I'll call you Asher.

 In Algebra class, AJ's attention was a million miles away from the equations on the chalkboard. He couldn't shake the image of Persephone, the cheerleader who seemed utterly unimpressed by his rebellious persona. Her confidence and nonchalant disinterested attitude had piqued his interest in a way he didn't think was possible. 

As the teacher droned on about variables and equations, AJ couldn't help but steal glances in Persephone's direction. She sat a few rows away, effortlessly acing the math problems and occasionally pointing out mistakes to Coach Reynolds, who was this week's substitute teacher. Her brown hair cascaded over her textbook as she scribbled down answers and raised her hand to answer questions. Her bangs were pinned backward and she wore cat-eyed glasses that she occasionally pushed up when they dropped lower on the nose. Her cheerleading uniform, a stark contrast to his attire, only seemed to amplify her allure. 

Algebra, a subject he normally loathed, suddenly held a new purpose for him - a way to get closer to the only person who had ever challenged his rebellious confidence.

Persephone's focus was unwavering as she worked through the equations. Math had always been a breeze for her, and she relished the feeling of mastering and solving each problem. She had no problem singling out the teacher's voice from the occasional whispers from her classmates. 

As she solved the equations, her thoughts drifted back to AJ, the enigmatic rebellious guy who had the whole 'bad boy' facade working out for him. She pinched herself every time she found herself thinking about him. Nothing was ever enough to divert her attention from her studies. So why was this guy she'd just met causing such a whirlwind of contrasting emotions in her life?

Most girls in school were either infatuated with him or intimidated by his aura. And the guys in school either despised him or feared him. But Perse had an entirely different reaction. She felt mad and confused. Curious and intrigued. To her, he was a puzzle she wanted to solve. 

She tried to ignore all the times she caught him stealing glances in her direction. Was it intrigue or anger because she stood up to him in front of the entire school? Whichever one it was, she had no intention of crossing him again. Maya may have exaggerated his profile a bit, but it was evident that he was bad news. 

The bell ringing snapped her out of her thoughts, and apparently, out of the lesson as well. Everyone quickly gathered their things and made a rather quick escape. Coach Reynolds was just as relieved. Classrooms were not for him. Loud sports and a rowdy environment were his kind of playing field. 

Perse was in no hurry to leave. Normally, she'd wait until all the students had left so she could ask more questions about the things she didn't understand. Or ask for extra assignments or ways she could get extra credit. Having spent this lesson correcting Coach Reynolds, Perse was not staying behind to ask Math-related questions. It certainly wasn't assignment-related. And she wasn't so sure it was the extra credit either. Maybe she was just stalling... buying time. For what exactly? Well, even she wasn't sure. 

"Thorne, I'm going to need a moment before you leave," Coach Reynolds said in a rather official tone, only sparing a glance towards AJ as the latter maintained his calm, disinterested attitude. 

"Well it looks like he's in trouble for the stunt he pulled earlier," Maya commented, loud enough for everyone who was in the classroom to hear, even though it was Perse she was addressing. "Can't say I feel bad for him-he deserves it. I hope they kick him off the football team."

"Maya!" 

"What? It's true! God knows he's had it coming for a while,"

Perse could hardly hear what Maya was saying, her attention focused solely on AJ as he impatiently drummed on his desk with his fingers. She wasn't the one who was speaking ill about him, but she still felt a bit embarrassed on Maya's behalf.

"I still think that what you did earlier was ballsy as hell. Stupid, sure. But ballsy all the same. People are going to talk about it all week! The look on his ridiculous face when you walked away was priceless! I have no idea what was running through your head but I love it!" 

"Ummmh___Yeah,"

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"Yes. I'm just___"

"Even when you're not reading, you're still stuck in your little imaginary world," Maya rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by her friend. The latter just nodded. It was partly the truth so there was no need to argue about it. "Whatever! We have practice to get to. We'll deal with this later,"

"Seems like we have a lot of stuff to deal with later," Perse mumbled under her breath as she packed her books and swung her bag over her shoulder. 

"Well, you keep on screwing up so OF COURSE we'll have a lot of stuff to deal with later! You're lucky you're so good at... well at everything! Otherwise, I'd have kicked you off the squad."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome," she smiled, missing the eye-roll Perse did behind her back. "Anyway. You'll never guess what___"

"Carlisle?" Coach Reynolds called out, and both the girls paused at the door and turned to face him. "Please hang back for a while. This involves you too,"

She couldn't hide her confused facial expression. Had she done something wrong? Is this about what happened earlier at the cafeteria? Did AJ set her up to get her into trouble? Or was Coach Reynolds mad that she kept on correcting him the entire session?

"Am I in trouble?" she asked, seemingly mortified by the idea. Persephone Ariadne Carlisle had never gotten into trouble__ at least not with her teachers. Everything she did, she did to perfection. Including her academics, which had made her an all-out teachers' favorite.

"It'll only take a minute," Coach Reynolds said. And the fact that he hadn't answered Perse's question only made her feel more anxious.

 "I'll wait for you outside," Maya excused herself and exited the classroom. Perse took a deep breath and went and settled at the desk in front of Coach Reynolds. AJ sat in the seat beside her, and they all expectantly looked at Coach Reynolds. 

AJ was calm, relaxed, and composed. Getting into trouble was second nature to him at this point:-contrary to Perse whose foot tapping and finger wringing were betraying her exterior composure. Coach Reynolds sat on top of his table in front of both of them, his look a mixture of concern and seriousness. 

"Is this about what happened earlier? During lunch?" It was the first thing that came to her mind. What else could involve both her and AJ?

"Ummm___no. I think you handled that situation." he smiled approvingly at Perse, and she nervously let out a chuckle, as AJ groaned in annoyance.

"So what is this about then? Me correcting you during the lesson?"

"That was admittedly annoying," Coach Reynolds said, "But I didn't have any idea what the hell I was talking about. So I guess I appreciated you stepping up when I f*cked up. But that's not why I wanted the both of you to stay behind. I'm going to need your help."

"Doing what?"

"And what does that have to do with me?" AJ asked, nailing a disinterested expression.

"As a coach, I'm not supposed to play favorites__ But you show a lot of promise as a footballer Thorne, and I can't sit down and watch you throw your career away. As good of a footballer as you are, I can't keep you on the team if your grades keep slipping."

"My grades are perfectly fine," AJ slouched back on his seat, folding his arms over his chest defiantly. 

"That's not what your report cards say. This might be your only opportunity to get a football scholarship. And that won't happen if you're kicked off the team for flanking,"

"And you need me to__? What? Tutor him___?" 

"Exactly!" Coach Reynolds smiled at Perse, glad that he didn't have to be the one to say it.

"I don't need a tutor. I can work perfectly fine on my own,"

"Clearly, the only thing you can perfectly do on your own is piss everyone off," Perse mumbled, mirroring AJ's posture. 

"What did you say?" AJ sat straight in his seat and turned so he could completely face her. Perse didn't cower as she returned the glare. 

"You heard me. I've only known you for what__ an hour? And you're already getting under my skin,"

"I can get more than 'under your skin' if you want me to," AJ smirked at her. 

"See, you two are already getting along," Coach Reynolds said in an attempt to diffuse the tension. That didn't stop AJ and Perse from getting into a stare-down with each other.

"What's in it for me though?" Perse turned to look at Coach Reynolds. "Normally, I wouldn't mind helping for free, but lately, I have had a very busy schedule. And let's be honest, dealing with Asher Jayden Thorne will not be easy," 

AJ chuckled, and he couldn't hide the smirk that crept on his face. Maybe it was the way Perse referred to him with all his three names. Or was it the way she was talking about him in the third person like he wasn't there? Maybe it was the way she challenged him fearlessly. Her tutoring him suddenly didn't seem like such a terrible idea.

"Can't you just do it from the kindness of your heart?" the coach tried his luck.

"Not when it involves Asher___ No!"

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't know. Make me an irresistible deal. One I can't possibly refuse," 

"You know you don't have to tutor me," Asher said, even though his mind, and grades, were saying the complete opposite. 

"You're not very good at negotiations, are you?"

"I usually don't have to negotiate anything," the ego in him ticked her off, but she tried to maintain her composure. It was the most important trait needed when dealing with people like Asher Thorne. 

"A minute please Persephone," Coach Reynolds stood up, gesturing Perse to do the same. She knew it was serious when he called her by her first name. Coach Reynolds never did that. He led her to the very corner of the classroom, far away for Asher to not hear.

"I don't want to be that guy coach but___"

"You're the only person capable of being 'that guy' Carlisle," he said in a whisper. "Thorne's story is... well it's a mess," he nervously rubbed the back of his head and could hardly look Perse in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" something about bad news always had her hooked. Maybe it was just human nature. One thing was for sure though, Coach Reynolds had her attention now. 

"I'm not at liberty to share the details___"

'well that's a bummer,' she thought to herself, but didn't say anything out loud.

"___but you might just as well be his final option. Thorne already has the entire school against him,"

"Why?"

"It's complicated. But I don't know a single person in this school who would be willing to help pull his grades up. And the few who would not mind, are too scared of him to even be in the same room as him- later on tutor him. You might be the first person ever to stand up to him the way you did. Not to mention you're probably the smartest person in this school,"

"Now I know you're just tooting my horn to get me to help you," Perse rolled her eyes as Coach Reynolds chuckled. 

"Okay fine. That was a bit too much,"

"It was,"

"But I'm serious about you being smart... And possibly the only person who can help him. He doesn't have that many friends,"

"Not with that attitude. And have you seen the ego on that guy?! It's massive! And the pride__"

"He has a lot of flaws... we all do. The only difference is with us, people don't run when we approach them. People don't avoid us cause they think we're convicts. People give us a chance to prove ourselves and they don't just naturally assume the only thing we're good at is picking fights. That isn't the case with Asher." 

Coach Reynolds said, and he sounded genuine. Perse sneaked a glance at Asher, who was busy drumming his fingers on his desk, a habit Perse quickly realized he does often. Here she was, complaining about tutoring Asher because the entire school said he was bad news... the very same school that once cast her aside for being smarter than them. She knew what loneliness felt like. It wasn't fun. 

"The homecoming game is in a month, and there are going to be college scouts coming to watch it. He has to at least get an average on the exams you're doing in two weeks or I can't keep him on the team. If you can manage to make his grades improve by then, he can at least play in the homecoming game... Give him a shot at having a say in his future. He needs that sports scholarship if he's going to go to college___ and this is his only opportunity to get it,"

'Geez coach. Thanks for guilt-tripping me,' she thought to herself as she looked at Asher again. Was it as serious as Coach Reynolds made it sound? Maybe he was just exaggerating the entire thing. Was she willing to take the risk and not help? Watch as someone destroyed their life when she had the opportunity to help. 

"You aren't very good at negotiations either___, " Perse said after a while, finally returning her gaze to the coach, "___but you're clearly an expert at manipulation,"

"That I am,"

"I meant that in the worst possible way,"

"Does that mean you'll do it though?" he looked down at her in anticipation.

"Sure. I mean how bad can it be?"

"It's Thorne we're talking about. It's about as bad as it can get. But you'll be fine. If there's anyone who can handle him, it's you." 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Perse said, nervousness evident in her voice.

The two walked back to Asher, who looked up at them with a smirk on his face. This version of Asher was different from the version Coach Reynolds described. Cocky, arrogant and so full of himself. It wouldn't hurt to knock him down a peg or two. 

"You do know this is not exactly that big a room," he said, taking off his headphones. He wasn't listening to any music, but it helped that people thought he was. "Plus it's kind of obvious it's me you were discussing,"

Perse looked up at Coach Reynolds, and the latter gave her an apologetic smile. They both knew how hard this was going to be___ but Perse does enjoy challenges. Nothing can be harder. 

"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to tutor you, Asher," Perse said after taking a deep breath and composing herself. "But we're going to have to set some ground rules,"

"AJ," Asher said.

"What?"

"My name___ it's AJ. Nobody calls me Asher,"

"Well, I guess that's ground rule number one then... I call you Asher," Perse said with all the confidence being a cheerleader has given her. She noticed his jaw tense for a split second before it disappeared and was instantly replaced by a smirk like it never happened.

"Yep. You definitely have this handled," Coach Reynolds grabbed his textbook. Saying he was satisfied with the outcome would be the understatement of the century. "I'll see you on the field Thorne," he said behind his back as he exited the classroom.

"And I'll see you tomorrow Asher. I'll text you the details. ," she scribbled down her number on her handkerchief and put it in front of him. "And you better not be late,"

And just like that, she sashayed out of the classroom again. Asher couldn't help but think how annoying that was. And how it enraged him that he wasn't the one getting the final word. But he'd have the opportunity to redeem himself tomorrow. For the first time in years, he was excited about the idea of attending school.