“You don’t know how you feel about him?” Layla asked skeptically, not buying it at all.
“No. Unlike some of you lucky people who know exactly how you feel, for some of us it’s a little harder to figure out.”
Layla scoffed. “Uh-huh. Okay, moving on for the moment. Yes, besides those reasons, what’s holding you back?”
Bri sighed. “It’s not going to work out for us. I can’t imagine sharing that with Cole, and then having to say goodbye, for good.”
“What? Why aren’t things going to work out for you two?”
“Because, Cole is going away to Duke, and I’m staying here and going to Stanford. We both know long distance relationships like that never work, so don’t even say it.”
Layla’s mouth dropped, and her eyes flashed in anger.
“Did you even talk to him about Sanford?”
“I couldn’t, Lay.” Bri dropped her eyes. “Duke has been his dream since he was a kid. I couldn’t ask him to give that up for me.”
“Yes, you could!” Layla threw her hands up in frustration.
“Why? Why would I do that?” Bri was starting to get angry. How selfish did Layla think she was?
“Because you’re in love with him, you idiot!” Layla yelled.
Bri sucked in a breath, stunned. “What?”
“Come on, Bri, don’t even try and play dumb with me,” Layla gave her a reproachful look.
“No. No, I’m not...”
“Ambria,” Layla groaned. “Anyone who has seen you two together can see it. You freaking light up when he walks into the room. When you two are together, he’s the only thing you see. You gravitate towards him whenever he’s near you, and I don’t even think you know you’re doing it.” Layla grabbed Bri by the shoulders and forced Bri to look at her. “Just because you can’t admit it to yourself doesn’t mean it’s not true. And when you love someone, you are willing to take risks for them. That includes asking Cole to go to Stanford with you. Yes, he may still choose Duke. But, knowing Cole, he could say yes. He deserves the chance to make that decision for himself, at least. Don’t take that choice from him, and don’t just make it for him. Don’t you two deserve a chance to be together? To be happy?”
Bri dropped her eyes, but said nothing.
“How can Cole make the right decision when he doesn’t have all the facts? It’s not fair of you to keep your feelings from him. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel. Let him decide what’s best for him.”
Bri nodded, unable to respond.
“Okay, I’ve said my piece. What you decide to do is up to you, and I promise not to bug you about it anymore. Now, how about we watch a movie?” Layla hopped off her bed to search her dvd collection.
Although the girls spent the rest of the night joking and laughing, there was a small seed of sadness that had lodged itself in Bri’s heart. She knew that Layla was wrong about her and Cole, that she assumed there was more between them than there was. But she was worried that if Layla had gotten the wrong impression, could Cole have as well?
Bri really hoped not. Because even though she wasn’t sure how she felt about Cole, she knew that she didn’t want to hurt him. Now, she was really afraid it was too late, and there wasn’t any way to avoid it.
Chapter 27
Putting her conversation with Layla out of her mind, Bri continued on like normal. Now that basketball season was over, and she no longer had night practices, she and Cole got to spend a lot more time together. It was something she took full advantage of. April was flying by, graduation quickly approaching, and she wanted to enjoy all the time she had left with Cole.
Despite Layla’s insistence, Bri never asked Cole to go to Stanford with her. Duke was Cole’s dream, every bit as much as Stanford was hers, and she couldn’t take that from him. Especially when there was no guarantee they would end up together anyway. So instead of worrying about it, she savored every minute she got to spend with him.
One Friday, Bri noticed a strange ticking noise coming from her engine. She called her dad about it, and he told her to go ahead and take it into Jimmy’s shop after school, and have him check it out. She knew that Cole had plans after school with the guys from the basketball team, and wouldn’t be done until later. So, she said goodbye to Cole in the parking lot and drove to Jimmy’s repair shop.
“Hey there, Barracuda, what can I do for you?” Jimmy smiled as he met her outside.
“Um, my car is making this weird ticking noise. I have no idea what the problem is,” Bri admitted, a little embarrassed.