CHAPTER TWO
tutor & that

     Siobhàn Waldron hated school. She was on the average scale of academic success and it never went higher or lower than that.

Her mother, Lorraine ensured that her children had everything they could want. Shiv was the most spoiled twin and Connell never minded having her left overs. That was how the twins worked, it was a strange dynamic but it fit them perfectly.

Connell was the classic overprotective brother and Siobhán had never had a problem with it until recently. He always stopped her drinking too much and he stopped any flirty conversations she had with other boys. He was a major cock block. She had never even kissed a guy before because Connell always stopped it from happening.

He kept telling her that she needed to focus on school but he was a hypocrite. Things had been easier when she met Marianne. They were the best of friends in their own little way. They only saw each other at school really. Siobhàn said it was because they had more things to talk about that way but it was really because Marianne didn't often like people coming over. Shiv guessed it was because of her mother and brother — they were arseholes, in her humble opinion.

Siobhàn didn't feel bad for anyone, she thought emotion was an excuse to feel at all; they came in waves that were meant to throw you off.

Siobhàn felt bad for Marriane.

Mr. Kerrigan's class was the most boring for Siobhàn. It was the class that she understood the least. It always felt like he was talking at them instead of to them. Shiv also really hated Mr. Kerrigan. He was the very reason she had to see Ryan McCarthy every Tuesday evening for tutoring.

To be fair, it had been kind for him to offer up his free time to tutor her but she'd much rather go out and do something fun. Despite knowing him since they were children, there was very little that she knew about Ryan other than he was Connell's best friend, his two front teeth didn't grow through until he was twelve, he wore nerdy glasses for three years and constantly blushed every time he was around girls.

Ryan was a good tutor, he insisted that he stayed until he was absolutely certain that she understood what he was teaching her. He never complained when it took longer than expected and most of all he didn't speak to her like she was an idiot.

Siobhàn Waldron liked Ryan McCarthy.

Maybe not in a like like him way but whenever she saw him, she smiled and he'd smile back. She wanted to please him and sometimes pretended that she wasn't picking up what he was talking about (during their tutoring sessions) just so he would stay longer to explain it. More often than not, she'd be too busy staring at his fingers gliding over the page that she actually didn't acknowledge his words at all.

That was the only reason why Shiv even opened the front door when he knocked. Because if he wasn't somewhat maybe a little, like the teeny-tiniest bit kinda(aaaa) attractive... the door would stay closed and she'd act like she wasn't home. So maybe, just maybe, she didn't hate Mr. Kerrigan at all.

     "But you know that's important. Because it's turned up in the exam twice out of the last three years", Siobhàn hastily wrote down her notes with her black pen and notebook. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her bottom lip was caught in between her teeth.

     The trees rustled outside from the wind, "Marianne", her friend's name being uttered by Mr. Kerrigan made her look up at the teacher then over to the girl sitting next to her. Her eyes were focused on the trees outside before also looking over to the teacher.

     "Yeah?".

     "Something outside caught your attention?", Mr. Kerrigan asked sharply, the whiteboard pen in his hand was clutched in his fingers as he stopped the lesson to speak to the distant girl.

     Marianne blinked and pulled a face, "I suppose so". A few "ooo's" were muttered across the classroom which didn't please the man one bit.

     "Eyes forward, okay?".

     Siobhàn watched as Marianne clenched her jaw and played with her own pen before addressing the teacher, "I wasn't aware my eye line fell under the jurisdiction of school rules".

     Oh damn. The Waldron girl looked over her shoulder to Connell and Ryan — who were watching very intently and met her gaze. The three shared similar expressions as this wasn't the first time Marianne had spoken back to a teacher and they were sure it wouldn't be her last.

"Here we go", Robb chuckled and Shiv's expression soured as she glared at him.

"Trying to impress your classmates? They don't look too impressed to me".

"I'm pretty sure I was just looking out the window".

Mr. Kerrigan was a stubborn character but so was Marianne. Most people didn't like that about her, but Siobhàn loved it.

"Come on, Sheridan".

"If you're staring out the window daydreaming", the teacher's patience was slowly trickling away, "then you're not learning, are you, Marianne?".

The girl in question's head turned in a mocking way and her tone dropped, "Don't delude yourself", Shiv looked down at her table and bit her lip to stop smiling and Ryan, from across the classroom, noticed it immediately. "I have nothing to learn from you".

Shock filled laughter scattered itself across the room, looks of disbelief and mumbling were shared across the pupils. "Okay, in that case, principles office", Mr. Kerrigan pointed at the door.

Marianne smiled sinfully, "Yeah. I might go there", she said with a look of doubtful compliance, "Or I might just head home", she then stood and grabbed her things, "It's not really your business what I do, is it?", her eyes met Siobhàn's with a wink before wandering out of class.

The Waldron girl smiled but the teacher quickly caught it before it disappeared, "You can join her if you'd like, Siobhàn".

Connell and Ryan's head snapped toward her and only hoped she didn't make matters worse in the name of friendship that she had with Marianne. Today had been their lucky day, "No, no. No need for that, sir", she gave a mock salute and put her head down.

Ryan covered his cheeky grin with the back of his hand then put his head down too and wrote his notes. The same notes he would be sharing with the girl he was infatuated with, Tuesday evening.

♡₊˚ 🦢🪐༘⋆・₊ 𓆞

Siobhàn Waldron ran down the stairs of her small home, the wood creaked under her footsteps at each step. The door swung upon to reveal Ryan McCarthy. His eyes settled on her quickly and a smile tipped his lips, teeth showing whilst his red cheeks went redder than usual.

Must be the wind.

"Come on in, I'll make us a cuppa", her red-painted nailed hand opened the door wider to let the boy and he tipped his head in thanks. Ryan wiped his dirty shoes on the doormat before entering the home, before taking his shoes off and leaving them by the door.

Shiv wore a pair of pajama trousers and a vest top and a cardigan, he hadn't meant to watch her leave — his eyes glued to a particular part of her that was very round. His eyes averted when he entered the kitchen and she turned, "Still one sugar?".

Every Tuesday evening, Connell would leave to pick Lorraine up from Marianne's and it would leave Siobhàn and Ryan alone for a total of forty minutes and ten seconds thus far. The McCarthy boy knew this because he timed it as a distraction from the girls red lips and perfectly scented body. She was a walking addiction and he was bathing in her sweetness all the while trying to mask his crush on her.

"Er yeah, thanks". Ryan placed his black backpack down on the chair at the table. He undone the zipper at the top and reached inside for his notes and a pen, the noises of Shiv making their drinks in the background were louder than his thudding heart beat.

It was no secret that Siobhàn made him nervous. Connell joked about it all the time, wondering what his sister could be doing that made him feel that way. Ryan chalked it up to her personality and how intimidating she was. Her brother couldn't help but agree which the boy was thankful for, the last thing he needed was Connell actually finding out he was really nervous because of his feelings for the girl.

After several minutes of silence, the Waldron girl turned and placed their tea's on the table. "Did you get your French back?", she was talking about the French mock paper they had done the month previous.

He looked up, "Yep. Got an A1. Did you get yours?", he placed the pen and notes down so that she had his full attention. Her long brown hair was up in a messy bun and a few pieces had tugged out and framed her face. The same face that was free of any makeup and only left a small residue of lip balm placed on her pink lips.

Siobhàn's eyes casted aside for a split second, a small dose of disappointment clouded them before the emotion was gone again. "B1".

The boy smiled lightly, "Well, that's grand", his tone made her feel like she had genuinely accomplished something, that maybe the grade wasn't so bad after all.

"An A1 would have been better", she couldn't help the small frown that etched itself upon her face. Ryan looked down at her lips and crossed his arms.

"I suppose so, yeah", he admitted and she looked to him stunned, "But it's overrated", a smiled slowly glazed his lips and Siobhàn shook her head and she tried not to smile herself.

She went to speak but stopped herself short for a moment whilst the boy continued to get out his things, "It's actually a bit annoying how smart you are, you know? Like you could do anything and be good at it".

Ryan almost chocked on his tea at her words, he placed the cup down gently and raised an eyebrow. "I suppose so", he was a tad bit cocky sometimes and he didn't even know it. "Nobody is perfect, though".

"You are perfect, though", the words had come out before her mind could even process what she thought she wanted to say. The words had meant to come out in a jealous way not in a way that could be interpreted as suggestive. She watched as his eyebrows furrowed and her stomach dipped in realisation of what she had said.

Was she flirting with him?

Before he could say anything, Shiv cleared her throat and gestured to his notes, "I'm glad you have those actually. I missed a couple of Mr. Kerrigan's when Marianne left".

After he had recovered from the previous statement, Ryan subtly rolled his eyes at that and thankfully she hadn't noticed, "Are you sure Marianne is the type of girl you should be...", he tried to find the words. "..hanging out with?".

Shiv looked at his confused, eyebrows knitted and a small pout formed on her lips, "I don't hang out with Marianne", she mocked, "She's my friend".

     The boy blinked multiple times, "I- I just meant that she's quite, you know... abrupt?". And hogs you 24/7, he wanted to say.

     Siobhàn's eyes slitted quickly at his words and a harsh laugh left her lips, "Well she ought to be sometimes", she defended her friend, "And I don't really think you should judge my status of friends given how unkind your own are".

Ryan looked anywhere but at Siobhàn, "Er right", he scratched his neck awkwardly, "Sorry". He hadn't meant to offend Shiv but Marianne was abrupt and didn't get on well with others (who weren't the Waldron girl). But Shiv had been right, his friends weren't a walk in the park either and were often unkind to the Sheridan girl.

     He disliked Marianne in private and not because she had actually done anything to him. She hadn't in a way. But his peers disliked her openly and he didn't agree with anything they said about her.

     His quietness told Marianne two things — he didn't agree but he wouldn't stick up for her either.

     Siobhàn however, defended her in private and openly but also had the ability to ignore them and let things go quickly. That was why he liked her. She ignored him now even and sat down beside him, "C'mon then, teach me something".

The McCarthy boy took the seat next to her and opened the notebook, he casted a glance at the clock on the wall in front of them.

Only an hour to go.

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