Chapter 121 Don't Waste Time on Me
The man was shirtless, just a towel hanging low on his hips. His short hair was still dripping, and those broad shoulders and slim waist? Total gym goals.
Outta nowhere, she felt this weird déjà vu that made her blood run cold, and she legit forgot to breathe for a sec.
That familiar scent hit her nose, and she saw the guy's back in her clear-as-day eyes.
Her legs? Felt like they were made of lead, couldn't move an inch.
Then, a teenage voice, like fifteen or sixteen, piped up from behind, "What are you doing here?"
Snapping back to reality, she turned to see Aaron standing at the doorway, holding a toy gun.
"Sorry, didn't mean to barge in." She bolted outta there, and the guy never even turned around.
'It must've been just a lookalike. No way Tristan's in Nightfall City,' Katniss thought.
She pulled herself together and looked back at Aaron, who'd come out and shut the door. "Didn't you say first room on the left on the second floor? This ain't your room."
Aaron shrugged and started heading up to the third floor. "Never said that. You just went to the wrong room."
He'd been all grumpy about visiting the school, so no shocker he'd lie and mess around. Katniss followed him up to the third floor.
Aaron went into the first room on the left up there, and she trailed behind, only to find it was a bedroom.
The bed was a mess, and toys and video game consoles were all over the floor.
In the corner, a few books were ripped to shreds.
"Stay there, don't come in." Aaron flopped onto the couch, grabbed a tablet, and started gaming.
The game sounds were familiar; it was one George had made.
Katniss stood at the door, not stepping in. She asked, "Where do you usually study?"
"Next door." Aaron didn't even glance at her, just said it.
She turned and went next door, finding a study about five or six hundred square feet, with big bookshelves packed with romance novels.
There were also a bunch of books on gaming and competitions, but nothing for actual studying.
The only two eighth-grade books she saw had their covers ripped off and were tossed in the trash.
She closed her eyes in frustration and went back to the bedroom. "You not planning to study?"
"I dropped out a year ago," Aaron said, straight-up.
Katniss was shocked, but seeing his hair color and earrings, she figured no school would put up with him.
"Don't waste your time on me; it's pointless." Aaron's fingers were flying over the tablet, the game sounds blaring. His eyes never left the screen. "I'm not going back to school."
The guy downstairs was probably Aaron's dad. He looked young, but rich folks always seem to age in reverse, so no biggie.
She thought about heading downstairs to chat with Aaron's dad, but after that awkward moment earlier, no thanks.
What really bugged her was that even though Aaron's dad knew she was there, he didn't bother to come up, not even a quick hello.
"Look, your family hired me, so they clearly want you to keep studying. I've already been paid and signed the contract, so I gotta do my job. Next time I come, I'll bring some eighth-grade books and we'll start from scratch." She dug into her bag and pulled out some materials. "Here's a summary of important eighth-grade stuff. Check it out. I'll be back Wednesday night to give you a quick test, see where you're at."
Aaron's game character bit the dust. He shot her an annoyed look. "Stop bugging me. Leave the stuff if you want, but I ain't looking at it!"
His attitude was trash. Katniss had dealt with spoiled rich kids before, but Aaron was next level.
"If you won't look at it, I'll just take it back. I've already got my money. Whether you study or not, that's on you; I'm not losing anything." Katniss packed up the materials and glanced at his gaming console. "Your tutoring fee for a month could buy three top-tier gaming consoles, and your family paid for three months."
Aaron's ears perked up. He tossed the tablet aside and glared at her. "Then I won't study. Give me the money back, refund it to me!"
"The only thing I can give you is knowledge. Money? Not a chance. My rule is no refunds." Katniss grinned, grabbed her stuff, and walked out.
This trip felt like a bust, but it wasn't a total loss. At least Aaron seemed to care about money.
But seriously, shouldn't a kid from a rich family be blowing cash left and right?
She headed down to the second floor and glanced at the door on the left, still shut tight.
With a sigh, she left. She got into her car and glanced up at the second-floor window, spotting a blurry figure standing there. This parent was really something else.
On the drive home, she couldn't help but spill the tea to Daniel about Aaron and his family.
"Aaron's a classmate of my daughter. From what I know, his parents passed away a few years back. He dropped out last year and now lives with his sister. He was already a handful at school. Honestly, I didn't think you'd be able to tutor him, but they specifically asked for you, so I couldn't say no and introduced you." Daniel sounded pretty embarrassed.
Katniss quickly chimed in, "I just want to get a better read on him. I'm actually glad you hooked me up with a client."
"I don't know much else. You might want to talk to his sister's friend. It's his sister's friend who's looking after him now. My daughter said he used to be a top student, so it's a real shame he ended up like this." Daniel sent her a number on Facebook.
"Thanks, Mr. Wilson." Katniss saved the number he sent.
After hanging up with Daniel, she drove back home.
No wonder the guy on the second floor looked so young; he wasn't Aaron's dad after all.
He was just a friend of Aaron's sister, but since Aaron was being a total pain, she needed to find someone who could actually handle him.
She mulled over how to start the convo on the phone.
Before she could figure it out, she pulled into her driveway. Saskia and Matilda were surprised to see her back so early.
Matilda asked, "Isn't your class supposed to end at nine?"
Katniss kicked off her shoes and said, "Didn't even start. Aaron wouldn't cooperate, and his guardian wasn't around. I need to find another way to talk to Aaron's guardian."
"Have you eaten?" Matilda made a move toward the kitchen.
Katniss quickly said, "Yeah, I'm good. No need to make anything. I'm gonna contact Aaron's current guardian."
She dropped her bag in the hallway and headed into the study.
On the couch, Saskia grinned but still had a slight frown. "This show is really dragging."
In the study, Katniss dialed the number. The call was picked up in seconds.
"Hello, are you Aaron's current guardian?" Katniss asked.
On the other end, Ryan was stunned for a few seconds. Glancing at Tristan standing by the window, he twitched his mouth and said, "Sort of. What do you need?"
"I'd like to discuss Aaron's studies with you. Are you free now?" Katniss paused and added.
Free? Ryan put the call on speaker and gave Tristan a questioning look.
Tristan shot him a sharp glance, making Ryan's throat tighten.
After a moment, trying to read Tristan's thoughts, Ryan said, "Mr. Savoy is the brother of the CEO's friend, and I'm just the CEO's assistant."
Tristan stayed silent, and Ryan didn't dare to introduce himself further.
"Could you please let your boss take the call?" Katniss got the hint. Daniel had given her the assistant's number, and she couldn't reach the shirtless guy from the second floor directly.
For some reason, her cheeks flushed, but she quickly pushed that feeling aside.
Ryan kept his eyes glued to Tristan, trying to catch any subtle expression.
But watching didn't help; he couldn't figure out what Tristan wanted.
So he stalled.
"Ms. Grey, I'm off work now, so I can't have him take the call. Regarding Mr. Savoy, why don't you schedule a meeting to discuss it? It's hard to explain over the phone."
"How about Wednesday evening when I come to tutor Aaron? We can meet then," Katniss suggested.
Ryan quickly said, "Wednesday evening, we have a social engagement."
"Friday then?"
"Also busy."
The short answers crushed any hope for a meeting that week, and Katniss frowned slightly.
Ryan added, "How about this? I'll notify you when we have time, and you can come over then. Is that okay?"
Katniss took a deep breath and could only agree. "Alright, I'll wait for your good news."
After hanging up, she rubbed her temples, feeling a bit frustrated.
It had only taken half an hour for Aaron to visit the educational institution and pay the fee, which went smoothly.
The consequence was that now she was stuck.
She had a vague feeling that something was off.
What made her feel even more stuck was that by Wednesday, she still hadn't received a call from Ryan.
She had to go tutor Aaron that evening, so she decided to give Ryan another call, hoping for the best.
This time, it took two tries before Ryan answered, sounding like he was at a dinner meeting.
"Ms. Grey, we're discussing a business deal right now, so it's inconvenient to meet." Ryan's refusal was straightforward.
Katniss said, "Which restaurant are you at? I'll come over and wait. Just give me a few minutes after you're done eating."
Since Aaron was willing to visit the educational institution and let them pay the fee, there must be a way to make him behave.
So the conversation wouldn't take long, just to get them to help make Aaron sit at the desk. She could handle the rest.
Hearing this, Ryan glanced at Tristan and covered the phone, whispering to relay the message.
"Alright," Tristan replied, checking his watch. "Let her come over."
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