Friday night rolled around again, but Aradia was stuck in the dining room doing her homework. All the while resisting the temptation to bang her head against the table.
"It's funny," she grumbled to herself as she erased yet another answer. "I can set water on fire, bend steel with my bare hands, foretell the future, and yet I cannot get five questions right on my math assignment. You know, I am starting to believe that the universe likes mocking me."
Aradia laughed at her own joke as she dropped her chin onto her hand. She hated the fact that she was stuck at home while her friends were out partying. It couldn't be helped though, she had to pass her junior year and somehow redeem herself in her parents' eyes. She cringed now remembering the fight that she had had with her father when they finally received her grades. He had been pissed, understandably so, but upon being summoned to the principal's office with Aradia and finding out she had to repeat her junior year...Furious was only one way to describe his reaction. He had yelled at Aradia like no tomorrow, proving without a doubt why he was recently being considered for the position as the next District Attorney of Salem.
Repeating her junior year was just one of the many offenses Ross said he had been forced to deal with concerning Aradia. There was also, her randomly appearing at dawn without so much as a phone call; not to mention the rumors that they had heard about her fooling around with half the guys in town. Ross admitted that he taken all that in stride, but only because he was sure Aradia's grades were okay. Finding out that that was not so had made it seem like everything he and her mother had done for her had been thrown right in his face.
Aradia had tried to argue that because she was the Witch Queen and part of the hidden race, she didn't really need to get good grades or even go to school. This had definitely not pacified Ross. He had argued that she may be part of the hidden race, but in order to pass among the humans she needed her education. Aradia argued that she could always fake the papers like the other hiddens. Ross had then said something that Aradia knew would be stuck in her mind forever.
He had said, "It's interesting how the biggest thing you complain about is how different the hidden race view themselves from the human race. Well guess what? One of the biggest accomplishments and virtues of the human race is the ability to get an education. Did you ever consider that maybe the reason why so many of the hiddens act so power hungry and prejudiced is because they have everything handed to them on a silver platter? Therefore, the only thing they learn is how to get what they want by any means necessary. While the humans with their education learn so much more."
Aradia had been stunned in silence and in awe. After Ross's anger had cooled, he had reluctantly admitted that Aradia's failure had not been entirely her fault. She had had so many pressures ever since her freshman year so Ross said that he supposed he should be thankful that at least she was only repeating one year. However, Ross had insisted on new ground rules. She could no longer host any more parties at Club Tolerance if her homework was not finished. If she did not receive at least a C on all of her assignments, papers, quizzes in every class for the rest of the year she would be confined to her room to study. The list of changes to benefit her education went on and on and although Aradia hated it, she knew there was nothing she could do.
However, she couldn't give up her Witch Queen duties, which included promoting tolerance amongst the hidden. The only effective way to accomplish that was by keeping the club open so Aradia had to relinquish her role as hostess for Club Tolerance to her foster sister Melina. From that point on, while Aradia was figuratively chained to the dining room table surrounded by her schoolbooks Melina would sashay out the door every weekend in various glamorous outfits. Aradia would not have minded it so much if she and Melina were not fighting.
Melina had found out at school that the reason Roy had dumped her was because he was still in love with Aradia. In the tradition of shifting blame from the person you love, Melina had chosen to believe that Aradia had stolen her boyfriend. No matter what Aradia said, Melina still went on making her life hell. So it had been only out of necessity that Aradia had asked Melina to take over her role as hostess, which out of all the duties Aradia had was the only one she really enjoyed.
Aradia groaned as she finally did slam her head against the table. For a few moments, she remained like that, until the doorbell rang. Aradia's head then shot up as a smile appeared on her face. She then bolted from the table and straight to the door. Her smile turned into a grin when she threw it open and saw who it was.
Dax grinned at her. "Well let's get started, shall we?"
The only benefit to Aradia failing all her classes was now she had an excuse to get a tutor and it just so happened that the boy who was hailed as the smartest kid in school was her boyfriend. Ross had initially refused to such an arrangement, but upon seeing Dax's own grades, he had been forced to consider a compromise. If Dax were to tutor her in all her classes and Aradia was to pass then he could continue tutoring her. However, if she were to fail one assignment...
So almost every single night, Dax came over and tutored her in every subject.
"Now, now, behave yourself love," Dax said after Aradia started nuzzling his ear. "We still got three more subjects for you to study tonight."
"Sorry," Aradia said reluctantly, "I maybe an over three hundred year old survivor of an extinct race, but I am still a teenager with hormones."
She turned back to her math assignment and handed it to Dax who took one look at it and grimaced.
Aradia laughed softly. "One thing for sure though I am better lover than a student."
"Oh I wouldn't go that far pet," Dax teased earning him a playful punch on the shoulder.
It had taken them two hours, but eventually they helped to finish Aradia's homework and get her to understand several of the concepts. Now they had adjourned to her living room and couch where they cuddled with the lights off and the TV on.
"If you ask me I think it's kind of stupid," Aradia said while leaning against Dax who, almost on instinct, wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Be more specific," He requested before picking up the remote to change the channel.
Aradia chuckled and said, "Unless I want to be an engineer or something why the hell should I take math at all? Let alone pass it."
Dax sighed. "They are just testing you love to see if you are as tough as you say you are."
"What do you mean?" She looked up to his pale face, positively glowing from the glare of the television set.
"The people who raise such expectations for you or anyone," Dax explained, "They do so to see how determined you are to succeed. I mean if hard subjects are enough to make you give up then what chance do you have in the real world?"
Aradia shrugged. "True, but it still doesn't change the fact that matter what I do I am still a lousy student."
"Yeah well," Dax whispered as he turned to kiss the top of her head. "You got to be bad at something if you are going to be perfect at everything else."
"God," Aradia sighed, "Is it any wonder why I adore you?"
Dax smiled.