Hello again!

Been working off of hyperfocus the last week or so. Been able to just rapidly update. Anyways, I've got another chapter for you guys to enjoy! Finally we get to dive into the flagship relationship.

With Cody, the hardest part of writing him is not deviating too hard from his established character. He's clearly projects a misguided confidence, so he can't be outwardly anxious. However, when he gets called out on his bullshit, then he'll show signs of it. That gives me the angle to work with. After all, he has 35-36 episodes of development, with one season giving him a ton of extra time. It's clear he doubts his own abilities, as shown in Condor where he wonder's why he hasn't been eliminated. But this limitation on how I can present his character also makes him a bit more simple to write since I have clear areas I can start with.

Sammy is the complete opposite. She has very little screen time, and less so without her sister. It means I really have to figure out which traits from her 6 episode run I want to consider. But outside of her clear issues stemming from her abuse from Amy, and her ability to retain kindness in spite of that, I can write in traits and dreams for her where I need to. It's a pretty fun exercise of tackling two characters who have two separate hurdles to writing them well.

Now enough of my rambling, onto the chapter! Remember to leave a review if you have anything you want to say about the chapter!

I present: A Loser, A Girl, and Rizzful Equations

Cody spent the rest of the weekend drowning himself in a combination of water and advil. He was a light drinker, and despite his boasting, had never been to many big parties in high school. The fact that he couldn't remember what happened after he went back in the house after talking to Trent told Cody how much he drank afterwards. While fighting this hangover, he worked on his homework and studied ahead for his classes. Doubly so for his history class where he'd missed practically the entire lecture due to the presence of a certain blonde girl.

But the weekend came and went, and between studying and the hangover he felt more tired then when the weekend started. But regardless of how tired he felt, there was a certain energy as he entered the lecture hall for his 10AM advanced trigonometry class. Cody eyes darted around the room, looking for straight blonde hair. Near the edge of the lecture hall, he spotted Sammy. As Cody approached, he realized his lips had curled upwards on their own. "Is this seat taken?" He asked.

Sammy looked up from her notebook. "Oh, no." She yawned, causing Cody to frown. She napped awake. "Wait- I mean it isn't taken." She quickly corrected. "Sorry about that. Uhhh, it's Cody, right?"

The geek nodded, and slipped into the seat. "Yeah. You're Sammy?" The blonde nodded. She barely remembered my name. Cody assured himself it was just part of the process with the ladies. After all, she still remembered it. He pulled out his laptop, thinking of something to say. But nothing came to mind. Nothing clever anyways. He looked over at Sammy, who was flipping through her notes. Sammy looked at one of the equations, and pursed her lips while she glared at it.

Cody reasoned he had a few minutes before class. "Hey do you want some help?" He offered sheepishly. Sammy looked up, a look of caution in her eyes.

"Um." She looked away nervously. "Are you sure it's a good idea to help me?"

"Well in the last test I had goal to get exactly a 96%." Cody puffed out his chest. "And I did."

Sammy's narrowed eyes widened, staring directly at Cody. "Wait how do you get an exact score? Don't you have to know which answers you're getting wrong?" She asked, completely baffled by the tech geek.

"Yep, exactly." Cody bragged. "It's like a little game." He shrugged. "Anyways, if you want, I could help you with figuring out the equations from last class." Sammy's eyes turned up towards the ceiling, hopefully considering his proposal. But before she could answer, the professor's voice boomed through the lecture hall. As Sammy turned her head forward to face the lecturer, Cody sulked forward in his desk and laid his head in his hand. I mean now the moment's come and gone.

He considered whispering to her for an answer, but then a memory flashed through his mind. One of Gwen and himself. They were paired off for a short exercise in class. It was one of the first times they'd ever spoken one on one. Cody had been certain he could convince Gwen to go on a little date to the café just down the street. She ignored his first attempt, glared at him on his second attempt, and told him to fuck off on his third attempt. Then, Cody caught her staring at Trent.

"You know, I'm kinda close with Trent." Cody said with a smirk. This was an exaggeration, but they did spend a decent amount of time together on a previous group project, and had developed a bit of a friendship. It was during that time he realized Trent was also into Gwen.

Gwen raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Oh really?" She asked, pausing to think for a second. Then, she smiled. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her smile before, but this was the first time she'd smiled at him. It made his heart flutter. But it also made his stomach drop. The smile aimed at him, was caused by Trent. "If you can talk to Trent for me, I'd owe you one."

He'd ended up talking to Trent and mentioning Gwen probably liked him, and the two got together that spring. Gwen warmed up to him a bit after that, but only in a little brother kind of way. Looking at Sammy, Cody wasn't sure what she was thinking as she attentively stared at the professor. He made a pass but didn't get a response. Was it like when Gwen tried to ignore him, or did Sammy just not get a chance to answer him? The question wracked Cody's brain as he continued not paying attention to the class. His stomach hurt, and it felt like he was about to upchuck his breakfast. He would occasionally look over and see Sammy with her face buried in her notes and pen glued to the paper.

"Hey if you are free after class, I could actually use the help" Sammy's whispered, her voice vibrating against Cody's ear. His head snapped to the side to face Sammy, his heart nearly bursting out of his chest. The girl's face was right next to his. The closeness made his chest thump. He quickly corrected his shocked expression, donning his silly, confident grin that showed off the gap in his teeth. "Sorry to startle you. Didn't want to bother the others." She whispered. She had a nice voice, Cody concluded.

He nodded repeatedly in response. "I have as much time as you need." He whispered flirtatiously. This earned an exaggerated eyeroll and a chortle from Sammy. Cody felt relieved as her glossy lips formed into a soft smile. She turned back to her notes, taking a stab at the equation on the projector. Cody also attempted the problem, quickly solving it in his head. With nothing better to do, and his head much clearer now, he ended up decided to steal glances at the pretty blonde sitting next to him. Her soft smile from before had widened. Was she smiling before as well? He wondered. He couldn't remember.

The rest of the class couldn't go fast enough for Cody, who simply struggled to sit still. The professor continued lecturing in the drollest voice imaginable. Cody tried to stare ahead and focus on the lecture, but the combination of already knowing the math, and the anticipation of what came after class had him tense. This was a familiar feeling, at the very least. After all this wasn't the first time a girl had taken him up on an offer to study. Though of course, nothing every quite came out of the previous attempts. But hey, always a chance! Is what Cody told himself. Plus, it's always a gentlemen's duty to help a lady in need. It's basic math!

Of course, that is also what he told himself. It at least helped him sleep at night.

"Remember to study for our test next week!" The professor said robotically, before walking down from the podium.

"Oh finally!" Sammy groaned, looking up from her notes and stretched her arms above her head. Cody couldn't help but notice her bright red shirt move with her arms, exposing a bit of her midriff. She turned to the tech geek. "Ready to head out?" She asked, her bright, blue eyes staring directly at his.

Cody nodded. He had a plan, a script, held in hand. "Where do you want to study?" He asked, stepping out of the row of seats. He waited for Sammy before walking with her up the stairs of the lecture hall. As they walked, it became increasingly clear to Cody that he was shorter than this girl. Once they left the lecture hall

"Hmmmm," Sammy tapped her index finger against her bottom lip, her eyes darting towards the ceiling, again. "Do you know any nice café's around here? I could use a quality latte after that class." She stretched again, almost letting out a yawn. Her hand snapped back down, covering her mouth.

Cody grinned toothily. "I know a good spot a few blocks down. Small, quiet, and pretty affordable." He pointed his thumb over his back.

"Sounds good!" Sammy nodded. "Lead the way ." They walked out the door, and it felt surprisingly warm. They walked down the brick laid street surrounding campus. It was, covered by speckles of red, yellow, and orange as leaves fell in the wind.

"This place has some pretty good seasonal specialties." Cody said. "What do you usually get?"

Sammy hesitated for a moment. "Okay promise not to laugh but, pumpkin spice." She admitted, brushing her hair back behind her ear sheepishly.

"Well, you are blonde after all!" Cody joked with a false bravado, channeling his inner Noah. Sammy looked at him with wide eyes. Panic welled up in Cody, who frantically searched for a way to walk back his comment.

But Sammy laughed. "Ahahaha!" She let out an accidental snort, and quickly covered her mouth again. She pursed her lips, a blush forming on her face. "You didn't hear that."

"Hear what?" Cody asked, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I can't believe you went there!" She said, her harsh words betrayed by a silly grin. "What do you tend to get?"

Cody thought for a second, wondering what Trent or Geoff might say. "Y'know, a black coffee. Bitter things don't phase a guy like me." He lied through his teeth.

"Very manly."

Cody led Sammy onto a side street, standing close together on the small sidewalk as they passed by a slew of tiny mom and pop shops. Close enough to where his arm sometimes brushed up against Sammy's. Close enough that he could smell her strawberry scented perfume. He held his tongue. He'd been slapped once before for commenting on such a matter.

"This is it!" Cody swung his arm, presenting the small, almost hidden 'Hatchet Café'. They walked in, and the were met with the bitter scent of coffee hanging in the air. The whole place had a certain rundown, rustic charm to it, like they had just walked in not from the city, but some woodland town. Behind the glass counter containing various pastries and sandwiches was a large, buff, scarred man with dark skin, and a slight hunch in his next. He had an apron slung around his neck and tied around his waist. He had a harsh scowl on his face. The quiet café had a few patrons, mostly older people, or other students, sipping their drinks in peace.

"This place is so cute!" Sammy commented as her eyes wandered around the café. The man behind the counter smiled at this. She looked up at the chalk board menu above the man. "And you have a homemade pumpkin spice!" Cody watched her eyes shine.

"Everything here is made by me and my mama! Or my name ain't Chef Hatchet!" He declared, his deep, gravely voice rumbling through the old floorboards of the café. He looked over to Cody. "And I see you've brought your girlfriend today Man," He smirked at Cody, who looked away nervously.

"Oh no, we aren't dating." Sammy corrected the owner. A perfectly innocuous statement that shouldn't have bothered Cody as much as it did. "He's just helping me with a tough class!" She shot a smile back at Cody. "Do you mind if I pay as a thanks for helping me out?" She asked the geek.

"I don't mind." Cody waved his hand dismissively, holding back the urge to say something stupid.

Chef pulled out a notepad. "I assume you want our Pumpkin Spice?"

"And a croissant!" She chirped. Chef nodded and added it in.

He turned to Cody. "And yer usual: hot chocolate with a shot of expresso and whipped cream?" He listed off from memory.

Sammy looked back, giving Cody a quizzical look. "I thought you said you-"

"Ah Chef buddy, what a kidder!" Cody laughed before glaring at Chef. "But y'know I do want something sweet today, so why not!" He shrugged. "Oh, and one of those cherry puff pastries!" He pointed down at a bright red snack, his eyes widening.

"Aight kid." Chef nodded, grabbing the pastries. "Cash or card?" Sammy pulled out a pink debit card from her purse, which Chef swiped.

"I'll bring your drinks right over, you crazy kids." The café owner told them. As turned around, the couple sitting at the window seat had just gotten up. A tall, beautiful asian women and a strong, model like hispanic man walked out of the café, their hands interlocked. Seizing the opportunity, they seized the prime real estate for themselves.

"So what are you struggling with?" Cody asked after settling into his seat. After all, studying is what they came to do. Studying, and nothing else, he sternly reminded himself.

"A bit of everything." Sammy frowned, pulling out her notes. "I have a lot of notes but maybe I missed something during the lecture." She explained, passing the bright red notebook over to Cody. He read the notes, and turned the page.

"No you have everything in here! You definitely aren't missing anything the professor said!" Cody exclaimed.

Sammy looked down at her lap dejectedly. "Yeah, I know I suck at math" She said with a sigh.

"No no!" Cody shook his head. "I mean you've got too much in here." He clarified, passing the notes back to her. "I was wondering why you never stopped writing in class."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you put down basically everything the professor says, even if it's not important. Look here." He explained, pointing to an extraneous bit of trivia. "Of course you are missing the important explanations!"

Sammy nodded, looking at her notes. "I don't need to get everything?"

"Nope." Cody shook his head. "Focus on the important stuff."

"Can I see your notes then." She asked, causing Cody to go pale.

"Well, see, I tend not to take notes in this class." He explained. "I already know the content and really I just need to complete it for my major."

Sammy nodded. "You're like a…" She paused for a moment. "A math wizard!" Cody cringed. A nickname he got in high school, among others. It'd started as a term of endearment for him, then a status, and then a mark; one that people used to try and get homework and test answers out of him.

"I mean, when you say it like that it sounds really… I don't know, weird?" Cody rubbed the back of his head, looking out the window onto the empty side street. Chef quietly placed both drinks on the table. Cody's drink was comically big compared to Sammy's.

"I mean, it's a lot cooler than the nicknames that I was given." She said with a smile. But her eyes narrowed, and looked down towards her drink. Sammy's voice was a bit like her latte. Very sweet, but there was still that hint of bitterness. "Plus being a wizard seems like it'd be pretty cool. Saying funny words and making all sorts of stuff happening." Sammy made a flicking motion as if she were holding a wand.

Cody simply took a sip of his hot chocolate. It was sweet, but more bitter than what he had as a kid, like it was just made from fresh cocoa. But the cocoa was nonetheless sugary, satisfying what Noah liked calling a 'sweet jaw'. He wiped off the wiped cream mustache it left behind. "Do you have any nicknames?" He asked, noticing something written on the side of the cup.

'Go get her kid', it read, with a grinny, cartoony Chef Hatchet drawn on the side in sharpie.

Her smile faded. "Ummmm," Sammy's eyes widened, her pupils just barely shaking. "Oh, we're supposed to be studying!" She blurted, her smile snapping back into place. Looking down at her notes. "Can you explain this equation from last class?"

Cody looked over, his eyes focusing on the symbols. "Oh, this equation! So, here you…" Sammy scooted her seat over to Cody, listening intently as he explained the equation. No rizz like explaining math to a girl.

"Oh, that makes a lot more sense." She said, grabbing a pen and taking the notebook. "So to solve this version of the question…" She scribbled something down and showed it to Cody.

"Yeah, exactly!" Cody exclaimed with a nod. "You clearly don't suck at math. You just take the worst notes I've ever seen!"

Sammy grinned sheepishly. "My bad." She looked back at her notebook. "So, for this equation?" She asked. Cody looked at the notebook, and began explaining again. Then he explained another one, and another one, all while Sammy figured it out at breakneck speeds, quickly answering example questions. They slowly ate their baked goods, and finished off their drinks. But they kept going over equations. Eventually, they stopped talking about math, and started talking about themselves.

"So because this school had a good teaching program, I ended up coming from southern California to here." Sammy explained. "Which is also why I need to take this stupid math class."

I'll let that insult to advanced trigonometry slide, Cody decided. "But that's so cool though!" He said. "I only got so into math because one of my elementary school teachers really made me find the fun in numbers."

Sammy nodded. "Yeah. A good teacher can really uplift you after all." She said, her voice a little wistful. Cody smiled, and looked at his phone. It was forty after two. They'd been at the café for nearly two and a half hours. Their next class was at four pm.

"Time just flew." Cody nodded. "We might want to wrap this up. There is only an hour till our next class." He told her, causing Sammy to jolt up in her chair.

"Has it really been that long?" Sammy wondered aloud, also checking her phone. "Oh no! I promised I'd grab some groceries today!" She scrambled out of her chair, stuffing her notebook into her backpack, but not before ripping out a piece of a page out. She scribbled something down hastily before leaving it on the table. "Sorry Cody, I'll see you at class!" She ran out the door. But then she stepped back in. "Thank you so much!" Sammy yelled back to Cody, her face beaming at him. Sammy left, for good this time. Cody slumped forward in his chair, his cheeks turning red. He looked down at the piece of paper. He picked it up, and read it. His cheeks turned redder.

(XXX)XXX-XXX Text me later! 3

Holy shit... it's her number! Cody picked up the piece of paper, his fingers trembling. Should I laminate it?

"Hey kid." Chef said. Cody turned towards the burly man, who looked down with his arms crossed. "I need you outta here now. Yer basically loitering."

Cody grabbed his bag, using his free hand to gingerly hold the scrap of paper like a precious thousand dollar bill. "Sorry about that!" Cody said, gunning for the door.

"Don't fuck it up!" Chef called behind Cody as the geek left the café, making his way to his next class.