Disclaimer: All characters in this story are aged eighteen or over.
I first started tutoring the Gomez twins about nine months ago, around the same time I started my third year of university. We weren't close in any way shape or form, only knowing titbits of information from polite small talk exchanged during awkward hallway conversations - I knew that they were about three years younger than me and lived in the apartment next to mine with their dad, they knew that I was studying biochemistry at university and lived with three roommates, all of whom were friends I met at uni - so I was surprised when I answered a knock at my door one day to find them standing there saying they needed my help. It turned out they were really struggling with both biology and chemistry and, as they both wanted to do STEM courses at university, they really needed to improve their grades before the end of the year. Being a broke twenty-one-year-old student, I of course wasn't going to turn down an offer to make some extra cash and said I would happily tutor them for £20 an hour. Ever since then I met with them at least once a week to cover the topics they found the most difficult and was happy to find that they were pretty good students - they actually paid attention during our sessions, asked all the right questions, and took my constructive criticism without any complaint or offense. Within the space of a few weeks, I began to see an improvement in their grades and class reports, and I became incredibly confident in their ability to earn the final grades they needed for uni.
Now I would find out if my confidence had been well placed. Today was results day and I was standing in front of their door, my hand raised in a fist and prepared to knock. However, before I could bring my fist down on the wood, the door opened, and I found myself standing face to face with Camila, the slightly older one of the Gomez twins.
"Oh, Aidan," Camila said, a look of surprise spreading over her face. "Sorry, I thought that maybe you were the mailman coming with the results."
"Ah, so your results haven't come yet?" I asked. She shook her head sheepishly and I couldn't help but notice the look on her face, a clear mixture of impatience and nervousness like she was both bothered that the results hadn't been delivered yet but was also dreading their arrival - it was exactly how I had felt waiting for my own exam results three years ago. "Is that why you look so on edge?"
"Yeah," she replied, letting out a weak laugh as she ran a hand through her curly hair. "You know what it's like, these are the grades that are going to determine what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. Once I open that envelope, my life is going to change forever - for better or for worse."
The look of worry on her face deepened as she said this, and I felt a pang of sympathy in my chest. Reaching out my arm, I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, "Hey, it's all going to be okay. I've seen first-hand how much hard work you've put into your studies this year and your grades so far have reflected that. I know for a fact that it's all going to work out."
"I hope you're right," she said, flashing me a small smile. "What brings you here anyway? Not that we don't like having you around or anything."
I let out a chuckle and removed my hand from her arm before saying, "I actually came to see if you had gotten your exam results yet. I've been your tutor all these months, I wanted to be here to make sure all that hard work had paid off."
"Oh, well in that case come on in," Camila said, her smile widening as she stepped back from the doorway. "Max and I were waiting in the living room before you got here."
Walking past Camila, I made my way into the living room where her twin brother Max was waiting on the sofa, staring at the TV. Max looked up as he heard us enter the room and I saw a smile spread across his face as he saw me.
"Hey, Aidan," he said with his signature cocky smile. "Here to see the disaster happen in person?"
"No," I replied, taking a seat next to Max on the couch. "I'm actually here to see you two ace your exams."
"Whatever you say," Max said with a laugh, his smile and tone of voice exuding confidence even if the nervous fidgeting of his legs suggested otherwise.
"Hopefully we won't be waiting too much longer," Camila said, making her way towards the kitchen door. "All results are supposed to be delivered before 5PM, so we've got less than an hour before they're supposed to be here." Camila stopped in the doorway, turning back to look at the two of us who were sitting on the couch. "You guys wanting anything? Tea? Coffee?"
"I'll have a tea, thanks," I said.
"Nothing for me, thanks," Max said, returning his gaze to the TV.
A minute later Camila returned with two cups of tea, one for me and one for herself, and sat on my other side. I sat chatting with the twins for several minutes before all three of us were surprised by the sound of the front door opening. The twins whipped their heads to the door with fearful expressions on their faces, as if their results may have been so bad that the head of the examining board had walked into their house in person to admonish the pair of them. Instead, the twins' father walked into the living room, holding his toolbox in his hand.
"Hey kids," he said as he walked into the room. His eyes darted over to me, and I saw a look of mild surprise on his face before he spoke again. "Oh, Aidan, hey. What are you doing here?"
I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off by Max, who said, "He's here to make sure all his tutoring actually worked."
"Oh... well... did it?" He asked, a curious and hopeful expression on his face.
"We don't know yet," Camila replied with a sigh. "But the results should be here any minute, so-"
Camila went silent at the sound of something being slipped through the letterbox, followed by a light thud as whatever had been posted hit the floor. Everyone sat in silence for a moment, unable to move as a feeling of deep tension weighed down on us all. After several moments, Max rose unsteadily to his feet and made his way to the front door, his sister hurrying after him shortly after. Mr. Gomez and I shared a look before following the twins, who were now standing in the hallway each holding a large brown envelope in their hands. The twins exchanged an uneasy look, nodded at each other, and finally opened their envelopes, pulling out sheets of rigid yellow paper. The two stared at their results but neither showed any emotion at all, simply standing in silence.
After what felt like an eternity of this, I decided I had to break this unbearable silence. "So, what did you guys get?"
Camila was the first two speak. "I got all As," she said, her voice sounding shaky and disbelieving. Turning to her brother she asked, "What about you?"
"Five As, and two Bs," he responded, staring back at her wide eyed.
"You got As in bio and chem though, right?" Camila asked, a note of worry in her voice. "You got what you needed for uni, right?"
"Yeah," he said, laughing slightly as he said it. "We both got what we needed. We're both going to uni!"
