Beautiful Mess(123)

“That it was time I stood up for myself,” she replied quietly. “It was time for Serena to learn that we aren’t pawns in whatever game she wants to play. I want her to leave us alone, and this was the best way to make that happen.”

Cole’s eyes softened a moment, but then hardened as his anger returned.

“And did you give any thought to what might happen to you? Shit, Bri! You’re so close to getting everything you’ve wanted, and you almost threw it all away! Why? Why would you risk something like that?”

Bri paused as his words sunk in. She had almost thrown her whole future away. Admittedly, she hadn’t even thought about the repercussions of getting caught fighting at school. If she’d been caught and expelled, or even suspended, there was no way she would’ve gotten into Stanford. All of her dreams and plans would have been ruined. Why had she risked that?

“I did it for you,” her mind answered both her and Cole’s question. She didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud until she heard Cole’s sharp intake of breath. “I did it for us,” she continued. “I did it so that Serena couldn’t ruin anyone else’s life, like she tried to ruin ours. I did it to show her that she doesn’t own you, or me, or anyone else. I did it so that we could be free to be us, to be together.” While we still can, her mind finished. She wanted, needed, to enjoy the time she had left with Cole. She looked up to find him gazing intently at her.

“Ambria, I... I...,” he shook his head, unable to figure out what he wanted to say. “I can’t believe you’d risk so much for me. I know you did it for you, too, but still. No one has ever done anything like that for me. Thank you.” He reached over and pulled her into his arms. “But don’t you ever do anything like that again,” he said forcefully into her hair. “I’m not worth it.”

But as she held onto him, Bri couldn’t agree.





Chapter 26




That weekend the Dance Team headed up to Sacramento for their four day trip to State. They rocked almost all of the teams, but came in a disappointing second place overall. It was still a great accomplishment, but not what the team had hoped for.

Bri returned to school to find a dramatically different atmosphere than when she left. Apparently, her face-off with Serena had worked. Serena and her core group of loyal followers were still angry, but the rest of the school seemed relieved to be out from under Serena’s thumb. People not only stopped spreading rumors and glaring, but most were even apologetic and friendly. Cole’s social exile was revoked, too, and he seemed much happier. While Serena continued to eye Bri evilly and whisper, at least the insults had stopped. Bri decided she’d take whatever reprieve she could get. The other great thing was that the majority of the student body no longer paid Serena much attention, and Bri was glad she had had an impact.

Cole and the basketball team breezed their way through their playoffs. The State tournament was held down in San Diego, so Bri, Layla, and their friends, along with Claire, went down to cheer Cole and the team on. They made it to the championship game, and it was a closely fought and exciting battle, with the Tigers pulling out a victory. Bri was so incredibly proud of Cole, and they spent that weekend celebrating with their families and friends. A couple of the schools trying to recruit Cole upped their offers after his State win, adding extra incentives. But, Cole had known all along where he wanted to go. After convincing his dad that this was what he wanted, Cole signed his offer letter from Duke.

That was a hard day for Bri. Not because she wasn’t thrilled for Cole, because she was so excited for him. But because it was official. Cole was going to Duke, and she had just received her acceptance letter from Stanford. While she had also been accepted to Duke, her fall back school, for her it had always been Stanford. Her and Cole’s time was drawing quickly to a close. It was a fact that was weighing heavily on Bri, despite all her mental preparation.

Before Bri knew it, it was April, and time for spring break. She had purposely not made many plans for the week, wanting to relax and veg as much as possible. One thing she was looking forward to was her beach party with Cole, Claire, and Sebastian. Seb was home from UNLV for the week, and they had decided to meet at the Hamilton’s house on Monday to hang out.

Cole picked her up on his motorcycle, and as they pulled up to the Hamilton’s house, Bri’s jaw dropped. It was a huge, sprawling two story home, with its own private gate. It was a beautiful mix of light brick and stone, and backed right to the beach.

“Wow,” was all Bri could manage. Cole chuckled when he saw the look on her face.