Beautiful Hearts

2

Emaline

As soon as we walked outside and we were a safe distance from the house, Lana hissed in my ear.

"Find your own ride!"

If my aunt didn't make me promise that I would send her a selfie from the party, I wouldn't have gone there. With a sigh, I took out my phone and called a taxi.

When we neared the house, the music could be heard from a mile. As far as I knew, this party was held by Phillip Castle. He was one of the richest in our school but at the same time one of the most obnoxious people I've ever seen. Incidents with crying and humiliated students by the great prince were something normal. I did not go to the places where they go, but being in the same school we came across from time to time and I heard from his mouth the term fat cow in my direction. I didn't bother answering though. He was the loser with his unrealistic self-image and too much self-confidence without a good reason. In fact, I felt sorry for him. Rumors were that his parents were separated, he lived with his mother, but could not stand her. Only eighteen and had problems with drugs and alcohol. Yes...If I were in his place, I would have been constantly negative too. I hope he will overcome his problems. Not that I cared, but as much as a jerk he could be, nobody deserved to live like this.

I paid the taxi driver, feeling anxious already.

My outfit didn't help to calm my nerves either. I wasn't used to going to their parties and I was sure there were hardly any overweight chicks in this house right now.

I wondered If Declan was there. And if he really was, would he greet me or pretend he didn't know me? Would have been great If I wasn't coming alone, but there was no way Lana would acknowledge me there. Our relationship was her dirty secret. I was positive no one at school knew we were cousins. Even when we come across the school corridor, she will act like not notice me. Not that I mind. Our feelings were mutual. There was a time when I wanted to be friends with her and I even tried to make her like me, but we were younger back then.

I considered ringing the bell, but I realized that no one could hear me. I reached for the handle as the door slammed open and I jumped. A boy and a girl came out, giggling and holding hands. I stepped inside and the noise became deafening.

How was I supposed to take the picture in front of all these people?

I started wandering among my drunken classmates, trying to look like I was having fun, and when I felt bored to death, I decided to go out for little air. The second I stepped outside I saw Declan Moore holding Phillip Castle by the shoulders while the latter was throwing out.

I wrinkled my nose at the ugly scene and proceeded to go back inside, but apparently, I betrayed my presence with something because Declan turned to the door. "Emaline?" I turned around, surprised that he remembered my name, but how could he not, when I was his brother's tutor...

"Declan ...?" I played dumb, not that he would believe that I don't remember his name.

He smiled amused.

"How are you? I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you with someone?"

I blushed, not sure why, and shook my head. "I'm here with my...friend." I was going to say Lana's name when I remembered she doesn't want her friends to see her with me. "Good. Not sure If you'll like it, but It's nice to see you here." He smiled politely and I wondered how such a nice guy like him could befriend that pig Phillip.

"Nice to see you here too. I hoped...I mean...I'm happy…" What the heck?! "It's nice to see a familiar face here." I blushed when I quit stammering.

What are you doing, Emaline? I act like every other girl at school. Girls who like him. And I don't like him. Really.

He just had that kind of presence… Charisma.

I don't know.

But I felt like a little girl in front of her idol when I was with him in the same room.

Phillip had stopped throwing up and Declan was no longer holding him. I didn't even notice when he came in front of me. I looked at Phillip, who was lying on the floor. "Won't you take him inside?"

"He is almost unconscious. Believe me, he doesn't care where exactly he is right now." We moved to the fence and leaned against it.

The silence that followed made me frantically search for a common topic of conversation.

"So, how is Austin?"

He looked at me blankly.

"I won't let you think about work at a party." "It's ok, really. I like to talk about it. And this party sucks, to be honest."

Declan glanced at me and smiled.

We both looked ahead again.

"Austin is great, he's just too struggling with his school assignments. His confidence has dropped. He started going to school reluctantly. Comes home pretty tired. He has even stopped talking about what's going on there. It's hard to see him like that. All his excitement about school vanished away."

"When they told me that I'm going to tutor a student with dyslexia, I did my own research about it. What you say happens very often. No matter how hard Austin tries, nobody could see or understand and I can only imagine how badly this affects his motivation to learn."

His expression changed and became more serious.

"Yeah. It kills whatever desire he has left to study. And it's just the beginning. He has many more years to come. It won't be easier. We're worried not only about his future but also about the years he had to remember with happiness one day but for him, it won't be like that. He already has problems with his classmates."

"I hope I will be of some help. We'll try different ways to facilitate the process. I have planned for us to be working on the homework and the last taken lesson. If there is time left and he is not tired, we can review the next one for him to feel comfortable. We'll see. From what I've read though, it won't be easy for you, because according to the parents, working at home is key for the success of a child with dyslexia."

"Tell me about it. I already feel guilty that I can't give him enough of my time. But with school and training… It's hard…"

"I can imagine…"

"My mother helps him, but she's on bed rest and gets tired quickly."

I looked at him and saw the tension and fatigue written on his face. He frowned anxiously. For the first time, I realized how lucky I am that my life is so simple, devoid of worries and problems of this kind. I had a father with a great temper, with whom we got along wonderfully. I lived in a home where we didn't lack anything. I had no worries about what we would put on the table.

"This is the strangest conversation I've been having at a party." He smiled at my suddenly reddened face. "Anyway. I'm sure everything for Austin's gonna be better with a tutor like you." He smiled playfully this time and I stared at his dimple. "I have to go. Since you're so bored, do you need a lift home?" "No, thanks. I'm going to get home with my friend." I thought about Lana and what she would say If I really wait for her and almost chuckled.

Yeah, I was going to take a taxi.

"Then take care, Emaline. You certainly made my evening more interesting." He smiled from ear to ear.

"Bye, Declan."

"Dec. That's what friends call me."

He winked at me and grinned again, turning to the pile of bones on the ground and dragging it to the house. I chuckled at the sight and my happy smile stayed on my face for a long time.

I just became Declan Moore's new friend.

The next session with Austin I was surprised to see him alone. I thought that Declan will use the opportunity of the open lesson and stay with him, but I also understand that he was busy. I greeted Austin warmly and we sat down and opened his notebooks.

He looked like he had swallowed a cane before he came here, and I decided to try to calm his nerves first.

"You know that I'm not your teacher. I'm your friend and you can tell me everything. I want to know what is your favorite tv show, do you have a favorite game? What do you like to do, when you're not at school? "

He was surprised by my questions and looked at me suspiciously. "I have... But why would you ask me that? Aren't we supposed to study, miss?"

"Just call me Em. Yes, we are. But we'll do it differently. Nobody is saying we can't have fun, right? I just want you to know, that I'm here to help you. I'm a student like you, not a teacher who's going to evaluate you and put a mark next to your name. I'm here to learn just like you. "

He was all seriousness.

I guess talking was not enough to calm him down, so I proceeded with the planned activities.

I gave him a list, full of interesting questions, none of them was school-related and told him to answer when he had time and desire to do it at home.

It was my own way to get to know him quicker. And the information would give me ideas on how to make the lessons more intriguing for him later on.

We reviewed the homework. I didn't want to burden him from our first meeting, so I decided to start slowly. I gave him a chance to answer, but I didn't press him, I explained the lesson. I noticed that he had difficulty writing and reading, which prevented him from understanding the lesson. An hour later he was so tired that I decided to quit the lesson for today. I explained to him how to make writing easier and mix print and cursive handwriting.

It was harder than I thought, but that just motivated me to help him even more.

We talked about his friends and I didn't realize that another hour had passed. At the first meeting, I told Declan the sessions with Austin were going to last at least two hours, so we had to wait for him to come.

When we heard the knock and the assistant told us his brother came to take him, we grabbed our things and got out.

I was surprised to see someone else waiting for Austin.

The man reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Hello, I'm Austin's eldest brother!"

"Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Emaline Green, Austin's tutor."

"Nice meeting you too. So, miss Green, how was the lesson?" He was nervous. The man was looking at me like I was going to tell him something bad happened.

"Everything is great so far. We're taking baby steps. It's hard to cope with dyslexia. At least when it's affecting as many aspects of the school process as it is with Austin. We need time."

I smiled at the boy, but he didn't smile back. I sighed inwardly. I had to deserve his trust.

We talked for a little more and I tried to ease their worry, being fully aware that Austin was listening to us.

The next week, on the day of the lesson with Austin, I felt frustrated as I walked toward the center. The weather was good and passing by the park nearby I thought how nice it would be if we had already had several meetings, got advanced with the material, and could take the lesson outside. Going into the center, I greeted the assistant and went up to the room where Austin and I were studying. I opened the door and was surprised again to see both Austin and Declan inside. Declan stood up, smiling amiably at me. He was wearing a pure white T-shirt and jeans and looked very handsome. I blushed at the thought and stroked my tunic with my hand, feeling self-conscious.

"Hi, Emaline! We came a little early, Austin is worried because he's about to take his first test. The new school year is about to start, and given his experience last year, he's more worried about it than the summer classes he's going to now."

I took off my jacket and sat across from them.

"Hi! Austin, there's nothing you should worry about. Maybe your new teachers' gonna be awesome!" He just nodded and stared at his notebook again.

"He answered the questions you had given him last time." Declan handed me the sheet, and I quickly glanced at Austin's answers. Then I put it in my bag. I couldn't wait to look at them in peace. We agreed to prepare for the upcoming start of the new school year, which was very soon. I had already thought about that and had some things ready. Declan listened and watched with interest what we were doing.

Although this time we worked two hours, I had the feeling that we did not cover enough. I could already see firsthand how difficult was for Austin, and what a child without his problem would probably have done in half an hour took us two hours and the time wasn't even enough. Seeing the signs of fatigue in him again, I decided not to extend the lesson. "Don't worry. Good things need time. Relaxing and having fun is just as important as the lessons, don't forget it."

The three of us got up and walked to the door, and while Austin picked up something from a vending machine, Declan used the moment to talk.

"What do you think?" He had the same expression as his oldest brother.

"You need to calm down. He'll learn to cope. I know it's easy to be said but think about it that way - with each passing year, he will become more mature and able to even find an easier way dealing with dyslexia on his own. I forgot to tell you not to put extra strain on him at home on the days we met. He needs a break."

"I know, but he insists. It's the only time he spends with our mother. The rest of the time he either sleeps or rests. So he sticks to the time she helps him, even when he has studied with you."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry."

"Besides, you're the only person who helps him, except our mother. Now, watching what you're doing, I'll try to do it with him myself. I don't have enough time though."

Austin came and we said goodbye. As I was returning home, I thought again and again about the difficult situation Declan and his brother had found themselves in. When I arrived, I was glad to see that Lana was still elsewhere. She had gone out early in the morning and hadn't come home. I went into the living room and kissed Aunt Sophie on the cheek.

"How's the diet going?"

I blinked, remembering just now that I was supposed to be on a diet.

"You know." I blushed. "I forgot about it. Don't look at me like that. I told you I'm not keen on this type of diet. Maybe I'll make mine."

I scrolled through my phone. I hated this feeling when someone confronted me about my body weight. It was my body, after all.

"Anyway, I'm going upstairs."

I took a shower and cleaned my room, then watched a movie. I saw that It was almost 6 pm and felt the urge to go out and buy something sweet. Right now I was craving some chocolate.

I grabbed my jacket and strode out the door. The store was a few crossroads, but I didn't mind walking.

When I got there, I noticed that the cafeteria next to the shop was full, and as I waited in line, I looked lazily at the people, stopping at a familiar face.

It was Declan.

He smiled and nodded to me and I waved in response. I didn't see the surprise in Lana's eyes when she saw us greeting each other. Declan was about to move toward me when my cousin blocked his way, standing too close for good taste. That was the moment I realized that my new friend was fancying my cousin. He had totally forgotten about me. Staring intently at her, his whole body language was showing his interest in Lana. I felt awkward watching them and quickly turned around. When my turn came, I went inside, bought the chocolate, and hurried home.