"Phone?"
"Got it."
"Your wallet?"
"Got it."
"Money for lunch?"
"In the wallet," Kati replies, exasperated but a little entertained.
Charlotte exhales, looking around the kitchen.
"Mama," Kati says. She only really calls her mother this at certain times; when she's scared, sad, or sick. "I'm good. I've got everything."
"Alright," Charlotte nods once, going to pick up her purse.
Kati and Cooper exchange looks, but Kati sees the same mix of sadness and worry and pride in his face.
"It's Chadwick, you guys," Kati offers. "Same school I've been at for my entire life."
"It's junior high," Cooper corrects. "It's a whole new campus. New opportunities. New orchestra…"
"I haven't even tried out yet," Kati mumbles.
"Sugar, you're the best, most skilled piano player in that school," Charlotte says. "And with guitar now too? They'd be crazy to deny you a spot."
Kati exhales, chewing the inside of her lip.
She hasn't said out loud that she's actually just as nervous as her parents are for her to be starting junior high.
"One more picture," Cooper says quickly, pulling out his phone.
"Dad," Kati sighs, but her mother steps beside her and wraps an arm around her, smiling at her husband.
"Just let me have this," Cooper replies, taking several pictures. "My baby's starting junior high today. Before we know it, college will be here."
This thought seems to straighten Charlotte's face.
"Okay, let's go," Kati urges, before her mother can say anything. "Jamie's outside."
She walks outside to find George dropping Jamie off.
Jamie, as usual, looks incredible.
"You always manage to look like you just stepped off of a magazine shoot," Kati says, as Jamie crosses the lawn.
"Says the girl who looks like a total rockstar," Jamie replies with an excited grin.
Kati laughs, blushing pink.
"How're the roommates taking it?" Jamie asks.
"As expected," Kati replies, as Cooper and Charlotte walk out of the house, quietly bickering as Cooper locks the door.
"She's going to be fine," Cooper mutters.
"I know," Charlotte snaps back in a whisper.
They both change their moods when they see the girls.
"Morning, honey," Charlotte smiles. "How are you?"
"So excited," Jamie replies, as the four of them walk towards the car. "Two years of middle school, and then we're in high school!"
The comment doesn't warrant a smile from Charlotte. Her face stays almost placid with a fake smile.
"Yep," she replies, getting into the car.
The ride to school Jamie jabbers away about their schedules, which are almost identical. While Jamie has dance during the last two periods of the day, Kati has soccer and tennis. Otherwise, they share all the same AP classes.
Cooper parks the car and they all get out.
For a second, Kati's worried that her parents are going to walk her to the door, like they did in elementary school. A little part of her wouldn't mind — she's more nervous than she thought she'd be. But she also knows how embarrassing that would be.
But her parents seem to know better. Cooper steps towards her and wraps her in a hug.
"Have a great day, sweetheart," he says, kissing the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Daddy," Kati mumbles into his sweater.
Her mother wraps her arms around her. They're almost the same height now.
"Have the best day, baby," she mumbles into Kati's hair. "And Daddy's right. We're so proud of you."
"For making it to middle school?" Kati replies teasingly.
"Hey, not everybody does," Jamie adds.
Kati rolls her eyes.
As the girls walk towards the school, they see their friends and conversations start. Cooper and Charlotte watch for a few moments before getting into the car and driving to work.
Kati's group of friends — her, Jamie, Axel, Chase, and Max — have known each other since fourth grade, when Axel and Kati skipped third grade and joined their class. Now there are new students everywhere and Kati feels a mix of excitement about meeting new friends, and nervousness about all of the new people. Though she can be shy at first, she's quick to warm up to people and be her usual self.
As the kids file into their homeroom, Kati takes note of the teacher. She's new.
She and Jamie finds seats beside each other, with Axel and Chase behind them, and Max in front of Kati.
"Look at that guy," Jamie leans over and whispers. "He is so hot I could murder him."
Kati shakes her head in amusement, following Jamie's eye line. The boy is really cute. He has darker blond hair and blue eyes, and he's tall and wiry.
"Wonder where he's from," Kati says.
"Somewhere cold," Jamie replies.
Kati observes the boy again and nods. "Nice work, detective."
"Well, let's be serious. No one who grew up in California wears just a tank top and shorts to school. We all always bring hoodies at least. It's freezing in these classrooms."
Kati nods and the teacher begins taking attendance, after a little monologue about welcoming them to middle school.
Kati's takes note of the new kids, not from Chadwick's elementary school.
The new boy is named Silas Mitchell, and he's sitting beside a girl named Jenelle. Another new girl, Megan, is sitting beside Max, and Max has already struck up a friendship.
As they're all walking to their first classes, Max introduces them to Megan.
"Where are you from?" Jamie asks.
"All over the place," Megan replies. "I was born in Scotland and then we moved to Vancouver and then back to Scotland, and now we're here."
"You don't even get to keep the cool accent?" Jamie asks.
"It kind of went away while I lived in Canada," Megan shrugs. "I can conjure it up when I feel like it, though."
The girls look at her expectantly and Megan replies with a sentence that they can't even understand, and they just laugh.
"So what's the deal with the new kid from the North pole?" Max asks, nodding towards Silas.
"I'll find out," Jamie replies confidently. "Gimme ten minutes."
She wanders ahead of them to catch up with Silas.
"I like her," Megan states.
Kati laughs. "It's kind of hard not to," she agrees. "She's all balls and tenacity."
Kati, Jamie, Axel, Chase, and Megan are in AP classes, so they split off from Max, who's made fast friends with the new girl, Jenelle, and head their own way.
"So yeah, his name is Silas," Jamie announces to the girls as they sit near each other in the classroom. "He's from New Hampshire, he has two little brothers, and they moved here to be closer to his grandparents. Apparently his dad was killed in a car accident almost a year ago."
"Oh my god," Kati mumbles, immediately looking over to see Silas. She mistook that look on his face for boredom when in reality it's probably melancholy.
"Yeah," Jamie replies quietly. "He got really quiet when we talked about it, and changed the subject right away."
"How'd you even get him to talk about it?" Megan asks.
Jamie shrugs. "He kind of offered it up, actually. Said that's why they moved here. His mom grew up here. Her whole family's here and everything."
The teacher calls the class to attention so the girls quiet down and pay attention, even though Kati keeps thinking about Silas.
By the time lunch rolls around, Kati's feeling of nervousness about middle school have disappeared. It's exactly the same as elementary school, there are just more new kids and you switch classrooms for each class.
Her group of friends — now including Jenelle, Silas, and Megan — all sit together.
"How are genius classes?" Max asks, nudging Kati.
"You tell me," Kati replies.
Max rolls her eyes. "The only AP class I take is history. Doesn't mean anything."
"Yes it does," Kati assures her.
"Some girl had an epileptic seizure in my science class," Max offers.
"Really?" Kati asks, intrigued. "Is she okay?"
"Oh, yeah," Max waves a hand dismissively. "I guess she forgot to take her medicine. It was 'minor,' according to the school nurse."
"I don't think any kind of seizure is minor," Kati makes a face. "Epilepsy can be really horrible. You can actually bite off your own tongue during a seizure."
Max makes a face, eyeing her bologna sandwich. "I'm done with this," she says, pushing it towards the guys.
Like vultures, the each snap an arm out to grab the sandwich. Chase wins.
"Too slow, Mason," he says, through a mouthful. "And you're gonna need to step up your game, Mitchell."
Silas chuckles good-naturedly. Kati likes his smile and his dark blond hair, swept across his forehead. Plus his eyes are so incredibly blue, it's crazy.
Axel, in response to Chase's advice, reaches out when Chase isn't paying attention and snags the sandwich. Then he races towards the exit, bursting outside with Chase and Silas on his heels.
"Heathens," Jamie shakes her head, eating her lunch.
"New guy is seriously cute," Max puts in.
"Seconded," Kati gestures with her hand before biting into an apple.
"There are a lot of hot guys here," Jenelle says. "Way more than my last school."
"Where was that?" Jamie asks.
"Delaware," Jenelle replies.
"What were you doing in Delaware?" Jamie makes a face, as though she's disgusted.
"Nothing," Jenelle replies emphatically. "Which is why we moved. Delaware is so boring."
"Nice choice," Jamie nods. "California is the greatest place on earth. Next to Europe."
"You've been Europe?" Jenelle's eyes widen.
"Yeah, it's the best," Jamie replies, and goes into a descriptive story about her favourite places.
After school Jamie and Kati walk out towards the ringed drive and spot Cooper's SUV.
"So? How was it?" Cooper asks excitedly, turning around in his seat to see the girls.
"Amazing," Jamie replies with her usual gusto. "No more lame baby stuff, and the guys are totally hot."
Cooper's eyes dart to Kati's face, who just shakes her head as she rolls her eyes.
"No dating!" he points at her and then Jamie. "You hear me?"
"Coop, Kati's a regulation hottie," she replies calmly, taking out her cell phone. "You can't stop a hurricane."
"Who's the hurricane?" Kati frowns.
"Our social lives, coming up pronto," Jamie replies. "I already got us invited to a party this weekend, and so many guys were checking you out today."
In response, Cooper clears his throat and quickly drives away from the school, forcing Kati and Jamie to fall back against their seats.
"You bonehead," Kati whispers, gently punching Jamie in the arm.
Jamie just grins, chuckling evilly.
When they get home, Cooper gets in the door first.
"We're homeschooling Kati," he announces.
Charlotte, surrounded by paper work at the kitchen table, looks up, confused.
"What?" she asks, but her confusion turns to a smile as she greets her daughter.
"How was your day?" she asks, getting up from the table to come hug her.
"Good," Kati smiles. "Already have homework and everything."
"And by 'everything,' she means the attention of every male student in the place," Cooper says, obviously ruffled. "We're homeschooling from now on. That's it."
"Cooper, don't be so dramatic," Charlotte replies calmly, kissing Kati's forehead and smoothing her hair behind an ear.
"Dramatic?" Cooper widens his eyes. "Ask Little Miss Social Chair over here!"
Charlotte looks to Jamie, who's busily texting.
"Jamie?" Charlotte says.
Just then a horn honks.
"Gotta go, Freedmans," she says, moving forward to give Kati a quick hug. "And don't worry, Coop. Kati may be a gorgeous, perfect catch, as far as babes go, but I won't let any creeps near her."
She grins and then is gone, out the door to her father's waiting car.
The Freedmans stand there for a moment before looking at each other.
"I think the 'hurricane' is actually just Jamie," Kati says to her father.
It does nothing to quell the look of anxiety on his face.