"What do you want to do?" Max asked, flipping through her science notes. "Tornado machine? Homemade camera? Ooh, we could demonstrate different types of acids."
Gabe and Max were sitting around the library, trying to come up with a project to do. Lucky for them, it had been completely their decision. Unlucky for them, the whole thing was boring Gabe to death!
"I think you're taking this a little too seriously, Max." Gabe said, laying his head on the table.
"No, I'm taking this just the right amount of seriously." Max snapped back. "Two days, Gabe! We have two days and we don't have any clue what we're even going to do."
Time to turn on the old charm, Gabriel my boy.
"Look, Max." Gabe said in a seductive voice. "I don't exactly know a lot about science. It's my worse subject. So why don't we pick something out and I leave you do to your brilliance. I'd just get in the way."
Max looked into Gabe's eyes, emotionless at first but then a half-smile fit onto her face and her voice dropped to a flirty tone as well.
"Well, Gabe." She said, moving her face towards his. "That sounds good. But I have a better idea: We do this my way this time and we do it yours when HELL FREEZES OVER!"
Gabe flew backwards in surprise at this last comment.
"Okay, okay. Sorry." Gabe said, reaching hastily for his own notes. "Let's pick a topic."
"Thank you." Max said, dropping her voice back to its sweet, mellow tone.
Chase skipped his stone into the lake. T.K watched as it bounced two, three, four times off the water before it dropped.
"Damn it." Chase muttered.
"Ten for me." T.K said, extending his hand. He had bet Chase 10$ that he could skip his stone farther then his.
"No fair." Chase said, handing the bill to T.K.
"How wasn't it fair?" Riley asked, who sat farther up the beach.
"I…don't…know." Chase said. "But every little bit of my money goes towards a new racquet."
"Then why'd you bet him in the first place?" Riley asked, rolling her eyes.
"Did you not hear me? Every little bit counts! I need all I can get!" Chase said back.
T.K rolled his eyes as well. No one understood Chase's logic except for Chase.
"Oh, my God." Riley groaned lying back on the sand. "Max, where are you when I need you?"
"Probably in a closet with Gabe." Chase muttered, smirking. Riley looked at him with disgust.
"Every time you make a comment like that, Chase, I die a little inside."
T.K did his best to keep from laughing. True, Chase's comments were getting a little annoying but there was no denying there was an attraction between Gabe and Max. The on and off flirting over the last two weeks had definitely confirmed that.
"So what do you say?" T.K said, flipping through his tens. "Double or nothing?"
"You're on." Chase said, picking up a stone.
He was about to throw it when a sob broke out over the silence.
"Okay, Riley." Chase said, dropping the rock. "I'm sorry about the comments but you have to admit there's chemistry between them. It's nothing to cry about."
"That wasn't me." Riley said, looking around.
T.K looked around also to see who had uttered the sob.
"Over there." Chase said, pointing farther down the beach.
Sitting alone was Lara Taylor, her face in her arms, crying very loud sobs.
"Is that Lara?" Riley said, standing up to get a better look.
"Looks like it." Chase said.
"Wonder what she's crying about." Chase said.
Riley snorted.
"She's always crying about something, tennis, the food here, tennis, her accommodations, tennis, the exercise and, oh, one more thing. Oh, what was it? Oh, yeah. Tennis."
"Why does she hate tennis so much?" T.K asked, not looking away from Lara.
"Beats me." Riley answered as she sat back down.
"But you're her roommate." Chase said. "You're telling me you don't why she hates it here?"
"Max and I try our best to avoid her. We barely say anything to her."
"You haven't had a conversation and you've been living together for two weeks?" T.K asked.
"Well, there was that time a week ago when Max picked up her flat-iron and asked what it did." Riley said.
"What did she do?" Chase asked.
"She grabbed it from her hands and said that if she touched any of her things again, she'd bitch-slap her into tomorrow."
"What a charming young lady." Chase said, sarcastically.
"Well, someone should talk to her." T.K said. "Otherwise she'll shrivel up from loss of bodily fluids."
Neither Chase nor Riley got up nor looked like they were considering doing it.
"Well, don't everyone jump up at once." T.K scowled, dropping his rock.
T.K was willing to bet Gabe would have volunteered to go. Except for Marcus Freeman, Gabe could talk to pretty much anyone. But the Prince of Cascadia wasn't around so he guessed it was his duty to try to lift Lara's spirits.
He walked over the sand towards where Lara was sitting. It wasn't until he was about 3 feet from her that she noticed he was walking towards her.
She looked up at T.K. Even though her eyes were red and puffy and her eyeliner was running, she was still drop dead gorgeous. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail so T.K got to witness every inch of her wonderful face. Nothing on Riley or Max but T.K privately thought she was the prettiest girl at Cascadia.
"What so you want?" she sobbed.
"I…" T.K began. In all honesty, he didn't exactly know what he was going to say. He hadn't had a lot of experience talking to girls. Riley and Max were different. They were friends. The only girlfriend he had ever had was a girl from London, England and lasted only about two weeks. Although they had talked every day, it was only through text messages.
"I… noticed you were crying and I was just wondering what was wrong."
"None of your business!" she snapped, sobbing as the words came out.
T.K tried a new approach. The charming humor that Gabe always used.
"Look, I can tell you need to talk to someone. And just between you and me, I don't see anybody else lined up behind me." Not quite as smooth as Gabe.
"I'd really rather not talk about it." Lara said, her voice a little softer.
"Well, I'm not going to leave until you throw me a bone here." T.K said, sitting down beside her. He reached inside his pocket and gave a napkin from breakfast to her for her to wipe her eyes with.
She looked into his face and reluctantly took it.
"I…" she said, wiping her eyes. "I don't want to be here."
"Well, I gathered that much." T.K said, trying to say it in a comforting tone. "I'm friends with your roommates, Riley and Max. They told me you don't want to be here."
Lara suddenly looked shocked.
"You talk about me?"
"No." T.K said before she could interrupt. "Riley and Max just say that you can't be the most… agreeable person to live with."
T.K expected her to flip out at him again but she didn't. Instead, she, for the first time, since T.K had first seen her, smiled.
"I guess I haven't exactly been the most agreeable roommate."
"Why don't you tell me why you don't want to be here?" T.K said, bringing his knees up to his chest.
"Its just… I've always relied on my looks. I knew I wanted to be a model when I was six. When I got into Junior High, I charmed boys into doing assignments for me."
"You mean the…" T.K carefully chose his words. "Revealing outfits?"
"Yeah." Lara said, her facing tingeing slightly. "Before I knew it, I had gotten into the wrong crowd and some…substances and… yeah."
"So, you're parents sent you here because…"
Lara smiled again.
"They were both huge athletes in high school. They figured that by sending me here would not only get me away from the source of all the trouble but teach me a little discipline and get me in better shape."
T.K could tell that she hadn't told this to anyone. He felt slightly proud that she had decided to divulge this to him.
"So, basically, they were killing two birds with one stone." She finished.
"Well, tennis can be fun." T.K said. "If you want, I could teach you a few things that could make it easier.
"I don't think so." Lara said. "I mean… no offense but if the coaches can't teach me how to hit a little ball, how can you?"
"Well, I've been told I make one hell of a tutor." T.K answered.
"Maybe." She said, checking her watch. "Damn. I promised my mom I'd call her."
She rose to her feet.
"Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. I don't even know your name."
"That's alright." T.K said, smiling at her. "The important thing is that you're not crying anymore."
She laughed lightly.
"Theodore Kennedy." T.K said, offering his hand. "Nice to officially meet you."
She reached down and shook it.
"Lara Taylor. Nice to meet you, Theodore Kennedy." She said, turning around and beginning to jog away.
"Call me T.K!" he shouted after her.
He sighed, got up and walked over to Riley and Chase.
"So you still have your head I see." Riley said.
"What happened?" Chase asked.
"We talked." T.K said. "She's more human then you think."
A/N: What's this? Dorky T.K getting the girl? Maybe. Maybe not. Read on and find out. Also, I apologize if Chase's logic confused you. Review!