The Beautiful Monster

"So, beta waves when we sleep, right?" Elias asked as he looked down at his scribbled notes.

"Beta waves when we're awake," Alyssa told him as she leaned over to look at his notes. She could hardly make out his scribbled handwriting, and it looked like he missed a few topics.

Elias scratched at the back of his neck as he sighed.

"I'm just not getting this stuff. Science is definitely my weak area," he said as he corrected his notes.

"It's English for me," Alyssa replied as she gently slid his notes off of his desk so that she could look through them. She made a few corrections, hoping he didn't mind. She just wanted to help him out.

"I would've pegged you as a good writer," Elias told her as he gave her an intrigued look.

A sheepish look crossed her face. She was alright at writing, but formulas and equations were definitely her strong suit. She did a lot of overthinking when it came to essays.

"I'm a rambling writer. I get off topic easily," she explained. She was often docked points for that. No matter how much she tried to avoid that, she always veered into other topics or arguments.

"I love writing and history. Stories are way more fun than math problems," Elias chuckled.

Alyssa couldn't argue with that. She loved stories, and math problems were pretty difficult. However, she found more use for math problems and scientific equations rather than history or stories.

They aligned more with her goals, and she studied them hard, they could lead to amazing, life changing stories that her patients could have because of her. She wanted to craft a story of her own in her own way. It all started with the decisions that she made here. This was the beginning.

"I like them both," she told him. They were both useful in different ways.

"I take it you're pretty smart?" Elias asked as he tilted his head slightly.

Alyssa shrugged. She knew that she did well in class, but she didn't want to boast or anything. She didn't think she was the smartest, but she did work hard. She made sure that she studied and finished every assignment. That was good enough most of the time.

"I do alright," she merely said. She figured that was a suitable answer. She wasn't denying his words, but she also wasn't going on and on about her academic achievements. She did have quite a few to harp on.

"That means you're a genius," Elias laughed. "I'm dreading this first test."

Alyssa remembered their first test would be here before they knew it. Tests always made her nervous, no matter how much she studied for them. They made up so much of her grade, especially in college. If she messed one up, her grade severely suffered.

"If you want, we can always study for it together," she said. She couldn't believe her own courage, but she figured it could be a good idea. He needed better notes anyway, and she had plenty of them to share. She prided herself on her effective note taking. It was probably why she got the good grades she received.

"Do you think you could tutor me? I'm honestly lost," Elias asked her with a sheepish look.

He looked pretty cute with his crooked smile. Alyssa couldn't say no to that look if she tried, and she couldn't think of a reason to deny him. Tutoring him would help her with the material, and they could spend more time together. It sounded like a win-win situation to her.

"Sure," Alyssa said with a nod. "You need new notes. Can you even read these?"

"Are you saying my handwriting is bad?" Elias asked as he feigned an offended look.

"It's like a chicken ran over the paper," Alyssa laughed softly as she handed his notes back. She liked playing around with him. It shocked her how comfortable she already was around him. Something about him made her feel at peace, even if he was still fairly mysterious.