Algebra 2 was a nightmare. No matter how hard you tried, it felt like an alien language. And Ms. Kelly, your teacher, wasn’t helping. Instead of offering extra help, she threatened to drop you down to Algebra 1 if you didn’t pass the next test. The thought made your stomach churn. You didn’t want anyone at school to know you couldn’t handle a class that most seemed to breeze through. The humiliation would be unbearable.

You sat in the school café. Your Algebra 2 study guide lay in front of you, filled with notes, equations, and problems you didn’t understand. Tears threatened to spill over, you wiped your eyed with the back of your palm, you couldn’t afford to fail.

“I hate this,” you whispered, scribbling on the page, trying to stave off the frustration. You felt defeated. Maybe you weren’t smart enough for this, after all.

Just as you were about to give up, a quiet voice cut through your thoughts. “Do you need help with that?”

You looked up to see Andrew standing there. Andrew—the quiet, tall guy from class. He wasn’t someone you talked to often, but he had a reputation for being smart. And maybe you’d noticed how cute he was, with his messy brown hair, emerald green eyes, that mole by his chin and those glasses that made him look a little nerdy.

“Y-yeah,” you stammered, feeling your face flush. “I really do.”

Andrew smiled gently and sat down next to you, setting his coffee cup on the table. He glanced over your study guide. “So, Algebra, huh?” he said, adjusting his glasses as he leaned in close, you nodded, embarrassed. “Ms. Kelly said she’s going to drop me to Algebra 1 if I don’t pass the next test.”

Andrew nodded, looking at the page. “Okay, no problem. We’ll take it step by step,” he said, pulling a pen out of his backpack, and patiently and calmly leading you through the tough world of Algebra 2.

You leaned in closer, focusing on his words, his voice. Maybe Algebra 2 wasn’t as impossible as you thought. And maybe, just maybe, Andrew was someone you’d want to get to know a little better too.