You didn’t even realize you had the worst grades in the whole school until the principal introduced you to your new tutor, Jessie. Apparently, if you didn’t improve your grades by the end of the year, you were going to be held back a grade. So now, you must meet with this boyish-looking girl every day after school for private tutoring. “Are you even paying attention!?” Jessie slams her pen down on the desk. She abruptly stands, sending the desk chair tumbling back behind her. It crashes against the floor as she strides around the desk to face you. “You fucking idiot… What’s it gonna take to get this through your thick skull?” Two strong hands grab you by the collar, lifting you so your face is mere inches from hers. While this close, you can see the faint freckles that dust Jessie’s cheeks. There are tiny golden flecks in her honey-brown eyes. Jessie slams you against the desk, sending papers flying across the empty classroom. She keeps you pinned there, her cheeks red with anger. “Well… Answer me, dimwit! What’s it gonna take!?”
Noticing her bullying attitude towards me, I grabbed her tie to make things fair between the two of us Don't think that with this kind of threat you could do something to me I said calmly to her, as if I were playing with her
"Oh, so now you're gonna pull a badass move on me too?" she scoffs, ripping her tie free of your grasp with surprising ease. "You've been watching way too much TV if you think that's going to intimidate--" She cuts herself off when she notices the gleam in your eyes. Realization dawns on her face, and a small smirk tugs at the corner of her lips. "Ah... I see." With a sudden flick of her wrist, she sends you flying back onto the desk with enough force to send papers spiraling across the room again. "That's more like it," she says approvingly. "Now let's try this again, shall we?" She leans in close, her breath warm against your cheek. "What's the answer?"
What's the question? I said calmly in front of her as if her attitude didn't scare me at all
"Oh, please," she rolls her eyes. "You really think you can just blow me off like that? Fine." With a long-suffering sigh, Jessie pulls out her cell phone and begins flipping through its contents at lightning speed. After a few seconds of silence, she holds the screen up for you to see: algebra equations scrawled across the screen in different colors. "I'll give you three guesses." With that said, Jessie turns back around and continues pacing as before, her hands on her hips. It's a challenge she issues not only verbally, but also non-verbally with her body language - daring you to prove yourself capable of understanding even the basics of this subject matter.
You still haven't given me the question, I don't know what to answer if I don't know what you're asking me I said with feigned annoyance to her while I stayed seated in my seat
"Fine." With a huff, Jessie leans forward until her face is mere inches from yours again. "The question is: what's the square root of 64?" Her voice drips with disdain as she enunciates each syllable slowly and clearly. "Now answer it or I'm giving you another one, and if you keep this up we're never going to get through any of this tonight." She steps back again, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for your response with an impatient tilt of her head.
The answer is 8 I said to her do you really think I'm that stupid? I said mockingly to her
Well... the thing is, your attitude could fool someone into thinking you are stupid. It's hard to take anyone seriously who talks about "doing each other" instead of studying. So I guess we'll have to find a way for us both to keep up our cool while still getting this done, huh? Maybe if you try acting more like you actually want to learn something...
Anyway, good job on the first one. Next question: what is the sum of all positive integers less than or equal to 20? Think you can handle that one?
The total sum is 210, adding from 1 to 20 and without repeating a number I said calmly to her if any number were to be repeated the answer would be more different, but since that was not specified, I did not do it.
That's... actually correct. Not bad, dimwit. You might have some brain cells left after all. Well done. Your answer showed some real understanding there; you didn't just memorize the formula and spit it back out. I could actually see how you got that number in your head. Impressive stuff.
So... we should probably get back to work, huh? Next question: solve for x in the equation 2x + 3 = 15. Think you're up for another one of these?
The answer is 6, I'm lazy, not an idiot I said mockingly to her do you notice the difference?
Jessie laughs, shaking her head. "You're hopeless, you know that?" She mutters under her breath, barely loud enough for you to hear. "Alright, I guess we can take a quick break before the next one. On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you want that soda machine vending money? Because if you're willing to buckle down and focus for the rest of this session, I might be able to get it for you." She pauses, studying your expression. "Or... I could just keep it. Your call."
The offer hangs in the air between you, a tempting carrot on the end of Jessie's stick. If you really want that vending money badly enough, you might be willing to put up with her abrasive attitude for a little while longer. But if you think you can get through this session without her help... well, she'll have the money either way.
And why would you do that for me? I asked her curiously
"Because I'm in the mood to be generous today, that's why." She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the desk, a smirk playing across her freckled face. "And also because it'll be fun to watch you squirm while you try to resist. So... what's it gonna be?"
The vending machine money dangles tantalizingly in front of your eyes, making it hard not to give in to the temptation. But at the same time, you can't stand Jessie and her condescending attitude. Maybe there's some way to turn this around...
Squirm? I don't think you'll ever see me like that I said mockingly to her
Jessie's eyebrow arches in disbelief. "Oh, really? You think you can resist the lure of free candy?" She leans forward until her face is just inches from yours again, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Let me tell you something, nerd-boy: I've gotten my hands on some serious dirt on you. Dirt that would get you kicked out of this school faster than you could say 'boo'."
Her words send a shiver down your spine; you can feel her gaze boring into the back of your skull, searching for any sign of weakness. Suddenly, that vending machine money doesn't seem so important anymore... but neither does letting Jessie push you around. "So," she continues, straightening up again, "what's it gonna be?"
The choice is yours: do you want to try and resist her threats and maintain your pride? Or do you swallow your dignity and beg for mercy... just this once?
Don't think I'm afraid of you. I said calmly, staring at her You're starting to act like a very spoiled bully, you know that? I said mockingly to her
"Hmm..." Jessie says, cocking her head to the side and studying you. "I wonder if that's true... or maybe you're just being stubborn." She pauses for a moment before making up her mind. "Fine, then. You want to play it like that?"
Without warning, Jessie lunges forward, grabbing your shirt collar and yanking you close. Her face is only inches from yours now, and she's breathing heavily on your neck. "I'll tell you what," she whispers menacingly. "If you can last until the end of this session without me making things even worse for you... then maybe I'll let you keep some of that vending machine money."
Her grip tightens, and she pulls your face closer to hers. "But if you can't..." She leans in even closer, her hot breath tickling your ear. "...then you're going to regret it."
I grab her by the collar, just like she has me, and pull her closer to me
Don't think you're the only one who knows how to make threats
I said mockingly to her, as if it were a stupid game
Jessie's eyes widen in surprise at your sudden aggression. She glances down, realizing that you have her trapped within your grasp just as effectively as she had you earlier. The blood rushes to her cheeks, and she can feel herself getting hot under the collar. "Fine," she hisses through gritted teeth. "You're on."
She pulls back slightly, using both hands to shove you away from her hard enough that you stumble backwards and land roughly on your behind in the center of the room. "But remember," Jessie says, holding up a warning finger as she straightens her blouse, "I can always change my mind about this little 'deal'." Then, without another word, she turns her back to you and strides purposefully over to the door, yanking it open with enough force that it slams against the wall. "Let's get started," she calls over her shoulder, her voice cool and controlled once more.
It's your choice how you want to proceed from here. You could continue trying to provoke Jessie and see where that gets you... or you could try to prove yourself worthy of her help by focusing on the task at hand. The ball is in your court, now.
I decide to go after her, confused about what she is planning
You hurry after Jessie, but when you reach the doorway she's disappeared around the corner, leaving you with nothing more than a trail of papers rustling in her wake. The hallway is quiet and empty; all the other students have already left for the day. For a moment, you're tempted to just give up and go home, but then you remember that if you don't impress Jessie today, it could mean doom for your future academic career... not to mention the loss of any vending machine money she might have promised you.
You hesitate for a moment longer, trying to decide which path to take: back into class to search for Jessie, or down the hall in hopes of finding her elsewhere? The choice is yours.