What Makes It Wrong for Us to Fall in Love?

"Sh, baby, don't cry. It's simple. Stop crying." Kennedy tried to comfort me.

"I don't get it." I coughed.

"It's simple, baby." He wiped my tears off and put his arm around me. He wrapped his hand around mine and helped me with my pencil. "All you have to do is figure out if the two equations are parallel."

"How do I even do that?" I cried.

"Read the equation."

I looked at the book. It read "-3x+y=4" and "3x-y=6"

"Negative three x plus y equals four and three x minus y equals six?"

"Okay." Kennedy licked his lips. "Babe, what you're gonna do is find the Y form of these equations."

"How," I groaned.

"You're gonna.." He scratched his forehead with his free hand. "Okay, let's start with the first equation. You're gonna transpose negative three x to the other side of the equal sign,"

"Kennedy, I don't understand!"

"Babe, you're gonna get this. It's really simple, just be patient. You're gonna transpose negative three x. So it'll be negative y equals three x plus four--"

"Why?! Isn't three x negative?!"

"No, babe, you change the sign when you transpose it, remember?" He pried the pencil away form my hand and started writing the equation down himself.

"I hate algebra." I muttered.

"It's okay, I'm here to help you. Let's start on the second equation. Three x minus y equals six. We're gonna transpose three x to the other side." He looked at me, up from the paper. "Okay?"

I slowly nodded.

"Okay, so that will become negative y equals negative three x plus six. Alright?"

I nodded again.

"But since y is negative, we have to divide negative three x plus six by negative one to make y positive."

"What?!"

"Babe, be patient." He let me rest his head on his shoulder. "So that's gonna be y equals three x plus six. Did you get that?"

"Mhmm." I closed my eyes.

"Then since the slope of the two equations are similar: three, that means the two equations are parallel."

"Okay." I mumbled, giving up and slowly sliding my head onto Kennedy's lap.

"Babe, you're sleepy?"

I nodded into his jeans.

"Should I take you home?"

"No." I mumbled my response again.

"Babe, you can't stay." He made me stir myself up.

"Why not," I groaned.

"You can't sleep on the floor, babe, get on my bed." He threw me over his shoulder.

"You're already taking me, that's nice. Thanks, babe."

"You're staying the night? Or.. Do you want me to call Stephen to pick you up?"

"Whatever." I turned my head on his soft pillow sleepily. "Mmm, babe, your pillow smells nice."

"You think so? I think I drool on that almost every night." He sat on the foot of his bed.

"It smells nice. It smells like Downy." I commented, trying to hold back my yawn.

"Thanks, I guess?" He laughed. "Babe, are you staying the night or what?"

"Do you want me to stay the night?" I still had my eyes closed, not even bothering to check what Kennedy's expression spelled.

"Yeah, I do, but won't your parents freak out if they find out you're staying over at your boyfriend's house? You're fifteen."

"I stay over at Stephen's all the time." I mindlessly answered.

"Of course you do."

"Just tell Stephen to tell my parents,"

"Okay."

"Night, babe. I'll be in the living room."

Then I felt him kiss me softly.

"Stay with me," I pleaded quietly while holding onto his arm.

"Babe, I can't." He muttered.

"Fine." I scoffed and let go.

"Night, babe."

"Night," I mumbled before I passed out.

Kennedy waved his hand in front of my face. "I know what you're thinking." He laughed.