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d the empty sea

d there all morning, or a

ked smil

elcome people

nes who mak

ht I was

in the moment by m

ulls out the ch

s dark blond hair sticks out beneath his baseball cap, and his green eyes have the r

extbook acro

ge

ances

business. I r

. Turn to

xtbook, then lo

ing about you? Favorite color? Hobbie

es

ebrows

o whic

tred of baseb

and I open

What do you understand a

ders the

on't unde

re starting w

charming, handsome, and o

up my r

e of those things w

ven ha

lly not

I point to the first q

rough th

s up hi

hing of graphite against paper. I watch him work, expectin

he makes

s w

the mista

the page,

have just

le is the part w

people like you're ma

they make

ll the

paper back

gain,

moment before retur

utes are less painfu

head instead of following the steps. Once he stops turning ever

e same mistake f

rcle

ps his

ious

ha

have some personal

a pen,

Aggressiv

color of c

. I thought it was

prefer I

ll me I'm doing we

o well, I'l

back in h

to make this eas

posed to be easy. Tha

e since he arrive

roblem and rubs his fo

r weeks," he admits. "Every time I thin

ing. You keep skipping steps because y

obvi

nful

at the pa

me what I'

and explain the calcula

r he loses track. When he reaches the answ

right, i

ine hi

es

wai

se my

ha

ght there'd be a red

t tem

at the page to hide the small sm

to anothe

gets it right

an do it when you ac

t a comp

get use

asure the

and write down t

ry difficult question. When he gets something wrong, he tries

is easier tha

let that bec

wer, he pushes his pencil a

is poi

e lear

ng half of

of it right, too. T

oks a

you do

tor

e the patience o

stand things. I help them underst

like you don't hate

hate tu

s me for

ate me

you well enoug

encour

picks up his

that q

d

he clock, nearly nine

extbook and g

hapters four and five before Thurs

n

wil

with suspicio

nsible when pro

t motiva

directl

s who's

otebook in

asking. Try l

s, slipping his tex

ime Thu

o'cl

be h

ti

to let those five

keep bring

is head, st

the table instead of

s if I make

p pac

rt of thing I'd expect him to say to any girl

isn't l

t his

ns if I mak

just enough fo

of us

ks up his bag, and walks

my notebook open and my

t feels