chapter three,
test terror!

A FEW DAYS LATER, SCHOOL WAS FINALLY DONE for the day.    Brady's car was currently parked in front of the Crawford household. Kia was there, her and the siblings walking into the kitchen.   Cathy and Drew Crawford were a nice couple.  Cathy was a lawyer while Drew was a car mechanic.  They lived comfortably but not a flashy lifestyle.

"Hey, kids.  How was school?" Cathy asked, her Texas accent being quite strong.  Brady kissed his mother's cheek and Paige did the same.  Kia looked at the blonde woman, trying to finish the braid in her hair.   "It was okay.  How is the case coming along?"

"Awful.  They still didn't find a suspect who robbed and stabbed the woman." The bubbly girl gave her a reassuring smile.   "They will, Mrs. Crawford.  I'm sure of it."  Drew was stirring some cookie batter on the other side of the counter, adding flour to the mix. "Hi, Kia.  The kids didn't give you trouble today, right?"

"A bit." Kia joked. Paige gasped, looking at her father.   "We didn't! Well, I didn't.  But Brady did!"  Brady scoffed at his sister.  She always had a thing for the dramatics. "Dad, Paige is lying!"

The older man laughed, looking at them. "Kids, Kia was just playing around.  And I'm making cookies so please don't try and eat them before dinner." The two children smiled, nodding their heads. "We won't."

And what a lie that was.

After conversing with their parents, the Crawford siblings went to their rooms. 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.

Kia 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 replied, sitting at his desk. He and Kia went back and forth with formulas, problem solving, and graphs.

Hours later, 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!"

Once he saw that she went inside, he drove off. He always made sure his friends were safe before he'd leave. They were important to him.

And they always would be.

THE WEEKEND HAD COME TO AN END as Monday came upon them. Brady's car was in front of the Peters family home. Kia was sitting on her front porch, waiting for them. "Hi, Kia!" Paige called out.

She looked up, realizing it was Paige who said her name. She waved at the blonde girl as she walked down the stairs and jogged towards the car. Brady unlocked the door, allowing her to get inside. "Hi, guys." she greeted. The two siblings smiled, looking at her. "Hey, Kia."

Today, the blonde girl wore a beige sweatshirt, wide legged jeans, and white sneakers. Her brother, on the other hand, wore straight jeans, a graphic t-shirt, converse, and a baseball cap. "You guys ready for another day of school?" Paige asked.

"No. Today I have a test for Trig and I'm scared that I'm going to fail it." Brady answered. Kia gave him a small smile.  "Don't say that, Brady. I think your going to do well. I helped you study so you should be fine."

"I guess your right.  Do you guys have your seatbelts on?"

"Yes!" Kia and Paige exclaimed.  "Okay! Let's go!" Brady's car moved back and he drove onto the road. 
Eventually, he found a spot in front of the school. Once the three of them got out of the car, he locked it.  Paige checked her phone, noticing it was 7:50.

Shortly after, the Walter truck parked a few spots away from them. When the kids emerged from the car, Paige noticed Jackie wearing a white cardigan sweater, light purple tank top, low rise jeans, and white converse with a baseball cap. She kept fixing it every five seconds. That's weird, Paige thought.

Jackie noticed the trio, walking up to them. Meanwhile, Brady reviewed for math. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Jackie!" Kia and Paige exclaimed, causing Brady to look up from his flash cards. The brunette gave her a quick wave before going back to his notes. Jackie's eyes darted nervously, deciding to turn her attention on the blonde in front of her.

"So how are you enjoying Colorado?" Paige asked. "It's fine, I guess." Jackie answered. The school doors started to open, signaling all the students to go inside. As they went through the doors, Brady put his flash cards in his backpack. He just hoped the test would be smooth sailing.

After the kids went to their lockers, it was time for first period.  Quickly entering Mr. Briggs' classroom, Brady took his seat and placed his bag on the floor. "Alright, kids. Take out a pen or pencil and your calculator. I will pass your tests. Once you get it, you may start."

As soon as the paper was handed to him, Brady's mind went blank. The test was on perfect square trinomials and the quadratic formula. Taking a deep breath, he went to work. From adding like terms to square rooting numbers, Brady kept crossing out work and rewriting it. Scribbling down an answer for the final question and writing his name, he flipped the paper over.

The bell finally rang after what seemed like forever and he gave Mr. Briggs his test. "Students, please go to your homerooms." the principal says from the speaker. Quickly grabbing his things, he scrambled to his homeroom.

Class after class, it was finally time for lunch. Brady couldn't stop thinking about the math test. He understood the material, don't get him wrong. It was just whenever he saw it on a test or homework assignment, his mind went blank.

"Brady, were you listening?" Paige asked.  The boy realized he had zoned out for a minute, not paying attention to what his sister had said.  "No.  What did you say?"

"I was talking about my test in Trigonometry today.  It was pretty easy. What about you?"

"It was... okay." he stated.  Jackie walked past their table, waving at the girls.  "Hi, guys."

"Hey, Jackie!" Samira, Kia, and Paige exclaimed, waving back. Brady just waved, only for her quickly walk away.

And he'd never understand why.

LUNCH HAD ENDED and Brady was in art class. To his surprise, Mr. Briggs walked in. "Good afternoon, guys. Your teacher is on their lunch break so I will be giving back your tests."

As the man handed out the tests, Brady couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach.  Once his paper was placed on his desk, he didn't want to look at it. He took a deep breath, having some hope. Turning the paper over, he noticed a big red 'F' on it. His cheeks flushed with both anger and embarrassment. What would his parents think?

"You may continue with what you were doing." Mr. Briggs instructed. As the man left the classroom, he noticed the girl from New York. "Jackie Howard?" he questioned, causing the girl to stop in her tracks.

She turned around, relieved it was Mr. Briggs. "Yes, sir?"

"Could I please talk to you for a minute? Do you have a class right now?" he asked. "Uh, I do. But please make it quick."

"I will. Um, how would you feel about tutoring?" Jackie raised an eyebrow, holding her books. "Why do you ask?"

Mr. Briggs adjusted his glasses, looking at the girl. "Well, there's a student in my class and he needs help. If he doesn't get tutoring as of right now, he might not do well." Jackie frowned, feeling bad for whoever the student was. Was he a rebel? An athlete? She made multiple guesses in her mind as she blinked, realizing she had been zoning out for a few. "Uh... I'll do it."

"You will? Great! Would after school work for you?" Jackie looked at her schedule, nodding her head. "Yes. I think I could start today?"

"Great. I will email you the information. Thank you, Jackie." the man said, walking towards his classroom. The brown - haired girl made her way to her next class, her mind racing. Maybe tutoring wouldn't be so bad.

If only she knew who she was helping.

Maya Speaks 💫:

Finally felt motivated to update this book! Sorry for taking so long, Brackie nation 😭

Jackie avoiding him? That was painful to write ☹️ Cole you will rue the day

The slow burn is gonna be long so buckle up 🤭 I'm sorry but slow burns are my JAM (the pining?? the tension?? the buildup?? bring it back)