Sophomore Year || Parenthood Series, Book One || WATTYS 2018

Chapter Thirty-Five

SOUNDTRACK: "Evil Ways" - Santana

"Are we good for this afternoon?" Sloan asked Kate, nudging her slightly.

"We should be," she responded.

They had just finished a Saturday practice and Kate had invited Sloan over to study afterward. She had made sure Jared wasn't going to be home, but she didn't ask him if inviting anyone over was okay. Sloan seemed pretty cool and hadn't really given her any bad vibes, so Kate wasn't worried.

"Let me get cleaned up and we can head over to my place," Kate answered.

Over the past week, she and Sloan had actually grown closer. They had bonded over their mutual love for The Big Bang Theory and John Mayer. Kate had been sparing with details of her personal life, but now she was ocsillating between telling Sloan the truth and keeping it a secret. If they were going to stay friends, she'd have to tell her at some point. But Kate was considering using their afternoon studying as a test; if Sloan recognized anything around Jared's house as his, she was probably too much of a fan to be friends with.

Twenty minutes later, Kate was giving Sloan directions to the house as the older girl drove them back from Winterlake.

"I didn't know you lived in the Hills," Sloan remarked as they turned onto Jared's street. "I wish I could live up here. Your dad must be super rich."

Kate took a shaky breath to try to calm her nerves. "It's up here on the right," she said, trying to hide the nerves in her voice.

Sloan parked her car in the driveway, looking around at the front yard. "It's nice," she remarked.

"Thanks," she said. "We're just staying here with my dad's friend until our new house is ready," she added, hoping it was enough to convince her.

"Where are you guys moving to?" Sloan asked.

"Across the canyon," Kate replied, remembering that the best lies are the ones that havethe most truth in them. The less you need to keep straight, the easier the lie is to remember. "My dad got a nice house over there."

They got out of the car and Kate led the way to the side door, looking through the window to make sure there was no evidence of Jared's presence immediately visible. The lights were off and everything seemed quiet, so she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Watch out for the dog," Kate managed to say just before Vedder appeared. "He's kind. Just obnoxious," she laughed as Sloan froze while Vedder snuffled across her jacket. "Do you want anything to drink? I think we've got some stuff here."

"Uh - water is fine, thanks," Sloan answered as she looked around.

Kate went into the kitchen and practically fainted when she saw Jared's Oscar sitting on top of the toaster. He had put a tiny scarf made from a red napkin around the statue's neck "in case he got cold." She cursed under her breath and shoved it into the cabinet overhead, rattling several wine glasses. She filled two cups with water and went back to the dining room where she had left Sloan.

"Here we go," she said, setting the cups down. She pulled her book from her bag and opened it to their most recent chapter. "So I like to use the book, but it's up to you," she started. "I don't know what you want to focus on today."

"We can just go over some chemical bonding for now," Sloan replied.

"Sure. Why don't you do a few practice problems and I'll check them when you're done," Kate said.

Just then Vedder pawed at her leg, wanting to go for a walk. She sighed and tried to ignore it. She definitely wasn't going to leave Sloan here by herself, even if the girl didn't seem like she'd snoop around. Fifteen minutes passed and Vedder was at it again, this time adding in a low whine. He'd just keep doing it until she gave in.