Tutoring

Gisa

Emma squealed excitedly, hugging Gisa. Even Gisa was smiling broadly. "You passed all your classes with flying colors Gisa! It is okay to be excited. You even snagged a few "B's". A "B" in English too! You always said you could never pass an English class."

Gisa smiled, pulling apart from Emma to settle into the couch. "I guess so. Too bad I can't shove those grades in my mother's face." She smirked. "She'd probably tell me something about how useless it is. Or I am." Gisa chuckled. No. "She'd probably kill me for not getting her out of there."

Emma nodded, the mood dying a little. "So how did tutoring go? I was really surprised that you let Ron set you up with a tutor. But nobody died so I assume it went well." Emma perched on the edge of her desk, picking up a nail file.

"Yeah. Prince Michael was actually the one that tutored me. I had no idea how smart he was." Gisa said.

"Really?" Emma asked, still not looking up. "He and Sean are the two frontrunners for valedictorian this year."

Gisa sat back for a second. He was really smart then. But maybe it was good to have a smart king. Definitely good. Something inside of Gisa wilted a little at the thought however. She suddenly felt much dumber. He hadn't made fun of her the whole time, but did he think about her that way?

"How'd it go then?" asked Emma.

Gisa related the tutoring session to her.

"Hey over here!" Michael had waved to her from a conference room.

"Umm, hey." Gisa said. "I didn't know you tutored people." Stupid. Of course he did.

"Well I started to do it for extra credit and for service hours, but I actually really enjoy it. Since almost all the finals were finished I was pretty happy that someone wanted some help." He grinned a little. "Besides, I wasn't going to do anything but hit the gym and then crash all day with a movie or something. This is a much better way to spend my time."

"Well thanks." Gisa said. "I just never really understood math well. This is the second time I have taken this class so I get it a little more. I'm starting to understand but there are still a few subjects I'm shaky on."

"Well I have no plans, so let's get working on this." He smiled. And Gisa couldn't help but smile back at him.

They'd been studying for a while when Michael asked, "want to grab a bite from the cafeteria and come back?" Gisa's stomach let out a rumble. She could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"That's probably for the best." Gisa laughed. "I haven't eaten since before seven this morning."

"Geez you stay up late." Michael said with a laugh.

She stared at him for a second, then laughed loudly, "Michael I got up at six this morning. I fell asleep around eleven. Before the dance even ended."

"You didn't go?" He asked as he exited the library, backpacks slung over the shoulders.

"Nope." Gisa said, hopping down the stairs to keep up with him. He noticed, slowing down slightly with a smile. "I also heard you didn't go Mr. Prince."

He chuckled a little nervously. "Well, as you'll hear at a press conference later today, Annabelle and I decided that we were not meant for each other and that I may be going into court without a lady by my side. And um, I would appreciate your discretion with this matter. I'm not really supposed to share."

Gisa frowned a little before attempting to crack a joke, "I know a memory spell. I could try to erase my memory. But it may not be the right part to erase. I might even erase yours. I'm still working on that."

Surprise and thanks gleamed from his eyes as he laughed in response. "Maybe we shouldn't then. I'll just have to trust you to keep a secret. But on a more serious note, I heard you received a letter recommending you to take magic studies classes. What do you think?"

Gisa shrugged. "I hadn't really looked at them yet. I just thought they were going to tell me to not use it and that they think I'm dangerous or something. I don't know." Gisa looked down at her shoes.

"No Gisa, I've actually heard that a lot of people would like you to learn how to use it and study its origins to help you grow with it. To let you shape the magic and not let it shape you." He sighed. "I know things definitely started out roughly, but people trust you know. The number of people that don't is dwindling. I mean, you don't plan to kill us right?"

Gisa snorted, "Nah. World domination is more my mother's thing. I just want to make it through High School."

"So, tell me you'll think about taking those classes at least." He said as they entered the dining hall. His eyes widened "Oh no way!"

"What?" Gisa asked, an alarm clanging through her.

"They're serving brisket today!"

Gisa punched him on the shoulder somewhat playfully. "Don't do that!" She tried to frown, but the twitching of her mouth gave her away before they burst into a fit of laughter. "But actually, what is brisket?"

"Okay, we're definitely getting brisket." He laughed as they walked to the back of the line.

"Remember introducing me to those new foods when we had lunch that one time?" Gisa asked while they waited. "I still can't believe how amazing rice pudding is. They don't make it quite as good here, but I can never pass it up when it is offered."

The smell of the brisket hit Gisa as they moved up in line slightly. "Smell good?" Michael asked, noticing. "It is literally the best. I still want to make it a goal to serve it at council dinners and such. They serve the strangest things there. I wish they'd serve burgers."

"You could pick anything and you pick burgers?" Gisa laughed, "Seriously?"

"Well, what would you pick?" Michael smirked as they grabbed plates and trays at the beginning of the counter.

"I don't know actually." Gisa said thoughtfully. "We only ever had dehydrated foods, canned goods on the island. I'd only had meat a few times in my life before I came here. I still think cereal and milk is amazing." that earned an amused look from Michael. "Don't look at me like that! I've never had milk before you know! All the vitamins and stuff that we needed were put in whatever gross foods we could get shipped in. It was a very bland diet. I love going to the cafeteria now."

"The perspective is refreshing," Michael said, hiding a smile, "A few kids ask their parents for meals sent directly to them from some outside kitchen. They have deemed this food to be below them. But I enjoy it. Glad to see I'm not the only one who does."

They sat down at a table near the exit. Gisa wanted to try the brisket but, "Michael will you quit staring? I can't eat with you looking at me like that." She glowered.

"What? I wanted to see what you thought of it?" Michael asked innocently, holding his hands up.

"Well I will tell you after you stop staring at me like a doofus so I can eat it." She snapped back. Michael rolled his eyes but shook his head with a smirk and obliged, looking down at his own plate, cutting a slice for himself.

Gisa exhaled a sigh, but took a bite despite herself. If her taste buds could talk they may have started crying.

She was too satisfied to snap at Michael for staring at her with that stupid boyish grin he gave her whenever he proved himself right about something. After she swallowed she finally replied, "You'd think for someone so smart you wouldn't make such stupid faces."

Even Gisa couldn't help but join in as Michael's loud guffaw echoed through the space. A few heads turned their way, but Gisa didn't really care. She stopped laughing enough to watch Michael half speak, half laugh about something else. She couldn't help but feel… happy. She had friends sure, but Michael was beginning to become a closer friend. He was so easy and honest. And while they had not been friends in the beginning, they seemed to have overcome the differences between them. So Gisa relaxed, and laughed with him.