“Dad, hey, how are you?”

“Hello Andrea, I’m quite well. And you?”

I hovered from foot to foot, deciding whether or not to answer the question honestly. “I’ll admit, I’ve been better. Alfie and I have been going through a bit of a rough patch.”

I heard rather than saw his frown. “I hope nothing too serious?”

“Um, well, did you know Raymond got out of prison?”

Dad inhaled sharply. “I didn’t.” There was a pause as I heard him asking Mum the same question. She hadn’t known either. “Did something happen?”

“He showed up at the flat, and Alfie’s hardly left his room ever since. It’s like he’s back to where he was ten years ago. Jamie’s with him now, so hopefully he’ll be able to get through to him.”

“Well, would you like me to come over? If Jamie can’t help, maybe I can.”

“I’m not sure. We’ll see how Jamie fares first. Anyway, why did you call?”

“Right, yes,” said Dad. “I wanted to ask if everything is all right with Stu? He was supposed to drop by last night for a tutoring session but he never showed up. I tried calling his phone a few times too but got no answer.”

I swallowed tightly. “Actually, he hasn’t been to class all week either.”

“Oh, perhaps he’s under the weather?”

“Yes, maybe.”

“Well, if you hear anything, do let me know. I’ve been enjoying our little weekly meetings.”

“Will do, Dad. And I’ll give you a call tomorrow to let you know how Alfie’s doing.”

“Very good. Talk soon.”

The moment I hung up the phone I started pacing. Stu wasn’t just neglecting to turn up to my class, he wasn’t going to see Dad either. The idea of him completely giving up on his education bothered me. After I found out about the plan for the robbery and he’d continued coming to class, he told me it was because he enjoyed being there, that he wanted to learn. Well, if he wanted to learn so badly then he shouldn’t be giving up just because we weren’t together anymore. Hell, I’d organise for him to be transferred to another class if it meant he’d continue with his schooling.

With this in mind, my determination formed. I wasn’t just going to let him slip away without confronting him about it. This was more important than him and me, this was bigger. At least, that’s what my head and my heart kept telling me. For once they were working in tandem.

I pulled on my shoes, grabbed my coat, and hopped in my car. The closer I got to his house the more my nerves kicked in, and the more I started to wonder if this was a terrible idea. When I turned onto his street I noticed a few teenagers hanging out on the corner. Stu’s house was about midway down and it looked like the front door was open. Trevor and Reya sat on two deck chairs chatting and seemingly soaking up the sun since the weather was nice.

Stu’s car was parked out front and I saw the hood had been popped. I took my time parking, Trevor and Reya watching me all the while.

When I got out and headed towards them Trevor clamped his hands around his mouth and called, “Oi, oi, how’s it going, Teach?”

Something clanged from beneath Stu’s car and I heard a few muttered swearwords.

“Hi. Is your brother around?”

Trevor grinned. “Which one?”

Reya elbowed him in the side. “You know which one. Don’t be an arse.” Her eyes came to me and she nodded toward the car. Now I knew where the disembodied swearing had come from.

“Stu. Your teacher’s here and she’s looking mighty fine. You’d wanna get your ugly behind out from under there,” said Trevor.

I watched as Stu emerged from beneath the car, his white T-shirt stained with motor oil. He held a wrench in his hand as he wiped at his brow with an old rag. He shot Trevor an unhappy look before his attention fell on me, and he gave me a very neutral chin tip.

“What can I do for you, Andrea?”

I fiddled with the ends of my sleeves, and in spite of myself I couldn’t help looking at his body. I hadn’t seen him all week and now the sight of him had butterflies flitting wildly around inside my chest.

“You’ve been absent from class all week,” I said, finally finding my voice.

“Playing truant, eh, bruv?” Trevor tutted. “I expected better of you.”

“Shut it, Trev.”

Trevor’s mischievous eyes slid to me. “How are you going to punish him, Andie? If you want my opinion, I think you should give him a good old-fashioned spanking.”

“Right, that’s it. We’re going inside,” said Reya, grabbing Trevor by the arm and dragging him into the house as she shot me a look of apology. “I’m sorry about him. Sometimes he just doesn’t know when to shut up.”

When they were gone a silence fell between Stu and me. I glanced up to find him studying me as he used the rag to rub the oil from his hands.

“What happened to your car?”

“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” he answered, his posture stiff. I wasn’t welcome. That much was clear. “What are you doing here, Andrea?”

“I told you. I’ve come to see why you haven’t been to class. And my dad called to say you never showed up for tutoring.”

“I’m not coming back,” he answered simply and my expression hardened.

“So you’re going to give up just like that?”

“No, not just like that. I realised that studying and learning wasn’t for me.” He eyed me pointedly. “I’m better suited for other things.”

“I’m sorry but I call bullshit,” I blurted, unable to hold back my temper.

Stu whistled low. “Strong words, Miss Anderson.”

“Yeah well, I’m swearing because I’m angry. You’re giving up on yourself when you’ve got so much potential. You’re the brightest student in my whole class.”

“Is that why it takes me ten minutes to get through a page of a book it takes everyone else thirty seconds to read?” he asked sarcastically.

“How many times do I have to tell you? There are more kinds of intelligence than what the average person perceives. Some people are clever because they study hard. Some people because it’s natural intelligence.” I gestured to his Toyota. “You can fix a car. I can read a book. You can solve complicated mathematical equations, while I can write a ten-page essay on the Persian Wars. We all have our strengths.”