Beautiful Mess(105)
“Bye, Cole,” she returned, and pressed her lips to his once more.
Of course there would be some fallout to deal with at school tomorrow, but Bri was excited to finally be out of the shadows. The two of them didn’t have to hide any longer. No matter what they had to deal with, it was worth it.
Chapter 22
After Cole left, Bri pulled out her phone and saw a text from Layla.
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY???? Girl, there are some crazy rumors going around. CALL ME!!!!!
Bri sighed and dialed Layla’s number, figuring she’d better get started on damage control.
“Okay, spill!” Layla demanded in lieu of a greeting. “It appears someone has been holding out on me!”
Bri explained to Layla, in extreme detail, what had happened between her, Cole, and Trey in the hall that day.
“Wow,” Layla exhaled. “I can’t believe Cole came to your rescue out of the blue like that.”
“Well, there’s a little more to it than that.” Bri took a deep breath. “Cole and I are together.”
“What?” Layla screamed. “When did this happen?”
“We’ve kind of been dating secretly for about two months now.” Bri cringed away from her phone.
“Are you kidding me?” Layla yelled. “And you never told me?”
Bri could hear the hurt in Layla’s voice.
“I’m sorry! It just sort of happened. And then we wanted to keep it quiet for a while. We didn’t tell anybody! Actually, you’re the first person I’ve told,” if Bri didn’t count her dad, Jimmy, or the Hamilton’s. “That has to count for something, right? You have to know I’ve been dying to tell you!”
“I knew you were up to something.” Layla’s ego was apparently appeased. “I just couldn’t figure out what you were hiding. Wow, Cole Marra! Damn girl! When you go, you go big, don’t you!”
“I guess so,” Bri laughed. “Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“Shoot.”
“Can you let Jess and Maddie know what happened? Before the rumors get any crazier, I want them to know the truth. Plus, I don’t want things to be all weird with us tomorrow.”
“Consider it done. Anything else you need, babe?”
“Just some sleep. I’m exhausted. Too bad that’s got to wait until after practice tonight.”
“Yeah, timing is not on your side today. Well, I’ll let you go so you can rest.”
“Thanks, Lay. I really am sorry I kept this from you.”
“Not to be all judgey or anything, but why didn’t you tell me?”
“We didn’t want Serena to find out,” Bri sighed. “Cole was worried she’d try to ruin my life or something.”
“Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten about her and Cole. She is a crazy, vindictive little B. It’s probably good you kept things secret. So, what changed?”
“Well, things kind of came to a head today and got pushed out into the open, whether Cole was ready for it or not. I’ve been ready since day one. But this whole thing with Trey got started because we were hiding our relationship. Now, hopefully, things will be better. Either way, I’m done with hiding.”
“Good for you. You know, we’re going to have a serious girl’s night and you are going to spill all those juicy details you’ve been keeping to yourself this whole time!”
“You got it!” Bri laughed.
“Good. I’m dying to know if Cole’s kissing is as amazing as everyone says. He’s kind of a legend, you know. Plus, I’m wondering if there is anything else you haven’t told me!”
“Whatever, Lay! I have a feeling that there are some details you haven’t told me, either!”
“What? Never!” Layla laughed. “Alright, babe, I’m going to let you go. I have some calls to make before practice tonight. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“I will. Thanks Lay. See you later.”
After practice that night, Bri had to catch up on two days’ worth of homework. She was so tired the next morning, that she slept in and was late for dance. She noticed some looks and whispers when she came in, but didn’t have time to worry about it, as Belinda got them working. After practice, Bri had to run laps because she was late, and by the time she was done, she had only minutes to change. She got more stares in the hall as she ran to class. Apparently the rumor mill was working overtime. She ignored them all, and headed to Calculus. It was going to be one of those days.
But, everything was made better when Bri saw a dark head waiting at her locker after class. Her heart picked up and she couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face.