As August gave way to September, Tess settled into a pattern that was worked well for her. She met twice a week with Miguel to work on her English assignments, and she was managing to pull a solid B with her coursework in both classes. In Senior English, she had turned in two research papers and a variety of other assignments, and in Lit, they had moved on from The Scarlet Letter and Puritan essays into a study of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Moreover, Miguel was proving to be an all-around nice person in addition to being exceptionally smart.

"That's really insightful, Tess," he said one Friday evening as they discussed her homework, a reflection on some of the major plot points and characters in Macbeth. They were sitting at the kitchen island with glasses of water and bowl of grapes and strawberries to snack on. "It really is a story about how ambition gets the best of a person; once Macbeth decided to commit murder, it was almost a point of no return. His conscience plagues him, but—especially with his wife urging him on—it's impossible for him to stop."

"I just don't get that part," Tess said. "I mean, wouldn't there have been a breaking point for him? He must have realized he was digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole. Killing Duncan was one bad thing, but I don't think it made him evil. He might have been able to clear his conscience by owning up to his crimes and facing the consequences. That might have made him a better man. Instead, he tried to save himself and kept listening to his crazy wife. That's what made him evil; he didn't know when to stop. He was blinded by ambition."

"I think you should write that." He tapped the question they had been discussing: Reflect on the choices Macbeth made in his quest to gain power. "Also, consider this: were his choices entirely his own?" He popped a grape into his mouth.

Tess pulled the worksheet toward her. "Yes."

Miguel covered his lips with his hand and spoke around his grape. "That was a quick response."

"His wife can nag him until the cows come home. That doesn't mean he has to do what she says."

"She's right." Clarette had just entered the room. "I should know; I nag Tess's father every day about leaving his dirty socks on the floor, yet there they lie. It comes down to a man's choice."

Miguel grinned. "All right, I'll accept that. Never have I heard Macbeth's string of murders compared to dirty laundry, but I guess the core concept holds true, whether the wife in question is encouraging good or evil. I am also taking this as a hint that my future wife will have strong words for me about my laundry habits."

Tess giggled. "And about lots of other things, I'm sure. Okay. I'm writing. I'm writing." She began to jot down what they'd discussed—or, rather, what she had thought up.

One thing Tess appreciated about Miguel was that he didn't give her the answers. If it was something simple, like a question about where to put a comma, sure; he'd tell her what he thought and why. But if Tess had to explain a point in an essay or talk about something that had happened in one of the books they'd read in class, Miguel wouldn't answer questions—he'd ask them. Oftentimes, the way he asked led her to think about things in a new light.

Being around Miguel made her feel smart, or at least like he thought she was smart. He knew just how to pull out the insights and knowledge she didn't know she had. He was a very good tutor.

While Tess finished writing the answer to the question they'd been discussing, Tess's mom asked, "Do you have any plans this weekend, Miguel?"

"I've got an exam to prep for coming up next week, so I hope to do a little studying, and my mother will be coming back into town, so I'll probably go out with her for lunch."

"Back into town? Where's she been?" Clarette took their glasses and went to get them both more water.

"Her dad stills live in Guatemala, so she's been back home visiting."

"Oh, that's wonderful. It's too bad you couldn't go with her to visit your grandfather." She set the glasses in front of Miguel and Tess.

Miguel gave a rueful smile. "It's okay—she tries to go this time of year because it's his birthday, but with school it's just too hard for me. Once I graduate, I'm planning to go with her for a long stay...but of course, that's a few years off."

"Do you speak Spanish, Miguel?" Tess asked, setting her pencil down. She knew he was supposed to be her English tutor, but Spanish wasn't exactly easy for her, either.

He laughed. "Basically, no. Not for Mom's lack of trying. I can understand more than I can speak, but the couple times I've visited Guatemala to see Mom's family, I'm grateful that several of my family members speak English. Grandpa doesn't, so Mom has to translate sometimes, but we muddle through. Why?"

Darn. "Just curious." She picked up Macbeth again and turned to a bookmarked page. "Okay, the next question has to do with that Banquo guy..."

***

After Miguel had gone for the evening, Tess finished up some remaining homework for Calculus. Then, she headed up to take a shower. Just as she was gathering her pajamas, her phone buzzed.

[ISAAC] hey

Tess smiled. She and Isaac had continued to go out at least once every couple of weeks, and at this point, she was beginning to wonder if they had crossed into girlfriend/boyfriend territory without any kind of formal announcement. She eagerly tapped out a reply.

[TESS] hey Isaac!

[ISAAC] hope u are having a good night. had a question for u

[TESS] ok what?

[ISAAC] did u know the homecoming dance is on Oct 7?

[TESS] sure. I dont really go to the football games but I did hear about the dance

[ISAAC] soooooooooo

Tess sank down to sit on her bed, unable to keep the grin for her face. She would not make it easy on him.

[TESS] soooooo what?

[ISAAC] 

[TESS] lol! come on what

[ISAAC] fine fine. will u go to the homecoming dance with me?

[TESS] YES!

[ISAAC] I knew it u totally have a crush on me

Giggling, Tess flung herself back to lie on her bed. For a second she just held her phone in her hands, gazing up at her ceiling fan. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so genuinely happy.