Lets Get This Over With

"Thanks for the ride, Kev!" I said jumping from my brother's car and slamming the door behind me.

"You better be grateful," he said as we walked into the house.

That was one thing that was great about having an older brother; I didn't have to ride the stupid bus home every day, unlike Nick. Since he was still in junior high and got out of school 45 minutes earlier than Kevin and I, he had no ride. My mom was stuck at home watching our youngest brother, Frankie, who was only 4 years old.

Closing the front door, I saw Nick and Frankie sitting in front of the T.V. Mom was on the phone. She smiled at us and mouthed, there's a snack in the kitchen, if you want. That was all I needed to know. I quickly dropped my backpack and started heading into the other room.

"Thanks so much Mr. Day. We'll be expecting her."

I stopped dead in my tracks as I heard my mom’s voice. It was never a good thing if one of my teachers was calling my mom, especially my math teacher. I was having a little trouble with the subject. It wasn’t one of my best, so I knew she was on this crazy mission to get me some tutor. I didn’t think it would be of much help.

"What was that about mom?" Kevin asked, the loser. I was hoping she would have forgotten to tell me something, even though that probably wouldn't happen.

"It was Joe's math teacher calling me back about finding Joe a tutor."

"Mom, I don't need one," I whined as Kevin, Nick, and Frankie laughed in the background. I turned around and glared at them. “I’m doing fine. It’s not like math is that important anyways.”

"Joseph, you are going to get those grades up and right now this is the only way I know how. We’ve tried everything else. You have a tutor and she is coming over today and every day after that. I don’t want you whining about it."

"What? She's coming today?" I asked. How did they find someone so fast? I was hoping it would take a week or two before I would start being tortured. "I don't even know who this person is?"

"Well, lucky for you Mr. Day gave me some information about her. Her name is Elizabeth Moran," my mom started.

"Elizabeth Moran? I've never heard of her." I stated, trying to think if I had ever heard that name. Nothing came to mind, though. "She's probably older though, right? She would have to be done with Algebra 1 to tutor someone in it. Kevin, have you ever heard of Elizabeth Moran?"

"Nope, doesn’t ring a bell," he replied walking out of the kitchen towards the basement door. “Sorry.”

"Would you please let me finish?" my mom sighed looking at me pointedly.

"Sorry."

"According to Mr. Day she is a freshman, but is currently taking Algebra II."

"What?" Kevin was at the top of the stairs to the basement. "How is she possibly in Algebra II as a freshman? Joe’s a sophomore and he can’t even make it out of Algebra 1.”

"Kevin!” my mother warned. “I don't know how she is but that is what Mr. Day told me."

"Great," I mumbled "Not only do I get the embarrassment of being tutored, but it's by a freshman."

I started heading towards my room, thinking of ways I could possibly get out of this. Nothing came to my mind as I started climbing the stairs. I could possibly fake being sick but mom wouldn’t believe that. Especially since she knew I didn’t want to do this.

"You will be nice when she gets here, Joe," she said as I reached the top of the stairs.

"Of course, Mom."

I closed the door to my room and grabbed my guitar in the corner. Sitting on my bed I just randomly started strumming. This day was just going excellent. I had hoped that if my mom had gotten me a tutor it would be some girl that was hot. Maybe it would have been Tammy. I knew she was pretty good at math. But no; I get stuck with some geeky freshman who is in way too high of a math class. Probably all she does is study.

As I was sitting in my room, I heard the doorbell ring and my mom answer the door. I kept playing the guitar hoping it wasn’t the person I knew it was. A few minutes later, unfortunately, my mom yelled up, "Joe, come down here please."

Maybe if I just sat here and played guitar I could pretend like I didn't hear her than I wouldn't have to go down. That wouldn’t happen, but I could delay the inevitable. The later that it actually gets started, the less time that will pass until it is over.