RUIN ME, I DARE YOU.

's

desk with his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. His ex

itten in the ma

handw

ing. Can we do

t until he l

hing w

N

t that page like it pe

ha

I be w

you're

e out my red pen and wr

oundation. You can't

textbook b

s his lips together to hide

ld sandcastles. They're tempora

the boo

cu

es bene

ke

ke in red, pressing the

joying thi

g correcting

ing, app

e to study o

I do

you want

k through the next example himself, and refuse to let him guess his way to an answ

t to h

do it when you

the page,

ayed focused for more

s foc

wh

the te

tist

e an e

atistics,"

before he can see the sm

the margins, and I answer them in red. When the margins become too crowded, he moves to the edge of

your enemy. Trea

e bene

Your inability to under

hat someone at the next t

down," I

e somethi

something

hat makes

s and return

tbook margins, beside worked examples, and on scraps of paper he

. It's just a way to keep h

e fact that I read every mes

cks. Most students avoid them at this hour, which makes them perfect for disap

I've been staring at the same paragraph

eeting y

s briefly befo

d you f

ked a

ho

disappear when you're

avoiding

avoidi

rea

t eight on a Frid

there a

ing against the shelf. His long legs stretch into the narr

alize the floor p

Mason. People c

ome here t

ressed with your

but doesn

he asks, "What a

him the

compl

is

plain it

atistics textb

gri

ed me better wh

nothing of

r en

book again, but I'

eventually, "you're

d that a

I mean it dif

ion. Instead, he reaches into his bag

t's

I've been w

ds it

assigned him. The questions are different, and some

id you g

de it

ok a

your own p

rial without copying your examples." He points to

. He has tried different approaches and written out his calcula

g my book aside. "Show me

h my corrections, but he doesn't turn them into jokes this time. When he

ocked," I say. "Y

e sheets, but he speaks befo

ood at making people feel like they can do

he doesn't make a joke. When I finally l

person I've ever me

o sarcastic reply ready. He looks a

moment,

houl

ll holding

is bag and glances back at m

ou Tue

d ag

away, and his footsteps f

tually, I pull out my notebook and open i

artest person

ce. Three times. Fo

t writ