Maya's POV
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, the same name flashed in my mind like a bright light I could not escape.
Liam Carter.
I tossed. Turned. Buried my face in my pillow. Flipped the pillow. Stared at the ceiling. But no matter what I did, my mind kept coming back to the same question.
Why him?
Why me?
How am I supposed to tutor someone like him?
By the time the sun came up, my body felt heavy and my head was pounding. I dragged myself out of bed, hoping that maybe the whole thing had been a dream.
But the moment I picked up my phone, the screen lit up with the same words from last night.
Session Confirmed.
Tomorrow at 7 PM.
Study Room 3B.
My stomach twisted again.
I whispered to myself, "No. I cannot do this."
I stood up suddenly, full of panic, and paced my room. The walls felt too close. My chest felt tight. My mind was loud.
I had to decline. I needed to decline. I could not walk into a room and face the most popular guy on campus. I could already imagine the strange looks. The whispers. The pressure.
No.
No.
No.
I grabbed my phone. I opened the email. My thumb hovered over the reply button. I was ready to type a polite decline.
But as I was typing, my room door burst open so fast I jumped.
Jenna rushed in wearing a bonnet, old pajama pants, and a confused expression. She held her phone in one hand and a half-eaten slice of bread in the other.
"Why are you awake this early?" she asked with a frown. "And why are you pacing like someone chased you?"
I froze. My phone screen lit up in my hand.
She squinted. "Wait. Is this about that tutoring thing?"
I swallowed. "I need to decline."
She blinked. Then blinked again. Then she looked at me like I had grown two heads.
"Decline?" she repeated. "You want to decline a double pay job? Maya, are you okay?"
I opened my mouth to explain, but she took three steps into the room and snatched my phone from my hand.
"Hey!" I reached for it, but she lifted it above her head like she was playing keep-away.
"I just need to understand something," she said, tapping my screen. "Why are you declining?"
"Because the student is Liam Carter," I said, my voice cracking a little.
She dropped her arm slowly. "The basketball captain?"
I nodded, feeling my cheeks warm.
She stared at me like the universe had just given her gossip gold. "Maya, girl, please. That is huge. You cannot turn this down!"
"I can and I will," I argued. "Jenna, I cannot sit across from him. He is used to crowds, cameras, fans, everything. I hide from people like him. I freeze around loud people. This is not for me."
She held up a finger. "Okay, pause. First of all, you do not freeze around people. You just get quiet."
"Extremely quiet," I corrected.
"Second," she continued, ignoring me, "you need this money."
I looked away. "Not that much."
She raised her eyebrows so high they almost touched her hairline. "Really? Then why did my bank app just notify me that our rent is due in two days? And why do you think that stack of bills in the living room keeps growing like a plant?"
I felt my stomach twist.
"I will figure something out," I said softly.
"Oh really?" Jenna asked.
Then she did something evil.
She opened my banking app.
"Jenna! Give me my phone!" I reached for it again, but she turned her back and shielded the screen with her body.
Her eyes widened.
Her mouth dropped open.
She let out a small gasp.
"Maya…"
I froze. "What?"
She slowly turned the screen toward me.
My heart dropped so fast it hurt.
Account balance: Overdrawn.
A wave of heat rushed to my face. My chest squeezed so tight I felt like I could not breathe.
"No," I whispered. "No, no, no. How did that happen? I had some money left last week."
"Maya," Jenna said softly, pressing the phone into my hands, "you cannot decline. You need this job. And not just need it. You need it now."
I stared down at the red negative number like it was a hole I had fallen into. Everything spun for a moment. Pressure hit me from every direction.
"I cannot tutor him," I whispered, barely able to hear myself. "I am not the type of girl guys like him even notice."
"So? You are not there to get noticed," she said. "You are there to teach him."
I shook my head. "But I am the girl who hides, Jenna. I stay quiet. I stay invisible. People like him do not even see people like me."
She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe that is exactly why they picked you."
I looked at her, confused. "What?"
"Maybe they wanted someone quiet. Someone patient. Someone who does not bring drama. Who knows?"
I didn't know what to say. My thoughts were heavy again.
I opened the email once more. My thumb hovered over the screen.
Decline?
Accept?
Decline?
Accept?
Jenna watched silently.
My hand shook.
I whispered, "I cannot do this. I am going to decline."
I started typing a polite message.
But then my phone buzzed in my hand.
A call.
I froze when I saw the name on the screen.
Dr. Peterson.
Jenna's eyes grew wide. "Answer it."
"I cannot," I said, shaking my head.
"You must," she whispered.
I took a deep breath and answered.
"Hello?"
"Maya," Dr. Peterson said. Her voice was calm but serious. "I saw your hesitation. I want to talk to you directly."
I closed my eyes. "Ma'am, I do not think I am the right tutor for this."
"Why not?" she asked.
My hands trembled. "Because it is Liam Carter."
There was a long pause.
Then she said something that froze me completely.
"I know. That is why I am calling."
My breath hitched. Jenna held my arm tightly.
"I am doubling the pay again," Dr. Peterson continued. "Four times your usual rate. I want you for this."
My heart slammed so hard I had to sit down.
Four times.
Jenna covered her mouth and made a tiny choking sound.
My voice cracked. "Why me? I do not understand."
Another pause.
Then Dr. Peterson said something that felt like lightning in my chest.
"Liam specifically requested you."
The world stood still.
Requested me?
Liam Carter… requested me?
My voice came out in a whisper. "He asked for me?"
"Yes," she said. "By name."
My pulse roared in my ears.
I could not move.
I could not speak.
I could barely breathe.
Jenna stared at me with her eyes huge.
Dr. Peterson's voice dropped lower, heavier.
"Maya… you need to accept this. Something important is happening here. And you are part of it."
My mind spun so fast I almost felt dizzy.
I whispered, "But why would he ask for me?"
The line went silent for a moment.
Then Dr. Peterson said the one sentence that hit me like an earthquake inside my chest.
"You will find out tomorrow."
And the call ended.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Too heavy.
Too small.
My entire life was about to change.
And I had no idea why.