"Please pay attention, guys! These algebra formulas might be included in tomorrow's math test."
Mrs. Johnson was pointing with her finger at the board where she had scribbled some new formulas.
"You can check out the formulas on the table I handed to at the beginning of class."
The math teacher turned to the students, looking at us thoughtfully over the rim of her thick glasses.
"Now take a further look at the table! Do you understand the formulas correctly? If not, you still have time to ask me some questions."
She crossed her arms, her gaze drifting over their students. I let out a deep sigh; what a fuck! I've struggled pretty much to learn the other formulas for tomorrow's test, and now? Mrs. Johnson had to add a few more. I just can't stand that teacher! Leyla turned to me, looking at me with concern.
"Are you okay, Sofia?" she asked gently, placing her hand on my arm.
Leyla is my second-best friend after Sally. She's Muslim and was wearing a red headscarf with our school uniform, suiting her pretty face and olive complexion perfectly. I took a deep breath.
"No, nothing is okay! I don't understand these stupid formulas," I replied, annoyed. "I'm sure I'll get a bad grade."
I crossed my arms, pouting, and Leyla gave me a thoughtful look.
"You could ask Mrs. Johnson." she suggested, but I waved my hand dismissively.
"Absolutely not, Leyla! Anyway, I don't understand anything when she's explaining it," I retorted defiantly.
"Sofia, Sofia! How can someone be so nice like you... and so fucking stubborn," she said, shaking her head.
For a moment we stared at each other in silence, then we both burst out laughing. Finally the bell rang; time to get out of here! I grabbed my bag in rush, darting out of the classroom.
"Sofie, wait for me!" Leyla called after me, catching up with me in the hallway.
"Someone's in a rush," she said, a bit of irony in her voice.
"How about we get a coffee from the machine? I need one right now."
She sighed deeply, and I nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah, me too! I'm just waiting for Sally, so we can go together," I answered, looking around, but I couldn't see Sally anywhere.
Just in that moment, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket, looking curiously at the screen; it was Marco texting me! My heart skipped a beat. It has been a few days since we met last Friday at the Dragon's Den. Since then, we've been talking on the phone at least once a day and texting constantly. I just can't wait to see him again!
Leyla had her arms crossed and was shaking her head at me. She already knew who was texting me again.
"It's Marco." I explained, without taking my eyes off the screen, while I was already texting him back.
"Of course, Marco! Who else could it be?" she retorted, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Maybe you should see him again soon... Take your time with your sweet whispers. I'm going to join Cindy."
Telling me so, she headed over to our friend, who was waving at us. Marco wanted to know how I was doing, and I immediately poured my heart out to him.
"Not so good! I just found out I have to learn even more algebra formulas for my math test tomorrow. I just don't understand the fucking formulas."
He replied to me right away, taking me by surprise:
"I'm sorry to hear that, but maybe I can help. Math is my favorite subject!"
That is definitely something we don't have in common!
"What do you mean, Marco? Are you going to tutor me in math?" I asked excitedly.
"Why not? I'm at college until 2 p.m., but I can come over after lunch."
Gosh, my heart was racing. He actually wants to come over and tutor me in math!
"Could you be at my place around 4 p.m. this afternoon?" I asked, and he agreed.
I kept staring at my phone, even though Marco wasn't online anymore. He would be coming over this afternoon to tutor me in math. I was so excited! I just can't get him out of my head and I want to know so much more about him. Finally, Sally came toward me and gave me a curious look.
"Hey Sofie! Why are you staring at your phone like you're hypnotized? Are you reading a message from Marco?" she asked with a huge smile.
I cleared my throat sheepishly before putting my phone back into my pocket.
"Exactly, Sally! You won't believe it, but Marco offered to help me study for my math test tomorrow. He's coming over later."
I was speaking a little too loud as I was so excited, and could not help but laugh at myself. Sally was infected by my good mood.
"That's fantastic, Sofie! You should see how your eyes are shining. I bet you really like your tutor"
She winked at me, and I blushed. Of course, my bestie knows me very well. It's true, I really like Marco, although I've only met him once! I took a deep breath.
"Maybe! I definitely want to get to know him better," I answered honestly.
Sally gave me a huge smile, putting her arm around me.
"About time! My bestie is finally falling in love..."
What the hell? I wanted to protest, but Sally continued chattering happily:
"I have good news for you, sweetie. On Friday evening, the four of us are going to the movies together: you, me, Frank, and Marco. Frank came up with the idea."
"That's a great idea, Sally! I haven't been to the movies in ages," I exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Me neither! It'll definitely be a fun evening," she agreed.
When Leyla came back to join us, we went to the coffee machine together to finally get our coffee.
**********
Shortly after 4 p.m., somone was ringing the doorbell.
"Sofia! Can you open the door, please?" Mum called from the kitchen.
She didn't have to ask me twice! I rushed downstairs and took a deep breath in the hallway.
"Of course, Mom, it must be Marco!" I called back, catching my breath to calm down.
My heart was pounding when I opened the front door. Marco was standing outside, waving shyly before entering the house.
"Hi, Marco!" I exclaimed happily, noticing that he looked even better than last Friday.
He was wearing a blue T-shirt with his jeans, and I furtively admired the tattoos on his muscular arms. Gosh, he's so sexy! Marco cleared his throat, and only then did I realize that he was also checking me out. His admiring gaze lingered on my long legs, and suddenly I felt a little naked in my shorts!
"Hi Sofia! You look pretty in those shorties," he said in a husky voice, winking at me.
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and shyly avoided his gaze. How is it even possible that he's embarrassing me again and again? Those tutoring sessions were going to be interesting! Finally, Mom came from the kitchen to welcome Marco.
"Hello, you must be Marco! Thanks for coming over to help Sofia with her math," she said with a kindly smile.
"Hello, Mrs. Brings! It's nice to meet you," he replied friendly.
"I'm good at math, and it's my pleasure to tutor Sofia and get her prepared for tomorrow's test."
He gave her a huge smile, and she was clearly impressed by his good manners. What a smoothy! His blue eyes were wandering discreetly between me and my mom. Maybe he just wants to see the likeness between us...
"Okay kids, I must leave now! I'm going to pick Sven up from school and then I'm taking him to basketball practice," Mom told us and turned to me.
"Have fun with the tutoring, honey," she whispered so that only I could hear.
"Bye Marco, see you later," she said to him before leaving the house.
Now Marco and I were alone, looking down awkwardly.
"Maybe we should begin. Let's go upstairs to my room, " I invited him.
"Sure, piccola! Go ahead, I'll follow you."
He winked at me, making me blush again. I quickly turned around and walked upstairs to my room. He was following me, and I could feel his gaze burning on my bare legs. I felt pretty warm!
The tutoring session with my hot teacher went much better than expected. Marco was focused on explaining the formulas to me in an easy way, so that I could understand them correctly. He was very patient, and it was actually fun to learn with him. After more than two hours, I had a good grasp of all the algebra formulas. I was sitting on my bed with my legs drawn up and my back against the wall, repeating the formulas one more time. Marco was sitting on the edge of the bed and listening attentively, with the math book in front of him. Then he closed it with a sigh of relief, giving me a huge smile.
"Well done, Sofia! You've explained the algebra formulas perfectly," he said, satisfied.
"I think you're ready for tomorrow's math test. How are you feeling, piccola?"
I gave him my best smile, and this time it was him blushing!
"I feel great, Marco. I finally understand those fucking formulas. I owe it all to you, because you're the perfect tutor," I replied happily.
He was taken by surprise and could not help but laugh. His blue eyes were shining with delight, and he looked absolutely stunning.
"I, I'm really glad I could help you, Sofia," he said in a soft voice.
He leaned towards me to look deep into my eyes. Oh my God, my heart almost stopped! He was looking at me so intently that I got shivers. What is going through his mind? After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he took a deep breath and got up. I watched him with mixed feelings as he rummaged in his pockets, then pulling out a cigarette. No way, he isn't really doing that... Is he actually going to smoke a joint right here in my room? I jumped off the bed, standing in front of him. He startled and gave me an insecure look.
"Have you lost your mind?" I exclaimed in shock. "You're not seriously going to smoke that stuff in my room?"
I gave him a death stare. He swallowed hard, then quickly shoved the cigarette back into his pocket.
"I'm sorry! I was just checking if I have another cigarette, for later," he said hesitantly, avoiding my gaze.
Marco was standing there with his arms crossed, his expression dark and dismissive. I let out a deep sigh. This afternoon I wasn't even thinking that he's addicted to drugs! He has been kind and attentive to me the whole time, patiently explaining the math formulas. There's this gentle side to him, touching me deeply. And I definitely want to know more about him, getting to know him better.
"How long have you been smoking that stuff, Marco?" I asked cautiously.
"I guess it's none of your business!" he exclaimed, irritated.
His stiff posture was betraying his tension! I hesitated for a moment, but I wasn't so easily intimidated.
"Maybe I care about you," I said honestly.
He looked at me in surprise, then swallowed hard.
"Why do you care about me, piccola? You don't even know me," he said, stunned, looking straight into my eyes.
I sheepishly avoided his inquisitive gaze. Yeah, why though? I took a deep breath.
"To be honest, I don't know, it's just a feeling," I replied in a low voice. "Come on, tell me your story please!"
I smiled to encourage him, even though I was very anxious. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and said nothing at first. Then he resumed his defensive posture, and with dismay I saw the sad expression in his beautiful eyes.
"I don't even know where to begin," he said after a while.
"It's just that I'm constantly under pressure. Two years ago, after high school, I finally wanted to move to Italy to be with my mom and brother. There are some excellent universities in Tuscany where I could study."
He hesitated for a moment, giving me a thoughtful look.
"But then something happened that I never expected. My dad, who has barely cared about me all these years, suddenly showed a great interest in me."
His voice was so cold and detached, while he was talking about his dad!
"He begged me to stay in San Francisco and go to college here. He wants me to take over his company one day."
As it seems, Marco wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of eventually running his dad's company.
"That's great!" I exclaimed spontaneously. "Your dad must have a high opinion of you if he's going to leave you his company. After all, we're talking about Williams Software Incorporation."
The laughter caught in my throat when I met his angry look. Fuck, someone is really pissed!
"What the hell are you saying, Sofia? You understand a fuck what's really going on!" he snapped at me, and I recoiled.
I didn't expect such a harsh reaction! Marco immediately realized that he was overreacting, when he noticed my confusion. He ran a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed.
"Oh God, Sofia, I'm so sorry!" he said, his voice trembling. "I didn't mean to yell at you, piccola."
I crossed my arms in expectation, assuming it would be best to stay silent and just listen.
"Ever since my parents divorced ten years ago, I couldn't wait to finally live with my mom," he told me in a sad voice.
"But when the time came, I was unable to break free from my dominant father!"
There was so much sadness in his eyes, and I felt really bad for him.
"I hate myself for being so weak... I hate my dad for putting me under pressure!"
He angrily clenched his fists. I felt the urge to comfort him, just to say something nice, but preferred to remain silent.
"Then I met Andy, Frank's brother, in college. About two years ago, I went with him to the Dragon's Den for the first time," he continued.
"That's when I tried my first joint, and yeah... I immediately felt better!"
He avoided my inquisitive gaze and looked out the window. I watched him from the side and saw his face twitching. The poor guy was very upset. So he's taking drugs to escape the pressure burding on him... He moved closer to the window and turned his back to me. I couldn't help, but admiring his perfect figure from behind: from the large shoulders down to the narrow hips, the toned butt in the tight jeans. What was going through his mind?
"I'm not good for you, Sofia!" he said, completely unexpected, and I startled. What?
"I'm broken, a fucking mess, and I've done things I'm not proud of. You're so beautiful and you deserve to meet your prince charming."
What the hell is he talking about? I don't need a prince to be happy!
"You got me completely wrong, Marco! I already met him, my prince charming, and we were together for six months," I told him in a serious voice.
"Unfortunately, it didn't work because that idiot had to focus on his football career. As you can see, I'm still alive."
I let out a deep sigh.
"I'm really sorry for you," he replied curtly.
I was slowly losing my patience and stepped behind him to put my arms around his shoulders. He flinched but didn't turn around.
"Well, I'm not a little girl anymore who's into fairy tales. I just wanna go out with you," I said in a soft voice.
To emphatize my words, I gently stroked his arm, making him shiver.
"On Friday evening we're going to the movies with Sally and Frank. I'm really looking forward to it!"
Finally, Marco turned around, looking so deep into my eyes that I gasped for air. Jesus, those blue eyes; I just can't resist him! He smiled and slipped his hand under my chin.
"Oh yeah, I'm excited too, piccola! Maybe you're right and shouldn't be dating other guys."
His voice was rough and sexy, sending hot shivers down my spine.
"I'm kind of flattered that you wanna go out with me. You're so fucking beautiful."
He brought his face closer to mine, until I could feel his warm breath. My heart was pounding like crazy.
"Sei bellissima," he whispered in Italian, gently pulling me closer.
Now he's going to kiss me, finally! I've dreamed of this ever since I first saw him... When his sensual lips were almost touching mine, I closed my eyes in anticipation.
"Come on, Marco, kiss me," I could only think.
At that moment, I heard the front door slam downstairs.
"Sofia, where are you?" my brother's voice echoing through the house.
Mum and Sven are back; perfect timing! Marco and I jumped apart in surprise. I looked down, embarrassed, and he nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"My mum and my little brother are home," I said with a sigh.
"I'd better go now, it's already seven o'clock!" he replied with slight regret.
We exchanged a long intense look, before leaving my room together.