Bette : And we all lose our charms in the end

Class was finished and Bette was getting ready to leave. She noticed Tina was hesitating again. Every week it seemed to take the girl longer to get out. Not that she minded, she even liked it. It was as if Tina wanted to talk to her and was getting her courage together, but lost it every time. Today, Bette would make an end to that.
“Tina?” She asked, looking at the girl, feeling a bit worried. She obviously wanted to talk – was something wrong?

Tina looked up, her face totally flustered. It took Bette a while to recognise it as blushing.
“Miss Porter?” Tina answered with a question. Bette went closer to Tina, so she could look her in the eye while talking to her. She sat down on the chair next to Tina’s.
“Tell me, Tina, is something wrong? Is there something you want to talk about?”
Tina seemed to make up her mind in a few brief seconds.
“No… it’s just… well… I just…” she stammered. Bette frowned her eyebrows, but stopped that as it occurred to her that this might scare the blonde student off.
“Yes?”

Suddenly, Tina seemed to have an idea. Bette couldn’t help but find it adorable how Tina’s variation of emotions showed on her face without her noticing it.
“I would appreciate it if you did not tell miss Lerner,” Tina whispered.
“Of course not, Tina. Why would I?”
“It’s just… My grades for French are really, really bad. I want them to go up, so I study very much, but it just… it doesn’t work. I know you are good at French, so I was just wondering – I understand if you don’t want to do it, it would only be normal, actually I shouldn’t be asking this at all, you have no reason to do this and I don’t have any money, so -” She rambled.
“Just ask it already, Tina,” Bette smiled. “I’m sure I won’t be offended.” Nothing you ask me would offend me, she added in thought, and then immediately: Do. Not. Think. Like. That.

“Maybe you could give me some extra lessons, I mean, if you would like… you know, just to… just so my grades go up.”
Bette fell silent, thinking about this. She did want to do it, but she wasn’t sure if that was fair against Jodi. Tina took the silence wrong and said: “I’m so sorry, please forget I ever asked. I really am sorry, I mean, I didn’t want to… I know it was stupid, I really shouldn’t have…”
She looked like she could burst out into tears any second.
Bette laid her hand on Tina’s arm to calm her down and an electric shock seemed to go through her at the contact. She swallowed and said: “Calm down, Tina. You don’t have to apologise for everything you say. In fact, I would be glad to help you. I just don’t know why I shouldn’t tell miss Lerner that I am helping you. Surely, she’ll notice your grades go up – if I’m a good teacher, that is.”