An open precalculus book flew across the table and landed with a loud thud on top of various of other textbooks and books borrowed from the library. Paper with uneven sides from roughly being torn out of a notebook covered half of the square table, scribbled on with Kendall's handwriting, growing messier from exhaustion with every hour that ticked by.

Three hours passed since Kendall begrudgingly wandered into the school's library, hunched over by the heavy books carried within her backpack and collapsed at the only empty table on the second floor. Her homework and notes were dispersed on the table she claimed as her own.

A deep, shaky breath pulled between her teeth as her head fell into her palms, mentally willed herself not to break down in the middle of the library. She found herself already buried deep in stress over her mother, the move, and Arden's disappearance. A whole new wave crashed into her being over the past few days of her arrival.

Kendall was on day three of her senior year at Beacon Hills High School and felt on the verge of a mental breakdown. Her biology teacher declared the class would have a massive test tomorrow on the past five chapters of math they learned about— the past five chapters that Kendall knew nothing about because the teacher refused to work at a slower pace for her students to properly understand.

Kendall felt overwhelmed, certain she'd break down into tears if someone so much as looked at her the wrong way.

She pushed her hair out of her face and refocused on a library book that explained one of the lessons a bit better than the textbook. The entire three hours in the library consisted of Kendall reading different books to help her understand the upcoming precalculas test and encourage herself to write the autobiography essay her English III teacher requested.

The words written in the book blurred as her eyes filled with tears. A noise of frustration flitted from her lips from her inability to understand. Her arms swiped across the table in front of her. The book and a few loose papers crashed to the floor.

She ignored the concerned looks shot her way as her upper torso fell over top the table with her arms covered her head. All of her remaining energy worked to prevent the teenager from uncontrollably bursting out in tears.

"You okay?" A disembodied, male voice asked from somewhere near the table.

Her bottom lip pulled between her teeth before she uttered a quiet 'no' to the stranger.

"Do you need help?"

Kendall scoffed at the question. "Mentally or physically? Because the answer is yes to both," she whispered in sarcastic, yet desperate voice.

The boy chuckled.

The sound of the book she knocked to the floor crinkled before he placed the book back on the table with the rest of the papers.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Only if you want to witness a breakdown happen because of school," she responded, earnestly.

The chair opposite of hers dragged across the carpeted floor as he pulled it away from the table and sat down. "Maybe I should grab some popcorn," he joked in an attempt to ease her stress.

Kendall softly giggled at his response. Her stomach growled at the mention of food, realizing she hadn't ate since lunch.

"I'm Theo," he introduced himself.

"I'm about to murder myself."

The teenager silently cursed herself for being overly open about her stressed feelings with the stranger. She smiled to herself when his laughter filled the second floor of the library. There was a part of herself that felt better talking to the stranger.

"Kendall Finstock?" He asked in a questioning tone.

The sound of her name uttered from his lips forced Kendall's head to pop up from the table, confused to how he knew her name. Her mouth parted in as her hazel eyes locked on his dashingly good looks. A friendly smile spread across his lips and brought her attention to his sharp-cut jawline.

She closed her mouth as she deeply inhaled through her nose, blown away by the stranger's attractiveness. A part of her regretted the way she carried the conversation seconds ago, wishing she had played it off in a cooler manner.

"Are you related to Coach?" Theo pushed the notebook away from him.

That explained how he knew her name.

"Yeah, he's my Uncle," Kendall answered.

She gathered the loose papers he picked up from the floor and shoved them into the notebook.

A look of bewilderment crossed Theo's face.

Kendall raised a brow at the response. "Why does everyone do that?" She asked, waving her hand at him across the table. "Why is everyone so surprised when I say he's my Uncle?"

Theo smiled, amusement shined in his cobalt eyes. "It's just weird to think about anyone being related to him," he explained with a small shrug. "Coach is just so..."

"Loud? Crazy? A little obnoxious, sometimes?" She asked, smiling.

He nodded.

Her head matched his actions. "Well, I've always gotten along with him better than my own father, so—" Kendall stopped herself with a distant look in her eyes.

"Are you studying for Mr. Archer's test?" Theo easily switched the subject when he noticed her lightly shake her head.

He leaned forward on the table with his forearms and pointed at the flipped upside down precalculus book. Kendall stretched across the table for the book and flipped it over in front of her, huffing.

"I think 'trying' is the proper term," she corrected him. "You would think he would feel bad for the new girl and give her some time, but no, he said I only missed a day compared to the rest of his students and should learn to take better notes. So, I have accepted my fate of failing it."

"What if I helped you study?" Theo asked. He grabbed the textbook out of her hands and pulled it back to his side of the table. "I took this class at my old school."

Kendall eyed him, wearily. "You would do that?"

The book slammed shut between his hands.

"The first thing you need to do is not get distracted."

"Excuse you," she snipped at him with the corners of her lips lifted. "You're the one that talked to me first. Besides, that's the whole reason I came to the library. I could get way too distracted by my laptop or food at my Uncle's house."

Theo pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "That's the second thing you need to do," he added. "You've got to eat something. So, get up and grab your things. We're going to stop that growling in your stomach."

A faint shade of red blazed over Kendall's cheeks. She hoped he hadn't heard her stomach growling. She watched him in amazement as he walked toward the stairs after he stacked her textbooks together. Nothing made sense to her as to why such a cute guy wanted to help her study and grab something to eat together.

Theo turned around when he reached the stairs. "You coming?"

Butterflies erupted in Kendall's stomach at the bright smile he gave her. The panic of a mental breakdown washed away with every word Theo spoke until she forgot she nearly lost it in the first place. She inhaled before she shoved her textbooks and papers messily into her backpack.

"Don't rush me," she teased him.

The backpack strap on her shoulder was removed by Theo's right hand when she approached him by the stairs. He swung it over his own shoulder and led the way down the stairs.

Realization dawned on Kendall at the nearly empty library. Night had fallen over an hour ago and only five students remained within the walls with their heads buried in their own homework.

A loud, grumbling noise filled the air of the first floor, earning the attention from the few teenagers. Kendall's eyes widened in embarrassment as she wrapped her arms around her stomach as if to muffle the noise of starvation.

Two students hushed her. Kendall and Theo locked eyes on their way to the exit, amused by the situation, barely able to hold their laughter in before they stumbled out into the chilly air of Beacon Hills. 

XXXX

Hi, okay. 

Technically, this chapter is supposed to be longer, but I don't like how choppy that would be. Instead, I'm ending it here and I will continue with the next part in the next chapter. I know this chapter isn't super long, but I don't think it matters too much since Kendall met Theo. I think it makes up for it. 

I love showing a different side of Theo. It's my favorite. Like he's still a bad person in this season, but I like to think this side of him also exists somewhere deep down. 

Also, if anyone forgot, Kendall is played by Astrid Berges Frisbey. I've always believed she fit her perfectly. 

Question: How are we feeling about their meeting?

So, yeah!