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◤ chapter eleven: ❛ engrained instincts ❜ ◢
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HOME COOKED MEALS HADN'T BEEN A STAPLE IN COOPER'S LIFE SINCE HE WAS A CHILD. When making his elementary school's soccer team had been his largest concern and memorizing his times tables were the normal. His parents used to trade off cooking, simple meals, but warm, made with the love of a parent. But Cooper and Jackson grew older, and their parents started to work more, and there wasn't anyone present to cook dinner.
Money was left to pick something up, and they learned how to make simple meals, but they weren't the homecooked meals made my a loving parent, but meals made to feed yourself and a sibling. They never tasted the same even if they followed the same recipe as before.
But then he met Julia. Julia refused to let Cooper go home on an empty stomach, much less after he confessed that he would probably only eat cereal dinner. Her lips turned downwards, head shaking slightly as she pushed Cooper into a seat, muttering to herself. Cooper learned long ago not to argue with her. Besides, Julia Prescott was an incredible cook, and sitting around the dining table with Julia and Penelope make the picture look like a family dinner.
"I got an A on my chemistry test," Penelope announced. Julia gave her a proud smile, the proper praise. Cooper chewed on his chicken. He can't remember the last time he told his mother the grade he got on a test.
He can't remember the last time she cared.
"How's school going for you?" Julia directed the question at him. He took a sip of water.
"Fine," a shrug, "Same old. Scott and Stiles have been distracting me – always worried about the alpha pack."
Julia frowned. "Never let anything get in the way of your education. You can talk about your problems after school."
Cooper didn't disagree. There was no reason to tell Julia that he preferred it, because economics was too boring and math lacking his interest. At least scheming excited his brain. Besides, it was nice to hear someone take an interest in his education.
His parents didn't comment on it. Sometimes they frowned and told him to work harder, along with a lecture about how working hard was the only way to get anywhere in life and how are you going to be a lawyer like your father if you don't study? Really, he couldn't think of the last time his parents had asked him about anything in his life.
Julia always asked.
They asked why Jackson wanted to transfer, but it was short lived curiosity before shrugging and calling Uncle Xavier and seeing if he would be willing to support Jackson while he was in London. They didn't even hug him goodbye.
