Beautiful Mess (10 page)

“No,
man, not at all.”  All emotion drained from Cole’s eyes and face, replaced
by an arrogant smirk.  “Um, Red here was just asking where the cafeteria
was.”

Trey’s
eyes lit up.  “Well, Bri isn’t it?  I can show you personally, if
you’d like?”

Bri
didn’t even acknowledge Trey had spoken.

“Red? 
Really?” she glared at Cole.  “Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, still
speaking to Cole, “Like I said, I’ve finally got it all figured out.”  She
brushed past the two idiots and stormed down the hall. 

So,
Cole didn’t want anyone to know he knew her.  Well, she’d give him what he
wanted.  She had no desire to see or speak to him ever again.  It was
true, she’d been right.  Cole was nothing but an arrogant, conceited ass,
and she’d been fooled by him.  She’d never felt so gullible, stupid, or
betrayed.  It was worse than Jeremy.  Back then she hadn’t known any
better.  Now she did, and she’d fallen for it again.  She really
couldn’t believe she’d actually been fooled by Cole’s I’m-a-nice-guy-trust-me
facade.  Well, one thing was certain, she wasn’t going to let Cole get
close to her again.  Ever.

As
if her day couldn’t get any worse, it was time for lunch.  Bri watched as
Cole and Trey walk into the cafeteria ahead of her.  She didn’t know if
she could handle anything more today.  She felt like she’d just been
punched repeatedly in the chest, and all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball
and cry.  But that wasn’t an option here.  Neither was letting Cole
know he’d wounded her.  So, Bri did what she did best.  She took all
the pain and anger she was feeling, and shoved them down, down, down, until
they were only little nagging sensations.  Plastering on a mask of
superior indifference, she walked into the cafeteria.

Her
saving grace was the fact that she knew Layla had this lunch period also, and
was saving her a seat.  Layla was in Bri’s French class, and they’d made
plans to meet up at lunch.  Scanning the large room, she saw a hand waving
from a table in the far corner.  She waved back at Layla and went to get
her lunch.

She
was standing in line for the salad bar, when she felt someone’s eyes on
her.  She looked over to see Cole, in an adjacent line, watching
her.  He looked crestfallen, and opened his mouth to say something, but
Bri turned away before he could.

“CJ!”
a velvety voice called.

Bri
looked up to see a tall, blond, goddess walking towards her.  This was the
most beautiful high school girl Bri had ever seen.  She could give most
supermodels a run for their money.  The goddess walked right up to Cole,
and full on grabbed his butt.

“How’s
my favorite tight end?” she purred before releasing him.

“Serena,”
he admonished, taking a step back from her.  “You know I hate it when you
call me CJ.  It makes me sound like some stupid boy band reject.”

“Yes,
but it’s what I
like
to call you,” she intoned.  She stepped
closer, closing the distance he’d created.  “So, I haven’t seen you since
Hell Week Hump Day.  I have to say I’m a bit disappointed.  While the
girls and I were making you dinner that Wednesday, I left a note for you in
your bedroom.  Didn’t you get it?” she asked throatily.

“Um,
no.  It must’ve gotten lost somewhere,” Cole replied, with a quick glance
at Bri.

Something
in Bri’s mind clicked.  Hell Week Hump Day.  The night she’d stopped
by Cole’s house during Hell Week, there had been a bunch of cars in his
driveway. 
The girls and I were making you dinner
.  It hadn’t
been Cole’s teammates at his house that night.  It had been this girl,
Serena, and her friends, cooking and doing who knew what else.  No wonder
Cole hadn’t wanted Bri to come in that night.  He had probably been in the
middle of an orgy.   

Anger
and mortification flushed Bri’s cheeks, and she prayed for the line to move
faster.

“Pity,”
Serena smiled.  “Well, what my note said was that I was hoping that we
could spend some more time together, just you and me.  You  know,
maybe give us another try?”  She ran her finger down Cole’s chest. 
“We were really good together.  Remember?”

“Serena,”
Cole replied in a warning tone, as he stopped her hand’s downward
progression.  “This really isn’t the best place to be having this
conversation.  Besides, nothing’s changed.  I can’t give you what you
want.  Not now, not ever.”

Bri
felt like she’d been physically struck as she finally put two and two
together.  Serena was Cole’s ex.  She realized now just how hopeless
a situation she’d been in with Cole.  If the perfect, gorgeous, goddess
hadn’t been able to keep him, how in the world would Bri have been able to?

“Well,”
Serena continued, “maybe
I’ve
changed.  Maybe I decided that if I
couldn’t have all of you, I’d take whatever I could get.”  She eyed Cole
meaningfully.

“We
both decided it’d be best if we were just friends.”

“Yes,
and I’m just looking for a... broadening of the terms of our friendship,” she
smiled brilliantly at him.

Great. 
Serena wanted Cole back, and was willing to give him all the benefits of a
relationship with none of the commitment or responsibility.  It was a good
thing Bri was done with Cole, because there was no way she’d be able to compete
with that.  

“Think
about it.”  Serena gave Cole a kiss on the cheek before sauntering off.

Cole
turned and looked at Bri.

He
caught her eye for a moment, but Bri quickly turned her head before he could
see the tears forming in her eyes.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw
him drop his head and walk away.

Taking
deep breaths, Bri willed the tears away.  She couldn’t break down
now.  Later, after she was home, but not now.  She got her lunch,
which she now had no appetite to eat, and sat down next to Layla.

“Hey,
Bri!  How’s your first day going?” Layla asked as soon as Bri sat down.

“Oh,
pretty good, I guess,” she forced a smile.

“Everyone,
this is Bri Donnelly.  She moved here from Dallas, and she’s on the Dance
Team with me.  Bri, these are my friends, Maddie Pembrook,” a small girl
with sandy blond curls and brown eyes smiled.  “And Jessica Kobayashi,”
the pretty oriental girl with short spiky hair waved a hand.  “And that,”
Layla indicated a tall boy with brown hair and a kind smile, “is Jess’
boyfriend, Ethan Reynolds.”

“Hey,”
Jess pointed at Bri with a carrot stick.  “You’re in my English
class.  I’ll save you a seat tomorrow, if you want.” 

“That’d
be great, thanks” Bri smiled at her.

The
rest of the table fell into conversation, but Bri was too preoccupied to join
in.  She was still preoccupied all throughout her sixth period AP Biology
class, too.  As the bell rang to end class, Bri groaned.  The moment
she’d been dreading since lunch was here.  Cole was in her seventh period
Ceramics class. 

Sure
enough, as she approached the classroom, a familiar dark head was waiting
outside the door.

“Bri!” 
Cole cast a quick look around the practically empty hall before running over to
her.  “Bri, please!  I know you’re upset, but you have to let me
explain.”  He touched her arm, and a powder keg of anger exploded inside
her.  And since anger felt better than the numbing pain she’d been feeling
all day, Bri decided to go with it.

“No,
I don’t,” she said icily, staring daggers at Cole. 

“Look,”
he ran a frustrated hand through his hair.  “I know you are confused, and
hurt, and angry, but I promise I can explain everything.”

“Oh,
really?  You can explain what, Cole?”  Bri was fuming.  “How you
lied to me and manipulated me?  How you pretended to be someone you’re
obviously not to try to get close to me?”

“No,
Bri, I swear you’ve got it all wrong,” he pleaded.

“No,
Cole, I
had
it all wrong.  Now I’m finally seeing you for the
arrogant jerk you are.  Leave me alone.  I have nothing to say to
you.”  She pushed past him and into the classroom.

She
sat down between two other students to make sure he couldn’t sneak in next to
her.  Class started, and the Ceramics teacher began the usual first day
drill.  Bri felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.  She discreetly
pulled it out and saw Cole had sent her a text.  She rolled her eyes,
putting the phone away.  She ignored her phone as it continued to vibrate
throughout the rest of class.  She ignored Cole, too, who, when not texting
her, was trying desperately to catch her eye.  When class ended, Bri
dashed out the door.  She quickly grabbed her stuff out of her locker and
raced out of the building.

As
she was crossing the parking lot, she heard someone calling her name.  She
sped up, praying she’d make it to her car before he caught her.  No such
luck.

“Bri,”
Cole was panting as he grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.  “Stop,
please!”

A
small, idiotic, part of her was touched that he’d worked so hard to catch her,
that he wanted to talk to her that badly.  But she quickly squashed that
gullible part.

“What?”
she glared at him.  Seeing how his grip prevented her from going anywhere,
she had no choice but to stay.

“You
have to listen to me,” he begged.  “I have so much I need to tell you, to
explain to you.  But I need you to give me a chance.”  His eyes,
bluish-gray today, bore into hers, pleading.

Bri
wasn’t swayed.  “A chance?” she asked incredulously.  “To what, rip
my heart out again?  No.  You don’t deserve a chance, or anything
else from me.  Stay away from me, Cole.  I don’t want to talk to you,
listen to you, or even lay eyes on you ever again.  Now let go of me!”

He
pulled her closer.

“Ambria,
please,” he whispered desperately.  “I thought we were friends! 
Can’t you give your friend a second chance?”

Bri’s
eyes narrowed.  “You are
not
my friend.  The Cole I knew this
summer,
he
was my friend.  But I see now that he never really
existed.  So now I’m left with no friend, just
you
.”  She
stepped closer, right into Cole’s face.  “I don’t know you.  And from
what I’ve seen, I don’t want to,” she finished coldly.  “Goodbye,
Cole.”  She yanked her arm out of his grip and stormed off to her
car.  Pulling out, she glanced in her rearview mirror.  Cole stood
right where she’d left him, his hands in his pockets, his head dropped in
dejection. 

Bri
was able to stave off the tears until she got home.  She rushed inside,
right to her room, and locked the door behind her.

She
stood there, her chest heaving, for a moment.  But now that she finally
could cry, she found the tears wouldn’t come.  Deflated, she dropped her
bag on the floor and pulled out her phone.  She froze as she saw a text
from Cole, sent about five minutes before.  Going against her better
judgment, she opened it.

Ambria,
I’m so sorry.  I never wanted to hurt you, and that is the truth.  I
don’t expect your forgiveness, and I know I don’t deserve it.  But I will
do anything and everything I can to try and make this right.  I hope you
believe that.  -C

PS-
I meant what I promised you.  Please remember that.

Reading
that message, all of the hurt, anger, betrayal, and devastation Bri had
repressed all day long came surging up like a tidal wave.  She dropped
onto her bed as the torrential downpour of tears began.  She cried harder
than she’d cried since her mom died.  Indeed, she felt that same gaping
sense of loss, and grief, and pain.  Her heart had been broken all over
again, and each time it happened the pain grew worse.

A
while later, her sobbing began to slow, and the tears finally stopped. 
Bri was left feeling angry, at Cole for lying to her, and at herself for
falling for it.  But anger was a blessed relief from all of the other
painful emotions she been feeling.  Now everything else was just a dull throb,
easier to push down and forget.

That
night, as she lay in her bed, Bri vowed to never again risk feeling how she’d
felt today.  She vowed to never give someone the chance to rip her heart
out and stomp on it, again.  Because all that came from caring about
someone was pain and misery.

The
rest of the week was excruciating for Bri. 

The
girls at dance practice were gushing the whole week about how much hotter Cole
had gotten over the summer, and how he and Serena were definitely back
together.  Bri stayed out of it, telling herself she didn’t care who Cole
dated, as long as it wasn’t her.

She
managed to avoid him in the halls and in class, though he didn’t make any more
attempts to talk to her.  Apparently he’d gotten the hint and had backed
off, for which Bri was extremely thankful.  She no longer felt anything
for him, and was glad he had moved on.  She hoped if she kept telling
herself this, she would eventually believe it.

Because
the truth was she was miserable.  She missed her friend.  She missed
the sweet, charming boy she’d spent the summer with.  Her emotions were
all over the place, so she decided to channel herself and focus only on school
and dance.  Which was good, because she had more than enough of both to
keep her busy.

After
Wednesday night’s practice, she and Layla stayed late, learning the routines
that Bri had missed.  Bri had always been a fast learner, and they had
made it almost halfway through the military routine in an hour.  The rest
of her nights were spent doing the copious amounts of homework she had, despite
it being the first week of school.

She
had eaten lunch with Layla and her friends all week, and Jess had indeed saved
her a seat in English.  And while Bri had been preoccupied with all the
crap with Cole all week and hadn’t made much of an effort with them, Layla and
her friends still tried to include her and make her feel welcome.  Bri
decided she needed to do better.  It was time to start making friends,
some
real
friends.  So when Layla called on Saturday morning and
invited Bri to go shopping with her and the girls, Bri eagerly accepted.

“Perfect!”
Layla replied.  “We’re meeting at 1:00 at the food court.  Gotta fuel
up before hitting the shops.  Trust me, you’ll need your stamina!”

“Sounds
like my kind of shopping,” Bri laughed.

“Yep,
bring your credit card and some comfortable shoes.  We take no prisoners!”

So
Bri spent the afternoon shopping with Layla, Jess, and Maddie.  They
talked and laughed and joked as they hopped from store to store.  It felt
good having some girl-time, and it was fun getting to know her new friends
better.  And while her first week at Santa Monica High had been a
disaster, at least one good thing had happened.  Thank goodness for Layla,
Jess, and Maddie.  They were just what Bri needed to put the whole Cole
thing behind her, and get her life back on track.

Monday
morning, Bri walked into dance and was assaulted by more glares, and even a few
open sneers.  She wasn’t sure what she had done to earn the extra
hostility this morning, but it felt really good to wipe all those smirks off
her teammates’ faces as she started teaching the team their new dance
routine.  It was fast, complicated, and difficult, and by the end of
practice not even Natalie had the energy to glower at her.

Bri
smiled to herself.  There were going to be a lot of sore muscles tonight.

The
day only continued to get stranger, as Bri noticed more and more smiles and
waves from guys in the hall and in her classes.  She also noticed more
than her fair share of dirty looks and scowls from the girls. 
Great.  It seemed like not only had Bri managed to piss off the girls on
the Dance Team, but also the majority of the female population of SMH. 
Things just kept getting better and better.

She
also noticed that Trey was obnoxiously attentive to her.  He was blatantly
gawking and leering at her all through French class. 

Doing
her best to ignore all the extra attention she was getting, Bri took a deep,
bracing breath before walking into History.  It was by far her least
favorite class, Ceramics coming in a close second, and it had nothing to do
with the subject, and everything to do with the two arrogant jerks watching her
walk in.  Not even acknowledging their presence, Bri took her seat and
waited for class to begin.

“Hey
Cole.”  Trey was whispering, but he was about as subtle as a blow
horn.  “Are you in?”

“No,
man.  I’m sitting this one out,” Cole replied.

“Less
competition for me!  Hey, what do you know about her?”

“Bri? 
Not much, why?”

“Just
trying to find an advantage.  I’m trying to get all the info I can. 
You were talking to her the other day, what’s she like?”

“I
really don’t know, we weren’t really talking.  But, I do know that she’s
way too smart for you.  And, unfortunately for you also, she’s too smart
to fall for any of your crap.  If I were you, I’d forget about it.”

“What?”
Trey’s voice rose incredulously.  “I have yet to meet a woman who can
resist me.  Not when I put my mind to it.  I’m relentless.”

“Well,
you’re going to have to up your game for that one.  Seems like too much
work to me, and not really worth it.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Thankfully
the bell rang and class started.  Bri was beyond furious that Cole and
Trey were talking about her.  If Trey thought she’d
ever
give him
the time of day, he had another thing coming.  She knew his type way too
well.

In
Ceramics, Bri noticed Cole watching her as she attempted to make a pinch pot,
but luckily he didn’t try and talk to her.  By the end of the day, she was
really tired of all the attention she was getting.

The
next morning at dance, the hostility seemed to have drastically increased since
the day before, and Bri decided to throw down.  Walking up to Natalie’s
group of sneering lackeys, she barged right in.  She’d had enough of this
crap.

“Alright,
“ she began.  “I don’t know what your problem is, or what I’ve done to
piss you all off so thoroughly, but if you have a problem with me at least have
the guts to say it to my face.  Don’t do the whole passive-aggressive
thing.”

“Okay,”
Natalie took the bait and stepped up into Bri’s face.  Erica, Natalie’s
number two, flanking her.  “You want to know what our problem is? 
It’s the fact that you waltz in here, demanding your own personal audition,
because apparently you’re too good to try out like the rest of us.  Then
Belinda all but names you dictator-in-chief, and we all have to do whatever you
say.  And, if that wasn’t bad enough,” Natalie leaned in even closer,
“you’ve got every guy in this school chasing after you with their tongues
hanging out.  So yeah, those of us who have been here for a while kind of
have a problem with that.”

Bri
had to take a second to get her temper under control.  Smacking Natalie
upside the head wasn’t going to help the situation any.

“Okay,
first of all, I do not think I’m better than the rest of you.  I was still
living in Dallas when you all had tryouts.  And yes, I did request a
chance to try out for the team, once I moved here, but not because I thought I
deserved a private audition.  Second, I have no control over what Belinda
wants to do with the team.  I tried to talk her out of using my
routine.  I still think it’s a bad idea.  I’m not a dictator. 
I’m teaching the routine, that’s all.  And lastly, I do not have all the
boys chasing after me.  I don’t want their attention and I’m certainly not
encouraging them.  So get over it!” 

“Right,”
Natalie scoffed.  “I’m not sure if you’re blind or just stupid.  I’ve
seen the way the boys all drool as you walk by.  Oh, and did you know the
football team has a bet going to see who can nail the new girl first?  So
much for not encouraging them.  From everything I’ve seen, my guess is
that bet will be won by the end of the week.”  Natalie turned haughtily
and strode away, her pack of hyenas laughing and following after her.

Bri
was too stunned to even get upset that Natalie had called her a slut. 
Everything was suddenly making sense.  All the looks and glares she’d been
getting.  The strange conversation between Cole and Trey yesterday. 
That’s
what they had been talking about.  The bet.

Her
temper flared again as she realized Cole and Trey had been strategizing on how
best to “nail her” before anyone else.  She was furious and mortified, and
she had a hard time not taking it out on the rest of the girls at practice.

Afterward,
Layla caught up with her on the way to the locker room.

“Hey,
nice job standing up to the bitch squad earlier,” Layla smiled.  “If they
know you’re not just going to roll over and take it, they’ll leave you
alone.  They don’t like a challenge.  It requires too much thinking.”

“Thanks,“
Bri smiled, grateful for the support.  “Is it true, what they said about
the bet?”

“Unfortunately. 
I’m sorry.  Guys can be such dill holes sometimes.  Don’t let them
get to you.”

“I
know.  It just really pisses me off.  That, and the fact that they
think I’m dumb enough, and desperate enough, to jump into bed with anyone who
offers.”

“I
know,” Layla sympathized.  “No one ever said men were the smarter
species.  Just keep your head up.  You’ll be old news in no time!”

When
Bri reached her locker after third period, she had an unwanted visitor waiting
for her.

“Hi
there,” Trey nodded at her.  “How’s it going, Bri?”

“Fine,”
she replied curtly and began stuffing books into her locker.  “What do you
want Trey?”  She hoped if she was terse, Trey would get the hint and
leave.

“Well,
I wanted to talk to you.”  He seemed oblivious to her disdain.  “I
was hoping we could maybe hang out sometime, get to know each other. 
Maybe Friday, after the game?”

And
there it was.  Her invitation to help him win his bet.  Her anger
rose, and she found she couldn’t even attempt to let him down gently.

“Look
Trey, that’s not going to happen.  I don’t want to be rude, but I’m afraid
if I’m not brutally blunt and honest, you’ll think you’ve got a chance.  I
don’t want to go out with you.  Ever.  I’m not remotely interested in
you, or whatever it is you think you have to offer.  I’ve dated guys like
you before, and I have no desire to ever do so again.  So do yourself a
favor.  Take your expensive clothes, and your fake smile, and go try to
find some other girl to give you what you want.  Because you won’t be
getting it from me.”  She slammed her locker shut and began to walk away.

Trey
grabbed her arm and pulled her back, roughly.  Bri glared at his hand on
her arm, and then up at him.

“Hey,
I get the whole hard-to-get thing,” Trey said cockily.  “Girls like to be
pursued.  They want you to work for it.  So, that’s what I’m going to
do.  Just so you know, I don’t back down, and I don’t give up.  And,”
his eyes traveled slowly up her body, “luckily for you, I don’t mind a
challenge.”  He gave her a predatory smile before releasing her arm and
walking away.

“I’m
not playing hard to get!” Bri shouted after him, fuming.

He
turned and smirked over his shoulder.  “Sure you’re not, baby,” and he
continued down the hall.

The
rest of the week continued in much the same way.  Bri focused most of her
energy ignoring the bitch squad, Cole, and especially Trey.  She breathed
a sigh of relief when Friday finally came.  Between early mornings, late
night practices twice a week, and enough homework to sink a small boat, Bri was
exhausted.  A two day reprieve sounded wonderful.  She just had to
make it through the day first.  Which wasn’t going to be easy, since it
was the first home game for the football team, and Bri’s first halftime
performance with her new team.  She could already tell, it was going to be
a long day.

It
seemed the whole school was excited about the game.  The football players
all wore their jerseys, and the cheerleaders wore their uniforms, in an attempt
to bolster school spirit.  And to Bri’s great disappointment, the Dance
Team was also required to wear their uniforms to school that day.  This
uniform consisted of tight, black jazz pants, and a dark blue sequined halter
top.  This was unfortunate because not only did this draw more attention,
leers, and glares her way, but the top was not the most comfortable thing to
wear for seven hours.  Correction, it was going to be an
extremely
long day.

On
her way to second period, Bri was surprised to see a familiar face by the
lockers.  This was the first time Bri had seen Cole in the halls since the
first day of school.  A flick of blond hair caught her attention. 
That
was why he was here.  Cole stood talking to an extremely animated and
bouncy Serena, who managed to make her regulation cheer uniform look
skimpy.  For a moment, Bri wondered if the rumors about Cole and Serena
getting back together were true.  From the way Serena was shoving her chest
in Cole’s face, it looked like Serena was still on the hunt.  But who
knew, maybe they were together and this was their idea of foreplay.  Bri
felt her eyes narrow as she watched them, and jealousy flamed through
her. 

Cole’s
pleasantly surprised gaze found hers, and Bri saw the look of awe that fell
over his face as he took her in from head to toe.  As his eyes found hers
again, a knowing grin crossed his face as he saw the obvious jealousy all over
hers.  Her cheeks began to flush and she quickly tore her gaze away and
hurried past him.