Page 11 of Movers and Fakers

“It is the most challenging class I’ve taken so far,” she says. “But it’s not impossible. We just have to figure out how you learn and then apply that to this.”

“How I learn?” I question.

She reaches into her backpack and pulls out a pen, then opens her notebook.

“Yeah, how do you learn best? What ways do you study?” she asks.

I sit there and stare at her. She scrawls a heading at the top of her page.

Tutoring Session #1: Hayes Rosewood

Her gaze lifts, followed by one of her brows.

“I don’t study,” I answer.

She gives me a disbelieving look.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not that difficult of a question. My roommate Saylor likes flashcards, and she creates her own mock tests. Another of my roommates, Marigold, writes essays to make sure she understands a topic. Things like that.”

“What do you do?” I ask.

Aurora sets her pen down.

“It doesn’t matter, because I’m not failing. How do you study?” She emphasizes the question.

I rake a hand through my hair. “I don’t. Occasionally I’ll skim a textbook, I guess? But for the most part, until now, I’ve understood all my classes enough to make it through.”

“And you’ve passed all your classes?”

“More than passed. I usually end every semester with A’s and B’s.”

She stares at me, as though she’s trying to determine if I’m lying.

I’ve coasted through school pretty easily until now. It was part of the reason I decided to go to college in the first place. An easy way to delay the inevitability of my future.

My dad wanted me to start working for Rosewood Technologies right out of high school. He didn’t think college was necessary with how many summers I spent interning there. It probably isn’t, but I’m not ready to step into his shoes yet. I need time, and college bought it. I convinced him to let me get a degree in computer science, because I’ve always sailed through math and science courses. Then came Digital Logic.

“Okay,” she says slowly. “Then I guess we’ll have to try a few methods. I find with classes like this one that it’s best to explain the topic as if you’re teaching someone else. If you can teach another person, then chances are you know the subject.”

I nod in understanding.

“Let’s go over this week’s lectures, and then if there’s time, you can try to explain some of it to me.”

“Sounds good,” I say on a sigh.

As much as I’d rather flirt and tease Aurora the entire time, I do have to get my grade up. So I do my best to focus on everything she explains. She’s a good teacher, and I find myself beginning to actually grasp concepts for the first time since the beginning of the semester.

Halfway through our session, a pair of hands covers my eyes.

“Guess who?” a woman giggles near my ear.

I don’t know any girl well enough to have them play this little game. So, I let out a good-natured laugh and tug her hands away. The first thing I see is Aurora’s scowl. Then the stranger throws her arms around me, practically sitting in my lap.

“Uh—” I pull my head back and see a woman with curly blonde hair and bright green eyes. I’m pretty sure I went on a date with her a couple of weeks ago. I can’t even recall the first letter of her name, though.

“What are you doing in the library?” she asks as she toys with the hair at the nape of my neck. “I never see you here.”

I think I hear Aurora snort. Gently, I remove the girl's arms from around me and nudge her to stand. She pouts but settles for grabbing one of my hands to swing between us.