Beautiful Mess (11 page)

As
she walked by, she heard Serena snort.

“Oh,
look,” Serena sneered.  “The cheerleader rejects dressed up today,
too.  Isn’t that cute.  They try
so
hard to be us!”  Her
groupies laughed.

Bri
desperately wanted to turn around and let Serena have it.  But there was
no way she was going to let Cole think she and Serena were fighting over
him.  So, she continued by without a word.

“It’s
more than cute.  It’s totally hot!”  Cole replied.

“You
think she’s hot?” Serena demanded incredulously.

“Hey,”
Cole held up his hands.  “I’m just admiring the scenery, that’s all. 
I’m not really into redheads.”

Ass. 
Bri felt a flash of anger, but then she quickly reminded herself that she
didn’t care what Cole thought or did.  She didn’t want him thinking about
her, or checking her out.  He and Serena could live happily ever after,
for all she cared.

Unfortunately,
her reaction to Cole was the least of her worries.  Trey had been
especially obnoxious today, and was driving Bri crazy.  Why couldn’t the
guy take a hint?  And what was worse, he had taken to whistling at her
every time he saw her today, a habit that the rest of the guys had picked
up.  So all day, she had been leered and whistled at.  It was getting
really old.  By the time she walked into Ceramics, and a chorus of
whistles greeted her, it was all she could do not to scream and walk out.

She
sat down at her table, but was too busy worrying about how she was going to
keep from getting clay all over her uniform to notice someone sliding into the
seat next to her.

“I’ve
never seen anyone loathe a ball of clay so much,” the smooth voice laughed.

Bri
was too tired and frustrated to put up a fight.

“I’m
not angry at the clay.  I’m angry at this whole stupid situation.” 
She let out a sigh.  “I mean look at me,” she motioned to her sparkly
uniform.  “I can’t do anything dressed like this.  It’s ridiculous!”

Cole
chuckled.  “Well, I know every guy within a five hundred foot radius would
disagree.”

Bri
scowled at him.  She hated herself for noticing how blue his eyes looked
against his navy blue jersey.

“Yeah,
about that.  You can tell your buddy Trey that if he doesn’t stop
whistling at me, I’m going to run him down with my car.  And he’d better
get his minions to knock it off, too, or I’m going to start busting some
heads.”

He
laughed again, before throwing up his hands in surrender at the glare Bri gave
him.  She was really starting to regret her decision to temporarily
suspend her shunning of Cole.

“Hey,
I didn’t come over here to piss you off.  I actually came because I need a
favor,” he winced.

Bri
was so shocked at his gall she could only gape at him.

“I
know, I know.  I’m the last person who should be asking you for a
favor.  And actually, I’m really just so glad you’re talking to me, that
I’m regretting having said anything now.”  He gave her a  lopsided
grin.

Snapping
out of her stunned silence, Bri finally found her voice.

“
No
!
I am not going to help you win your little bet you and your fellow Neanderthals
have going about me,” she replied angrily.  “I’m not sleeping with you, or
Trey, or anyone else, so you all can get over it and move on with your lives!”

Cole’s
jaw dropped, horrified.

“Bri,
I swear that is
not
what I was going to ask!  I never even thought
it!  That bet is juvenile and asinine, and I told them that.  I swear
to you, I’m not in on it.  Please, you have to believe me!”  Cole was
so upset that Bri found her anger ebbing.

“Fine
Cole, whatever,” she interrupted before he could continue.  “What is it
you want, then?”

He
gazed at her longingly for moment before answering.

“You
have Mr. Tillman for your AP Calculus class, right?”

“Yes,”
she replied warily.

“Well,
I have him too, for Algebra II.  And the thing is, math and I don’t
exactly get along.  I need at least a B to keep my GPA up for
football.  So,” he paused, looking uncomfortable, “I talked to Mr. Tillman
and got him to agree to give you extra credit if you’d help me out.  You
know, tutor me,” he finished unsurely.

“You
want me to tutor you?” Bri was confused.

“Yes. 
You know, help me with my assignments, maybe take my tests for me,” he joked.

“No.” 
Bri’s mind finally wrapped around what he was asking.  And from her
perspective what it amounted to was spending time with Cole.  Alone. 
Unacceptable.  “No Cole, I can’t.  I already have a crap load of
homework, and dance practices on top of that.  I don’t have time to make
sure you stay on the football team.”

“This
isn’t about the football team, this is about eligibility.  You know, for college
scholarships, that kind of thing.”

“Oh,”
she was taken slightly aback.

Seeing
her soften, Cole pushed.  “Please Bri!  I’ll work around your
schedule.  I’ll do whatever you ask.  I’ll be on my best behavior, I
promise,” he smiled.  “Plus, it’ll help you too.”  When Bri looked at
him dubiously, he continued.  “Just think about how good a little
volunteering and tutoring will look on that application to Stanford. 
Schools like that eat that stuff up!”

She
hated to admit it, but he had a point.  Her community service was a little
lacking.  Helping Cole could in fact help pad her resume for Stanford.

“Okay,
fine.”  She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to this.  “But if you
do anything to screw this up, I’m out and you’re on your own.  If I even
get the inkling that you are wasting my time, I’m done.  Got it?”

“Yes
ma’am,” Cole saluted her with a huge smile.  Bri rolled her eyes.

“Tuesday
nights.  What time are you done with practice?”

“5:00.”

“Fine. 
Be at my house at 5:30.  You have one hour to go over what you need. 
That’s it.”

“Deal! 
Thanks Bri!”  He grinned like he’d won the lottery.

“Don’t
thank me yet.  Now, you, get out of here.”

“You
sure you don’t need any help with that?”  He motioned to the lump of clay
in front of her.

“Positive. 
Now go!”

“Okay.” 
Cole stood to leave, but leaned back down and whispered in her ear.  “I
seem to recall a conversation we had once about those pants you’re
wearing.  Just want you to know that the real thing is even better than I
imagined it!  You look hot today, Bri!”

“
Go
!” 
Cole barely avoided an elbow in his nose as he ducked back to his table. 
Watching him, Bri was suddenly very worried about what she’d just gotten
herself into.  This was a bad idea, she could feel it.  A very bad
idea. 

Standing
in line with the Dance Team, waiting to walk out to the field, Bri got her
first glimpse of the football game.  There were two minutes left before
halftime, and Santa Monica was up by three points.  The opposing team had
just punted, and the Tigers had the ball on their own ten yard line.  As
the offense took the field, Bri couldn’t help but look for Cole.  She
mentally smacked herself upside the head, and turned her attention back to the
game.

The
quarterback, who she knew was Trey, called the snap and threw a long pass,
which was caught and then ran for another ten yards, before being stopped by a
wall of bodies.  The announcers voice came over the speakers. 

“Number
thirty-three, Cole Marra, with the reception.  First down at the
forty-five.”

Bri’s
eyes snapped to number thirty-three running over to his huddled team
mates.  She had to admit, Cole looked good in those white football pants,
and her eyes lingered on his perfect rear end for a moment.  She forced
herself to avert her eyes, and watched as the team drove the ball down the
field for a touchdown right before time expired.  The crowd in the stands
went crazy.  The team came running towards the tunnel leading to the
locker rooms, where the Dance Team was lined up.  Cole had taken off his
helmet, and despite her best attempt not to, Bri’s eyes found him as he ran
towards her.  Catching her staring at him, Cole smiled and winked at her
as he ran by.  Busted, Bri cursed herself internally for her lapse in
concentration.  Cole didn’t need any encouragement, and she wasn’t going
to give him any.  She was over him.  Shaking her head, she focused on
her upcoming performance.

The
Dance Team took the field and performed their halftime routine
flawlessly.  Bri had always loved football halftimes.  There was just
something about performing out on the grassy field, under the lights, that
wasn’t like anything else.  They hit their ending position, and the crowd
cheered as they left the field.  Back in the locker room, the girls
changed out of their uniforms and into their team warm ups, which they were
required by Belinda to wear as they watched the rest of the game.

Bri
and Layla found Jess, Ethan, and Maddie sitting in the student section, and
squeezed themselves in.  Somehow they ended up sitting right in front of
the cheerleaders.  Great, now she had to watch Serena jump up and down for
the rest of the game.

The
football players were just taking the field again, and Serena emphatically
waved Cole over.  He stopped briefly, and she whispered something in his ear. 
Bri rolled her eyes and tried to shove her jealousy back down.  As Cole
turned to go join his team, he caught sight of her in the stands.  She
quickly averted her gaze and pretended that she hadn’t seen him.  He ran
over to the team, and Bri breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone.

But,
as she watched the rest of the game, Bri was convinced that Cole was
deliberately taunting her.  Whenever he could, he stood right in front of
where she was sitting, so she was forced to stare at that sexy butt of his. 
Of course, this also put him right in front of Serena, too, so maybe it was
Serena he was trying to taunt.  But judging from the looks he kept
shooting her when he wasn’t on the field, she didn’t believe it was Serena’s
attention he was trying to get at all.

The
game ended, the Tigers winning, and as Bri slowly made her way out of the
stadium, she was very conscious of Cole’s eyes following her every move.

Bri
hadn’t thought she’d been expecting Cole to be any different at school on
Monday, but she was surprisingly disappointed when he continued to ignore her,
even after she’d agreed to help him.  Berating herself for being so stupid
as to think that would have changed anything, she sulked into
history.  

“Whoa! 
Was that a tattoo I just saw?” Trey was talking to Cole, but staring at Bri.

Not
having much time that morning, Bri had pulled her hair up into a
ponytail.  Obviously Trey noticed.

“Yeah,
I think it was,” Cole replied.

“Dude,
is that hot or what?”  Trey was eyeing her like he was starving and she
was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“Hell
yeah, it is,” Cole mumbled.

Trey
let out a forced laugh.  “Dude, you’re not moving in on my territory, are
you?”

“No
man, not at all.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the view! 
Besides, I’ve got my hands full with Serena as it is.  I don’t think I
could handle anything more!”

“Good,
because I’d hate to have to punch you for eyeing my girl over there!”

Bri
couldn’t take it any longer.  She turned and glared at Trey and Cole.

“You
two asshats do know I can hear you, right?  And just so we’re clear, Trey,
I am
not
, nor will I ever be, your girl.  The sooner you get that
through your thick skull, the better.  Now, if you two don’t stop talking
about me, I’m going to start throwing books at your heads!”  She turned
back around.

“Did
I mention I love the feisty ones!” Trey chuckled.

At
lunch, Bri noticed Cole sitting at Serena’s table.  He was talking to
another of the  cheerleaders, who was smiling dreamily up at him. 
Serena walked up behind the girl, said something, and motioned rudely for her
to vacate her seat.  The poor girl’s eyes dropped, and she moved to the
end of the table.  Serena quickly slid in next to Cole and smiled
possessively at him.

Bri
leaned into Layla.  “Hey Lay, what’s the deal with Serena?” 

“Serena
Blake,” Layla snorted.  “She’s an anal retentive, obsessive-compulsive,
control freak, who’s declared herself queen, and thinks she gets to order the
rest of us around.  She’s got her nose in just about everything that goes
on here, and is in about any club and organization you can name.  She’s a
spoiled little rich girl who has always gotten whatever she wants.  And
believe me, all hell breaks loose when she doesn’t.  If I were you, I’d
stay under her radar.  She’s viscous.”

Bri
swallowed her pride, and asked, “What about her and Cole?  Are they
together or something?”  She had tried to sound nonchalant, but Layla eyed
her with a smile.

“Despite
what everyone is saying, no they’re not.  Not that Serena isn’t trying her
hardest to convince him otherwise.  But is seems Cole isn’t interested in
a relationship right now.  Not that you’d know it from watching the two of
them.”

Serena
was whispering something in Cole’s ear, and he was laughing.  They really
did look like a couple.  A beautiful, perfect, red carpet couple. 
Bri cursed the pang that racked her heart.  She didn’t care if they were
together or not. 

“Why?”
Layla asked slyly.  “Is someone interested in Cole Marra?”  She
wagged her eyebrows at Bri.

“Not
even remotely,” Bri scoffed.  Layla didn’t look like she bought it,
though.  Bri had never told Layla about meeting Cole that summer, and what
happened when school started.  That was something she’d take to her
grave.  But she still didn’t want Layla any ideas.  So she quickly
changed the subject, and they spent the rest of lunch talking about other, much
more pleasant things.

Given
Cole’s arrogant and dismissive behavior, Bri was surprised when he tried to sit
next to her in Ceramics that afternoon.

“This
seat taken?”  He flashed his most charming smile.

“Yes,”
she replied curtly and turned away.  Much to her chagrin, he sat down
anyway. 

“So,
we still on for tomorrow?”

“Yeah
fine, whatever.”  Bri was still in a sour mood after watching him and Serena
cuddling at lunch.

“Okay,”
Cole hedged.  “Anything special you want me to bring?”

“Nope. 
Just your math book and your assignment.”  Bri continued to focus on the
clay in front of her, not sparing Cole a glance.  After a few minutes of
silence, he finally got the hint.

“Um,
okay, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”  He walked away.

Bri
let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.  What was with
that guy?  One minute he was pretending she didn’t exist and didn’t
matter, and the next he was trying to be all buddy-buddy?  It was driving
her insane. 
He
was driving her insane.

In
fact, Bri was still thinking about his hot and cold, back and forth behavior as
she lay in bed that night.  And it finally hit her.  Cole would only
talk to her when he was alone, when none of his friends were around to see
him.  But if anyone he knew was around, he was cocky and aloof.  The
realization had her fuming.  She wasn’t good enough to associate with in
public, but she was adequate enough when he needed something.  Well, he
had another thing coming if he thought she’d just play along.

So,
the next day, it was back to ignoring Cole’s existence as usual.  Two
could play at this game.  She refused to look at him, or acknowledge him
in any way.  She didn’t even stop to make sure he was going to show up
that night.  In fact, she was really hoping he would bail on her, so she
would have an excuse to get out of this whole tutoring thing.  She was a
little disappointed, then, when her doorbell rang at 5:25.  Dang it, he was
even early.  Bri plastered a neutral expression on her face and opened the
door.

“You
can sit at the dining room table,” she answered the door, all business, not
even sparing him a greeting.  “Did you bring everything?”  She led
the way to the dining room.

“Yep,”
Cole lifted his backpack.  He seemed unsure of what to make of her
curtness.

“Good,
let’s get started then.”  They sat down and Cole pulled out his
book.  Bri noticed his hair was still wet from his shower.  Crap, she
did
not
want to think about him in the shower.  As she leaned in to
take a look at his math book, she caught the scent of his shampoo, and almost
groaned.  It was not fair that he smelled so good, it made it much more
difficult to stay mad at him.  Angry at her reaction to him, Bri shook her
head, attempting to clear it and focus.

“So,
what are your questions?  What aren’t you getting?” she demanded bluntly.

Taken
aback by her abruptness, Cole tried to explain what he was struggling
with.  Bri  began quickly going over some problems with him, hoping
to be done with this as quickly as possible.  Halfway through her
explanation, he stopped her.

“You
know, this might be a little easier to grasp if you weren’t being so snippy and
hostile with me.”  He crossed his arms over his chest, perturbed.

“Oh,
I’m sorry Cole,” she replied sarcastically.  “I didn’t realize you needed
to be babied.”

“Hey,”
Cole looked right into her eyes.  “I know you don’t like me much right
now, but I’m here because I need your help.  The least you could do is not
make me feel like a loser because I need it!  And could you quit being so
damn condescending?”

Bri
opened her mouth for a retort, but snapped it closed again.  Cole was
right.  He had asked for her help, and she’d agreed to give it.  No
matter what she felt about him, she could at least be civil while she helped
him.  She took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Okay,
you’re right.  I’m sorry I’m being snippy and hostile.  I’ll try to
be nicer,” she managed to get out.

“Thank
you.  Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Nope. 
The only thing you and I will be discussing is math.  That’s it. 
Understand?”  When Cole nodded, she continued.  “Good.  Now
let’s get back to this.”

They
continued working math problems for the rest of the hour.  After packing
up his bag, Bri followed Cole to the door, where he paused.

“You
know, you can still talk to me Bri.  We used to talk about things,
remember?  We used to be friends.  I miss that.”  Cole’s eyes
held a depth of sadness that surprised her.  “I just want you to know that
I’m still here, if you need me.”

“Really?” 
Bri was skeptical.  “Because it seems to me, Cole, that the only time you
will
talk to me is when you’re alone.  If your friends are around, suddenly I’m
not even good enough for you to acknowledge.  And then now, when no one
else is here, you want me to pour my heart out and tell you everything that’s
wrong?  It doesn’t work like that!  You are either my friend all the
time, or you’re not.  And you’ve made it very clear that you are
not
my friend.  So don’t come over here and give me that “I’m here for you”
crap!” she finished angrily.  “If I’m not good enough for you at school,
then you’re not good enough for me, period.”

Cole
dropped his eyes, but not before Bri saw the pain there.

“Okay,”
he replied quietly.  “If that’s the way you want it.”

“No
Cole!”  She was furious that he still wasn’t getting it.  “This isn’t
the way I want it!  This is the way
you’ve
chosen for things to
be.  So this is the way they are.”

He
nodded slowly and turned to go.  He paused, looking like he desperately
wanted to say something, but then changed his mind.  “Goodnight, Ambria,”
he said sadly.

“Goodbye,
Cole.”  She shut the door.