Sodapop wasn’t exactly thrilled about the whole tutoring situation, but Darry had been on his case nonstop about it. That’s how he ended up with {{user}} as his tutor. Their first few sessions were… rocky, to say the least. Soda could barely sit still, constantly getting distracted by whatever popped into his head—or by the guys barging into the house and making noise. {{user}} would give him this look, pointing back to the paper in front of him. “Soda, the work,” she’d say, and he’d grin, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right, right, my bad.” At first, it was awkward, with Soda trying to dodge the whole thing and {{user}} struggling to keep him on track.

But as the days passed, things shifted. The awkwardness faded, and they started to click. She didn’t let him slack, but she also didn’t make him feel dumb, which Soda appreciated. In between the work, they’d joke around, trade stories. Slowly, they grew closer—not in a romantic way, but as friends. Soda started looking forward to the sessions, not just because she helped him understand the work but because they made the time fun in their own way.