Cora hummed slightly, looking down at her math homework she hadn't finished. She was heading into the cafeteria when she'd heard a voice. "Cora! Come here!"

She looked up, seeing Hawk wave her over to his table. She was hesitant, walking over with a tiny smile. "Hey, Hawk."

He pulled the chair next to him out. "Sit with us today."

Cora looked at the three asshole boys she'd just scared in the parking lot the day before. "Piper wanted me to-"

"You sit with Piper everyday." he encouraged her to sit, pulling the chair even closer. "Cmon, what are you working on?"

Cora sat down, dropping her bag as his arm went over the back of her chair. "Math homework. Didn't finish it last night."

"Why? Where were you?" he questioned her quickly, Cora looked slightly off guard by the sudden tone.

"I was no where. My uncle and I started a show and ended up watching all of season one." the blonde answered in return. She looked back at the paper. "So, now i'm trying-"

"Yo, Braceface!" Hawk called to a scrawny kid, sitting alone at a table. "Get over here!"

Cora watched oddly as the boy walked over, her eyebrows shot up as he took the homework. "Get this finish by the end of lunch or i'll have your face in a locker."

The boy took it, hurrying back toward his table quickly. Hawk turned to Cora with a grin, twisting a strand of her hair. "Problem solved."

Cora gave a tiny grin, adjusting her sitting so part of her back touched his arm behind her.

Mitch walked over, going to take his seat before Hawks foot came up to block it. "Sorry. Party's full."

"Where am I suppose to sit?" he looked questionable, and almost awkwardly like.

"The rejects' table. Over there." Hawk scoffed, nodding toward a table of ex- Cobras. Cora wondered why they had to be so mean to show a form of dominance. She was never a mean person, usually staying away from people like that until she'd met Hawk and he was now having her sit at his table.

Mitch walked off as the table laughed. Cora adjusted her sitting in her chair, Hawk rubbed her shoulders slightly. "What are we doing after school?"

Cora looked his way. "Do we have plans?"

"We do now." he said back with a cheeky grin.

"My parents get off at six but we have a home theater." Cora suggested with a little grin. "And a popcorn machine."

He made sure to flash a cocky grin toward his friends, and Cora saw it. The trio of boys gave him knowing smirks in return, and Cora wished she'd been anywhere but here now. "Sounds perfect."

She forced a smile, looking back toward the kid with her homework. "I forgot some of my books in my locker."

"Hey, go get Cora's book f-" Hawk started toward across the table, behind cut off.

"No, i've got it." she said back, pulling her bag up her arm some more as she walked away. Cora wasn't use to guys ever inviting her to sit with them, or even actually paying attention to her after their one night together. But, she liked Hawk. They acted like a couple, it was nearly confirmed they were, but she wasn't stupid, despite what people said. She knew that look he gave, she knew exactly what he was doing when he brought up unexpected plans.

But, what really pissed her off was the fact that she knew they weren't gonna have sex like he was hinting at to get some sort of validation or praise from his friends. Hawk wouldn't even touch Cora past her shoulders, he was still terrified after the first time he came over, and she knew that. Yet, he made it seem suggestive to his friends that they would. Cora felt like he was flaunting her, and not in a good way as to show off how lucky he was to have her. In an extremely objectifying way that made her instantly think that maybe he wasn't as different from the rest of the guys as she'd thought he was.

"You missed it today." Hawk spoke up when there had been too much silence between the pair. They did end up watching their movie, an old film that Cora picked out. He expected her to crave physical affection the second he got there, like she always had. Curl up in his side, want to hold his hand, lay her head on his shoulder. Something, anything. But, he was met with a bucket of popcorn shoved between them. "We all went to that dumb park dojo and showed up Sensei Lawrence's new group."

Cora stayed looking at the screen. "I didn't see the message until I got home."

Hawk had the urge to hold her hand and ask what was wrong, but the second he hovered his pinkie toward hers, panic flooded his body and decided to just use words this time. "Is everything okay with you? Did that little asshole fail you're math homework?"

"No, I got an A." Cora said back with an exhale. "It's fine. Just a long day."

But, she was a liar, and he knew it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Cora paused the movie, turning to look at him. "Are you just waiting for a good opportunity to sleep with me?"

Hawk looked taken back by her words. "What?"

"Because we keep hanging out and we haven't done anything but when I go around your asshole friends, you made it seem like we are having sex." the blonde went on. She was mad, but her voice didn't show it. Cora was never good at expressing her anger, she'd always turned to sadness or silence. But she wasn't silent, now she'd just had a painful tone when in reality, she was mad.

"No, that not-" he tried to find a way to explain him. "I just know how those guys are. I just did that so they wouldn't ask a million questions."

"Yeah, I know how those guys are too." she said back. It was a causal saying, but he sensed the pure venom behind them. "I don't like that you're making people think we're having sex when we're definitely not."

He turned to her with a nod. "Okay. I'm sorry. I won't make it seem that way again."

There wasn't much else to say, but she didn't feel much better after they'd gotten that out of the way. Hawk rubbed his thumbs together. "Hey. Im sorry."

Cora shrugged. "You're just starting to confuse me."

"I am?" he tilted his head to attempt to catch her eye. "Why?"

"Because we've been hanging out for a while and you haven't even tried to have sex with me again." Cora said back with a confused look. "Not a single guy has ever done that before."

"I don't- I mean, I want to." he tried to explain, flushed in the face. "But I don't want to...mess it all up again."

Cora stared at him, her heart hurt. "So, basically, you're just hanging out with me in hopes one of these days you'll feel comfortable enough to try and have sex with me again?"

Hawk had zero clue that's what she had been hinting at when she first brought it up. His eyes tripled in size. "What? No. No. I didn't mean it that way. I thought you were asking why we hadn't-"

He stopped himself as she stared over at him. The sad, dark eyes that haunting him every single time he'd touch her. Hawk leaned over some to be closer. "It's not like that. I swear. I mean, yeah, i'd totally like to go to that level with you, but I just like hanging out with you. Even if we did have sex, i'd still want to hang out with you all the time."

Cora stared, her lips turned up, but her eyes were still sad. "Actually?"

"Yeah, actually." he promised with a little grin. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Cora shook her head. "I know they probably all expect it."

Hawk frowned his eyebrows slightly. "You don't have to keep taking their shit. Especially not now."

"I know." Cora said back with a little shrug. "Doesn't change the fact that it still happened."

He adjusted to lean on his hand some. "What? Do you regret having sex with those guys?"

Cora shrugged. "I mean, yeah. Afterwards. I clearly know they're just using me, yet I do it anyways."

Hawks pinkie rested on hers. "Want me to kill them?"

Cora almost laughed. "No. I'm against the death penalty."

Hawk laughed slightly. "I'd be worse."

She smiled. "I know."

He moved the popcorn bucket on the floor, holding his arm out some so she could move in. Cora laid her head on him slightly, Hawks arm draped around her shoulders slightly. Cora nudged her head upwards some. "Wanna kiss my forehead?"

Hawk smiled, kissing her forehead slightly as she started their movie up again.

•

kylie speaks

c and e sittin in a tree.