Wishing for Someday Soon by Tiffany King Page A

me.
    “No surprise there,” I answered, smiling at his Superman reference which would have pleased Kevin immensely. “I just never really remember really learning either one,” I admitted.
    “Never?” he asked shocked.
    “No, sir.”
    “Hm… Well, now that we have a starting point, we can get you the help you need. Can you stay after school one day a week for extra lesson time?” he inquired.
    “Um, I don’t think so. I ride the bus.”
    “Would your mom be willing to pick you up that day?”
    “I don’t think so,” I said trying for indifference, but really just too ashamed to tell him she was too busy applying her makeup and styling her hair to actually leave the trailer to come and get me. “Could I do it during the school day?”
    He nodded his head. “How about during lunch twice a week? I have two tutors in mind, so you can take your pick. One is Maxwell Jones, or there's Courtney Weaver.”
    I smiled. “Well, Max has been hounding me about how great he is at math, so I guess I'll take him up on his offer."
    “That’s a good choice. Max has a way with numbers. He’s taken our school to state each year in the Math Quest competition and placed first in the whole state two years running.”
    “Wow, seriously?” I said, feeling a bit intimidated.
    “Don’t worry, he will be an excellent tutor,” he said, smiling at me.
    “Okay,” I said, before heading out the door, only to bump into the object of my unease.
    “Hey, I know I have animal appeal, but please control yourself. We are at school after all,” Max joked, steadying me with his hands.
    “Very funny,” I said, regaining my balance, but trying not to think about how right his hands felt on my arms.
    “So, you get your wish,” I said, taking a step back to put distance between us.
    “Oh yeah, what wish is that?” he asked, smiling suggestively at me in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
    “To tutor me, you perv,” I said, feeling flustered at the way I was reacting to him. I was no novice to dating, but I had never been sucked in so completely by someone I hardly knew.
    “Sweet, so you’ve finally come to your senses.”
    “Well, I guess if Hanson says I need a tutor you’ll have to do,” I teased as we entered the room late once again.
    “Don’t mind me you two. It’s not as if I’m trying to teach or anything,” Mr. Graves joked as we took our seats.
    “I tried to tell her that, Mr. Graves, but she moves like a snail,” Max said, shooting me a mischievous grin.
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Hanson needed to speak to me,” I said, glaring unsuccessfully at Max.
    “I know, John told me he would be speaking to you after class,” Mr. Graves said, reassuring me. “He didn't say anything about you however, Mr. Jones.”
    “I had to walk milady back to class,” Max said in a deadpan English accent that made the class roar with laughter.
    I blushed as he shot a wink my way.
    “Oh please,” Mr. Graves said, trying to look stern.
    I kept my eyes down, trying to control the heat that had crept up my neck. If there was any question about Max’s intent before, he just answered it in front of the whole class.
    When the day ended, it seemed only natural to wait for Max before I headed out of the classroom.
    “Here, I’ll take those,” he said, plucking the stack of books from my hands.
    “Thanks.”
    “So, can I give you a ride home?”
    “Isn’t it out of your way?” I asked, trying to find an excuse.
    “Nope, I work tonight, so it’s exactly on my way.”
    “Well, I promised Kevin I would ride the bus with him,” I said, grasping at straws.
    “No problem, he can ride with us,” he said, squelching the last of my protests.
    “Um, okay.”
    “Hey, don't worry, I'm a good driver,” he said, hearing my reluctance.
    “That’s not it.”
    “Then what is it?”
    “It’s nothing,” I answered, trying to dodge the question.
    “Katelyn,” he said, pulling on my hand so I would look at him. “Why don’t you want