I Hate After-School Tutoring

At last, school had finished for the day and I began to make my way towards the library. The school was partially indoors and partially outdoors. Most of the classes were held in the three main buildings, but some of the rec classes like cooking and photography had their own separate buildings. The library was one of these.

As I crossed the courtyard I was bombarded with oncoming traffic. Everyone was clamoring to get home, and I was no exception. I really wanted to leave, but I sucked it up and kept pushing through the onslaught of bodies.

The library had recently been remodeled to give off a contemporary modern look. It was a rather small building, but being two stories tall, it was pretty huge for a simple high-school library. The exterior was practically just windows, but the bits of solid wall on the first floor were painted a brilliant white. The second floor, which was slightly larger than the first, contrasted the white with a deep black. Peering through the clear walls on the second floor, I located my destination on the left-hand side. A clearing of desks interspersed with students.

Heading inside, I was greeted by the pleasant smell of an over-sized collection of books. If I had to put a label on it, I’d say it smelled like a Barnes & Nobles. Surrounded by glass, the natural light radiated through the open floor room. A sense of comfort sat inside my chest being inside such a nice building.

As I made my way up towards the second floor, I looked outside the transparent walls to see the crowd of students making their way to the comfort of their homes. A slight twinge of envy upset that sense of comfort I felt earlier.

I pulled up to the designated ‘study’ area, though it hardly looked the part. Despite being well populated with students, a significant number of them were on their phones browsing the latest TikToks, or on their laptops watching YouTube videos. Not that I blame them, such is the struggle to study in the modern age. It made me respect the select few that were honestly studying.

The table furthest from the left was one of the rare breeds of diligent students. With shoulder-length black hair and thick glasses, he surely looked the part as well. I recognized him as the Vice-President of ASG. Typically, the school aired broadcasts from ASG every other Friday, providing news about school events. Because of that, it would be hard to not recognize the ASG members. If I recall correctly, I think his name was Shu.

Since I came here for after-school tutoring, I figured he would be the best person to ask. It was even possible that Mr. Evans set him up to be my personal tutor. Considering Mr. Evans was the ASG advisor, it wouldn’t be the most far fetched idea. In fact, it would be a dream come true. Shu was widely considered to be one of the smartest kids at Newpark, even among the AP students.

As I entertained that dreamlike possibility, I approached the VP of ASG. Before I had even reached the table, I felt an intimidating aura sweep over me.

Maybe working with him wouldn’t be so amazing…

“Um, excuse me?” I whispered. “Is this the place for after-school tutoring?”

Shu looked up from his textbook and our eyes briefly met. The intense gaze made me immediately turn away, shifting my attention to a piece of paper near me.

On my side of the table there was a sheet labeled ‘After-School Tutoring’.

“Oh…”

I scribbled my name down on the list. There’s about 5 people above me so I figured it might take a while before I get some help. I can only hope that I make it back home before 4pm so I’m not late to my own stream.

“Oh! You’re Hayley.”

I looked up and once again met Shu’s intense gaze, but this time it seemed a little softer.

“Y-yeah.”

“I heard about you from Mr. Evans.”

I tensed up. “Oh uh, are you my tutor?”

“No no, go ahead and sit down for now. Your tutor will be here soon.”

I nodded in compliance before making my way back through the maze of tables. I snagged a nice spot on the edge of the library, away from any prying eyes. Perfect for a loner like me.

I pulled up the school website on my phone, opening up the homepage for each of my classes. I scrolled through all of the assignments I needed to make up. I closed the webpage on my phone and opened up YouTube.

Hehehe

I giggled to myself watching clips of some VTubers playing Crab Game, yelling at each other among the chaos. While entertaining, I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

I wish I had a group to play Crab Game with… Maybe I could organize a collab, but that’s so much work and I only know a couple other VTubers…

“Whatcha' watchin’?”

EEP

I turned to the side and nearly fell out of my chair. Peeking over my shoulder. Inches away from my face, was the one and only Todd Jackson of Newpark High.