Chapter 7 Tougher than Normal

"What are you guys trying to do?" I ask.

Michelle is sitting on the couch with a pack of Cheetos and Amber is getting another pack from the refrigerator.

I just came back from where I went to get my laptop fixed.

It had a little problem that I thought I should fix quickly before it gets worse.

"Umm...getting ready for a movie night. Does it look like we're doing something else?" Michelle asks as she picks up the TV remote from the glass table.

"Mia, you should go to your room, do whatever you have to do and come and join us." Amber says.

"Guys, is this what we're supposed to be doing now?" I ask.

"What do you mean......it's Sunday and we have movie nights on Sundays. I don't think that's something you should forget." Michelle says.

"Or have you forgotten? Do you have a memory loss or something?" Amber asks.

"Yes, of course I have a memory loss. Can't you see I came into the wrong apartment and talking to the wrong girls." I say sarcastically.

Amber rolls her eyes at me and mutters "The sarcasm wasn't really necessary."

"Guys, we've a history test coming up and not just history but others and you really think it's a good idea to have a movie night." I say.

"We're aware of the upcoming tests but it's Sunday night and we'll do what we normally do on Sunday nights." Michelle says.

"Not when there's something really important coming. Have you guys forgotten that we don't have our movie night if there's a test or an exam around the corner?" I ask.

"Is that so? I didn't know that." Amber says.

"Sure you didn't." I say.

"Come on Mia, let's just watch a movie. Don't we like have enough time to prepare for the test?" Michelle asks.

"It's tests with the 's' and yeah, we have like three days to prepare for history test, three days!! Michelle" I say.

"Three days is more than enough to prepare for history test, it's history after all." Michelle says.

"And what about the others?" I ask rhetorically.

"Relax, Mia........I mean it's just tests, isn't it?" Michelle asks.

"Michelle, it doesn't matter if it's "just tests". What matters is that we study so not to fail." I say.

"And we'll study. Let's just chill out over a movie. An hour, some minutes and seconds without studying wouldn't hurt, would it?" Amber says.

"No, but it could." I say.

"Mia, go and get ready or we'll start the movie without you." Michelle says.

"You guys are not starting the movie without me neither are you guys gonna watch the movie, we're gonna study so get your asses up and let's go study." I say as I move closer to the couch where they are seated.

"Come on, girl. It's just an hour and some minutes then we'll have the rest of the time to study." Amber says.

"We all know that the next thing we do after a movie is sleeping, that's if we don't do so even before the movie ends and I'm not letting that happen today so get your asses off the couch and let's go study." I say.

Amber and Michelle didn't move an inch.

Okay, this won't do.

I decide to drop my laptop on the kitchen table so I can easily drag them off the couch.

These girls can be difficult to persuade when it comes to studying.

I walk back to the couch and snatch the pack of Cheetos from Michelle.

"Hey!!!!! Not my Cheetos!!!" Michelle yells.

"Mia......you can get yours, can't you?" Amber says after I snatch her own pack of Cheetos.

"Guys, come on, what part of "not an exam but tougher than a normal test" did you guys not get. We have to study." I say.

"History test is still on Thursday. Why are you being this way?" Michelle says.

"I've always been this way and Thursday is not as far as you think it is. Haven't you guys heard of "make hay while the sun shines"?" I ask not really expecting any answer.

"Ugh....you're no fun." Amber says.

"I know, you've told me that like a million times. Now get up and besides it's gonna be spring break soon. You guys are gonna have enough time to watch movies. We are.....actually." I say.

"Fine, let's go. You can be annoyingly persuasive sometimes." Michelle says, dropping the TV remote on the glass table and stands from the couch.

I suddenly feel myself blushing after hearing what Michelle said.

Why are you blushing, Mia??

I just remembered that Jace Harris once said something like that during one of our sessions.

He was like "Being really persuasive is kinda your thing, isn't it?"

Really Mia?

Really?

You now blush when you remember a guy's voice?

Shut up, it's just a little flash back.

My mind can be pretty loud sometimes.

"Miaa?????" Amber calls out, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I answer.

"Where's your mind?" Amber asks.

"Nowhere, why?" I ask.

"Did you even hear the last five or six words I said like seconds ago?" Amber asks.

"Umm......I....don't..think...so."I say slowly.

"I knew it. But why were you blushing though?" Amber asks.

"Who? Me? Blushing?" I ask rhetorically.

"Nope, the painting behind you. Yes, you, Mia." Michelle says sarcastically.

"I wasn't blushing." I say.

"You definitely were." Michelle says.

"No, I wasn't." I say.

"I know what I saw, Mia." Amber says.

"No, you don't. Why would I be blushing?" I ask.

"Umm...let's see, you're tutoring a freakishly hot and handsome guy like three days in a week and six hours a day for like two months or more now." Michelle says.

She's exaggerating with the six hours.

"Seriously? How is that supposed to make me blush?" I ask.

"You know Mia." Michelle says.

"I know nothing. Can we just go to the study room already?" I ask.

We've an extra room in the apartment which is supposed to be the guest room but we don't usually have guests so we converted it to our study room.

"Yeah, we should......go to the study room." Amber says and then whispers to Michelle "That blush was definitely for the hot dude."

"I know. She's a terrible liar." Michelle whispers back.

It wasn't actually a whisper. I could hear them clearly.

"I heard you guys." I say, taking my laptop off the kitchen table.

"We intended for you to hear it." Michelle says.

"Okay." I say.

"Can I take my Cheetos to the stud......."

I interrupt Amber.

"No, you can't. I'll make us coffee so we can stay awake."

"Sheesh.....that was quite a quick and slightly violent answer but I'll take it." Amber says moving away to the study room.

"So tell me, when did it start?" Michelle asks.

"What?" I ask.

"When did you start crushing on the Jace guy?" Michelle asks.

Seriously?

She really thinks I've a crush on Jace?

Absolutely ridiculous!

"When did you start being so ridiculous?" I ask.

"Ugh...." Michelle utters and rolls her eyes. She proceeds to moving away from the kitchen table.

I seriously don't know why I blushed earlier.

You know Mia.....

No, I don't.

You do.......

Oh shut up, not you too

Don't mind my loud thoughts.

************************************

"Impressive. You've gotten so much better." I say to Jace.

We're sitting at the under-tree spot doing a little revision for the upcoming history test...and others too.

"You think so?" Jace asks.

"Yeah. I mean, last time we had this revision, you couldn't answer like ten questions and today you answered all almost perfectly. That's a huge progress." I say.

"Yeah, I did answer all the questions." Jace says almost unenthusiastically.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing just.......can we do this again tomorrow?" Jace asks.

"But tomorrow is Wednesday." I say.

"Yeah, I know." Jace says.

"Then you should know that we don't have sessions on Wednesdays." I say.

"I know that too but it's not really a session, it's a test revision." Jace says.

"Test revision or not, I can't be with you tomorrow." I say.

"Please, Mia." Jace pleads.

"Jace, I really wish I can but I have my schedule that I can't afford to mess up. It took me a while to be able balance my schedule, ruining it may be something I'll end up regretting." I say.

"Oo...kay, I get it." Jace says.

"Why are you asking for tomorrow?" I ask.

"I just feel like I'm not yet ready for the upcoming tests." Jace says.

"Are you kidding me right now? Jace, you're ready. Don't you know what it means to be able to answer like a hundred or more questions without any mistakes." I say.

"I know but....."

"What makes you think you're not ready?" I ask.

"I don't know...just.....I totally screwed up last semester. I guess I'm just scared. Mia, there's a great chance I'm gonna be repeating sophomore year if I don't perform really well this semester." Jace says.

"Look.....Jace, you're gonna perform absolutely well this semester starting from these tests that we're gonna be taking. You don't have to be scared. You got this." I say.

"I'm just not confident enough for the tests." Jace says.

"Jace.....you're gonna nail the tests, okay? You're not repeating sophomore year, I assure you that. You're gonna study on your own tomorrow, just like you used to do before I became your tutor, understood?"

"Yeah, understood." Jace replies.

"Good. I may not be able to revise with you tomorrow but if you have any question....any one at all, just call or text, I'll give you an answer right away." I say.

"Okay, got it." Jace says.

"That being said, I think we should call a day now." I say, packing my books into my bag.

"You mean we should call it an evening." Jace says.

It's 5:20pm.

Jace and I must have spent a long time revising for this upcoming "not an exam but tougher than a normal test" according to our dear professors.

I already checked on Rose earlier today. I want tomorrow to be just me and my friends.

Majority of the students seems to be shaken by the fact that the tests are gonna be tougher than normal that they're studying so hard. Normally some of them would be throwing some kind of a party in celebration of the spring break they haven't gotten. That's not the case at all this time.

I see some of them going to the library. I guess they're gonna stay there for the rest of the day or night.

Technically, this is supposed be to an exam 'cause spring break is in like two weeks but I guess the professors do not want to call it an exam or rather.....exams.

I wonder why.

"I prefer day but evening can still go." I say.

"I guess those students are gonna spend their nights in the library." Jace says looking towards the direction of a group of students heading to the library.

"Well I would say that they are on their way to burn their midnight oil." I say.

"Yeah....right." Jace says chuckling.

Jace and I set out to leave the campus premises.

************************************

"I must admit, the history test was indeed tougher than usual." Amber says.

We had just gotten home from school or rather from writing the history test.

"Really tough. Professor Harris really kept his word about the whole "tougher than normal" stuff. I hope I got most of the answers right. I can't stand failing this test." Michelle says.

"You're not gonna fail, none of us is gonna fail." I assure.

"You speak as if you know what's gonna happen. We all know that you're no fortune teller." Amber says.

"It's called faith and hope, dear. Haven't you heard of those?" I ask rhetorically.

Amber sighs deeply and says "Michelle is right about Professor Harris keeping his word."

"And other Professors will certainly keep theirs' too so you guys should quit whining about a test that we took like three hours ago and think about what to do to make other tests less tough." I say.

"Mia, was this test even tough for you at all because it seems like it wasn't." Michelle inquires.

"It was tough but not enough for me to whin about. We still have more that may probably be tougher than history." I say.

"So what do you suggest?" Amber asks.

"That we do whatever we've to do and study." I say.

Michelle and Amber groans at my "suggestion"

What were they expecting?

A piece of cake of a test?

We were clearly told that it was gonna be tough and it was indeed.

"Oh you're such a nerd." Michelle says.

"Thanks for the compliment." I say.

Michelle rolls her eyes at me.

"And now I need food." Amber says heading towards the refrigerator.

"Yeah, me too. I'm starving." Michelle says following Amber.

"What should we have for lunch?" I ask.

"Anything but pasta." Michelle says.

Michelle isn't really a huge fan of any form of pasta.

I wouldn't say she hates it but it eats it once in a blue moon.

"Don't worry darling, I wasn't gonna suggest it." Amber says with a rather harsh tone.

Amber hates it when people are picky about what they eat but she has to live with the anger 'cause I'm a picky eater myself.

She was raised not to be picky about food especially healthy ones.

The only thing she doesn't eat is something she's allergic to.

Like mushrooms and the others that I don't seem to remember......well.

"Easy with the tone dear." Michelle says.

Amber rolls her eyes.

I just chuckle at their seemly rebellious moment.

"How about we make roast beef sandwiches?" I suggest.

"Doesn't sound bad but are you gonna roast the beef?" Amber asks.

"Whose turn is it to handle today's meal or meals?" I ask.

We kinda made a cooking routine 'cause we've always had issues about who's gonna cook and who's not gonna cook. Each of us gets to cook twice in a week and together on the remaining day of the week which mostly ends up to be Sunday.

"It's supposed to be my turn but Michelle and I had an agreement that she would replace me on one of my days if I cooked in her place last Tuesday. She didn't do it yesterday so I guess she has to do it today." Amber says.

I turn to Michelle.

"Don't look at me." Michelle says.

"Michelle, we had an agreement." Amber says.

"Did we though?" Michelle asks rhetorically.

"Michelle, seriously?" Amber asks.

"Why don't we just go and have it at the restaurant?" Michelle suggests.

"No, Michelle. We've all the ingredients here." I say.

"Doesn't mean we can't still eat it outside." Michelle says.

"Michelle, I'm beginning to find your nonchalance towards cooking really irritating 'cause you're the foodie among us. I thought foodies love to cook." Amber says.

"Maybe I'm a different kind of foodie. Speaking of that.....where are my Cheetos?"

"You're not having any Cheetos till we've eaten lunch that you're gonna make so you should get over your lazy ass and start making the sandwiches." Amber says.

"I'm not really in the mood to cook/roast/ any other thing so let's just eat some snacks till my kitchen mood comes back." Michelle says.

If not for one thing, I would call Michelle a spoiled brat.

Amber is right.

Michelle's nonchalance or rather laziness towards some things is irritating.

"You know what.......I'll just make the sandwiches." I say standing up from the couch to move to the kitchen.

"That's my girl. Make sure mine has enough roast beef......."

I interrupt Michelle.

".....don't you dare....and no Cheetos for you." I say sternly.

"Ok.....I'm sorry.....it's only a thank you joke........gosh she can be scary." Michelle mutters.

"Blame yourself for that." Amber says.

Things like this always happen.

We just have to live with it. Each of us have our annoying sides but what can we do. We can't throw ourselves away from the apartment we all paid for so we gotta deal with the whole irritations and annoyances.

One can't be perfect, right?