Chapter 5

Leah led Toby into the large third floor penthouse, which smelled of chocolate chip cookies.

"Does your mom stay home and make cookies all day?" Toby asked when his nose was hit by the smell.

"My dad does," Leah replied, dropping her bag by the door. "Pops! I'm home!"

A black haired, green-eyed man looked up from his newspaper that lay on the table he sat at. "Welcome home, Leah. How was your day?"

She dropped her keys in a glass bowl filled to the top of keychains. "It was okay. Pops, this is Toby."

"Hi there, Toby!" Her father smiled. "It's nice to see Leah bring home a friend."

"Hello, sir," Toby gave a small grin. "It's nice to meet you."

Leah got a plate and loaded it with cookies. "C'mon, Tobe. Let's go upstairs." She grabbed her bag, kissed her father on the cheek, and led her friend upstairs.

Her room was painted purple. It had a large circular bed in the center of the room and a nightstand next to it. Two boxes lay still taped on the floor; the closet door was open, clothed filling its small interior.

"Sorry nothing's unpacked," she was saying. "We didn't have much time after classes last night." She plopped down on the bed, taking out her notebook.

"Classes?"

"Yeah, you know I told you that my dad was a professor. I'm the TA for his night radiology class." She looked down at her math book, beginning their homework.

After about an hour of munching on cookies and working on various math problems, Toby looked up at her. "Hey, Leah…What did Spinner and Paige say to you today at lunch?"

Leah took a bite of the last cookie with a shrug. "Something about Rick putting Ter…Terri? In a coma."

"So you probably hate him too."

"Why should I? " Leah asked with a small laugh. "Look, Toby: What happened in the past is history. All before I got here, therefore, I can't judge Rick—or anyone else—by what they did before me. Otherwise, I would have no friends at all."

"I guess that makes sense." Toby smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Leah."

"You know, for once in my life, I'm glad I moved." She finished the cookie she was nibbling on. "Let's finish this. If f(x)8x15 and x10…"