Beautiful Mess (26 page)

“You’re
awfully quiet this morning,” he observed.

“I’m
just a little sad that we have to go home.  I’m not sure I’m ready to go
back and face reality yet.”

“Face
reality?”

“Yeah,
the whole Serena thing, having to pretend we don’t know each other, new
classes.  We won’t have Ceramics anymore, so the only time I’ll get to see
you is History.  We won’t be able to talk to each other all day,” she
sighed.  “It was nice to be able to forget about all that for a few days.”

“Yes,
it was,” Cole agreed somberly.

She
looked up at him.  His dark hair was being tossed about by the breeze, and
his eyes were the same gray-blue color as the ocean.  She didn’t think
she’d ever seen anyone so perfect.  The thought of having to ignore him
for eight hours a day at school was almost more than she could bear.

“You
know what I wish?” she asked.

“What?”
he looked over at her.

“I
wish we could at least be friends at school, if not a couple.  Do you know
how hard it is to ignore you all day?  How much energy it takes not to
look at you?”

“Not
nearly as hard as it is for me to ignore you,” he smiled.

“See? 
You know what I’m talking about.  I don’t think I have it in me.  If
we could at least acknowledge each other, talk to each other, the rest might
not be so unbearable.”

“It
might draw some unwanted attention from Serena.  Are you sure you want
that?”  He looked doubtful.

“Please,”
Bri scoffed.  “Like I care what anyone in that school thinks of me. 
I’ve got one more semester, and then I never have to see those people
again.  I can survive anything for a few months.”

Cole
thought it over for a minutes. 

“Okay,
I’m in,” he smiled.

“Really? 
We can be friends?” she smiled excitedly.

“Definitely! 
We should still keep it low key, so we don’t draw too much attention.  But
I think it’ll be good for Trey and everyone to see that I’ve got other friends,
too.”

“Baby
steps,” Bri nodded.  “I can do that.  And since we’re not at school
right now, I can also do this!”  She pulled him in and kissed him, letting
her lips show him just how excited she was.  She felt a stirring of hope
and enthusiasm for her last semester of high school. 

Maybe
this could still be the best year of her life.  Anything was possible,
right?

Bri
woke the next day back in her own bed, and to an empty house.  She decided
to take advantage and indulge in all the things she never got to do with her
family there.  She got up and went for a run, then came home and made
herself an ice cream sundae for breakfast.  She then grabbed her book and
climbed into a steaming hot bubble bath and read for a couple of hours. 
When the water got cold she climbed out and headed to her room, not even
bothering with a robe.   She blasted her music as she got dressed and
did her hair.  After running down to the coffee shop for a peppermint hot
chocolate and a piece of coffee cake for lunch (Summer would have a fit over
all the junk food), she actually started to get lonely.  Her family wasn’t
due home until later that night. 

Bri
decided to call Layla and invite her over.  She caught Layla in the middle
of shopping, but she promised Bri that she’d come over when she was done. 
Bri figured she should probably get some homework done while she waited for Layla,
but instead decided to call the person she was really lonely for.

It
was funny.  After spending so much time with Cole over the past few days,
it was weird not seeing him that morning.  She was surprised how much she
already missed him.  She could’ve invited Cole over, but after her naked
Cole fantasy, she didn’t think that would be prudent.  Plus, her dad would
blow a gasket if he found out she had a boy over when they were all out of
town.  Deciding not to push her luck, she settled on a phone call.

Cole
picked up after the first ring. 

They
talked for a while, and Bri was glad to find that he missed her as much as she
missed him.  It was less pathetic if they both were feeling it.  They
laughed and chatted until they were interrupted by Layla’s insistent pounding
on the front door.  Reluctantly, Bri said goodbye, and went to get the
door for an obviously overexcited Layla.

Layla
catapulted herself at Bri with a squeal and wrapped her in a bear hug.

“You’ll
never guess what Devon got me for Christmas!”  Layla pulled back and
flashed  the very pretty, very expensive looking charm bracelet on her
wrist.  “Can you believe it?  Though I’m totally convinced his mom
helped him pick it out, this is still the sweetest thing anyone’s ever given
me!”

“Wow,
Lay, it’s beautiful!” Bri admired the bracelet.  “Is it real gold?”

“Yep,”
Layla beamed proudly.  “Must’ve cost him a fortune, too!  Look, he
got the ballet slipper for me, the football helmet for him, and the heart is
for us,” she flipped through the charms.  “And he promised he’d get me
enough charms to fill the whole bracelet.  I wonder how long that will
take?”

“That’s
awesome.  Devon
really
deserves bonus points for this.  He’s a
great guy.  I’m glad you two are happy.”

“Yeah,
me too,” Layla gazed lovingly at her present.  “Oh!  That’s a pretty
necklace,” she motioned to Bri’s butterfly. 

“Thanks,”
Bri beamed.  “I, uh, got it for Christmas.”

“Nice! 
Speaking of presents, let me show you what I bought today!”  She picked
her shopping bags off the porch and headed into Bri’s room.  “You have to
help me figure out what to wear to Natalie’s New Year’s Eve party.  What
are you wearing?  We should totally coordinate.  You are going,
right?”

“Natalie
is having a New Year’s Eve party?  Um, why on earth would I
want
to
go?”  Bri wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t received an invite from her
nemesis on the Dance Team.  Though a truce had been called for competition
season’s sake, Bri and Natalie weren’t on friendly terms. 

“Oh,
come on, you have to go!  Everyone will be there, and Nat actually throws
a pretty good party.  I have an idea!  Nick will probably be there,
maybe the four of us could go together?”  Layla looked at her hopefully.

“No. 
Nick is nice and all, but I’m not interested.  You need to get over it.” 
Bri gave Layla a stern look.

“Okay,
if I promise to stop playing matchmaker, will you come to the party?” Layla
pleaded.

“You
promise you’ll leave me alone?  For the rest of the year?”

“I
promise.  Now say you’ll come!”

“Ugh,
alright!  Although I make no promises about how long I’ll stay,” Bri
conceded.

“Yay! 
Now let’s pick out something to wear.  We’ve only got a couple days to
perfect our fabulousness!”

As
the girls went through Bri’s wardrobe and Layla’s shopping bags, Bri realized
how much she’d missed hanging out with her friend.  Between Devon and
Cole, the girls hadn’t spent much time together.  Bri decided she needed
to be better about scheduling some girl time in the future.

The
girls ordered in pizza and watched chick flicks until Layla had to get
home.  There were still a couple of hours before Bri’s family would be
home, so she decided to check in with Claire.  She got Claire’s voice mail
and left a message.  Trying not to feel like a pathetic, clingy
girlfriend, Bri gave in and called Cole again.

“Wow,
two calls in one day,” Cole answered the phone.  “Someone must really be
missing me!”

“Shut
up.”  Bri was grateful he couldn’t see her blushing.  “Like you
haven’t been debating whether or not to call me for the past hour.”

“Two
hours, actually, but that doesn’t change the fact that
you
caved first!”

“I
didn’t cave!  I actually have something important to ask you, and that’s
why I called... again.”

“Oh,
really?  And what was so pressing it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” Cole
taunted.

“I
was wondering...”  Bri searched her mind for a legitimate question. 
“Oh, are you going to Natalie’s New Year’s Eve party?”  Thank you brain.

“I
was thinking about it.  Are you?”

Was
Bri really the only one who hadn’t heard anything about this party?

“Yes,
unfortunately.  Layla talked me into going.  I wasn’t invited, so I
thought it might be fun to crash.”

“Well,
if you’re going, I’m definitely going.  Although...” Cole trailed off
ominously.

“Although
what?”

“Well,
Serena will be there, so I’m thinking it’d be good to take a date.  You
know, a good opportunity to fight the Serena front,” he finished hesitantly.

Bri
tried to suppress her anger and jealousy.  Of course the date would just
be a ruse, but it still made her crazy to think of Cole out with another
girl.  Even fictitiously.

“Um,
okay,” was all she could manage to say.

“Ambria,”
he sighed, “you
know
I want to go with you.  The thought of going
with another girl makes me sick.  But I really think that this is an
opportunity that shouldn’t be passed up.  The sooner Serena moves on, the
sooner you and I can be together, really together, for the whole world to
see.  Please tell me you understand that,” he pleaded.

The
raw emotion in Cole’s voice brought Bri back to herself.

“Of
course I understand,” she relented.  “I just hate this, you know?”

“Yes,
I do,” he sighed.  “But, this will be the last time.  If Serena can’t
get the message by now, then it won’t matter what I do in the future.  So
I promise, this will be the last time I go anywhere with any girl other than
you.”

“Really?” 
Bri’s heart swelled, and she felt her eyes tearing up.

“Yes,
really.”

“Okay
then,” she shook the tears from her eyes.  “So, who are you going to
take?  And please don’t tell me you’re taking another one of Serena’s
slutty cheer minions.”

“And
what’s wrong with slutty cheer minions?” he laughed.

“Please,
you didn’t have to watch the last one pawing all over you.  I swear they
have to take a promiscuity pledge to make the team,” she huffed.

“Promiscuity
pledge?” Cole laughed.  “And that’s something you’re against? 
Promiscuity?”  He was definitely teasing her now.

“As
a practice?  Yes,” she quipped back.

“So,
I take it you’ve never...?” he trailed off, the humor obvious in his voice.

“What?” 
Bri felt herself blushing again.  Were they seriously talking about this
now?  “No!”

“Just
checking.  Because I seem to recall a conversation where you said that you
wouldn’t be sleeping with me or anyone else, ever.  I was just wondering
if your opinions on the subject had changed, now that you don’t despise my very
existence anymore?” he goaded her.  Okay, he was taking way too much
enjoyment in her discomfort.

“I’m
not having sex in high school, period.  Not with you, or anyone else for
that matter,” she replied frankly. 

“Oh? 
And why not?”

“Um,
because I’m not one of those stupid girls that believes the only thing she has
to offer the opposite sex is her body.  And because I happen to have a
bright future ahead of me that I don’t want to jeopardize,” she returned
defiantly.  She was just glad Cole wasn’t there to laugh at her bright-red
face.

“Okay
then,” he was all but laughing at her.  “Valuable information I’ll have to
remember in the future.”

Tired
of Cole’s amusement at her expense, Bri decided to turn the tables on him, and
put him in the hot seat.

“What
about you, Cole?” she asked smugly.  “I mean, I assume you and Serena were
naked wrestling buddies.  Was she the only one, or were there others?”

There
was dead silence on the other end of the line.  Bri could practically hear
Cole squirming.

“I...
um... Look Bri, that was all in the past.  I promise, it didn’t mean
anything,” he floundered, sounding desperate.  “Things are different
now.  I’m different now, I swear.”

Satisfied
in her victory, she decided to go easy on him, and not prolong his misery.

“Cole,”
she broke in sympathetically, “I’m not naive.  I know you have a past, and
that past includes many, many,
many
girls.”  She couldn’t help
throwing in one last jab.  “But, to be honest, I don’t care about that.”

“Really? 
But, you’re a girl.  Girls care about stuff like that.  They care
a
lot
.”  He sounded skeptical.

“Yes,
really!  Listen.  I don’t care about who came before me, just like I
don’t care who you were before me.  I care about who you are
now
,
and what happens now.  But, that being said,” she warned, “you need to
understand that I’m not like all those other girls.  I’m not going to cave
to your manly wiles, or your bedroom eyes.”  She heard Cole laugh. 
“I’m serious about the whole bright future thing, and I expect you to respect
my decisions, and my boundaries.  Okay?”