Chapter 14: I'll Help You
"Your recent assignments have been pretty solid. The accuracy rate is way higher than before."
Ms. Rebecca Lang flipped through the homework notebook in her hands, quickly scanning the spread of red checkmarks as she earnestly reminded the boy standing in front of her desk.
"Did you do this yourself?"
"Yeah, I did it myself."
"I'm not going to dig into whether you copied or not. These last two semesters are on you—make sure you handle them right."
Ms. Lang lifted her gaze to the boy. His head dipped slightly, voice timid, eyes flicking between her face and the floor, hands pressed flat against his thighs. He looked every inch the well-behaved, obedient student.
He was the classic quiet type—only lively and relaxed around friends, but stiff and restrained in front of teachers, never daring to push back.
Ms. Lang had seniority in the department. She'd taught French at Riverside High for seven or eight years before stepping up as academic advisor. She had seen dozens of boys exactly like him: solid but not spectacular grades, strong in math and science, rarely in serious trouble, though they cut corners whenever possible.
Julian Hayes was a little different. The last time the staff discussed students who were uneven across subjects, his homeroom teacher had pointed him out as the textbook case and quietly mentioned the family situation.
His mother had died giving birth to him. His father never remarried, raised him alone, and worked himself to death before he could enjoy any of the rewards. It was heartbreaking.
On the first day of freshman year, Julian had been the only new student who arrived completely solo. Head down, he quietly completed every form, then sat alone in the classroom without making a sound or joining any of the chaos. He had looked so well-behaved.
Ms. Lang was in her thirties now, faint lines of experience etched across her face. She knew the grind of everyday life and exactly how heavy true loneliness could feel for a high-school kid.
Something kind inside her had stirred. She had always liked Julian, worried about his grades, and felt genuine regret that someone who worked so hard still couldn't quite break into the higher ranks.
Some quiet students were built that way—diligent, but too shy to ask teachers when they got stuck. They'd turn to classmates instead, yet in his circle there weren't many strong in French, and he hated bothering people he didn't know well.
Besides, the top French students in his class were mostly girls.
She genuinely wanted to see him improve. With his top-ten math and science scores, if French didn't drag him down, he had the makings of a strong college candidate.
"You understand all these grammar points, right? If anything's unclear, come ask me… This section here… did a classmate help you? The problems you used to miss are all correct now."
"I… yeah, someone tutored me a little. I memorized those rules."
"Then keep pushing. Your current level is enough to get into honors. I teach French for all three honors classes. Do your best on the placement exam in a few days."
"Got it. Thank you, Ms. Lang. I'll try."
The office door creaked open on its hinges. Margaret Monroe stepped in carrying a thick stack of notebooks and walked straight to the desk, setting them down neatly.
"All collected?" Ms. Lang glanced at the noticeably thinner pile and asked her class representative.
"Mm…" Margaret blinked, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face at how many were missing. "A few are still out there. Some forgot them, others can't find theirs. They said they'll bring them later."
Ms. Lang frowned, the familiar disappointment of senior-year apathy in her eyes. "Still missing homework in senior year—probably the usual suspects again. Whatever. After the class divisions they won't be my problem anymore."
Better to let the unmotivated drift than chase them. At this stage, the ones who wanted to succeed didn't need constant nagging, and the ones who didn't couldn't be forced. As long as they didn't drag anyone else down.
Margaret stayed quiet. In the brief moment she lifted her eyes, her gaze slid across Julian without a trace of expression before flicking away again.
Ms. Lang waved her toward the door. Margaret turned to leave, but the advisor called after her. "Margaret, wait a second."
"Yes, Ms. Lang?"
"Have you been under a lot of pressure lately? Is the workload too heavy?"
"It's manageable. I'm keeping up."
"Good. After the exam in a few days, I'm placing the two of you in the same honors class." Ms. Lang's eyes moved between them. "I'd like you to look out for him. His math and science are excellent; French is the weak spot. Help him when you have time."
Margaret's calm gaze met Julian's. He gave a small, shy nod, stealing glances at her with a mixture of gratitude and nervous question in his eyes.
Is that so? Then you… really can't escape now…
"Sure, no problem at all."
Margaret answered with a gentle smile, her graceful posture radiating the soft warmth of early-spring sunlight—bright, generous, and full of promise.
"That settles it." Ms. Lang turned back to Julian. "Keep working hard these next few weeks. Save the fun for after the exam. If you don't make honors, I can't help you. But if you do well on the SATs and get into a good school, I'll even chip in for some of your move-in expenses."
"I will. Thank you, Ms. Lang."
"Head on back to class."
They left the office together. The hallway was nearly empty; cold drafts whipped through the quiet corridor.
Julian knew the advisor meant well and didn't want to let her down. When it was time to push, he wouldn't slack. "Margaret, um… this weekend… are you free?"
"My weekends are usually open. I already told you—if you need help, just say so."
"Okay… thanks for this."
"It's nothing."
This chance to be alone with him in a quiet room would be hers alone. None of those flirty girls would get a look in. Julian might even think she was too trusting, never realizing which one of them was actually dangerous.
The boy walking beside her seemed completely unguarded right now, almost endearingly clueless. Lazy strands of hair fell across his forehead as he stared out at the rows of evergreen trees lining the walkway. His side profile was handsome yet fragile, like something delicate that could be shattered with the slightest pressure.
The dark whisper that had taken root in her mind yesterday had never faded. She didn't understand why the filthy, worldly urge had suddenly bloomed, but it refused to leave. It grew louder, more insistent, and seeing him today only made it worse.
"Julian…"
She spoke his name softly.
"Hm? What is it?" He turned, blinking.
————
"Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"I said…"
Margaret stopped walking. Julian halted beside her.
She tilted her head up just slightly. He stood right there, confusion written across his face.
A break in the clouds let warm sunlight slice through the hallway, glowing behind him and outlining his soft features in threads of gold. His features were still boyish, strikingly handsome.
Those clear eyes reflected in hers—pure and bottomless, exactly like the boy himself, exactly like the friendship they were supposed to have.
If you knew what a crazy, twisted person I really am, Julian, what would you do? If I… used you… to satisfy my own desires, what would you think of me then?
That was what she thought.
What she said out loud was, "Study hard, okay? I'll do everything I can to help you."
"I know, I know. I've heard 'study hard' like a hundred times lately." Julian gave a small laugh, eyes crinkling. "But… thanks for the second part."
They kept walking. When they reached the door to Class Four, with Class Three just ahead, Julian turned toward his room. "See you after school."
"Yeah. See you after school."