Beautiful Mess(44)

“Goodnight.” Bri slowly closed the door, watching Cole walk away.

Over the next few days, Cole and Bri didn’t talk again, but when she would see him in the halls or at lunch, she didn’t avert her eyes and pretend he wasn’t there. She was tired of ignoring him, and decided to save herself some energy. Cole seemed a bit confused at first, but it didn’t take him long to hold her gaze in return. He would even smile at her, if Serena wasn’t around.

Unfortunately, there were very few times when Serena wasn’t physically attached to Cole in some way. She was on him like a bad rash, but he didn’t seem to mind in the least. It was all over the school that the two of them were officially dating again, and Bri tried to tell herself she didn’t care. But when she saw them kissing in the hall one day, the rush of pain and jealousy that engulfed her made it impossible to deny any longer. She still had some sort of feelings for Cole, she hadn’t been able to banish them completely. She wanted to cry, or hit something.

Unable to help herself, Bri began sneaking looks at Cole in History, when he wasn’t looking. She was desperate to figure out what exactly it was she felt for him, so she could move on. Trey caught her staring a couple of times, and flashed her a smug grin, but luckily Cole hadn’t noticed her sudden interest in him. In Ceramics it was easier to watch him unnoticed, because of all the activity always going on. She watched him while he was at the wheel one day for almost the entire class. He was so focused on his piece that he didn’t look up once. Staring at the toned muscles in his arms made Bri remember how they felt when they were wrapped around her. And her fingers longed to brush back the dark hair that had fallen in his eyes.

The football team had an away game that week, and after much begging and pleading from Layla, Bri agreed to go. She sat in the stands next to her friends, ignoring the bouncing cheerleaders in front of her, and watched Cole. It didn’t take long for Cole to notice her, and every once in a while he’d turn and look at her. Instead of dropping her eyes like she used to, Bri held his gaze until he turned away. She was trying to puzzle something out in her head. The more time she spent with him, the more she thought that maybe the Cole she’d know that summer, the Cole that came to her house every Tuesday, wasn’t just a ruse. He hadn’t once pushed her or tried to manipulate her to do something he wanted. He’d respected and complied with her requests, never once complaining. He’d given her the time and the space she’d needed, getting nothing promised in return. And, he seemed happy. At school, he was closed off, not letting anything affect him, keeping everything he was feeling inside. Bri would sometimes see a flash of emotion in his eyes, but it was quickly smothered and replaced by his usual indifference. But, when it was just the two of them, he was more open and engaging, genuinely seeming to care about her. Anything but indifferent. Those things couldn’t be faked, could they? It was a dangerous assumption to make. And, if her Cole was real and not just a front, why would he feel the need to keep himself hidden from his friends and everyone at school? Why the whole jerk facade? Shouldn’t his friends like him no matter what? One question always led to another with that boy.

Bri noticed Cole watching her a lot more during the second half of the game. She couldn’t quite decipher his expression, but he seemed to be trying to figure her out as well.

There was a giant roar from the crowd around her as the game ended and the Tigers won. After a brief celebration on the field with the team, Bri watched in shock as Cole walked over to the stands, stopping right in front of her. He looked up at her and smiled. Her breath caught as he went to jump the guard rail and climb into the stands. Just then, a blond head appeared behind him. Serena grabbed Cole’s arm, turning him towards her. She let out an excited shriek before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Feeling suddenly sick, Bri quickly turned to follow Layla out of the stadium. A moment later, Serena’s voice caused her to pause.

“Hey CJ, what are you looking at?”

Bri turned her head to find Cole watching her, a sad expression on his face. It was only there for a moment before he turned to Serena and grinned.

“Nothing. Come on, let’s go celebrate!” Cole wrapped his arm around Serena’s waist and they walked off.

Bri, completely confused once again, turned and left the stadium without another glance behind her. Yep, assuming there was something more to Cole was a dangerous assumption indeed.

Bri spent the rest of the weekend thinking about Cole, even though she tried not to. Every time she thought she’d figured him out, he did something to totally throw her. And every time she thought she’d figured out how she felt about him, he’d do something to send her emotions spinning again. But, as she tossed and turned Sunday night, she came to a realization. No matter how much she hated it, there was a part of her that missed Cole, and wanted him in her life. Despite how he treated her at school, she’d had glimpses of her friend enough times to know that he was still there, inside Cole somewhere, and she wanted him back. She missed spending time with him. She missed how much fun he was, and how good he made her feel. She wanted her Cole back.