That's why my parents were so happy when I reacted positively to Princeton.
"I hope you can convince them."
Scott spoke quietly as he read out the results of the experiment to me.
"I'm sure your parents will understand your sincerity."
But I didn't really hope my parents would understand Chloe. Because honestly, I agreed with Chloe's parents that the Ivy League was better.
Ding―
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. After submitting our experiment results to the teacher, I hurriedly packed my things and went down the stairs. But—
"Chloe Kim!"
As soon as I reached the lobby, I looked up at the voice calling my name. Mr. Albert was waving at me from the upper floor.
"Do you have a minute? Let's talk in the classroom."
"Ah, yes."
I had no reason to refuse, so I climbed back up and followed Mr. Albert into the classroom, only to stop at the doorway.
Aaron Eisenhower was there.
Why is he here?
While I frowned, Mr. Albert walked over to Eisenhower and placed both hands firmly on his shoulders.
"Chloe, if it's alright with you, could you tutor Aaron?"
"Excuse me?"
What did I just hear? When I asked again, Mr. Albert spoke with even more seriousness.
"Please, Chloe. If this kid gets an F in geometry again, he won't get into college."
It didn't sound like any of my business, but somehow, it became my business.
"My distant cousin Jeannie is a professor of mechanical engineering at Caltech. If you can help this kid pass geometry, I'll write you a recommendation letter so you can intern at Jeannie's lab during the vacation!"
And that was the deal Mr. Albert offered, a deal I accepted on the spot. Honestly, I thought Eisenhower would refuse. He was the type who lived off his own pride. But to my surprise, he agreed too.
"Sigh."
"What's with the sigh?"
Aaron Eisenhower, who was driving, shot me a glance as he grumbled. That's right, I was now sitting in Aaron Eisenhower's bright red convertible. Afraid of being seen, I hid my face behind my bag and slouched down as much as I could before asking him, "Hey, can't you close the roof?"
"What's the point of driving a convertible then?"
So, basically, he drives this thing just to show off his handsome face? Figures, a completely different breed of human.
…I was an idiot for thinking I could have a normal conversation with someone like him.
"Sigh."
When I sighed again, Aaron's brow twitched.
"Try sighing one more time."
"Why? So you can throw me out on the street? Then who's going to tutor you?"
At that, Aaron silently tapped the steering wheel, as if words were useless with me. After that, he didn't say another word, and neither did I. We arrived at Eisenhower's house in silence.
"Oh my, who's this lovely young lady?"
A woman who looked exactly like a middle-class American housewife greeted us at the door.
"…A friend."
I widened my eyes at Aaron's reply. Since when were we friends?
"Follow me."
I was about to follow the curt Aaron into his room when his mother's voice called out from behind us.
"Keep the door open~"
I held back the urge to shout, 'We're not like that, Ma'am!' and sat down beside Aaron's desk.
"Let's start with what you don't know. Do you have your test paper? We'll start by making a correction notebook."
I opened the textbook, talking about making a correction notebook like any other student preparing for exams would. But Aaron didn't seem interested in taking out his test paper.
"What are you doing? I said, give me your test paper."
When I urged him, Aaron glared at me before reluctantly handing it over. And then I saw it, a downpour of red marks raining across the page. I blinked, looked again, and yet the big fat zero still stared back at me in all its glory.
Did he get some serious brain damage from football or something?
There was no other explanation. No one could possibly get a score like this on basic geometry problems. The owner of this spectacular grade, however, didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"Hey."
"What?"
The way Eisenhower casually answered while pretending to focus on something else made me want to smack him, but I held back since my recommendation letter depended on this.
"You're not going anywhere until we go through this whole thing together from the beginning."
I glared at the test paper that had ignited my competitive spirit, making a silent vow to myself.
Fine. If it's come to this, I'll make sure this guy gets an A, and I'll get that high school internship.
However, that resolve of mine shattered when the problem-solving session dragged on even after the sun had set.
Knock knock.
Mrs. Eisenhower, who had been knocking on the door, smiled awkwardly at me.
"Thank you so much for helping my son study, dear. But I think it's only right to send you home before it gets too late."
At her words, I glanced at the clock. Eight o'clock. When did it get this late? Surprised, I jumped up, and Mrs. Eisenhower handed me the sandwich she was holding.
"I felt bad thinking you might have skipped dinner because of my son, so I made you something. It's a salami sandwich."
"…Thank you."
Food is innocent, after all. Gratefully accepting the sandwich, I was about to leave Aaron's room when—
"I'll take you home."
Aaron stood up too. I was about to ask why, but then remembered that this was America, where public transportation was a nightmare, and quietly shut my mouth.
"Let's go."
And so, I once again found myself in Aaron Eisenhower's red convertible, enduring another uncomfortable drive.
* * *
"Chloe Soojung Kim."
Yikes, full name.
"Where have you been until this hour?"
My father, clearly furious, stood with his arms crossed, looking down at me with authority.
"Today isn't even a day for Math Bowl or marching band practice…"
"I was asked to tutor a classmate."
At that, his brow furrowed even deeper.
"My teacher asked me to," I quickly added.
Though his expression didn't soften, he seemed to find no real reason to object once I mentioned the teacher's request. Stroking his chin, he finally said, "You're busy enough preparing for college as it is. Make sure you manage your time well."
"Yes…"
When I answered in a small voice, my father went into his bedroom.
"Phew."
Letting out a sigh, I quietly went up to mine.
"What on earth is he thinking?"
I muttered, recalling the strange feeling I had while teaching Eisenhower. Even the dumbest student would score higher than zero if they at least attempted the problems. Partial credit existed for a reason. But a zero? That meant he had to have done it on purpose.
"No way…"
I shook my head hard. Why would he intentionally fail geometry? What could he possibly gain from that?
"This tutoring gig won't be easy…"
With a chilling sense of foreboding, I went to sleep. After all, tomorrow I had to go back to Hampshire High, every bit as wild as a jungle.
* * *
「 Frolic
Show off your talents! 」
Right, I knew there was going to be a talent show preliminary round. But what I couldn't understand was why I was the one helping with it.
This is all because of that damn student council president.
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