Eve was at her locker, getting ready to go to the library to do some work when Zach appeared next to her locker. "Don't talk to me unless you're here to apologize," she snaps, shutting her locker.

Just as she was about to walk off, Zach pulled her back by her wrist. "I️ am," he says. "I️ am here to apologize," he nods.

Eve eyes him suspiciously. "Really?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah I️ - I️ feel bad about what I️ said," he tells her under her scrutinizing gaze.

"You feel bad about what you said? Or you feel bad about sitting out last Friday's game?" She pulls her arm back. "Don't put your fucking hands on me," she scoffs. "Forget it. You're apology is shit, and so are your grades," she hissed. "You lost your chance," she she turns to walk off.

"I'll pay you!" Zach calls out from behind her, making her freeze in her tracks.

Eve slowly turned to face him. "What?" She said.

"I'll pay you," Zach repeats. "Name your price. This way, you know I️ won't waste your time," he says.

Oh how she hated the thought of helping him. He didn't deserve shit from her. But this deal was too good to pass up. That money could help buy food, diapers for Eva, new clothes for Eric, toys for Eddie and Eva. "Twenty dollars," she said, "an hour."

Zach's eyes widened. "Seriously?!" He yells out.

"I'm leaving," Eve rolls her eyes and walks off.

"Okay! Okay, you have a deal," he agrees, stopping her again. "Meet me at my car after school, we can study at my house instead of Mr. Hanover's lame ass class," he says.

"Fine," she huffs, turning to walk off to her final class of the day before meeting up at Zach's expensive Mercedes after school.

People watched curiously as she got in, whispering and gossiping about how the smartest person in school just got in the car with the quarterback, especially after him and Maddie broke up. But Eve could care less. She just wanted to make her money's worth and get out. "So when I'm free from this contract we have," Eve asks as they drive through clean and pristine streets, compared to her own neighborhood.

"Mr. Hanover says I️ have to pass at least three of his tests with a C or above," Zach informs her. She nods her head and looks out the window as Zach drives them both to his house. He pulls up to a house that was three times larger than her own home, making her gape as she got out. She quickly closed her mouth and walked ahead of Zach, trying not to show how impressed she actually was.

Zach opens the door for her and lets her in. The decor and the size of the house was insane, but she'll never admit that to him. "You can follow me into the kitchen," Zach offered, and they step through a large kitchen that was as big as her room and Eric's room combined. "Do you want anything to drink?" He wonders.

Eve looks around, still taking everything in. "Um, just water," she says, her eyes landing on him finally. She places her backpack on the kitchen island and sits on the stool, making herself comfortable. He passed her a water bottle and she gladly accepts. Zach takes his letterman jacket off, slightly flexing his muscles which did not go unnoticed by Eve, but she quickly averts her eyes, digging into her backpack and using the homework as an excuse to talk. "Um, so what do you have a problem with?" She asks.

Zach takes a seat next to her and takes his own work out. "I️ haven't understood precalc ever since we started the class," he tells her. "It's just, ridiculously confusing."

Eve chuckles slightly. "It's not hard Zach," she says softly.

"Says the school genius," he playfully mocks, earning an eye roll, but also a small smile.

"Have you been paying attention at all in Mr. Hanover's class?" Eve asks. Zach shakes his head "no". Eve sighs. "Okay, we'll just start from the beginning, work our way through. Sound good quarterback?" She asks.

"You're on, genius."

* * * *

After three and a half hours of explaining, working out problems, and solving, Zach drops his pencil and rubs his eyes. "No more, please. My brain is so freaking fried," he groans.

"Okay we can-" she stops short when she looks up at the time. It was already five p.m. "Shit!" She lets out, immediately standing up from her chair and packing her stuff up. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She grabs her bag as Zach watches in alarm.

"Wait! Eve!" He calls out.

"I️ - I️ gotta go! Where's the nearest bus stop?" She frantically asks.

"We don't have many bus stops on this side. The nearest one is like three miles," Zach quickly tells her.

"Fuck!" Eve throws her head back in despair. She then sighs and picks her head up. "Alright, if I️ just...just jog-"

"Jog? Are you kidding?" Zach runs up and stops in front of her. "I'll just give you a ride, it's no problem," he tells her.

Eve stops and looks up at him now. "Really?" She asks.

"You help me...I️ help you," Zach says. "That's how it works."

Eve bit on her lips are she thought about it deeply. His flashy car would attract all types of wrong attention but she also needed her pick her siblings up now before Mrs. Johnson just dumps them into the street. "Alright, lets go."

Within a couple of minutes, they were in her neighborhood. She gave him directions to Mrs. Johnson's house and pulled up right on time. She grabbed her bag and ran out, giving him a quick "thank you!" on her way out. Zach watched from the car as she rushed up to the door and knocked, waiting someone to answer. A woman in her sixties answered, with two kids in her hands as she passed along the baby girl and boy to Eve. The lady looked like she was scolding her and Eve seemed to be apologizing before waving off and walking down the sidewalk that led to her house.

Zach lowered the window. "Woah, where you going?" He asked.

"Home," Eve replied, adjusting the baby girl on her hip.

Zach sighed and finally took in his surroundings. The houses on this side were smaller, and streets were littered with glass bottles, cigarette butts and trash. "Let me give you guys a ride home," he tells her.

"You've already done enough. It's fine Zach, I️ can walk from here," Eve tells him.

"Hi!" Eva waves at him.

Zach smiles at her and waves back. "Hey baby girl," he says to her before shifting his attention back in her older sister. "Eve seriously, it's getting dark and it would be really shitty of me to let a young girl with two kids walk alone in the dark," he pleads.

Eve sighs. "Fine. But only cause I️ know you won't stop bothering me until it happens," she points at him as she walks towards the car. "Come on Eddie," She holds her hand out towards her little brother.

"Are you Evie's boyfriend?" Eddie asks Zach, making Zach's eyes widen in shock.

"Eddie! Get in the car!" Eve yells from behind them.

Zach gets into the car and start it as Eve puts a seat belt over Eddie before strapping herself in, holding Eva in her lap. She gave Zach directions to her house, and when they arrived, Eric was sitting on the porch with two of his friends.

"Damn...look at that whip!" Curtis commented as Zach pulled up. "Yo E, ain't that your sister?" He points out.

Eric watches as Eve gets out the car and waves off the driver before walking towards the house. "Hey Eric, hey Curt," Eve greets.

"Yo who was that you was pulling up with?" Curtis asked. "That's one of your rich friends from that bougie-ass school you go to?"

Eve rolls her eyes. "We're hardly friends. It's just some guy I️'m getting paid tutor."

_____________________________

Thank you and goodnight.

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