1: Educating Kaylee Ch. 03

The phone was quiet on the other end; she could only hope he was smiling. He hadn't hung up yet, so that was a good sign.

"You still have my math book," Luke said dryly. Kaylee heard a quiet chuckle after he said that.

"I'll bring it over when I'm done with the cookies," she laughed.

Before he could say anything, Kaylee said, "So...um, just so you know, this part isn't easy for me. And I don't do it often, and can't remember the last time I did it, but I owe you about a million of them. So, here goes.

"Luke, I'm so, so, so, so, so incredibly sorry," she gushed. "You might not even believe me, but I didn't even mean it at the time when I said it. I just...," she sighed. "I guess I just got myself wrapped up in my own distorted social life. I sometimes worry a little more about my reputation than I should, but in all actuality, it was the other way around. You're not the loser, Luke. It's the rest of us. Me, Bradley, Cindy... well, especially Cindy." It didn't come out like anything that Kaylee had planned to say, but she still meant every word of it.

Luke laughed.

"Kaylee, you're not a loser. You're a little too wrapped up into what people think of you, though, and I think it backfired. Yes, you stung me. You cut me open deep. I'm not sure if I've ever been hurt like that. Well, we can change the subject. You don't need to hear any more." Kaylee winced more and more with each word Luke spoke.

"Luke, no. Please. It's ok. You can tell me how you feel," Kaylee pleaded. "I hurt you and I deserve whatever you have to say."

Luke said, "I'm not trying to hurt you back."

Kaylee was quiet on the other end, deliberately waiting for Luke to talk.

Luke sighed, "Have you ever seen something so beautiful and majestic, but you didn't realize how deadly it could be until you were wrapped up in it, and it was too late? Like the waves of the ocean?"

Kaylee couldn't answer. She wanted to, but she couldn't seem to manage.

He continued, "When I heard you speak those words, I felt like I was swept into the ocean, swimming against the tide. I could see the shore line, but with every word you said as you kept talking, it was like I was pulled out deeper, no matter how hard I tried to swim. I couldn't breathe as I was swept away into the endless depths." He said, straightforward, "I couldn't run, I don't know why. And the worst part was that I couldn't make it stop."

He spoke bluntly, but so eloquently, from his heart. She knew he wasn't trying to unleash drama or feel sorry for himself; she realized it was simply the way he spoke and how he communicated, how he opened up his feelings. That didn't mean it hurt any less; if anything, it hurt her more, the way he spun it like poetry. But she deserved it. The indirect pain he had just caused her was nowhere near the pain she caused him, and she hurt. Kaylee cringed as he brought forth the magnitude of the damage that she had caused him; she really had no idea just how much she hurt him until now. Her bottom lip quivered as he reminded her of what she had done; she didn't want to cry over the phone.

"But, I was forced to remind myself that we are from two different worlds." Kaylee started to protest, but he continued, "And I'm ok with that. I'm the one who was lucky enough to cross into yours. Maybe I just let my guard down too much. A peasant is lucky enough if he gets to see an angel; I got to talk to one. For a moment, I even thought I was becoming friends with one. I guess ignorance is bliss, just like they say. I will always treasure you for that."

Kaylee felt herself swooning. Her cheeks were flush; she could only imagine how red her face actually was, and it wasn't just from the heat of the oven. She was glad Luke couldn't see her red puffy eyes though the phone.

Luke said, "I know it took a lot for you to apologize. I didn't ever think I would get an apology from the great Kaylee Reed."

Kaylee smiled warmly. Luke had such a way with words, whether he knew it or not. "So, how can I say no? Of course I accept your apology."

Kaylee smiled. "Thank you," she said softly.I don't deserve it,she thought to herself,but thank you, Luke.

"And, I'm certainly not an angel. I wish I were. But, I want you to know Luke that I do consider you my friend. We're still friends. I mean, we can get past this."

There was a quiet moment on the phone that unnerved her. Breaking the silence, she said, "Well, cookies are done. Would this be a good time to drop off your math book?"

"Sure, come on over."

Kaylee grew quiet. She cautiously asked, "Does this mean you'll continue tutoring me? I feel pretty good about the midterms coming up, but I could use a little more help getting ready, especially with chemistry..., I mean, if you don't..."

"Of course, Kaylee."

"I'll be there; I just have to clean up. And Luke? I really mean it. I am sorry. Thank you for forgiving me." She hung up her cell phone and smiled from ear to ear. Her excitement seemed unnatural, yet she found herself running through the house to change her clothes and grab her makeup, getting ready to go over to Luke's. She was pretty sure that it was because she made amends and that terrible weight was now off of her shoulders.

Deep down and in the back of her mind, she wasn't so sure if that was the full answer.

Who cared? She was just glad she he accepted her apology and was willing to continue tutoring her. The only thing she had to worry about was what to wear over to Luke's and changing quickly enough that the cookies wouldn't grow cold.

---

As the door swung open, Kaylee thought Luke was going to say something, but his jaw was frozen in the open position.

Kaylee smiled pleasantly, smirking on the inside. Could it be because she was wearing short, tight cutoffs and a short sleeved grey leopard-print shirt with black spots, knotted up in front, showing a subtle hint of midriff? She thought so.

She held out a math book with two large plastic containers resting on top, each one with a dozen cookies.

"Kaylee, I... wow, thank you," Luke said with a great appreciation, looking back and forth between the cookies and Kaylee herself. She noticed he stared ather– not her breasts or stomach, but her face. Her eyes. She smiled even deeper.

"Well invite her in, Luke," a feminine voice said from inside.

Kaylee bit her lip and her eyes grew wide; she assumed that since her parents were never home, other people's parents wouldn't be home either. As it turned out, that wasn't a great assumption. Kaylee had a sudden urge to pull her shirt down a little further.

Luke held the door open for her.

"Hi, I'm Luke's mother, Jessica. It's so nice to meet you."

Kaylee smiled outwardly, but inwardly she hid her shock at how young Jessica looked. She was beautiful; Kaylee would kill for those blond ringlets. Most of the time Kaylee kept her hair straight in some kind of layered pattern; ringlets were always hard for her to pull off and took too much time anyway. Kaylee was proud of her breasts, but they didn't hold a candle to Jessica's. Her insecurity finally began to surface as she realized the only real advantage that she held over Jessica was her pure youth.

Yep, it was time to go shopping after she left Luke's house.

How did Luke come from a mother like this? Jessica must have married a super-nerd, which would explain where Luke got his genes from.

"Nice to meet you too," Kaylee said politely, shaking her hand.

"Luke, you didn't tell me Kaylee Reed was coming over!" A thin and wiry fourteen or fifteen year old girl that Kaylee didn't recognize, pretty but somewhat fashion-challenged, bounded up and offered out her hand. She was all smiles, showing the slightest gap between her two small front teeth. She definitely had her mother's beautiful, curly hair, although it was more tousled and unkempt.

"Hi, I'm Faith! It's so nice to meet you in person!"

Kaylee couldn't help but smile at both Faiths' bubbly personality, and also the fact that she acted like Kaylee was royalty.

"It's wonderful to meet you, too. Luke told me you're a freshman?"

"Luke told you about me? I didn't even think you knew I existed," Faith gasped with awe, clearly on cloud nine.

"Faith, honey, why don't you and I go to the living room. They have some homework to do," Jessica told her. Faith sighed. Putting on a smile, she said, "Kaylee, it was so nice meeting you. I hope I get to see you again before you leave!"

Faith obeyed her mother's request, partly out of respect for her, and partly so she could tweet all her friends that Kaylee actually knew her!

"Kaylee, Luke will get you anything if you need it. In fact, I'm sure he was just about to offer you something to drink," Jessica said, dropping an obvious hint to her son.

Luke looked bashfully at Kaylee. Kaylee beamed and said, "I'm good, Luke. Thank you for the offer, though."

"You two have fun studying," Jessica said, looking at Kaylee.

It was a pleasant smile, but there was something about it that made the hairs on the back of Kaylee's neck stand up. It was obvious to her that Jessica was very protective of Luke, and the warning look fired at Kaylee that only a mother could give was clear evidence of that fact. Kaylee considered herself warned.

After Jessica and Faith left, Luke pulled out a chair for her and said, "Thank you for the cookies. You must have been busy with all of those batches you made for your friend and for me."

Kaylee smiled and tilted her head to the side, "Luke, the only batch I made was these two, and both are for you and your family."

Luke seemed confused. Kaylee put her hand on top of Luke's hand and giggled, "I told you on the phone I was making them for a friend. You're my friend." Luke looked at her again, clearly having heard the words but processing their meaning.

The smile on her face dropped, "I mean, you are my friend, right?"

The confusion on his face didn't exactly go away, but he nodded quickly, indicating that he was – or at least that was what he wanted.

"I was a bitch," Kaylee said bluntly but quietly so only Luke could hear, lowering her eyes. "I guess you could say the cookies were part of my apology package. I'm not exactly good at this, or maybe I should say that it's not in my nature, so bear with me."

Luke smiled awkwardly. "You're doing good, Kaylee," he tried to encourage her, although he wasn't really sure what to say other than that.

Kaylee put her hand on his, "Luke, I do consider you a friend. You've helped me so much more than anyone else, and you put up with my B.S. when no one else would have. Only a true friend would do something like that. Thank you."

A goofy look crossed Luke's face. He gave a discomfited nod and stuttered over his words, but nothing came out quite right. He gave up and finally decided on pulling out her chemistry book.

The pair buckled down and studied, and the minute hand on the clock seemed to leap forward at an alarming rate. Kaylee was gradually grasping the concept of her chemistry lessons as Luke slowly and steadily continued to guide her. He wouldn't do the work for her, but he made it easier for her to understand.

Kaylee had her head down, working on a chemistry problem when she noticed Luke staring at her breasts out of the corner of her eye. At first, she was surprised, wondering if it was an accident or a coincidence. However, it was enough to engage her radar, and less than sixty seconds later she caught him doing it again.

She smiled deviously, thinking,I finally caught him! I guess Audrey and everyone else were right. Maybe the leopard print is his kryptonite. What would he do if I wore tiger or zebra stripes, or maybe a snakeskin design?

Kaylee giggled. It was so cute; she saw his head bouncing back and forth in confusion, wanting to stare at her rack but forcefully resisting half of the time, as if the gentleman in him was wrestling his inner-horndog.

Luke looked at her, wondering why she giggled.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just something I heard earlier today at school. Sorry, I'll refocus," she lied. At least it was only a little white lie.

She also about Luke kept rubbing his right shoulder. She asked, "What's wrong with your shoulder, Luke?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just a little sore is all." Luke looked at her sheepishly, and then turned back to her chemistry book.

Kaylee winced, "That's from when you knocked over Bradley, isn't it?"

Luke didn't answer, but his grin gave him away. Kaylee gave him a playful 'you're in trouble' look and just shook her head, "I should be mad at you for bowling over my boyfriend, rushing at him like some kind of rebel cowboy, yet I find myself proud of you for defending your friend. Bradley was kinda being a jerk."

She sighed, exasperated with herself, "What kind of girlfriend am I?"

He grinned even more, "Cowboy?"

"All you were missing was the six-shooters."

She got up from the table and asked if he had any Ziploc bags; he showed her the pantry in the kitchen and asked her why.

"Take your shirt off," she said, taking one of the bags to the freezer.

"Um...whaaat..." he said nervously with wide open eyes.

Grabbing some ice and putting it in the bag, she told him with a wry smile, "Just do it, you pervert. My intentions are pure. I'm not going to molest you or anything. You're not that lucky."

He was still frozen like a deer in the headlights. She sighed, "Just trust me, ok? Can you do that for me, cowboy?"

Slowly he nodded and took his shirt off. She sat him down in the chair and held the bag of ice on his shoulder; he jumped a little. Grimacing, he said, "Cowboys don't like ice. I read it somewhere. I think that's why cowboys originated from the south, not from Alaska."

"Settle down, you big baby. This will help reduce the inflammation."

Shaking his head, Luke said, "He hit the pavement and didn't even get dizzy. I hit flesh and tweaked my shoulder. Go figure."

It was as if a light bulb turned on over Kaylee's head. She couldn't wait to share it with him, "Luke, you just gave me an idea. Hear me out."

"I'm all ears."

"Ok, so, you're tutoring me in school, right? And I've been looking for a way to pay you back."

Luke gave and awkward laugh and said, "Well, you did bring the cookies. I'd say that's good enough."

"It's not good enough for me," she said. "What if... what if I tutoryou?"

It was obvious that Luke tried to hold his tongue. He was curious what she meant and said, "Um, ok. But, in what subject, Kaylee?"

Kaylee smiled, "Ok, so I can't tutor you in anything inside of school. However, I can teach you a lotoutsideof school. In athletics, for starters. I'll tutor you on the running track and inside the weight room. That way, we'll make you less prone to injuries, like this one. You'll be stronger and in better shape. And it will keep jerks like my boyfriend off your back." She blushed, shocked at what she had just said about her own boyfriend. "Oh my, I can't believe I just said that about him. I didn't mean it... he's a great guy, he just has a temper some times and acts before he thinks. You know what I mean."

He couldn't help laughing, "I know. I could see it in his eyes – Ready, fire, aim!"

Kaylee smiled pleasantly, but she became serious when she said threateningly, "That's just between you and me, you understand?"

He continued, "Don't worry, I won't tell him you said that. It'll be our secret. So, tutoring me with physical fitness, huh? I don't know. I've never really been athletic to start with."

"But that's the point." She sighed, "Look. Bradley has a good forty pounds on you, and I was really scared for you earlier. I'd never been happier to see Mr. Scott in my life, which is something because I absolutely hate his class. I don't want to see you in that situation again."

Luke gave a half-hearted smile, "Thanks. I think. Well, dad keeps harping on me to go to the gym with him. And now, you are, too." He shrugged, "I guess I should take a hint and give in to peer pressure this one time. You don't exactly look like a weight lifter, though."

She smiled, "Just because I look like a princess doesn't mean I'm not tough like an Amazon." she winked. "Girls lift weights too, just lighter ones. Besides, cheerleading isn't as easy as you might think. It takes a lot of arm strength to lift the other girls in the air and a lot of leg strength to do those jump splits. Again, you'll just have to trust me.

"Also, we'll have to do something about your outfit and your scraggly hair," she said, reaching up and tousling his hair.

Every muscle in his body tightened as she ran her fingers through his hair; he wanted to enjoy the sensation of her touch, savor it for as long as he could – or freeze time if he could figure out a way – but he was so nervous he wasn't sure how.

As her words sunk in, Luke looked at her puzzled, unsure of what she meant, and asked, "What's wrong with my outfit and hair?"

"Nothing, if you grew up in the 80's. You're a few strands away from an afro. A few things have changed that we need to get you updated on." Kaylee thought for a moment, "I'll tell you what. If you want to keep what you're wearing and how you look, that's fine; I won't pressure you. But, if you trust me, I can make you look hot." She was honestly surprised she said that; it wasn't that long ago she didn't think a team of hairdressers with beautician doctorates could have upgraded him to plain, let alone one person making him hot.

Still, she was confident in what she said. Her eyebrow rose, impatiently awaiting his response.

"So, I tutor you in academics, you tutor me in athletics. Quid pro quo."

Kaylee gave him a blank look, "Um, yea, sure. Whatever that means."

He thought it over for a moment, using his problem-solving skills just like he did with any other dilemma, weighing the pros and cons carefully.

On one hand, running always made him cough, especially running outside in the cold. Granted, it was California, even if it was December. Still, Kaylee also mentioned resistance training. Lifting weights always made his arms and legs burn. He wasn't sure how his dad was able to do that every other day for the last however-many years, and he really didn't have any interest to do so himself.

Then there was... spandex. Kaylee's butt and upper legs covered in tight spandex, perhaps mankind's best invention.

He remembered back during his junior year he was walking down the hallway, past the gym's open doors. He caught a quick glimpse of her in the gym, her back turned to him, wearing black spandex. The stretched fabric didn't come down very far; maybe several inches above her knees. It squeezed against her ass, holding her two spherical orbs in position so tightly an entire case of WD-40 couldn't free them.

He recalled how he immediately hastened his pace past the gym, swinging his backpack towards his front, his face turning red.

And that was just because of her ass. He didn't even have time to steal a look at her gorgeous legs with those shapely calf muscles, nor make an attempt to decipher whatever secrets her halter top held in place.

Pros versus cons. The decision was easy.

"So when can we start?"