Math Problem...

"You've got to be kidding me!"

I groaned as I stared in annoyance at the stupid Calculus problem that I've been trying to solve for the past 30 minutes. It just seems so impossible to solve. God!! I hate this!

Ari had to leave about two hours ago. It has something that has to do with her babysitting Polly for the evening. After she left, I slept since I was still a little weak before my mother came in to drop off a couple of assignments I had missed today. How she got them is totally beyond me.

'You come this far. You can't lag behind now! There's also an exam tomorrow. You'll need to study for that." She had said before leaving the room.

Right now, I'm pretty sure I've killed this problem over and over again in my head.

"Staring at math problems doesn't make them easier to solve." I looked up from the book I was reading and found Aiden Knight standing at the entrance, his body leaning against the door.

"And how do you know I was staring at math problems?" I retorted, watching as he strolled into my hospital room like it's his personal space. He walked to the chair near me, crossing his leg across the other. Damn! Confident, much?

He snorted. "I have eyes that see really well. And I'm smart enough to recognize Calculus from afar off."

"Yeah, right." I rolled my eyes before bringing my attention back to the assignments. Knowing my mom, she will have me in class for the tests tomorrow. "Are you lost?"

He looked confused. "No, I think not..." He trailed off, finally realizing what I meant. "I came to check up on you. You fell down my stairs. I have to be sure you didn't die so you won't come back as a ghost to haunt my house."

"As much as I would love to do that, I wouldn't want to put your cute brothers through something like that." I deadpanned, looking into his eyes.

Slowly, a smirk appeared on his face. "So you have a thing for my brothers."

"No, I don't. I only said your brothers are cute."

"Which literally means the same thing. You only met them once, Athena." I clenched my fist, taking deep, steady breaths to calm myself down.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to study." I nodded towards the scattered books on my table. He kept quiet after that. Finally, some peace and quiet. I turned to my work, and I got some ideas, making me jot them down.

"You are doing it the wrong way. If you use this method, your answer will be 15x-3y instead of a 5x+y."

Groaning in my head, can't he just take a hint? I could feel his hot breaths on my nape, sending shivers down my spine. Does this guy even know the meaning of personal space? I turned around, putting on the best sarcastic smile that I could muster.

"Well, how will you know that?" I deadpanned.

He scoffed, going back to his seat. "I know because this is my specialty." He reached into his bag that I didn't even notice he brought in. "Here! You can check my notes. They'll help you grasp the problem better."

"Awww, the asshole finally grows a heart." He snorted. I then remembered something. "But how about you? Don't you need it for the exam tomorrow?"

He tapped his forehead with his finger, a cheeky smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Stock knowledge."

Rolling my eyes, I took his notebook and flipped through the pages. My mouth dropped in surprise. It wasn't because his handwriting could easily be mistaken for the work of a Neanderthal man, but because his notes were more detailed compared to mine. How is that possible? He doesn't even come to class often.

"I'm starting to think you have a thing with opening your mouth." I didn't respond to him as I continued to stare at his notebook.

"How is this possible? You don't even come to class. Did you steal these from someone?" Okay, that came out harsher than I intended, but I was curious.

He rolled his eyes, meaning he didn't take offense in my statement. "I may be known as the bad boy, but I'm not that bad."

"So you're saying this is yours?" He nodded his head. "Jeez, Aiden. You're such a nerd. How do you do it? Your note is even more detailed than Ms. Miller's notes."

"Am I?" He rolled his eyes up as if thinking about what I said. Then he looked at me with a smirk on his face. "I'm in the hot category then."

I made a gagging sound. "Don't let it go to your head. It wasn't a compliment."

I brought my attention back to the books in front of me. Going through a similar problem to the one I was solving, I noticed the mistake he claimed I made.

"So, how are you feeling?" I looked towards him, blinking rapidly as I did.

"I'm okay, according to the doctor. Don't worry. I won't be haunting your house anytime soon." His chest vibrated as a chuckle raked through his body.

"I'm glad to hear that." I turned my attention back to my work. Following every step in his book, I finally got it.

"Yes!! At freaking last!" I pumped my fist in the air. He took my book, going through what I did.

"I must say, I'm a better teacher than Ms. Miller." I grabbed my book from him, rolling my eyes.

"You didn't teach me. I got the hang of it myself. All you did was let me borrow your book, which I'm going to keep. Thank you very much."

"I might..." Looking at his phone, he cursed under his breath. "Shit! I got to go. I'll be getting the book back tomorrow."

"I thought you have stock knowledge," I muttered as he shrugged his jacket on.

"I do, but I do have to restock. See you later, Sweetheart."

**_**_**

Walking through the halls of the school, I ignore the slight pain in my left shoulder. Mom had forced me to take all of my drugs before I left the hospital this morning. And I'm sure she already sent some prescriptions to the school clinic.

Ari ran towards me, wrapping her arms around my still sore body. Wincing slightly, I hugged her back.

"You shouldn't be here if you feel tired." She said after we pulled away from each other. She offered to carry my bag for me.

"Mom won't let me miss any tests. She had the doctor discharge me this morning after forcing me to study yesternight." I leaned against the locker beside mine, watching as she arranged my books in the locker.

"Just when I think I can't hate her even more, she does these things. What sort of mother forces her daughter to school from the hospital?"

"My mom." She scoffed before turning towards me, her ginger red hair shining under the light. That was when I notice she's in her cheer uniform.

"We have practice today?" I asked, raking my brain for any missed information.

"Yeah. The big game is next Friday. There's practice all week." She said.

"Holy! How could I forget about that?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure Lenny can make some exceptions for you. At least, till you feel better." She locked her arm with mine. I don't know why she loves doing that, but that has been Ari since I can remember. "So..."

"So..." She rolled her eyes before plopping down into the chair beside mine in our homeroom.

"Don't play the stupid card with me. I know a certain someone was with you last night." I know I shouldn't be surprised about how she knows things, but it freaks me out sometimes.

"Do I even want to know how you found out?"

"Nope." That's exactly what I thought. "Nothing happ..." She lifted her finger before I could finish talking.

"You have to tell me everything from the beginning to the end, and don't leave anything out." She demanded.

"I thought you don't like him."

"Maybe I judged him too quickly. After seeing him at the hospital yesterday, he doesn't seem as bad as people make him out to be." I turned to her with my brows raised.

"Well, you were right about him being a jerk." I turned towards the front of the class, watching as the students are storming about the room.

"So, what happened?" I grunted, pulling my roots. She won't drop it until I tell her.

Officially fed up, I inhaled sharply through my nose and growled, "He only helped me with some calculations, okay?"

I didn't realize what I had said until silence enveloped the room, only to be broken by someone shouting in front. "Yeah, and I believe you have something that belongs to me."

Uh-oh.

Ari guffawed, her spit flying all over the place. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands. Eyes widening in terror and recognition, I quickly buried my face in my palms as a blush burnt my neck and cheeks.

"Hey, Sweetheart!" He said, his voice laced in amusement.

"Oh my God, you did not just say that!" I exclaimed and sent him a death glare. So much for staying off the radar! Now the whole class knows I am associated with the Aiden Knight.

"I wasn't exactly lying." The teacher coming into the classroom stopped the chatters around the room. Aiden walked to his seat, and my eyes caught the glare of the other girls in the room.

Letting out a grunt, I pulled my hair down to cover my face. Ari laughed under her breath.

Damn you, Ari! This is all your fault.