12
Since Seth and I had come to an understanding, we started up our study sessions again. I felt much more comfortable about them, more at ease, after having helped out at the youth center.
I didn’t have any experience teaching other people, so I’d kept on wondering, who was I to tutor Seth, especially in a class I’d never taken myself? But I’d done well at the youth center, which helped my confidence.
Besides, even if I hadn’t taken the class, the topic was one I had expert knowledge in.
“So this is where Dumbledore comes in right?” Seth asked. “The wholemeeting a mentorstage in the hero’s journey?”
“That’s exactly it.” I nodded approvingly.
“And sometimes it’s not a real person, but some kind of supernatural entity or whatever, right?”
“That’s right.” I gave him an encouraging smile. “See, you know this stuff. You’ve read the textbooks and listened to lectures in class. You’ve got this.”
“We’re only on stage four out of twelve,” he reminded me. “I’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Any progress is good progress.”
Seth still sighed and slumped back in his chair.
“Sometimes I feel like all this studying is useless,” he said. “Even if I can write the essay, I’m never going to pass the exam. I won’t remember any of this without you here.”
“We’ll do practice exams. I told you, I’m going to make you work hard, but it’s going to all be worth it in the end. I promise.”
Seth lifted his eyes to mine, a glimmer of hope in them.
“Thank you,” he said. “I know I’ve said it before, but I really appreciate what you’re doing for me. I wish I could return the favor somehow.”
“I’m not doing this to get something out of it.” Aside from maybe the pleasure of Seth’s company. “You’re my friend and I have the ability to help you, so I’m going to do that.”
Seth reached out to take my hand. His warm, calloused fingers closed over mine. My heart leaped in my chest, my cheeks heating up as I stared at our conjoined hands.
I still reacted this way every time he touched me. As much as I told myself we were just friends, it hadn’t been a drunken kiss done in anger. I wanted us to be more than friends. I wanted Seth’s hands touching me in other places. I wanted his lips brushing mine over and over again.
When I finally lifted my eyes to his, I thought I saw a spark of something that made my insides churn. Those bright green eyes were fastened onto mine, not looking away. Fixated, enraptured.
Then that look was gone, in a flash of an instant, and Seth was back to his usual good-humored self. Whatever I thought I’d seen in his eyes, it wasn’t there anymore.
I brought my trembling hands to my lap, pulling away from his touch.
“You really are a good person,” Seth said. “Most people would have patted me on the back, said good luck and left me to do this on my own.”
I inhaled slowly through my nose to calm my breathing.
“It’s not totally altruistic,” I replied after steadying myself. “I’ll take any chance to talk about my favorite book series. Have I told you yet about the theory of how the books mirror each other?”
Seth threw me a grin.
“Will it be on the test?”
“Probably not.”
“I don’t want any spoilers, but when I’m finished reading all seven books, you can tell me all about it,” he said.
My heart melted in my chest, warming me from the inside out. No one had ever cared enough to listen to my Harry Potter ramblings.
“You know there’s more than just seven, right?” I said. “There’s companion books and that play and sequel movies.”
