Tutoring Raine

~

Beneath the statue of the Lady of Virtue on the university campus, Zen sat cross-legged, the pages of her book absorbing her attention. The mid-semester test was like a dark cloud about to rain on her parade, and she couldn't afford to screw up. The idea of flunking was scarier than accidentally liking your crush's photo from five years ago while you were deep in social media stalking. Yet, even as her eyes grazed the words in her textbook, memories of Raine tugged at her thoughts like a persistent melody.

Unknowingly, a soft smile crept onto her lips as she got lost in those memories. Raine had left early that morning, even before she'd rolled out of bed, but he'd left breakfast for her. It was a sweet gesture that left her both confused and curious.

Stop. Shut up, brain. Pay attention! Exam starts next week. Zen mentally slapped herself as she tried to focus on the textbook. The sound of approaching footsteps drew her attention, and she looked up to see Nadia approaching her from a distance.

With a toss of her perfectly styled hair, Nadia settled beside her, exuding an air of sassy elegance. Zen couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration for her friend's confidence, a trait she wished she could borrow. If only she had a fraction of Nadia's confidence, maybe people wouldn't dislike her so much. Zen brushed those thoughts aside and greeted Nadia warmly. "Hey Nadia, what's up?"

Nadia leaned in with excitement sparkling in her eyes. "Guess what? My birthday is in two weeks, right? I'm throwing a party at the beach resort."

"A beach resort? That sounds awesome," Zen replied, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Nadia nodded eagerly, her eyes gleaming. "Oh, it gets even better. Guess who owns the resort? Raine's uncle!"

Zen's face went from chill to shock in a mere three seconds. "Wait, Raine's uncle owns the resort you're going to?"

Nadia nodded, mischief dancing in her eyes. "I know, right? It's insane. And guess what? Braxy's behind all of this. He's planned it as a surprise for me. You're okay with this arrangement, right?"

Zen forced a smile, momentarily pushing her concerns about Raine away. There was no way she could say no to Nadia. Just looking at how enthusiastic and happy Nadia looked, a genuine smile tugged at her lips. "Wow, Nadia, that's amazing. I'd love to be there and celebrate with you."

Nadia clapped her hands gleefully. "Yes! It's going to be a blast. We'll invite some of our friends. Speaking of friends, there comes Julian," Nadia said, noticing Julian waving at them a few metres ahead.

As if on cue, Julian strolled over. Zen was pretty convinced the guy could turn any piece of clothing labelled "comfortable" into a fashion statement, judging by the oversized sweater he was sporting.

Nadia also seemed to have noticed Julian's effortlessly cool ensemble as she leaned in closer to Zen. "Look at Julian, channelling the vintage vibes! He's all brave and dashing, isn't he?"

Zen noticed Julian's cheeks turning a shade matching a ripe tomato. "Hey, Zen. Hi, Nadia," he greeted them.

"Hi, Julian," Zen greeted back with the widest smile.

"How're you doing, Zen?" Julian asked as he sat down next to Zen, opposite Nadia on the other side so Zen was positioned in the middle.

"You seem incredibly friendly to Zen for no reason. Is there something you guys aren't telling me?" Nadia said to Julian, eyeing him suspiciously.

Julian and Zen exchanged a secret glance before Zen couldn't hold back her giggle. "Maybe. But we're not spilling the beans, right?"

"Why?" Nadia protested, giving Zen's arm a playful tug. "You know I won't be able to sleep tonight if you don't spill!"

"Exactly," Zen replied with a mischievous wink.

"Ugh, is this your idea of revenge, Zen?" Nadia pouted, crossing her arms and dramatically looking away. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Zen?" Nadia suddenly exclaimed, turning again to face Zen. "That Facebook post about you, the one that disappeared, do you have any idea who might've done that?"

Zen shook her head. "I wish I knew, but I don't."

"I heard the admins were able to regain account control but the hacker's motive was clear. Whoever it is, they're trying to protect you, Zen," Nadia said.

"I haven't seen them mentioning anything related to Zen in their posts," Julian continued. "But thank god, it's all over. We know it wasn't Zen's fault."

"True," Nadia concurred. "Zen?" She extended her hands, gently cradling Zen's in hers before letting them rest in her lap. "Are you really okay?"

"Nadia, I'm fine," Zen responded with a reassuring smile.

A troubled shadow seemed to cross Nadia's face as her fingers instinctively tightened around her hand. "But doesn't it get to you?"

"Let them say whatever they want," Zen answered.

"You know, it's this unbothered nature of yours and your reluctance to spare any effort to respond to haters that you are so misunderstood," Nadia said.

"I think Nadia's right," Julian added.

Zen shifted her gaze between Nadia and Julian, then broke into a determined smile. "Stop worrying about me. Seriously, I'm fine." Zen assured them and gently freed her hands from Nadia's grip with a firm squeeze.

The moment she ended the action, Zen caught sight of a figure lurking in the distance, partially concealed behind a campus building. The dark figure's gaze held such intensity that Zen was convinced any more attention thrown in their direction would practically unlock the secrets of a forbidden telepathic technique, one that had deliberately remained concealed from the world. Zen shook her head to pull herself together; she was used to her brain being so dramatic at times.

"Sorry, guys. I gotta run," Zen announced, collecting her books, aware of the unsettling stare piercing her back.

While Julian remained engrossed in his phone, tapping out messages, Nadia turned her focus to Zen. "Where are you off to?" Nadia inquired.

"I have a tutoring appointment with a student from campus," Zen replied, slinging her backpack on.

"And who's this mysterious student?" Nadia asked playfully, narrowing her eyes.

"I'll fill you in later."

"Okay, good luck," Nadia wished as Zen waved goodbye and left. "I hope your student doesn't go deaf by the end of the session," she said in a low voice long after Zen was gone.

Julian stared at Nadia curiously, putting back his phone inside his pocket. "What do you mean by that, Nadia?" Julian asked.

"You'll see soon enough" Nadia replied with a long knowing look. "Let's just say Zen's teaching methods can be... intense to the point she turns into a whole different person. I almost feel sorry for the poor student. Almost."

~-~

In a secluded corner tucked away from the campus buzz, Zen locked eyes with Raine, the tension so thick she could cut it with a butter knife. Her internal alarm bells were clanging like a fire drill, and she didn't even know why. Just having Raine stand close to her like that made her panic.

"You have something to say to me?" Zen asked Raine, trying to sound calm. She could see his eyes do a full sweep of the surroundings, probably checking for hidden cameras or nosy squirrels, before responding to her question.

"Tell me when you're free so you can start tutoring me," Raine answered, and Zen was taken aback by his directness, a flicker of surprise dancing briefly in her eyes. So he'd been stalking her all that while just to ask her that.

"I'm free now."

"Heading home?" Raine questioned, his eyes darting about as if searching for any signs of unwelcome attention.

"Yes."

"I'll tag along."

"Are you suggesting I should tutor you at your place?" Zen asked, doing her best to stay confident, though her heart was already tapping out a Morse code.

"Alright, lead the way."

Zen noticed how their steps had synchronized like they were in some awkward dance routine as they started walking. She should be happy they at least shared something in common, right? Zen asked herself.

"You didn't ride your bike today?" Raine asked after a tense moment of silence passed between them.

"No. I left it at home," Zen answered.

"Why?" Raine pressed on.

"Felt like walking today," Zen lied. It wasn't like she could say, I'm sorry. Now that I know it belongs to you, I wouldn't even dream of touching your bicycle anymore.

"Your friends, do they know you stay at my place?" Raine asked quietly.

"No. I didn't tell them," Zen answered.

"Good."

No words were exchanged after that, and Zen hated how the silence stretched like a barrier built out of unspoken emotions and suppressed words.

After an eternity of dead silence, Raine spoke up, "Give me your phone number."

"Huh?" Zen looked up, dumbfounded.

"I need to coordinate your tutoring schedule. We can't meet every day, especially with mid-semester exams next week," Raine explained, holding out his phone. "We'll need to stay in touch for that."

"What about the weekends?" Zen said, accepting his phone and quickly adding her number to it.

"Weekends work well for me," Raine answered, grabbing back his phone.

"Will we always study at your place?"

"Depends. We can find a quiet spot on campus where no one will see us," Raine suggested, unaware of the thoughts racing through Zen's mind.

"Let's see." Zen faked a smile, her heart suddenly racing as she came to an abrupt stop. The words "quiet spot" and "no one" echoed in her mind, stirring up a whirlwind of thoughts that she knew were unwarranted but couldn't help entertaining. Her palms grew sweaty as her mind conjured up scenarios she couldn't shake off. Did he mean those secluded spots where no one would notice if something happened? Could he be luring her into a trap?

"You okay?" Raine's voice cut through her spiralling thoughts, pulling her back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Zen stammered, struggling to regain her composure. God, help me.