Page 27 of Tutor With Benefits
“Can you go over page seventy again?” he asks. “I’ll admit I’m just not getting it.”
She opens up her book again, and this time she breaks down the entire thing slower than before. And by the time she’s finished, Taylor also understands what it is she’s trying to explain.
“Damn.” I shake my head. “I don’t know if I should be relieved or pissed that it’s really that easy to follow.”
“I guess it’s better to be glad it’s easy than to still be struggling,” Tori says. “I don’t know how to explain it any easier than this, so if you still had no idea what was going on, I don’t know what I could do to help you.”
“Thank God we don’t have to find out,” Cory chimes in. “I had my doubts coming in here, but I’m pretty sure I’m with Zach now. I kind of hope Professor Hudson calls on one of us in the next class so we can blow her expectations away and prove that we do know what we’re doing here.”
Tori smiles. “I’m just glad I can help out.”
“I think it’s time for your turn!” I eagerly announce. I slap my book closed and shove it back in my bag, and the other two follow suit.
“Oh?” Tori asks, as though she has no idea what we’re doing next. “Are you sure? If there’s something else you need me to explain, I’d be happy to do that for you before we get distracted with other things.”
“I’m good,” Cory says.
“Me too,” Taylor adds.
“I think we’ve got this lesson in the bag,” I tell her. “I don’t see the point of cramming much more information into our brains right now. It’s not like an overload is going to do any of us any good. And besides, aren’t you eager to get through with your lessons, too? The sooner you get this, the sooner you can take what you know out on the street with you and seduce that boy you’ve been pining over all this time.”
“Right,” she says, though there’s no heart in her tone.
The three of us exchange a look, and none of us know what to say.
“Are you alright?” Cory asks.
“Just a little nervous, that’s all,” she says with a shaky smile. “I know you said we’ve got to practice so I get better but, I don’t know, I just feel even more nervous than last time.”
“You’re overthinking it,” I tell her. “Nerves are one thing, but you should really be ready to just go with the flow. When it comes time for you to kiss Johnny, it’s going to just feel natural, like that’s obviously what’s going to happen.”
“He’s right,” Taylor says. “The more you overthink it, the more you’re going to feel like you can’t, and you’ll wind up psyching yourself out before you even let yourself get that far.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” she tells us. “I’m scared I’m going to get to the point of kissing him or whatever, and I’m just going to freak out and not be able to do anything. Or worse, I’ll revert back to what I always do and just run away.”
“You need to push those thoughts out of your head right now,” I say. “Don’t even let your brain tell you that’s an option. The more you overthink, the worse it’s going to get.”
I walk over to her, and she stands.
I start to kiss her, but it doesn’t last long before she pulls away, putting her hand on her chest.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I can’t breathe,” she says.
“Isn’t that part of the goal?” Taylor asks.
“No, I’m having a panic attack, I’m so stupid!” she snaps. “God, why can’t I just be normal about this and not so dramatic about everything? I’m sorry.”
Cory and Taylor get off the bed as she speaks, but I’m not going to let her send us out of her dorm feeling like this.
“You really have to chill,” I tell her. “I don’t know what you’ve got yourself so worked up over. It’s just a kiss. Or sex. Or whatever. It’s not the end of the world.”
She nods, but she looks like she’s going to cry.
“Come here,” I say. I pull her over to me and have her sit on the bed as I sit down next to her. “Just relax. Taylor, Cory, come over here and help her calm down for God’s sake. Don’t just stand there like two idiots.”
They both walk over, and Taylor leans in for a soft kiss. Tori responds, kissing him back though it’s obvious she’s still nervous. I then decide to take it a step further. I don’t want her to feel this way, and I know the best way to get her to forget about the anxiety attack she’s having is to give her an orgasm.