Chapter 131 My Mom Wants to Add You on Facebook
"What do you mean?" Aaron was totally lost.
Tristan plopped down two plates of sandwiches, grabbed the milk, and pointed to the bar behind him. "Milk cups, kid."
Aaron turned around, grabbed the cups, and filled them with milk. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head.
"Wait, are you saying she's a good tutor and I should actually pay attention? Nah, I ain't learning," Aaron scoffed.
In the big ol' dining room, the vibe between them was chill but kinda tense, thanks to Tristan.
Even though Tristan was looking out for him, Aaron felt a bit freaked out. His tough talk had a hint of fear.
But to Tristan, Aaron's words were just noise.
After pouring the milk and stashing it back in the fridge, Tristan pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat down. He took a sip of milk and licked the foam off his lips.
"I never said she was good. Just wanted to know what you think. If she sucks, we can get another one."
Katniss wasn't Aaron's first tutor; she was just the latest in a long line.
Thinking about all those other tutors who tried every trick in the book to teach him, begging and pleading.
In the end, they all bailed and complained to Tristan.
But Aaron felt Katniss was different.
"No need, swapping tutors is a pain. Besides, I ain't learning anyway," he shrugged.
To Aaron's surprise, Tristan ate his food like he didn't give a damn whether Aaron learned or not.
After finishing his sandwich, he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Raising an eyebrow at Aaron, he said, "Then stick with Katniss. If you can't make her quit, then you gotta study. If you can 'tame' her, I'll help you deal with Eudora."
Aaron's eyes lit up. Did this mean he could do whatever he wanted?
But he was skeptical. "Tristan, you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Tristan shot him a serious look.
"So if I pull it off, you'll leave me alone?" Aaron pressed.
Tristan thought for a moment. "I won't bug you, but I can't promise Eudora won't."
"Without you, how's she gonna find me?" Aaron stuffed the whole sandwich in his mouth and gave a thumbs-up.
He even cleared the plates and dashed upstairs to cook up a plan to outsmart Katniss.
Meanwhile, Katniss was wracking her brain to figure out how to handle Aaron. She thought of Donna.
When she got to the Wilson Family, Wren had already bailed for a card game, leaving just Daniel at home.
"Ms. Grey, my wife is pretty naive. Last time, she totally got played. Once you cleared things up, she went right back to her card game. Don't mind her," Daniel apologized for Wren.
Katniss flashed a quick smile. "Mr. Wilson, you're overthinking it. Wren's suspicion just shows she's a caring mom. I don't mind at all."
"Ms. Grey, you're a dedicated teacher too. I'm sure you have your reasons for handling Aaron the way you do." Daniel led her inside, and after a brief chat, she headed upstairs.
The second-floor apartment of the Wilson Family wasn't huge but was cozy and tastefully decorated.
The rooms on the second floor were all Donna's, including a music room, study, bedroom, and dance room.
Donna was a graceful young girl, about 5'3" at fifteen, with a slender figure and striking looks.
But with so many hobbies, she was a bit overwhelmed. After slacking off for a while, she fell behind in her studies.
That's why Daniel urgently sought Katniss for one-on-one tutoring.
Donna was serious and had already prepped the materials she needed.
"Let's get started. Did you check out the stuff I asked your mom to give you last time?"
Katniss sat down and tutored her seriously for an hour, then took a ten-minute break.
Only then did she start asking about Aaron. "I heard you and Aaron used to be classmates?"
Donna nodded. "Yeah, we were classmates since elementary school. We used to live in the same neighborhood, but after I moved, I only saw him at school."
"Can you tell me more about Aaron?" Katniss brought over the fruit Daniel had prepared and placed it in front of Donna. "Eat while you talk."
When Aaron was mentioned, a hint of sadness appeared in Donna's clear eyes.
But she agreed. "Sure, I've known Aaron since I was little. But my mom always told me to stay away from him, saying his family was too greedy..."
Even though Donna was only fifteen, she spoke clearly and logically.
In ten minutes, Katniss had a rough idea of Aaron's family situation.
Aaron's sister was adopted by a wealthy family when he was just born.
It's said that the wealthy family gave the Savoy Family a sum of money, but the Savoy couple blew it all and neglected their home.
So Aaron was raised by his grandmother. Compared to the affluent life of the Savoy couple, they lived a modest life.
Aaron had always been a good student and listened to his grandmother. But after she passed away, he became withdrawn and silent.
He was bullied at school, beaten black and blue, but his parents had no time for him.
Donna had a classmate who lived in the same neighborhood as Aaron and often heard the Savoy couple going at it.
For a whole year, they argued almost every day. Then one day, they just stopped.
They started chatting with neighbors and occasionally mentioned their daughter.
It seemed like life was back on track, but within a couple of days, they were dead!
After that, no one took care of Aaron. He got into fights, dropped out of school.
Donna could only find him hanging out with a bunch of delinquents in the alley next to the school.
When Katniss heard that Aaron's parents had died, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
She glanced at the pitch-black outside, swallowed, and said, "So that's how it is. His life has been pretty rough. Let's continue with the lesson."
"Okay." Donna took away the empty fruit plate and continued studying.
Another hour passed, and the lesson ended. After Katniss finished summarizing the lesson for Donna, she started packing her things.
"Ms. Grey," Donna suddenly looked up at her, "Aaron used to be a really good student. He was even better than me. You'll help him, right?"
Her eyes were clear and pure, full of kindness.
Katniss quickly put the materials into her bag, patted her head, and smiled, "I will. Were you and he very close?"
"We used to walk home together a lot." Donna said, lowering her head. Her ears turned a bit red, thinking of something.
Katniss didn't notice. She was more determined than ever to pull Aaron back from his "deviated path."
Back home, Katniss had a bit of insomnia. She took out the cracked bead from her bag.
The bead was smooth and of high quality, probably worth a lot. She cleaned the red string, dried it with a hairdryer.
She reassembled the bead and string, squeezing some clear quick-drying glue in the middle.
Within seconds, the bead was restored to its original state, with no visible cracks.
She smiled, put the bead back in her bag, and started preparing materials for Aaron's tutoring session the next day.
Even though she might not need them, she stubbornly brought them every day.
On Friday morning, after finishing the weekly meeting at the education center, Katniss saw Jesse standing at the door with a conflicted expression.
Seeing her come out, Jesse quickly walked over, scratching his head awkwardly. "Ms. Grey, I have a favor to ask."
"Go ahead." Katniss slowed her pace.
"My mom wants to add you on Facebook," Jesse said.
Katniss stopped in her tracks, looking at him in surprise.
Jesse quickly shook his head and explained, "Don't get me wrong. I just graduated from college and want to venture out on my own. My mom is worried. She came here earlier to meet you but had to leave before the meeting ended."
The purpose was likely to ask Katniss to look out for Jesse.
Katniss nodded understandingly. "I see. You can give her my Facebook."
"Thank you!" Jesse thanked her and fiddled with his phone.
Within seconds, Katniss received a friend request on Facebook.
The other party quickly sent a message: [Hello, I'm Jesse's mom. Sorry to bother you.]Jesse'mother was still typing: [You're his boss, right? He told me you're a woman. You're amazing. Please take care of Jesse!]
The straightforward and candid words made Katniss smile. She replied: [Don't worry, I'll take good care of Mr. Turner.]
After a few more polite exchanges, Vivienne invited Katniss to dinner, which she quickly declined.
After repeatedly assuring that she would look after Jesse and make sure he wouldn't be bullied, the conversation ended.
In the evening, she arrived at Celestial Villas, where Ryan opened the door for her.
The villa was brightly lit, and several figures were in the living room.
Besides Aaron, who sat on the sofa with a sullen and disdainful expression, arms crossed.
Tristan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, a cigarette between his fingers. Smoke swirled from his thin lips, his slightly narrowed eyes exuding an air of aristocratic indifference.
On the sofa sat a woman who looked about forty but was well-maintained, appearing in her thirties, wearing delicate light makeup, with her long hair pulled back.
Her scrutinizing gaze fell directly on Katniss.
"Are you the tutor for Aaron?" the woman spoke first.
Katniss nodded slightly and smiled at the woman. "Yes."
Their conversation was brief, but it made Katniss feel a bit awkward because she didn't know the woman's identity and felt it impolite to ask directly.
Ryan seemed to notice her discomfort and introduced, "This is Juliet Turner."
But that was all, with no further introduction.
Katniss nodded again. "Hello, Juliet."
"Hello, what's your name?" Juliet asked.
By the window, Tristan's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He exhaled smoke from his thin lips, extinguished the cigarette, and walked over.
"Katniss," she replied, then heard Tristan say, "Take him to his lesson."
"Okay." Hearing this, Katniss looked at Aaron, who got up and went upstairs.
As she walked upstairs, she vaguely heard Juliet also saying goodbye, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing.
Juliet left the villa and got into a luxury car parked by the road. As soon as she sat down, she made a phone call.
"Michael, I found out. Aaron's tutor is named Katniss. Okay, don't worry, leave it to me!"
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