Koda

Chapter 1

"Gracie is home," he shouted into the house. A gruff came back from the kitchen and he pulled me into the house .
"You're hungry right?" he asked.

"Depends on who cooked," I said back and smiled. My brother could not cook for the life of him.
"I obviously did, I don't want to die," came a voice from the kitchen. Koda, my brother's best friend and housemate, looked up at me from his plate of lasagne as I entered the room.

"Hey, my cooking is not that bad," my brother said back.

"You're kidding right?" I asked him as I took a plate of food. It was Wednesday and I needed to go to bed but I could never go to bed hungry and the boys knew that. They were my boys after all.

"Hey," my brother said and looked hurt. I smiled at him.

"I love you my dear brother, but your cooking sucks," I said as sweetly as I could.

Koda made a laughing sound that made my whole body hum before he looked down at his plate again.

"Well at least Koda knows how to cook or we would starve," he said back and Koda gruffed again.

"Yeah, no kidding Adrian," he said and made a wave with his fork. "Now eat."

Adrian did as he was told and I sat down beside Koda with my plate. Koda had been my brother's best friend for as long as I could remember. His family was never around so he had always been at our house growing up. He had moved here with us and was now working two jobs, one as a bartender in a high end nightclub and one as a cook in the same diner as me during the day. Koda had long eyelashes and piercing blue eyes. He had ash blonde hair and looked like a model. A lot of girls were always falling for him and following him around. From what I understood growing up, my brother, Adrian, was also good looking. I just didn't see it. He was my brother after all.

Adrian stood on the other side of the counter island and ate as we talked. An hour later I was in my bed and falling asleep.

***

I woke up to Adrian shaking me.

"If you hurry we can drive you to school and you won't have to be late," he said and I nodded knowing it was true. My car had a tendency to not start on a good day and I did not have time for that today. He left me alone as I took a quick shower in the bathroom that was joined to my room and then got dressed. I put on my favorite jeans and a black t-shirt as well as an orange hoodie. I put my long brown hair up in a bun and grabbed my bag. I had packed it before I went to bed and ran down the stairs. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a smoothie that was waiting for me and an apple and then left for the door. Outside Koda was driving his black Ford Mustang but Adrian and his white jeep were nowhere to be seen. I ran up to Koda and opened the passenger door and went into the car.

"Adrian had a meeting," Koda said as I entered the car and sat down.

"So you are driving me?" I asked even though he obviously was.
"Yeah," he said and smiled. He started the car and drove to my high school. Mitchell high was like any other normal high school. I was a senior and had been here a year. It was still warm outside after summer but the wind would sometimes turn cold.

"Thanks," I said and smiled at him. "I hope I'm not holding you up."

"Nah, I was going to the diner after this so I have time," he said but kept his eyes on the road. His long lashes were framing his eyes and I found myself staring at them. I always found it unfair that he had those lashes and I didn't.

"Gracie, stop staring at me," Koda said as he turned a corner. I could see him smiling so I didn't stop looking at him. "Fine, what do you want for dinner today? You're not working right?"