At first, you think he’s joking. But he’s never been one to fool around, much to your chagrin. He’s been straight laced and narrow for the latter half of the semester— never moving down on the school’s leaderboard of highest grades this past seven weeks. You desperately want to say he’s playing a prank, about to pull his hand away and laugh in your face and tell you to be smarter, but that idea fades when his smile appears.

“I’m serious,” he speaks. “Let me help you.”