Extra Credit - S01 E06

8 months ago

Extra Credit - S01 E06

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 6

Calista

Lincoln was beginning to get on my last nerve.

The first two sessions we had together, he was—what some would consider—fashionably late. Sure, it was irritating. We didn't get through much of the content, but at least we got through something. At least, that's what I've been telling myself to get past the overwhelming sense of dread.

Midterms were less than two weeks away and I wasn't feeling very confident with how Lincoln was going to perform. We had barely scratched the surface of the preliminary material that would be necessary for him to comprehend the rest of the unit. At this point, I wasn't even sure his average would improve by a single percentage.

Regardless of the slow progress, I did expect him to at least show up. And, at the very least, not cancel on me at the last minute.

I had been sitting in the study room, working on a biochemistry reading when my phone screen flashed.

Lincoln: Can't make it. First match Friday.

Me: You realized this 30 mins into our would-be tutoring session?

Annoyance rolled off me in waves. The gull of this guy. The sheer ignorance.

Minutes ticked by, and as expected, Lincoln didn't grace me with a response. He was probably too busy beating a punching bag with my face on it. I let out a huff of air as I collected my things off the study room desk. I don't know why I even bothered showing up.

He clearly didn't.

I let frustration prick at my skin until I made it outside the library building. The heavy metal doors banged shut and I finally allowed myself to take in a deep breath. Even though the sun was shining it was frigid outside. The crisp air dried out my throat and I pulled my jacket closer as I began my hike through campus.

The heels of my boots clacked with every step I took back to the dorms. For some reason the sound only egged me on, coerced me to confront Lincoln Pierce and his dismissive attitude. He might not care if he doesn't pass anatomy. But he wasn't the only person who was trying to benefit from this arrangement. Without giving myself time to reconsider, I took a hard left down a path that would circle back to one of Fenton's many fitness facilities.

I wasn't going to allow Lincoln to waste my time. If he wasn't serious about this tutoring situation then I would find another way to get Professor Hamilton's letter of recommendation. I'm sure Lincoln wasn't the only student doing poorly in one of his classes. There had to be other Lincolns out there. Other Lincolns that would be grateful for my help; that wouldn't be grossly late to every session or—better yet—actually show up.

Whatever I was conjuring up in my head started to unravel as my destination came into view. How was I going to get in?

The doors to any of the athletic department buildings at Fenton were locked 24/7. Only staff and students who pertained to that department could enter the facilities with their swipe card.

As luck would have it, footsteps rounded the corner as I stood outside the gym doors. I wasn't surprised to see a broad man step up onto the concrete platform. His hair was cut short to his head. The thick coiled locks resembled dark clouds. His football jacket was pulled taut over his broad shoulders and a large duffle bag dangled by his side. He paused when he reached the building doors, hands searching his pockets.

"Hey." I stepped up beside him. "Sorry, but would you mind letting me in? I'm meant to be meeting someone, but in typical fashion he isn't answering his phone," I said, flashing him my conversation with Lincoln.