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Against the Ropes (BloodRedRomeo and Sigr)

BloodRedRomeo

BloodRedRomeo

Supernova
Joined
Oct 11, 2017
"This is your new tutor, Kermit Green," the principle said, gesturing to the boy standing next to him. He was only 5'8, fairly short compared to the athletes around them. He was chubby, having extra weight in the stomach from a sedentary lifestyle. His grey eyes had glasses that were fairly thick. On top, a head of light brown hair that was always a little messy, no matter how much he tried to comb it. All of this was contained in an oversized T-shirt and khakis. Even among an average crowd, he looked like a nerd. In a gym full of boxers, he was a regular poindexter. Even his name stood out as weird and nerdy.

His name. God, how much he hated his name. His parents thought it was cute, their first kiss having been to "It's Not Easy Being Green." Well, turns out it was hard when his parents gave him an infinitely mockable name like that. Of course, he had been called things like "the Frog" and "Frogboy" for years. It was downright infuriating. And of course, by high school, it hadn't stopped. In fact, it only got worse as the Muppets returned to the public eye with new films.

But his name wasn't why he was here. He was there at the request of the school. One of their boxers was a champion, nationally recognized as the best up and coming female boxer. She was already a prime candidate for the Olympics and was having her success as a professional being heralded as a forgone conclusion. However, grades still mattered. And thus, they got the most harmless guy at the top of the class that they could, offering a letter or recommendation to any college upon graduation in exchange for teaching the school's true star. Kermit wasn't going to lie, he was a bit nervous about this whole setup. He had no idea what this girl was like, the studious gamer group and the national athlete group having minuscule overlap. He hoped she wouldn't be too tough to deal with. He couldn't help but worry that he might be being setup to be a fall guy if she did fail, the school able to blame the incompetent tutor. Of course, he knew that was just his persecution complex acting up, but the feeling didn't leave.

"Hello," Kermit said to her, ignoring all of the guys around them that could break him in three seconds flat. He stuck out an open hand towards her, indicating a handshake. "I'm Kermit. Nice to meet you," he added with a friendly smile.
 
Her golden ponytail bounced against her back at the same pace she skipped over the rope, over and over and over, excellence through repetition, mastery through dedication. It wasn't Laura's best day though, as not even her exercise routine could get her mind away from trouble, making her distracted and almost stumbling upon the jumping rope. "Tsk" she clicked her tongue, unhappy with her focus. She was a committed boxer, pride of her city and recognized nation wide in the boxing world, with Instagram followers slowly growing, liking the pictures she took during training. It was true that some of them acted creepy, but being notorious would help her with sponsorship and such, so she endured it. It weren't her so called fans the ones that distracted her, but her parents, or more exactly, her parents' ultimatum.

Laura had won plenty of amateur fights, she had no rival, no way to improve in that circuit anymore, so she wanted to jump into professional boxing, and was getting ready for her first pro fight, whenever that happened. There was a problem though, as even if her parents supported her, they wanted Laura finishing the two years of high school she had ahead of her, and would forbid her from competing if she ever failed a test. With things as they were, they discussions reaching an stalemate that Laura had no authority to break, the school's principal soon got wind of it, and hurriedly got himself the task of finding a tutor for Laura. She guessed that being in the sport elite and somewhat famous had its advantages, but it was still bothersome, as she would have to dedicate even more time to those obligations.

Training for better boxing. Studying to keep boxing at all. Pandering to sponsors and press so she could even afford boxing.

There simply was no time to have a life at all. Laura had come to terms with it, as she loved boxing, but she couldn't help but want what other girls from class had, their chattering always focused around the same topic: boys. Some of her classmates even envied her, as Laura had the attention of a few boys and men that shared interests with her, so they talked about those hunks, those mighty specimen that approached her. But she wasn't interested in those, with their one track mind. Perhaps they made Laura feel uncomfortable, aware of how she could be similar to them, or maybe it was just something simpler and they weren't her type.

Providing she had a type, as with her lifestyle she really had never the chance, the opportunity to meet someone. Never felt those butterflies in the stomach, that interest for someone, that Hollywood romance. Spotting the principal waving over her with the corner of her eye, she grabbed her towel and approached to see what he wanted this time, was it about her tutoring?

As she approached the principal, Laura untied her ponytail, blonde hair cascading free on her back. She was wearing a loose black tank top that folded over her reasonably sized chest, compressed and hold in place by a red sports bra that was easily visible since the top didn't do much of a good job covering it. Her outfit was completed by some tight black shorts, trimmed red, that were hugging her body. And what a body it was. Glistening with sweat, her naturally tan skin, strong thick legs and powerful arms made her look like a bronze statue, breathing and walking as she got close to the pair, now noticing a pudgy teen besides the principal for the first time.

Standing two or three inches above him, Laura looked down at the boy, hearing principal's words without looking at him. What kind of name was that? Well, it wasn't his fault, as nobody picked their own name, but it was indicative of some pretty odd parents, although she wasn't one to judge about precisely that issue. Kermit looked nerdy as hell in his comfy clothes, with a somewhat rounder body and thick glasses. The messy hair was somewhat cute, and his clear grey eyes gave him an alert look besides the rest of the ensemble. Laura noticed that unlike other guys that looked around in admiration or fear, Kermit was only focused on her, something to thank for.

Making sure that she dried her hands on the towel, hanging it on her broad shoulders, Laura stretched the offered hand firmly. "Laura Hammer" she introduced herself, pausing for a moment, her green eyes drifting to the principal and back to Kermit. She wanted to apologize for giving that boy trouble, seeing himself forced to tutor her, but not in front of the principal or he would feel bad about it as well. "Thank you for helping me" she finally decided for, returning his friendly smile with one of her own.
 
There was a phrase Kermit had heard used to describe women before, though often by men who were quite creepy. Still, it seemed completely applicable to Laura: Goddess. And he wasn't thinking about the traditional types of female deities like beauty or music. To him, she seemed like a goddess of war. Or potentially blacksmithing. He could definitely see her at an iron with a hammer.

Even shaking her hand, he was shocked by the power she had. He almost winded from the pain of her gripping his hand. Still, he lived up to the limit of his masculinity by keeping his expression from changing. She certainly made a striking first impression.

"Ah, the school's brightest star and brightest mind, working together. What a great sight," Principle Woods said as he snapped a picture of them with his phone. Suddenly feeling quite self conscious about the matter, Kermit pulled his hand away from Laura. It would be embarrassing for a picture of them to be seen together like that. It wouldn't do her image any favors.

Kermit didn't really like the Principle Woods. He didn't seem like a bad guy, but he was certainly the scheming type, the one who manipulated every situation so that he would benefit. It's not like he was completely selfish, but listening to him always made Kermit aware of the man's ego. But he held the power, and there was no way Kermit was going to get on his bad side. "Well, I've got to get back in my office. Don't rock the world too hard," he said with a smile and a laugh as he patted both on the shoulder.

Once Woods was gone, he returned his attention to Laura, hoping the disdain he felt directed at him was just his imagination. "Is there a place we can make a study plan?" he asked, not wanting to stand in front of all the other members of the boxing team.
 
Laura frowned at Principal Wood's words, but the picture was already taken so she would appear normally on it, something to thank for. She didn't know if the Principal intended it, but the way it was worded, it almost felt like he said that Kermit couldn't be a star and she was just a musclebound idiot. Maybe she was just overly sensitive about the issue, but as the Principal tapped them on their shoulders and went off, the feeling just intensified. "Slimy creep..." she muttered, disliking how she depended on him to get through high school, how cringing and touchy he could be when he felt with the advantage.

Turning to face Kermit without having read anything into how he had withdrawn his hand, nor knowing if he had heard her berate the Principal, Laura saw that he seemed to have his ideas pretty clear. "Ah" Laura nodded. "Yeah, this is hardly the proper place" she admitted, looking around. "I can hardly go anywhere like this so let me take a quick shower and we'll be going in a moment" she said, quickly jogging to the locker room. The warm water felt nice, but she didn't have time to enjoy herself, not wanting to make Kermit wait too long. It was just a matter of minutes, and soon Laura was back with him, her blonde hair flowing free, dressed with a navy blue zipped up track jacket and leggings of the same color, carrying a sizeable sports bag.

"First of all, I'm sorry that Woods pushed you to all of this, but I seriously need the help" Laura sighed. "Can we talk on Frank's?" she suggested. "I'm craving some orange juice and the least I can do is get you coffee or whatever you want" Laura offered with a smile. Kermit knew the place she was talking about, everyone did, considering the proximity to the school just a block away. It was a classic joint that had been there for decades, run by the old and somewhat grumpy Frank, and was famed for its versatility, as they had almost anything a high school student could desire. It was also the kind of place where you went when you were one of the popular bunch, as it almost was the headquarters of talented athletes, cheerleaders and the like.
 
As soon as Laura went to the locker room, Kermit darted to the side. He was already getting more attention than he wanted from these people. He wasn't sure how they felt about him, but he could only imagine. This school was very clique-centric and hierarchical. People stuck to their circles, so him being here was a clear violation of that unspoken rule. Plus, with looks and fame like Laura's, he imagined she was pretty popular. He wondered how many of them were in love with her, both secretly and openly.

After what felt like a much longer period of time than actually passed, Laura came out. While her track suit didn't give off the same awe factor as her sports wear did, it still suited her well. "Don't worry about it. Tutoring a national level athlete is a definite boon to any applications," he answered. After he did, he swiftly but his tongue. Who the hell uses the word boon in casual conversation? Apparently he did when he was nervous. "Frank's is good," he lied. In all honesty, he had never been there, but he of course knew of it. In accordance with the cliques, different groups had "territory," so to speak. And that was very much outside of his. Still, it would be nice for a chance to actually see the place.

They had just left the gym when of course someone called out to Kermi. While hate was a strong word, he really, really, really didn't like the voice's owner. "Off to work, Number Two," the voice called, followed by laughter from him and those he was with. It was Victor Ramsey, one of those types of people. Handsome, quarterback for the football team, and depressingly smart. Without any studying, Victor always managed to pull down straight A's, putting him in the number one spot, grades-wise. The only reason he even acknowledged Kermit's existence was to rub that fact in. Kermit did what he always did: continued walking as if he hadn't heard anything, his eyes focused directly in front of him.
 
"Nice, I'm glad you are getting something out of it and not just being pressured to do it by Principal Woods" Laura sighed, relieved that she wasn't as much of a nuisance as she had feared. Being taller than Kermit made harder for Laura to judge his expressions since she couldn't always look at his elusive face, but he seemed fine with going to Frank's to discuss the study plans. Not that she had a particular liking to the place, but she wanted a drink and it was kind of the default place to go in her world.

Hearing a male voice close by made Laura stop staring to Kermit, like he was a rival to decipher, and looked at the source of the sounds and laughter. "Victor" she mumbled, seeing the one jock smart enough to not let people see that he didn't like Laura's popularity. It wasn't like that with most of the sporty guys of course, but she knew that some of them didn't deal well with an athlete girl being more popular than them. That the source of her fame was a fighting sport so traditionally manly only added insult to the injury for some. Laura wasn't hundred percent sure if Victor was one of them, if he was indeed jealous, something that sounded silly to Laura as he was pretty successful in several avenues, but there still was something about Victor that she didn't like.

Laura didn't quite catch what had he said that caused the laughs, but she just stared at Victor before catching up with Kermit, that didn't even stop to face them. "I hope that nothing ever comes easily to me" she mumbled, walking besides Kermit. "If having things easy turns you into an asshole like Victor, I don't want it" she added, sighing. Sometimes she could feel it, the fire, the easy way out. Just a punch, just one and the smile of those kind of assholes would be gone. Laura's right arm tensed, clenching the straps of the sports bag she was touting for a moment. And yet she couldn't. The consequences would be horrible and it would be a betrayal of the sport itself, and yet it was so tempting...
 
Kermit glanced to his side, expecting to see Laura snickering at him. After all, his only talent couldn't match that of a guy with so much more than him. He was objectively inferior. Instead, he was shocked to find her arm tightening, her knuckles white. He recognized that look probably better than anyone else. After all, he had done that same thing many times himself. That was what shattered his preconceived notions about Laura. Maybe she wasn't one of those arrogant jocks after all. Maybe she was a much nicer person.

He reached over, tapping her knuckles gently with his index finger. "Is Victor worth that?" he asked. It's what he had said to himself every time he felt that way. Victor was top dog now, but he was Icarus. When he finally came up against a challenge he couldn't naturally overcome, he'd have no idea how to work hard to beat it. Plus it was well known that he wasn't exactly faithful to whoever his current girlfriend was. Eventually, he was going to destroy his own life. There was no need to go down with him. And so Kermit walked out the front door of the school, leaving the laughter behind him.
 
Kermit's tapping finger caught Laura by surprise, having enough self control to not jump startled or yelp, but she tensed up for a moment before he talked. "No" she sighed, her fist opening into a limp hand, calm. "No, he's not worth it" Laura reassured Kermit, nodding to him and working on a small smile as they got further away from Victor, leaving the noise behind. "It wasn't like I was going to punch him" Laura clarified, not wanting Kermit to get a wrong impression of her, thinking that her sport of choice meant that she was some kind of thug or bully. "I'd never. Never ever" she repeated. It wasn't just about the respect she had about boxing, the discipline it required, she just wasn't that kind of person. A taste for violence wasn't what got Laura into boxing.

Slowly but surely, Frank's lit up and classic cafeteria appeared on sight. It's wide and tall windowed front gave the place a lot of light, and with the lamps it had on the ceiling it was even more lit up. The place itself, not to mention the style that plagued the whole cafeteria from the furniture to the vintage jukebox on a corner and the general decor, seemed to be frozen in time since its opening. Frank's grandfather had opened it in the fifties, and one could almost imagine the waitresses going around in roller skates and the gangs parking outside with their rockabilly hairdos and tough attitude, as it seemed like the time didn't pass through that place. The waitresses may not be in skates, but the uniforms were still vintage at best, and there weren't gangs parked outside, unless you counted members of different sport teams as gangs.

Laura pushed the door and stepped inside, holding it for Kermit without a second thought, scanning the place for an empty booth, finding one at the end of the cafeteria. "Lucky!" Laura cheered, the smile returning to her face after the sour encounter with Victor. The cushioned seats were comfy, delicious sweet and salty smells permeated the air giving the place an almost fair-like aroma. "Ugh, I've to watch what I eat, but feel free to ask anything, it's on me" Laura commented, letting herself fall heavily on a seat. It wouldn't be long until one of the waitresses came around, as service was always quick on that place.
 
He had no trouble believing that wouldn't actually punch him. Laura didn't seem like a fighter. She was an athlete in a sport that involved fighting. But sometimes being reminded of that helped release that anger. Or at least it helped him. He stayed quiet on the way over to Frank's, embarrassed by his presumptuous behavior. It probably wasn't needed, and it may have made him look like a chauvinist, treating her like she couldn't control her emotions. He was also surprised how angry she had gotten about Victor. Had she really been spurned by him like the rumors said? Was she still angry about that?

Frank's was exactly what he heard and seen from the distance. Now that they were inside, he felt like they had walked on to a reused Happy Days set. He felt an incredible urge to say the words 'Daddy-O' to someone, but his own sense of shame prevented that. When they sat down, he saw there were no exaggerations about the amount of variety they had here. It seemed like half of the foods he knew were on this menu. When his eyes hit one item, he knew what he had to order. And it wasn't the lansagna that was quite inexplicably in the list. When the waitress came around, he answered first. "A vanilla milkshake." He loved milkshakes, but so many places did them badly. It was a tragedy, really. So he was hoping Frank's would make it onto his good milkshake list.

Once Laura had ordered and the waitress had left, it was time to get down to why they were here. "I've got a quick question for you before we start. Are you looking to ace your classes, or are you looking to pass your classes. I can tutor you for either, so it depends on what you want."
 
The waitress recognized Laura, of course, even if she didn't go as often as others to the establishment, but she was professional enough as for her popularity not affecting her behavior, apart from the expression on her face. She did pay more attention to her than to Kermit, though, but she did take note of his Vainilla Milkshake and Laura's double Orange Juice, as she needed the hydration. As soon as the waitress was gone, Kermit had a question for Laura, so her attention was undivided, once again drifting to the most notorious feature of his face, those clear eyes. "Ace? I don't think such a thing is within my reach..." Laura admitted. It wasn't like she was dumb or anything, but a feat like that was beyond her grasp, or so she thought. "Even if it was, it would probably require all of my time... and I can't afford to cut my training time" she sighed, leaning with the forearms on the table.

"I just need to pass them to keep boxing" she said, looking down to her hands resting on the table. "But I need to pass, for sure" Laura's voice sounded serious, determined, but a hint of worry laced her words. "My parents won't let me box unless I pass each and every exam" Laura looked up to Kermit, her green eyes wavering for a moment. "And I don't want to argue with them, I can't. They are already worried enough" she admitted, falling silent.

"But any questions you have, just ask" Laura offered after a while, trying to make sure that Kermit was comfortable with her, as they were going to spend quite some time together. "I don't bite" she joked, her face illuminating with a small smile. Their drinks where there, both a huge looking freshly squeezed orange juice for Laura, and a thick looking vanilla milkshake with a frothy head and a cherry for Kermit. Both drinks looked amazing, and judging from Laura's expression after a couple of big gulps, the juice was good, although it was hard to mess an orange juice. Now it was time to see if the milkshake passed Kermit's test.
 
He smiled at her joke. It was nice, her attempts to make him feel more comfortable. Though he still couldn't help but be intimidated by her. But when the milkshake arrived, his attention became focused entirely on it. Once the waiter was gone, he grabbed a nearby napkin, laying it flat next to the glass. Then he grabbed the cherry, placing it on the paper that he would later throw away. He never understood why cherries were placed on these. No one he knows has ever asked for or wanted it. The offending berry removed, he turned his attention to the straw, closing his eyes as he placed his lips on it. As he began to drink, and involuntary grin spread across his face. It was delicious. Good ice cream well mixed to create an amazing drink. For a moment, he forgot where he was, being transported to a land of cold, creamy vanilla.

His eyes opened, returning to reality as the grin was wiped from his face. He pulled away from the drink, looking back at the girl in front of him. He took a moment to focus, shifting gears to tutor mode. "I would disagree with you, at least on a theoretical level," he told her first. "I'll grant you, you're not like Victor; you won't get straight A's by attending class and glancing through the textbook. But I very much think you could pass if you did it like me. Studying, review, daily refreshing of the material. Eventually, the materials will just be locked in there. Excellence through repetition, mastery through dedication, and so on," he explained.

"But practically, you're probably right. If you're going to focus on boxing, you probably don't have the hours in the day to do both. Which is fine, of course," he hastily added, falling back to his regular attitude as he assured her there was no judgement involved. "So I'll focus on the basics. I won't teach you edge cases and little tricks that'll amount to five percent of your grade. It'll be the core material that makes up seventy to eighty percent of the class." He paused to take another sip of the milkshake, hoping he wasn't sounding too pompous. It was easier for him to speak on a subject like this that he actually knew. After all- god, was this milkshake good. Just the ability to drink this made tutoring worth it.

"I don't know if Principal Woods passed this on, but do you know which subjects you need to focus on? And your recent tests and assignments from those classes? I'll be able to do my best if I understand what you do and don't know."
 
Laura listened to Kermit with utmost attention, relieved that he was aware of her predicament, her lack of time to dedicate herself to ace her studies and boxing at the same time. For a moment she had feared that he would require from her the same dedication he seemed to have, but luckily he was understanding. As he paused to enjoy his milkshake, something that he obviously liked, Laura couldn't wonder if he just didn't like the cherry or if he saved it for last. Not that she wanted it, but maybe...

"Excellence through repetition, mastery through dedication" Laura nodded with a complicit smile. "You almost sound like my coach" she added, noticing hard work ethics at the first sight. Most of the time she did the pure physical training, her routines, on the school gym, like that very day. Twice a week she went to a boxing gym where she could get expert advice, specialized training, supervision and sparring, and it was the owner of that place the one Kermit reminded her to.

"Anyways, thank you for understanding my position" Laura nodded. "I have free time that I could devote to studying, it's what I do with my free time anyways..." she sighed, not being very active socially, despite her popularity. "But I really can't cut down on the training, I'm glad you understand" she nodded. A couple of hearty gulps of orange juice kept her hydrated and satisfied, moment when Kermit mentioned Principal Woods once more. "He said nothing to me. In fact, beyond that I was going to meet my tutor today, no one consulted me much, it's something that was arranged between the Principal and my parents" she confessed, a bit embarrassed for a moment. "Not that I mind, I need the help... but I'd have thanked the opportunity to ask for a tutor myself, not allowing the Principal to go around on a hunt" she added. "I got lucky with you, so in the end I guess it's fine" Laura shrugged, really thankful for Kermit's attitude.

"But as far as subjects go, I'm aware of which ones I'm lacking on by myself, I'm not that thickheaded even if my coach says so" Laura laughed briefly, knocking on her temple with her knuckles twice, making clear that it was a joke. "Social studies and English I can manage. I won't be as good as most people, but I'm not bad" her face was a bit proud of it, but the feeling soon vanished. "Science and Math..." Laura voiced weakly. "I'm awful at them, I have to admit" she sighed.
 
Of course Woods wouldn't have told her. That would imply that he listened to a word Kermit said beyond agreeing to tutor. This was a pretty important piece of info he needed. Luckily, he had gotten a chance to see her grades, and this was exactly what he had expected. He also felt rewarded for doing his own research as well, having borrowed a quote from the book written by her boxing instructor. Kermit liked being prepared, and this situation was no different. But when she said she got lucky with him, he couldn't help but go a bit red in embarrassment. He took another drink to calm himself before going on.

"Believe it or not, that's actually good news," he told her as he reached for his backpack. "English and social studies can be hard to teach when someone just doesn't 'get it,' but math is surprisingly easy." He pulled out a binder from his bag and removed a stack of papers from it. Twenty-one cleanly stacked pieces of paper, pushing them towards her. He had made up the entire set in front of her over the past few days, knowing they'd be useful. The top sheet was a list of equations, followed by the situations that they're used in. The remaining twenty had twenty-five math problems apiece. However, instead of room to write out any formulas and work, there was just room for a number.

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to solve these," he reassured her. "At our level, most math is just two things. Knowing the formulas, and knowing where to use each. These," he said, pointing to the top sheet, "is every formula the current chapter requires. So I want you to go through these," he gestured to the rest of the pile, "and just put in the number of the formula you would use. Don't worry about about what it means or how it applies or relates to other concepts. Just focus on the numbers in front of you." He sat back, taking another drink of the milkshake. "If this approach doesn't work, we can use another one."
 
"Math is easy?" Laura said with a chuckle, like it was some kind of joke, but it was clear that it wasn't. "It's just gibberish to me..." she added, but interrupted herself as she saw that Kermit was getting a binder with some papers out of his bag. The sight of the bunch of equations made Laura pale and grab her orange juice to distract herself with a long sip. Kermit must have picked up on her quite apparent unease, as he reassured her that she didn't have to solve them, explaining what she had to do. Just pointing the proper formula was way easier, of course, but it was still a lot of jumble in her green eyes, drifting wildly from the pile of papers to Kermit's face, awaiting further instructions before realizing that there were none.

"What, now?" Laura gasped, suddenly nervous. "I guess I could..." she rummaged on a side pocket of her sports bag for a pencil and a eraser. "Just the number of the formula then?" she repeated, making sure more than asking a question. "They are a lot though..." Laura added, before focusing on the first sheet before her, twenty five math problems returning the glare. With the numbered formulas at one side, Laura started to fill in the numbers on the first sheet painfully slow, approaching the pencil to the paper to withdraw it right after and think it further. Every now and then, she returned to an already solved problem to erase her answer, right or wrong, and replace it for a different one, second guessing her every choice.

Once she was finished with the first sheet, it was clear that there was no way she could do the other nineteen in that moment, her drink empty, having spent between ten to twenty minutes for that first sheet, now full of eraser marks, scribbles and answers done and redone several times. It was more or less apparent that she knew something about math, but clearly not enough and to make matters worse she didn't believe in what she knew, making her constantly second guess her answers, lose more and more time and fumble answers she nailed in the first place. It was almost a miracle that she had passed her exams until that moment, although they had been always been on the edge.

"Ah..." Laura mumbled, looking apprehensive and hesitant. "I can't do them all now but... how did I do?" she asked, letting Kermit take a proper look at her solved sheet.
 
"Thats fine. I only want one done today," he explained. He pushed aside the now empty milkshake glass to focus on the sheet. It...was not good. At least, the score wasn't. However, there was an upside: Kermit could now understand her problems. It might just seem like a bunch of numbers, but they caused things about her to click for him.

The first thing he learned was she was not stupid. In fact, she was smarter than she thought she was. However, she clearly didn't have that high of an opinion on her own intelligence. This caused her to second guess herself and change her answers. And from what he could tell, it seemed like the first answers had been right more often than not. Then she worried she was taking to long, panicking, and then rushing the next problems and making mistakes on material she knew.

Second was some weak fundamentals. There were some basic principles of algebra she seemed to have a poor grasp of. That would of course make things built off of those principles much harder to understand. But there was a plus to this: it was easily addressed. Plus, a lot of the math they used in science was based on those rules. If she got those down, science might be easier as well.

He reached back into the binder, pulling out another sheet of equations. He put it down in front of her, placing the sheet she had filled out on one side and the formula sheet on the other side. It was the missing link. The center sheet had every equation done exactly in the format of the formulas. However, they were also clearly the same as the equations on Laura's answer sheet, just with the numbers moved around. "If I asked you to, would you be able to do the center sheet?" he asked calmly.
 
Silence.

Kermit did tell her that he only wanted one sheet done, but Laura couldn't help but notice that he didn't answer her question. Was it that bad that he didn't want to tell her? She had been struggling before, but with the jump to high school she had been barely getting through and she didn't think possible that she would be able to pass the next one. Kermit's silence only made things worse and Laura didn't really want to insist on her question, as he was pulling yet another sheet of paper.

"I could try..." she moped, looking at the sheet, full of gibberish. The numbers danced around, taunting her. Being tested on her weakest point was bad enough, but having Kermit looking at her with those clear eyes while she did was even worse. Would he think that she was stupid? Another brainless jock? A boxer that took too many hits to the head? Her left hand left the pencil on the table, seeing that she was getting nowhere. "I can't. Not now. The numbers are wrong, and there are too many, I don't even know how well I did in the other test and you keep looking at me-" Laura blurted, stopping herself, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry. I shouldn't make excuses" Laura started after a few seconds. "I got nervous, I don't like being..." she mumbled. "I don't... I hate being seen like... weak" she said, explaining only part of it. "You didn't even tell me how I did..." she frowned. "Was it that bad? You must think I'm stupid" Laura said, a bit of anger starting to replace her embarrassment, her inadequacy.
 
"Nononono," he quickly stammered out. He was internally degrading himself with an infinite string of insults. He always did this: he got caught up in his own pace and thoughts, forgetting to speak. In this case, he must have seen like a condescending prick. Maybe he was being one. That was in no way what he meant. "Sorry, sorry," he quickly apologized, genuine guilt plaguing his voice. His head was a mess, fear, embarrassment, self-loathing, it was all swirling around inside as he desperately tried to figure out what words he could possibly use to give voice to these thoughts.

"You're, um, I'm, uh," he continued, sounding less like a person trying to speak and more like history's worst rapper. "Seven," he finally got out, probably louder than it needed to be. "Out of twenty. Seven out of twenty," he finally finished. He knew that wouldn't make her feel better. It might even sound like he was confirming her self-doubt. "But- but-," he tried to add, still trying to pull words from the maelstrom of thoughts. He stopped, raised his hands, and placed his face in them. He stayed that way for almost twenty seconds, calming himself down. Eventually, he pulled his hands away, and tried to speak again.

"But if you hadn't changed your answers," he started, speaking slowly for his sake, "you would have gotten twelve." He tried to think of what he could add to that to make her feel better, and then he remembered what someone like him who studied ahead already forgot. "Some of those equations on the sheet haven't been taught yet, but from later in this chapter. So you got a sixty when you didn't even know all the material yet," he explained. He had included them on purpose, wanting to grow her familiarity with the material that would be on the next test. Plus she didn't need to know how to use them yet, just how to read them. "So you're not stupid, and I don't think you are," he finished, breathing an exhausted sigh as he finally finished his words. Kermit was many things, but being good under pressure was not one of them, especially from a pretty girl he was trying to help but accidentally hurt.
 
Seeing Kermit stutter and fidget was a bit painful, with Laura being the one that caused it. As he covered his face she thought of something to say, anything, but words didn't come out. Feeling like a bully, Laura just gave him time to order his thoughts and say what he had to say. The boy that talked after getting his bearings was nothing like the stammering mess he was before, talking firm, serious and clearly to Laura. Both sides of him were somewhat cute, a thought that caught Laura by surprise, but she focused on how bad had she felt and how that caused Laura to lash out a bit in defense.

"Thank you" Laura began. "And sorry" she promptly added. "I felt bad due to a misunderstanding and I was mean to you" she admitted. "Lets communicate as honestly as possible from now on, right? That way we can avoid repeating mistakes" she proposed. "I'll warn you when I don't understand something, when some trouble makes me feel inadequate or when something makes me nervous" Laura commented a few examples. "And you can warn me when I'm messing up, if I'm conducting myself wrong or if I start to act like a scary gorilla, please?" she added, blushing a bit at the end.

It was a kind of insult that she rarely, if ever, sounded around Laura nowadays, but one that she had heard a plenty in the past. Being taller and stronger was already something that set her apart from the crowd, something dangerous for a kid, but her interest in fighting sports and the bulk she gained with her practice made it only worse. These days she was more of a celebrity than she wanted to admit, so she didn't have to endure insults anymore, at least usually, but deep down Laura knew that many people still thought the same of her, they just wouldn't admit it. She had even been nice with herself, as 'scary gorilla' barely scratched the surface of the things she had heard in the past.
 
"More Amazon, less grorilla," he joked back, glad the rough patch seemed to have passed for the most part. Still, that had left him in pins and needles as he waited for the check. "But it was not your fault. I need to get better at listening to people and responding, not just getting getting stuck in my own little world," he explained, glad that the time for this had nearly run up. "We're in this together, so we'll communicate, pard'ner," he added, striking a cheesey cowboy pose to hopefully improve her mood. When that settled down, he returned to more general disposition.

"Can you give me your schedule?" It'd be much easier to make a plan for if he used his free time well. Of course, scheduling the two could still be a rough break, but he hoped the load she had wasn't too intense. If it was, he'd spend all the time preparing materials and taking oadvantage of every opprotuity to see her. And of course he meant teach.
 
"Amazon..." Laura mumbled, a bit surprised by the idea. Did Kermit think that she was some kind of beautiful warrior? An almost godlike being of mythology? But Laura wasn't that pretty... no, it was just a compliment to cheer her, nothing more. But it did work, she had to admit, smiling at him as he apologized once more, adding a cheesy cowboy joke that made her giggle. "I train early every morning, mostly running, so mornings are off" Laura started talking, taking a paper and making a grid with the days of the week on the top of each column and morning, afternoon, evening scribbled at the left of each row.

"So, unless there is some competition close by, my schedule is this one" she said. "I have the Wednesday afternoons and the whole Sunday free, I tend to do mostly resting, sometimes swimming if I'm bored or feel that I have energy to burn" she commented, scribbling 'free' on those two slots, "but we can use those moments" she pointed out. "The evenings I have free... all of them I guess" she said, adding one 'free' after another. "It's when I do the homework, or supposedly I have time for myself to get out with friends if it's the weekend" Laura said, a hint of sadness in her voice, ending her sentence with a sigh. Laura didn't really have friends. Most girls saw her like a freak, her popularity an accident, while boys... boys didn't want her, and the few that did were creepy.

"I don't want to impose on your free time" Laura said, "but I'd glad if you could help me as much as possible, wherever you think we can work, your or my house" she finished, shrugging.
 
Kermit wasn't stupid. It's why he was here. It was clear to him that there were issues at play here deeper than the simple inability to follow lessons. She was stressed and she was lonely. It was lonely at the top. And so, realizing it was Friday, he acted swiftly and with the ability worthy of he who had played a tree in an elementary school play. "Well, I'd like to tutor you all tomorrow, but my friend and I made plans to go see a movie. We already bought our tickets, but he can't go anymore. I'm still going since I don't want to waste the ticket. Would you like to help not waste the other?" he asked, feeling about as good as that sounded. "We can study after, my promise." He was sure getting her out of her shell and having fun with a...person would make her feel better. And her feeling better would be easier to teach.
 
Laura looked at Kermit with an strange expression, her brow a bit frowned and yet the glint of surprise in her eyes. "I don't know... I haven't gone to the movies in a while..." she doubted, her mind racing. Laura didn't want to impose Kermit so much, she already felt bad enough for having him tutoring, even if he got something in exchange, so having herself intrude in his free time was too much. "I don't want to bother you in your free time, not more than it's already needed for tutoring, but if you are already going..." Laura mumbled. She wanted to get out, she really did, but the whole deal felt quite awkward. "I'll go" she nodded, the movie itself not even being a consideration in her mind, as she liked mostly anything.

"Two conditions" Laura added, smiling. She wasn't really in position to ask anything else of Kermit, so they weren't really harsh conditions to fulfill. "One you already mentioned, we have to study later, I don't mind where" she noted. "And you have to let me buy you dinner. We can eat in some place or just takeaway if it's more convenient, but it's the least I can do with the tutoring and the movie" she finished, looking firm in her decision. "I just got a car recently, should I pick you up somewhere? Oh, I'll need your phone and address and such..." Laura realized, fishing her smartphone from the sport bag.
 
"I can agree to those," he said. She seemed to be in a better mood now, which was always something welcomed. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his own smartphone. He opened up contacts and created a new one, passing it over to Laura to let her put in the information. He found it was always faster that way. "I'll be st my house, and it's not too out of the way," he answered, kind of jealous of her. He couldn't even drive, let alone own a car. But if she could, that solved all sorts of problems. So he pushed his petty feelings aside, instead focusing on the positives.

"I think that should cover everything for now," he told her after putting his own data into her phone. "I'll double check the movie time tonight and text you the details. You can keep those sheets," he said pointing to the stack. "You don't need to do any of them. But if you feel like doing some review it's best to have them. But only if you feel up to it. Don't push yourself if you're not up to it." The last thing he wanted was for her to burnout.
 
Laura introduced her number and address into Kermit's phone as he did the same in hers, allowing that way to reach each other with ease. She picked up the dreaded sheets and stored them with care in her bag, "I'll try to take a look at them..." she said, not entirely convinced, but as Kermit wasn't going to push her, she could wait until the proper tutoring started. Settling the tab, Laura was ready to part ways with Kermit, heading home. Once there she didn't look much at the sheets beyond getting them out of the sports bag, awaiting until Kermit confirmed the movie time so she could plan her Saturday training before hanging up with him.

The next morning started early for Laura, healthy breakfast, going to the gym, returning before lunch... it was routine, but she could feel an energy, a certain restlessness in her. She wasn't distracted, but she was a bit nervous about doing something new, not wanting to spoil Kermit's movie night or ending up being a nuisance. It should be fine, she was just going to be of some company and relax before studying, it wasn't like it was a date. "A date..." she mumbled, back at home, getting out of the shower drying her hair. Just the idea was laughable, even if it wasn't funny at all. There was no way she could get a date with someone decent, she knew that, and Kermit was too smart to end up with her. "It's just a movie, that's what it is" she grunted, delving into her wardrobe to search something that wouldn't be too sporty.

Luckily her parents were no trouble. Not only they were happy that she was getting along with her tutor, but also liked seeing her doing something else besides getting ready to punch people and get punched, so they gave her quite the leeway where other would ask dozens of questions and enforce some unreasonable curfew. They knew that Laura was the first to be disciplined, specially for a teenage girl, so in that regard they had been quite chill so far. After many doubts, Laura changed her outfit twice, scolding herself over it as she couldn't decide what to wear. It was still the beginning of autumn, so it was still quite warm in that part of the country, making Laura settle for some sneakers, tight torn jeans and a white tank top. It was a bit weird wearing those jeans, but some girls her age wore them so she felt that she couldn't go wrong with them and it wasn't hard getting them her size. The tank top she wore over a white sport bra was something more natural to her, and it allowed Laura to show quite some of her bronze skin and her muscled arms.

With a bit of time to spare from the agreed upon hour, following instructions on the phone, she drove to Kermit's house. Laura got down from her car, a red Honda Civic that was spacious enough for her frame, although she had her seat pushed almost all way back. Leaving her stuff in the car, like a bag with her books and such for later study, Laura got to Kermit's door, ringing the bell and waiting.
 
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