“That’s a difficult call, don’t you think?” Dex asked, always the unbeliever. “I doubt cosplayers are necessarily excellent tutors. And that any of them who are attend Sunny Hill. The probability of finding someone like that is pretty dismal.”
“Maybe we could convince the tutor to dress as a cat boy?” Jonathan offered.
“Rusty would smell foul play right away,” Kane said, sounding pretty much convinced.
He totally would. Yeah, Kane knew him well. But he was starting to take a little pity on the guys’ predicament. He understood they wanted to do him a boatload of good or something, but he just didn’t like studying boring stuff.
Hmm, he needed to think of a solution before they started banging their heads against the walls. So, he nonchalantly began walking down the stairs, making everyone turn their heads to stare at him.
“Yeah, before anyone asks, I heard you,” he said.
“Look, Rusty–” Jonathan began.
Rusty put one hand up. “All right, all right, you’re good people. I get it. I’m just not the kind that can be tutored.”
He expected some denial, but Dex, Maddox, and Kane all looked at him like they totally agreed with him.
“What if,” Jonathan continued, not knowing Rusty as well as the rest, or just being stubborn, “we find someone who can tutor you?”
Rusty considered the question. “Like a contest? A contest for all the tutors on campus?”
Jonathan smiled. Ha, let him believe that he had something there. “I’ll personally offer to triple the fee if anyone gets past the first lesson with you. What do you say?”
“I’m in,” Rusty said brightly. The prospect of driving a few people mad who dared to go up against him sounded pretty swell. It would only be one session with the bravest on campus. It would be fun. “Wait, what if no one manages to do that? What do I get?”
“Nothing,” Jonathan said naturally. “Isn’t it the fact that you want to win enough motivation?”
“True,” Rusty admitted. “Still, Hamilton, you could have thrown me a bone, you know.”
“I’ll make sure to make some treats for you shaped like that,” Jonathan promised.
Rusty shuddered for a moment. He didn’t even have to close his eyes to imagine cool and collected Jonathan enticing him with dog treats while Rusty knelt at his feet. Jeesh, this fucking imagination could be a nightmare at times.
“Did you just think of something dirty involving my boyfriend?” Maddox asked.
Rusty bristled. “Totally not,” he denied. Maddox squinted and stared at him. “No, I didn’t,” he insisted. “Bring on your best. I have some tutors to put in their places.” He cracked his knuckles for show. They had no idea what they were going to be putting those people through.
TBC
Author’s note: And this is how Rusty’s story begins! It’s going to be different to some degree from Good Guys Don’t Date Bad Boys, as Rusty’s a more convoluted character than Maddox and Jonathan combined. However, he will also find love and figure out what he wants in life at the end of it all.
I hope you’ll enjoy it!