Unwanted Study Groups

Elena.

Up until now I never had a clear picture of my future. But now, it is blurrier than ever. Even if I never knew what I wanted to do, or be, I always knew that I had a mate to lean on. Someone who would always care and support me.

That seemed to be the case back then.

In the past, it was not a big deal, especially before Killian showed up on the scene. Now, along with his rejection, more and more problems came up. Just like when I was in the current situation.

"What do you mean that I won't graduate?"

My tone was high-pitched and sharp, echoing in the Principal's office, and making me utterly bewildered. I was sitting in this very room, listening to the news that was almost as bad as when I was rejected by Killian.

Across from where I sat, my principal, Professor Lee was sitting patiently, with a face that had not altered at all. He was a strapping man, with a ruddy face and eyes that were always narrowed. He was also a werewolf and one who had always gone out of his way to ruin my life.

It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but that was how I felt.

"Your grades have dropped so dramatically in a month, that I'm almost impressed. You know, if you fail this class, you will not have enough scores to graduate," he told me, showing me my grades list. Sure enough, my grades were severely lacking, as usual.

"O-Okay, but I can do something about it, right!?" I questioned, straightening up in my seat.

Professor Lee heaved a sigh, then got to his feet. "You can, but will you do it? Probably not. That is exactly why I am going to put you in a study group."

My eyes glanced at him and then blinked a few times, trying to get his words to sink in. "You are being humorous, right?"

He shrugged and shook his head, shifting over to the other side of his desk.

"Mr. Lockwood, at the moment, already has an after-school study group," he told me, flashing me a smile in that weird, 'Get it!' And you are its very first member."

In that instant, my jaw dropped open, my gut felt knotted, and I felt a surge of rage prickling through my body. Angered, ashamed, not pleased? Well, a mixture of all three, perhaps.

"I don't..." I was just about to start, but could not finish my words. My whole English grade dropped after Killian came into the picture. There was no way I could pay attention for a long time, and I was so upset most of the time that I was barely getting my assignments done.

"There will be a few more new members added to the study group," he explained as he gazed into my eyes and let out a sigh, with the expression of a typical father to his child. "I hope you understand that I'm doing this because you are such a smart girl, Elena, and also because someday you could become an outstanding young lady."

I just stared at him in silence, not knowing what to say, as my tongue seemed to become tied. What are you going to say when your principal cares so much about you?

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, in the end, I could only nod. To my surprise, he unexpectedly flashed a smile and clapped his hands while standing up, getting excited.

"Good, now, the meetings will be twice a week for two hours, for a month!" He then stood up and motioned for me to stand up as well.

"But isn't that too much?" I asked as he led me outside. Shaking his head, he opened the door and gestured for me to leave the room, stopping at the doorway.

"We haven't even been to school for three months!" I went on, gesturing my hands wildly. "What can we learn in that time!"

"There is nothing to be done!" Professor Lee shook his head with a laugh, looking at his watch.

"But..."

"You will be fine," he cut me off, almost slamming the door right in front of my face. Letting out a long breath, which turned into a groan, I moved away from the door. The scent of vanilla cake catches my attention as I walk.

Looking up, I see Killian making his way towards me. But he is not paying attention, he is engrossed in flipping through a folder.

There is something inside me that makes me furious, and I walk over to him, poking him in the arm. He gave me a poke back and was almost pissed when he noticed that it was me.

"Study group? Seriously?" My mouth worked without me realizing it. Killian took a step away from me, closing his folder.

"What are you talking about?"

He snapped back at me, raising his eyebrows. We both stare at each other, at a loss.

"Killian! Perfect!" Professor Lee walked out of the room, not paying any attention to me at all.

Once he caught sight of me, he broke into giggles and patted me on the arm.

"I'm glad you met your first member, Killian," said Professor Lee as he wiggled his feet. Meanwhile, Killian still looks bewildered, shifting his gaze from me to Professor Lee.

"What are you talking about?" Killian asked while raising his eyebrows. It was only then that I came to the point where I realized that he had absolutely no idea what we were talking about.

As for Professor Lee, he let out a nervous laugh, looking between us.

"You guys will have study groups after school, I forgot to tell you about that."

Killian's face went from calm to angry in a matter of seconds.

"What?" He looked taken aback, his voice raised and genuinely annoyed. I could not help but laugh, despite the trouble I was in.

As I turned around, I could hear the argument over there, but I chose to brush it off. As I walked away, I could hear my poor heart still beating fast. It seemed as if my life was constantly pelting me with buckets of pebbles.

Then a few days later, I reached it.

Why does time seem to run so fast, especially when you don't want it to?

As I watched the clock that seemed to be ticking at a rapid pace, at some point I felt a bit uneasy. It was Thursday, which meant the first day of my study group. My nerves had been feeling tense all day, but I tried, yet failed to suppress them.

Tapping my foot, I tried to focus on the tutoring, but I ended up getting hung up on it.

"I can't believe you have to see that asshole to even attend the club, El," Jane whispered to me, looking up from her notes.

I just shrugged, leaning forward.

"I guess there is nothing I can do."

One of the teachers scolded me at the front of the class and gave me a sharp look. I timidly looked back at my empty desk.

My eyes did not turn back to the clock until the dismissal bell rang. Once the bell rang, I reluctantly packed up and waited until everyone had left the classroom.

"Bye Ms. Flory," I bid farewell to my Physics teacher. She looked at me, confusion evident on my face. I was not really a big fan of hers though.

"Goodbye Elena," she replied as she returned to her desk.

I lingered there for a while, before leaving. The other students were pushing each other out of the school gates. As I walked towards Killian's classroom, I tried to go against the flow of traffic, trying to act casual.