CHAPTER ONE
── ₊°༺ rubberband ༻°₊ ──

𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗔 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗘'𝗦 secret relationship hadn't remained a secret for long. They had been careful initially, only meeting up late at night or during parties when everyone was too drunk to notice. But it was only a matter of time before someone caught on.

It all came crashing down one night, a month after they had started, when Danny Walter, Cole's twin brother, walked into their shared room and found Nora halfway out the window. She had been trying to slip out unnoticed after another late-night rendezvous, but the sight of Danny standing there, eyes wide with shock, stopped her in her tracks.

For a moment, nobody moved. Danny's gaze flicked between Nora and Cole, lying shirtless on his bed in a deep sleep. What had just happened was obvious, and there was no use denying it."What the hell is going on?" Danny finally managed to choke out.

The only words that came out of her mouth were, "Please don't tell anyone," before she quickly climbed the rest of the way out of the window, her heart pounding.

And Danny might not have told anyone, but Nathan did after he watched the girl sprint across the lawn to her car. Nathan, who had been getting ready for his morning run on the front porch, hidden by the shadows, saw everything.

By the next day, Nathan had accidentally let the secret slip to the entire Walter-Garcia family, excluding the parents. To say Nora was pissed would be an understatement. She made them all swear they would never tell a single soul, threatening to sneak into their rooms and cut out their tongues if they did.

No one ever spoke of it again (at least not to her face).

── ₊°༺ 𖤓 ༻°₊ ──

𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗗 passed since that night, and Nora's life was as boring as ever.

She walked towards school, her jacket tied around her waist despite the warm weather her grandmother had insisted she brought it.

As she neared the entrance, she saw the Walter-Garcia clan emerging from Cole's rusty old car, which looked ready for retirement. But what caught her eye was a brunette girl in a fancy sweater vest stepping out of the car.

"That's the new girl," someone said, rushing up to Nora. She turned to find her best friend, Riley Hayes, catching up. "Her entire family died, and she just moved here from New York."

Nora glanced briefly at the new girl but didn't let her curiosity linger. "Wow, that's rough," she said.

Riley nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, it's tragic. She's that famous designer's kid."

"Hmm," Nora replied, her thoughts already drifting. She wasn't particularly interested in this Jackie girl. "Well, I've got math first period. Let's just get to class."

In math class, Nora found herself sitting directly behind Cole. She slumped into her chair and pulled out her notebook.

Mrs. Harper, the teacher, began handing back their graded tests. Nora glanced at hers-an A, as expected-but noticed a note written by Mrs. Harper: "See me after class."Her eyes then moved to Cole's test, which was face down on his desk. When he turned it over, she saw the glaring red D-.

As the bell rang, Mrs. Harper cleared her throat, "Cole, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

Cole's face paled slightly, and he shuffled out of his seat to approach the teacher's desk. Everyone else made their way out of the room, but Nora stayed behind as Mrs. Harper had requested.

"Cole, I'm concerned about your performance," Mrs. Harper said. "You've been falling behind, and I think some extra help could make a big difference."

"I don't need any help," Cole replied.

"Well, you'll be getting some, or you'll have to attend summer school," Mrs. Harper countered. "I'll expect you here right after school with Nora."

Nora's head snapped up. "What? You want me to tutor Cole?"

Mrs. Harper nodded firmly. "Yes. I think it will be beneficial for both of you. You've been performing exceptionally well, and Cole needs someone to help him catch up. I'm sure you two can manage it."

Nora's stomach sank. She and Cole had a complicated relationship-sure, they were friends with benefits, but they didn't exactly get along. The thought of spending more time with him, especially in a tutor-tutee capacity, made her cringe.

Cole, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, muttered, "I don't need a tutor. I can figure it out."

Mrs. Harper's expression remained unchanged. "It's either tutoring with Nora or summer school. Your choice."

Cole sighed, defeated. "Fine, I'll do it."

Nora continued to pack her bag slowly, trying to process the situation. When she finally made her way to Mrs. Harper's desk, she couldn't hide her frustration." Mrs. Harper, is there any way I can be excused from this? I don't think it's a good idea for me to tutor him," she said, her tone barely masked with politeness.

Mrs. Harper shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Both of you need to work together. I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work."

With that, Nora shot a look at Cole, who was now gathering his things, and all she could think about was how this would interfere with her sex life.

── ₊°༺ 𖤓 ༻°₊ ──

"So when you guys are screwing, does it mean you're going to have to give him math equations and for each one he gets right, he gets to touch you or something?" Riley joked as the two sat down for lunch.

Riley was the only person Nora had confided in about her and Cole, and it was times like these when she regretted it.

"Oh my god, Riles, shut up!"

Riley laughed, clearly enjoying the discomfort she was causing. Nora rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small smile.

"Okay, fine, I get it," Nora said, grabbing her sandwich. "But seriously, this tutoring thing is going to be a nightmare."

Riley took a sip from her water bottle, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Maybe you two should set some ground rules. Like, no yelling, and no making it personal. And definitely no mixing math with... other activities. We wouldn't want him thinking he can solve equations to get extra perks."

Nora groaned, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Riles, seriously?"

Riley laughed, clearly enjoying the reaction.

Nora shook her head with a smile. She was about to say something when Riley beat her to it. "Holy shit, look who just sat down with Walter and his posse."

Nora looked up to see Jackie Howard, the new girl, taking a seat at Cole's table. Cole had clearly offered her a place, and she was now settling in with his group.

Erin Collins, Cole's on-again, off-again girlfriend, was there as well, a look of disdain placed on her face. Nora had always hated Erin; she had a reputation for being arrogant and cutting, and her presence never failed to irk Nora.

"Looks like Jackie's already making her move," Riley observed, glancing at Nora. "And Erin doesn't look too pleased about it."

Nora's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Erin cast a dismissive glance at Jackie. It was clear that Erin wasn't thrilled about the new girl intruding on her social circle.

"Great," Nora muttered. "This is just what we need-more drama."

Riley nudged her, changing the subject. As they continued eating, Nora's attention occasionally flicked back to Jackie and Cole's table. Jackie was attempting to engage with Cole and his friends, her smile determined despite the cool reception from Erin.

It was clear that the new girl was trying hard to fit in, and Nora almost felt bad for her.

INEZ SPEAKS
this chap is dedicated to -gracieabrams- HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 (everyone wish her a happy bday rn 🔫)

this was literally written in an hour so that's why it's so shitty. episode one is complete so i tried my best without using the episode cause nora didn't fit into it much.

also, for the record: nora doesn't hate jackie she just doesn't care abt her!