Geometry Salt and Chemistry
a novella
Seventeen-year-old Eric Richardson is the star quarterback of Cedar Springs High School, but behind his All-American mask, he is drowning. Harboring a severe, undiagnosed language processing disorder, Eric is failing geometry and chemistry. If he loses his academic eligibility, he loses his Division One scholarship and faces the permanent, alcohol-fueled disappointment of his demanding father.
Kevin Ross is the school’s brilliant, fiercely observant outcast. Accustomed to the toxic bullying of the athletic hierarchy, Kevin uses his snarky intellect as a shield, focuses entirely on his pristine transcript and protecting his twelve-year-old autistic brother, Wesly. But when Kevin notices Eric’s silent panic over a failed chemistry test, he recognizes a system failure. The two strike an unlikely deal: Kevin will tutor Eric, and Eric will use his imposing physical presence to provide Kevin and Wesly with a social shield.
During their first outing to Kevin’s favorite Greek diner, Eric freezes while trying to read a chaotic, poorly formatted menu. Recognizing the signs of dyslexia, Kevin calmly covers the menu, orders for him, and completely reframes Eric’s perceived "stupidity" as a simple neurological mismatch.
Their trade is simple: Kevin tutors Eric using bespoke, kinesthetic methods to bypass his visual processing block, and Eric provides a physical shield for Kevin and Wesly in the brutal high school hallways. But in the quiet intimacy of Kevin's cluttered bedroom and the cab of Eric's truck, the "dumb jock" and "defensive nerd" tropes shatter completely. As their tutoring sessions spark a profound, slow-burn romance, the pressure of midterms, locker-room politics, and institutional negligence threatens to tear them apart. To protect the boy who finally sees his true worth, Eric must decide if he's willing to burn down his entire kingdom to build a stable compound with Kevin.