69Chapter One – Truths & Realization
Jaiden's Point of View
Two days, it's been exactly two days and six hours since she had said a word to me, and I was beginning to get a little scared. Humming a familiar tune as she slowed down to make a right turn, my eyes darted over to her discreetly. It was obvious that she was still angry. Heck she was furious! And the worse thing of all was that she made no attempt to yell or beat the life out of me. Instead, she was kind of keeping it all bottled up inside, about to explode if I wronged her again. I can't say that it wasn't entirely my fault that she was cross with me. I just hadn't expected to be caught red handed in my lie since I've been doing it for years.
So there I was being dishonest again, saying that I was going to study at Xavier's house as I exited. An hour later, I was sitting in a small café with Allodia (my current girlfriend), leaning over to kiss her when of all people, my mother shows up, taking a seat at the table beside us. I hadn't noticed her at first, but as soon as I caught her familiar shade of hazel eyes which were staring at me in rage, I almost jumped out of my chair.
Managing to keep my cool, I continued on with my date as if nothing was wrong. What made matters worse was that Allodia couldn't seem to get her hands off me as she touched my thigh, and attempted to kiss me. As fifteen minutes lapsed, in a rush I paid the bill, and sent Allodia on her way. She wasn't too happy as she stormed down the mall, demanding me to never call her again.
"Jaiden Jarl Tyler," mum called, her hands crossed over her chest as she gave me an expectant look. I hadn't been terrified then, since I had anticipated that she would be blasting at me in a few minutes. But as we reached the parking lot, and no more words were exchanged; that was when I got a little nervous.
And now, two days, six hours and fifteen minutes later, I was still waiting for her to verbally punish me. As we pulled up the driveway, and came to a halt, I decided to finally break the awkward and abnormal peace.
"Mum?" I called, eyes turning to her immobile form. "Please vocally reprimand me," I stated and was surprised that she shook her head in response. "I'll let you beat me up. Just do something." I cried in desperation as she stepped out of the car.
I followed suit as she made her way to the front door, unlocking it. Feeling unsatisfied, I trailed behind her to the kitchen, taking a seat across from where she was standing. Staring at her, I summoned my most sorrowful look.
"That's not going to work on me," she announced, placing her freshly made chocolate chip cookies into a jar. "I've fallen for it too many times," she stated "And I've become immune to it," she finished. "It's too late to feel guilty now Jaiden, you should have been feeling remorse when you lied to me about studying, as well as your grades at school. Especially your report cards," she informed.
"I'm sorry I'm no good at school," I muttered.
She rested her hand on the tabletop, causing me to glance up at her.
"You know that's not true."
"Try me," I shot back, and observed as she crossed her arms, leaning into the cupboards.
"Soccer," she said and elaborated. "You're good at soccer, and," – she added, just as I was about to interrupt – "soccer is a part of school." There was a short silence for a moment, and then mum continued. "The only reason why you're not getting the grades that you should be in your other subjects is because you can't be bothered. You're too caught up with your social life, thinking that you're too cool for school. And don't you dare rebut to that," she warned.
Although she had warned me, and specifically told me not to deny that fact, I couldn't help but to speak and defend. "The only reason why I'm good at soccer is because of all that training, and I enjoy it."
She quirked a brow up at me, "You're still 'trained' in all your other subjects. The teachers show you the concepts; it's just that you're busy holding hands with girls and laughing with your mates."
Just then the doorbell rang.
"Besides, I knew you'd use 'training' as an excuse, so I decided to get you some extra help," Mum called from the hallway as she grabbed the doorknob. She opened the door, her profile facing both me and the guest. There was a soft smile on her face, as she began to speak. "Jaiden Tyler, meet your tutor, Tiana Addison."
I stared at mum in bewilderment, and then slowly, my eyes journeyed over to the outline of the stationary figure. Tiana Addison… That name sounded so familiar. As she came into full view, no longer standing in the doorway, I could finally make out her face. It was then that it finally hit me; I realized who it was… Tia Addison, the school nerd who was practically in the library every single day after school. She was the girl that girls made fun of, the school nerd who was proud of her brains. Blinking at her in a stupefied fashion, she gave a peculiar wave of her hand in greeting.
"Hi, I'll be your personal tutor as from today," she introduced.
I gazed over her shoulder at the unmoving figure of my mother, watching as the woman threw me an encouraging smile and the thumbs up, briskly leaving the two of us alone.
"We'll start today's lesson with a general test, so I can get an indication of how well you know the concepts."
God I hate life. And boy do I despise tests. I sense that the day isn't going to finish well as Tiana Addison placed a pile of papers before my eyes.
A/N: So here you have it, chapter one done. How was it for a start? Please review to indicate how I'm going, it'd be much appreciated!
JM