Tutoring session

The library was silent except for the occasional rustle of pages and the distant hum of the air conditioning. John had chosen the private study nook tucked between the philosophy shelves—far enough from prying eyes but still within the bounds of propriety. He adjusted the stack of Econ textbooks just as the library door creaked open. Emily Carter stepped inside, her sneakers whispering against the hardwood, her golden ponytail bouncing with each stride. She wore a simple white blouse tucked into her pleated skirt, the fabric hugging her waist before flaring over her hips. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for Laurelwood’s dress code, but the way the late evening light caught the curve of her collarbone made John’s mouth suddenly dry.

"Sorry I’m a little late Principal Lee,” Emily murmured, sliding into the chair opposite him. She smelled like vanilla and something faintly citrusy—like sunshine bottled. "Lacrosse ran over, and then I had to shower—" She stopped abruptly, cheeks pinkening as if realizing she’d overshared.

John coughed into his fist, flipping open the textbook. "It’s okay Emily, happens. Shall we get started? Chapter four—elasticity of demand. You said you were struggling with the graphs?" He slid a worksheet toward her, careful to keep his fingers well clear of hers.

Emily nodded, biting her lip as she scrutinized the supply-and-demand curves. "It’s not the graphs themselves," she admitted, tapping her pencil against the paper. "It’s the *why*. Like, why does a luxury car have elastic demand but insulin doesn’t? It feels... arbitrary."

John leaned forward, pointing to the textbook example. "Think of it like lacrosse," he said, watching her eyebrows lift. "If the price of your favorite stick doubled, you’d probably shop around, right? Elastic. But if you *needed* that stick to breathe—"