[ððððððð ððð : "ðððððððð"]
" ðððð, ð ððð'ð ðððð ðððð
ððð ðð ð ððð ð. "
â¯â¯â¯
ðððð ððð ð ðððð ððððð. At least that's what Ella thought. There was no way he was going to pass Mr. Clement's math test unless he magically figured out how to show up for the classes he missed last week.
"Why weren't you in class last week." She asked him bluntly. He glanced over at her, twirling his No. 2 pencil.
"I had doctors appointments."
"For three days straight?"
"Uh... yes." He replied, and she raised her eyebrows, unamused. She knew he wasn't telling the truth.
"Do this problem."
"Ella, I don't even know how to find x." He threw his pencil down on his notebook. Ella laughed.
"Oh, Theo, please tell me you're joking."
"That I am not."
"Oh fucking hell." She rolled her eyes, and got up, "Why am I here?"
"Because I asked you to come."
"To 'tutor' you?" She asked, putting tutor in air quotations.
"Exactly."
Ella sighed then walked over to his mini fridge to grab a drink. When she opened it she wasn't surprised to find there was just cans of beer.
"Just tell me the real reason." She said, grabbing one and popping it open.
"That is the real reason! I need to keep my grades up if I want to stay on the lacrosse team."
"I thought you played golf." She sat back down, turning toward him.
"I do." He answered, "Anyways, how's tennis?"
"Exactly how you'd think. Pretty boring." Ella shrugged, "I guess I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to. I'm thinking about quitting."
"I thought you loved it. I thought all four of you did."
"Yeah, well, I don't anymore." She shrugged again, "I think I just need to put most of my focus of my studies. That way I can get into Harvard like my parents want me to."
"God, aren't parents so bossy now days? Since when do we need to live up to their standards?"
"Since the day we were born, Theo." Ella sighed, pulling out her own schoolwork to do.
It was true. Her parents standards were high, and she didn't even live up to those. The truth was she was thinking of quitting tennis because she had to focus on dance. She had been enrolled at the Melrose Dance Academy since she was three years old and was working to become a prima ballerina. That meant she barely had time for her school studies, and her parents were pushing her to do better at the academy.
"Do you want to go to a party later?" He asked Ella, breaking her away from her thoughts.
"It's Sunday."
"Everyone else is going."
"That doesn't mean I will."
"Come on, please, for me? El?" Theo gave her a pout, and she rolled her eyes.
"Only if I can find something to wear."
"Awesome. I'll make sure to buy you the whole Gucci store." Theo joked making Ella laugh.
"Gucci is so not my style." She shook her head, "Such a shame. You'd have to give it all to the rest of the girls. I'm sure they'd love that."
"Too bad the gifts wouldn't be for them." Theo shrugged. Ella cleared her throat, looking away from him and back on her schoolwork.
"I have to get this done. It's due tomorrow." She bit her lip, and began solving math problems.
"Oh, hello Ella!" The two looked up to see Mrs. Kensington at the door.
She was Theo's dad's third wife. The first, his mother, was nowhere to be found. The second had cheated on him with his female assistant, and the third, his current one, was about 20 years younger than him. It made Theo feel so proud of his father.
"Hi, Mrs. Kensington. I'm just helping Theo with his math work." Ella smiled at the blonde woman with blown out curls.
"Oh, well, thank you. If you two need anything, like snacks, I'm just downstairs in the kitchen."
"Nice to see you, Mrs. Kensington." Ella waved lightly at her before she left them alone, "She seems nice."
Theo gave her a look.
"Sure."