season 1, episode 1 - Welcome to Colorado (Pt. 2)
chapter two,
do you believe in the cole effect?
KIA STILL COULDN'T believe that Issac was her partner. But for the sake of her grade, she would try to work with him. Putting on a fake smile, she turned around to face him. "So, what do you think we should do for our project?"
Issac thought for a minute. "Maybe make a solar system?"
"A bunch of other groups might do that." He rolled his eyes. "Then what do you suggest, Peters?" Kia smiled, excited to tell him her ideas. "Okay, so I have a few options: a wind turbine, water filtration system, or the effect of exercise on heart rate. Which one do you want to do?"
"Maybe the exercise idea. I think I've seen Cole work out a few times." Kia nodded, scribbling something in her notebook and quickly ripping out a page. "What are you-"
"This is my number. We can't just communicate through email, Garcia. That would be boring." Issac sighed, taking the paper and folding it in half. The bell rang, causing them to grab their stuff and head to their next class.
If you thought they'd just have science class together, then you are sadly mistaken. Much to Kia's dismay, Issac was actually very smart. Behind his sarcasm and snarky remarks was an intelligent and hardworking boy. This caused him to be in almost every single class with Kia.
LUNCH EVENTUALLY ROLLED around as Brady grabbed whatever food was available and sat with Kia and Paige. "So how was class?" he asked as he took a bite out of his sandwich. Paige smiled, eager to tell her brother about her day so far. "It was great. We're reading 'Romeo and Juliet' in English which is kind of boring but in trigonometry, I talked to this new girl. I think her name is Jackie."
Kia on the other hand was having an awful day. "What about you, Kia?" Paige asked. "Terrible. I got paired with Issac for a science project. I mean, the teacher wouldn't even let us switch so I'm stuck with him."
"Who knows, maybe this will be a good opportunity for you two to get along." said Brady, drinking his apple juice. Paige noticed Cole and Jackie skipping the lunch line, grabbing some food. "Hey, Jackie! Come sit with us!" she called out.
The new girl turned around, sending Paige a small wave before walking towards their table. "Hi, your Paige, right?"
"Yes. You can grab a seat next to me. This is my friend, Kia and my older brother, Brady."
"Hi." Kia greeted. "Hi." Jackie said, softly. Brady looked at Cole and his friends, scoffing. "Brady, aren't you going to say hi?" Paige asked.
Brady quickly turned away, looking at Jackie. He gave her a quick wave.
"So what is up with you and Cole?" Kia asked. "What do you mean?"
"We saw you with him on the line, he was helping you."
"I guess he was trying to be nice." Brady rolled his eyes. "Nice? Cole Walter isn't nice. He's just some hotshot who can't even commit to being in a single relationship."
Jackie frowned, causing Kia to chuckle. "Don't worry, Jackie. Brady here doesn't like him. I mean, I think he's okay."
"But you don't like Issac." Paige stated. "I have good reasons!"
"Sure you do."
"Okay, Jackie. Do you believe in the Cole effect?" Kia asked.
"What is that?"
"Its basically Cole's irresistible charm. That's why a lot of girls here have a crush on him." Kia answered.
"Do you have a crush on him?" Jackie asked, causing Kia to fake gag. "No. He's genuinely not my type. Why? Do you have a crush on him?"
"No! I just met him." Brady groaned, grabbing his tray and throwing out his leftover food. He came back to the table, taking his seat. "Can we please stop talking about him? Seriously, what makes him so special?"
Cole Walter and Brady Crawford were a bit similar believe it or not. They were both tall, blue eyed, and looked very athletic.
The only difference between them was that Brady liked to surf, was a brunette, and a sophomore while Cole used to play football, is a blonde, and a senior. Brady also didn't play with people's feelings (despite not having a girlfriend) while Cole did. Cole Walter was a loser in Brady's book. A loser that everyone adored.
The bell eventually rang, signaling that lunch was over and it was time for them to head to their next class.
A FEW HOURS LATER, school was over and Brady couldn't wait to go home. He had just finished gym and was in need of a nice shower. "Brady? Can I talk to you in my room for a minute?"
He turned around, realizing it was his math teacher, Mr. Briggs. "Sure, let me notify my sister real quick." Brady took out his phone, texting Paige that he had to talk to his teacher and that it wouldn't take too long.
He followed Mr. Briggs into their classroom, standing by his front desk. "What did you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, it's about your grade in my class. I noticed that you've been struggling in my class but your doing well in all of your other classes. What can I do to help?"
"Well, I kind of understand your lessons but it's the material that confuses me. I guess I don't comprehend it as fast as the other students in your class."
Mr. Briggs took off his glasses, wiping them with a wet wipe. "Look, Brady. I don't want you to fail my class because you are a bright student and you're trying. I recommend using flash cards or look at different methods of studying to help."
Brady sighed, relieved. "Thank you, Mr. Briggs. I promise, I won't disappoint you."
"Have a good day, Brady."
"You too, sir." Brady walked into the hallway, not sure how to feel about the conversation he just had with Mr. Briggs. I just have to try right?, he thought. Walking outside, he noticed Kia and Paige waiting by his car. "Hey, guys. We can leave now."
Brady unlocked the car, allowing the trio to get inside. As they drove off, Paige noticed Jackie with Skylar and Grace. She waved to her, causing Jackie to send her a quick wave back. She then noticed Erin and her friend walk up to them, knowing something bad was about to go down.
BRADY'S CAR PARKED in front of the Crawford household. Kia decided to stay for a bit before she had to go home. She texted both of her parents, getting approval from them. Going inside, she greeted Paige and Brady's parents. Cathy and Drew Crawford were a nice couple. Cathy was a lawyer while Drew was a car mechanic.
"Hi, Kia. How was school?" Cathy asked, her Texas accent being quite strong. "It was okay. How is the case coming along?"
"Awful. They still didn't find a suspect who robbed and stabbed the woman."
"They will, Mrs. Crawford. Hopefully." Drew was stirring some cookie batter, adding flour to the mix. "Hi, Kia. The kids didn't give you trouble today, right?"
"A bit." Kia joked. "We didn't! Well, I didn't but Brady did!"
"Dad, Paige is lying!"
"Kids, Kia was just playing around. And I'm making cookies so please don't try and eat them before dinner."
"We won't." Paige and Brady promised but the two of them knew that they would.
BRADY HAD JUST showered and changed into a graphic t - shirt and lounge shorts.
Kia was in Brady's room, sitting on the bed. He had posters of famous surfers, singers, and pictures of him on his surfboard from a few months ago. He also had pictures of him and Kia, along with Paige from when they were younger. She was helping him make flash cards for their next trigonometry test. He walked into his room, smiling. "Are you ready to start study?" Kia asked.
"Yep." he stated, sitting at his desk. Him and Kia went back and forth with formulas, problem solving, and graphs. It was starting to get dark and the two decided to call it a night. Kia went downstairs while Brady changed into a pair of jeans and grabbed his car keys.
She quickly said her goodbyes to Catherine, Drew, and Paige. Brady held the front door, allowing her to exit first. He closed the door behind him and unlocked the car.
The two of them got in and Brady started the engine. They were jamming to "Karma" and Brady couldn't help but sing along.
Brady's car pulled up in front of her house. Kia unbuckled her seatbelt, opening the side door. "Good night, Brady." she said, getting out the car. "Good night, Kia. See you tomorrow!"
Kia watched as the car drove away. Once it was out of her view, she opened the front door. Her parents were in the kitchen. Gary was making sauce while Freya cut up some salad. "Hi, mom. Hi, dad."
Kia took off her backpack, placing it on the kitchen floor. "Hi, Kia. Please get washed up. Dinner's almost ready." her mother instructed. Kia grabbed her bag and went upstairs. Putting it in her room and washing her hands, she went back downstairs to set up the table.
Her and her parents ate their dinner, talking about their day. That's how it always was in the Peters household. It was calm and peaceful unlike the Walter household. The boisterous noise could be heard in their house but the Peters couldn't really do anything about it. No matter how many times Katherine reminded the children, they would always be ten times louder than usual.
Maya Speaks 💫:
Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm honestly happy with this since it doesn't feel rushed as the last one. But I hope to be finished with this book by Sunday or the 1st.
Also make sure to vote for my book!