Beautiful Mess (14 page)

“What
were you two talking about?”  She crossed her arms and scowled at Cole.

“Nothing. 
I think the entire conversation consisted of “Hey, how’s it going? 
Good.  You?”.  You want to read something into that?”  Cole
crossed his own arms, indignantly.

“Well,”
Serena pushed as she took a wobbly step closer.  “Did you
want
to
talk to her?”

“No,
Serena, I was just being polite!  You might want to try it sometime!” Cole
huffed as he stomped up to her.  “Now, can you please turn off the jealous
crazy and we’ll go back inside?”  Serena smiled up at him and linked her
arm through his.  She flashed Bri a warning glare before she let Cole lead
her inside.

Bri
watched them go with a boulder in her stomach.  She had no idea what Cole
saw in Serena, besides her perfect goddess face and body, but the fact that he
seemed to prefer Serena over her made Bri feel sick.  Yes, Cole had said
that he was trying to protect her.  And Bri had seen Serena make enough
girls cry to know that the girl was ruthlessly mean.  But, still... did he
have to
date
her?

Bri
hung out outside for a while longer, trying to calm her mind, before deciding
to go check on Layla.  She walked back inside, and though she told herself
she wasn’t going to look, her body betrayed her again and her eyes swept the
living room looking for Cole.  She was very glad when she didn’t see him
or Serena on the couch.

That
is, until she turned the corner and caught them making out in a dark
corner.  She stood for a moment, frozen by shock, and then dashed out of
the room.  Anger and hurt warred within her, even though rationally she
knew she shouldn’t be feeling this way.  She went to find Layla, desperate
to get out of there.

Layla
was still up in the front room with Devon.  She was laughing up at him,
and Devon had his arm slung around her shoulder.  Layla looked like she
was in heaven.  Everything deflated out of Bri.  She couldn’t ask
Layla to leave now, it wouldn’t be fair to her friend.  Realizing she was
stuck here for the foreseeable future, Bri sighed and turned, and ran into a
hard, wide chest.

“I’m
sorry,” she stepped back and looked up.  Her face instantly fell.

“Bri! 
I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”  Trey’s speech was starting to slur
a little, and Bri would bet that wasn’t just soda in his cup.  “So, what
do you think?”  He motioned to the party around them.  “Having a good
time?”

“Yeah,
sure,” Bri replied indifferently.

“Did
I give you the tour yet?”

“The
tour?”

“You
know, of the house?”

“You
know, Trey, that’s okay.  I don’t need a tour of your house.  I was
actually just heading outside.”  Bri made to move past Trey, but he threw
his arm around her shoulder.

“Me,
too!  I’ll come with you,” he slurred and pulled her out the back doors to
the patio.  The fire pit area was now vacant, so Trey pulled her down on
one of the padded seats.  Keeping his arm securely around her, he leaned
in closer.

“So,
Bri, I have to admit, I didn’t think it’d take you this long to come
around.”  His breath on her neck made her shudder.  Bri pulled back
as far as his beefy arm would allow.

“What? 
What are you talking about?”

“Oh,
come on, Bri, don’t play dumb.  I’ve seen the way you’ve been staring at
me in class.  It’s okay to admit it.  You’re hot for my bod! 
Lucky for you, the feeling is mutual,” he grinned smugly at her.

“Are
you completely insane?”  She tried to wrestle away from him, but Trey’s
hold didn’t loosen.  “What would ever give you that idea?”

“Well,
you’re here now, aren’t you?”  He leaned in and smelled her hair. 
‘You know, Bri, there’s something I’ve been dying to find out.”  He nuzzled
her neck, and she tried to push him away, but he just pulled her closer. 
“This whole innocent thing is just an act, right?  With a body like that,
I know you’ve got a dirty side!”

Insulted,
Bri turned towards him to say something, but realized her mistake too
late.  Trey pulled her to him and kissed her.  His hands roamed her
hungrily, like he was ready to rip off her clothes right there on the
patio.  Bri was so surprised and shocked, she couldn’t move for a
moment.  But, Trey’s tongue trying to slither into her mouth snapped her
out of her momentary paralysis.

Protesting,
she tried to push Trey away, but he was too strong.  So, Bri brought her
foot up, and kicked him hard in the stomach.  With a grunt of pain, he
released her and doubled over his stomach.

“What
the hell, Bri?  What was that for?” he wheezed.

“Oh,
I don’t know Trey,” she darted back away from him, while wiping her mouth with
the back of her hand.  She was thoroughly disgusted.   “Maybe
for assaulting me with your repulsive mouth!  I swear, if you ever try
that again, I’ll kick you harder.  And lower.”  Bri stood to go, but
Trey jumped up and grabbed her arm roughly.

“I
don’t get you,” he spat.  “You’ve been drooling over me for the past few
weeks, then you show up to my party dressed like that!  You’re practically
begging for it, and when I try to give you what you want, you kick me! 
What kind of sick game are you playing?”  He was really angry now.

“Let
me tell you this one more time,” Bri glared at him as she struggled against his
grip.  “I do not like you, Trey.  I
do not
want you.  In
fact, I
really
can’t stand you!  Just being around you makes my
skin crawl.  You cannot give me what I want, because I will never, not in
a million years, want you!”

“Well,
maybe you just need a taste of what you’re missing.  That’ll change your
mind.”

Trey
came at her with his mouth again, but this time Bri was ready.  She leaned
back, putting all her weight behind her, and swung her fist into the side of
Trey’s face.

Trey
screamed in pain and anger, as he stumbled to the side.  He released Bri
and grabbed his face.  She turned and ran quickly back to the house.

“Screw
you, you stupid
bitch
!”  Trey roared at her.

Bri
stopped at the door, and turned.

“Not
in your lifetime, asshole!”  She smirked, and dashed inside.

Once
inside, her adrenaline left her and Bri felt tears stinging her eyes.  She
was more angry than anything, but she still couldn’t believe that had just
happened to her.  After Jeremy, she’d tried not to be afraid of guys like
him, but she’d never almost been assaulted before, and she couldn’t stop the
tears from falling down her cheeks.  She pushed her way swiftly through
the crowd, looking for Layla to take her home, and ran into another hard body.

“Whoa,
Bri, where’s the fire?”  Bri’s eyes snapped up, and when Cole saw her face
he quickly sobered.  “Bri!  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,”
she angrily wiped away her tears, upset and humiliated that Cole had seen her
this way.  “I was just looking for Layla, I’m ready to go home.”

“Well,
I just saw Layla and Devon a minute ago.  They are a little... preoccupied
at the moment.”

“Great,”
Bri felt another tear slip, “I’m stuck here.  Maybe I’ll just walk.” 
She started for the door, but Cole gently grabbed her arm and stopped
her.  She immediately yanked her arm back, her pulse spiking.  It was
a knee-jerk reaction, based on her encounter with Trey, but she felt bad when
she saw the hurt in Cole’s eyes.

“Sorry,”
Bri took a deep breath, trying to calm down.  “I’m just having a bad
night.”

“It’s
okay,” he replied, looking her over in concern.  “I can take you home, if
you want?”

She
was desperate to get out of that house, but for some reason she was hesitant to
take Cole up on his offer.

“I
don’t know.  What about Serena?  She’d probably notice if you just up
and disappeared.”

“Not
an issue,” he grinned.  “Serena had a little too much to drink and was
feeling a bit... under the weather.  I sent her home with a couple of friends
before she could puke all over everything.  We are completely Serena
free.”

“Oh,
alright,” Bri sighed, giving in.  She didn’t want to ruin Layla’s night,
which seemed to be going extremely well, with her own drama.  “I’ll send
Layla a text and let her know I got a ride home.”

Cole
held out his hand to her.  “Let’s get you out of here, then.”  His
eyes begged her to take it.

“Please!” 
Another tear escaped, as Bri hesitantly took Cole’s hand.  As her skin
touched his, a little shiver went through her.  His hand was warm and
strong, and oddly comforting.   He led her out the front door and to
his familiar, old pickup truck.  He opened the door and Bri climbed
in.  She sent a quick text to Layla as Cole pulled out of Trey’s neighborhood.

“So,”
Cole cast a worried glance at her.  “You want to tell me what happened?”

Bri
felt her tears well up again, but forced them back.  She was not going to
waste another tear on Trey Woods. 

“Not
yet.  I need something sweet and fattening first.”  Cole looked
confused.  “You know, soul soothing comfort food.  Preferably
something chocolate.”

He
shook his head and grinned.  “Girls are so weird.  You’re upset, and
you want
chocolate
?”  Bri nodded, and then closed her eyes and
leaned her head back against the seat.  “Okay, chocolate it is.”

After
a few minutes of silence, Bri decided to ask something that had been bothering
her for a while.

Keeping
her eyes closed, she asked, “So, are you and Serena together?”  She tried
to sound casual, but failed.  Her stupid emotions were still too close to
the surface. 

Cole’s
eyes darted sideways to her, but he kept his head forward.

“No,
we’re not together.”

“But
you’re dating?”  Bri remembered all the kissing she’d witnessed.

“Um,
not technically,” he sighed.

“But
you two are attached at the lips half the time,” she looked at him
incredulously.  “So what, are you just using her?”  Her stomach
clenched.

“No
more than she’s using me,” Cole ran a frustrated hand through his hair. 
He obviously wasn’t comfortable with the conversation.  “Look Bri, Serena
and I... it’s complicated.  We are not dating, and I’ve made it very clear
I’m not interested in a relationship.  But Serena doesn’t seem to
care.  And we do not kiss that often”

“Right,”
Bri rolled her eyes.  This conversation was a bit painful, but now that
she was here, she might as well get it all out.  “Do you like her?”

“Serena?” 
She nodded, and Cole thought a minute before answering.  “You know, I
don’t think I’ve thought about that for a long time.  I liked her when we
started dating the first time.  But, honestly, I don’t think I’ve really
liked her since we broke up.”  Cole seemed surprised at this
revelation.  “I definitely don’t
like
like her anymore.”

Bri
was incredulous.  “You don’t like Serena?”

“Not
really.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she’s kind of a self-absorbed
snob,” he winked at her.

“Yes,
and just like Carly, she’s also psychotic and a total bitch.”  This caused
Cole to laugh, and Bri couldn’t help her grin.  Dang, he had a great
laugh.

“But
seriously,” she continued.  “You don’t really even
like
her, yet
you had no problem making out with her not ten minutes ago?” 

“Well,”
Cole flashed her a wicked grin.  “She is hot!”

“This
isn’t funny,” Bri protested as a giggle escaped her.  “It’s demented! 
You guys really will put up with anything for a pretty face and a hot
body!”  She shook her head.

“Only
if she puts out!” he laughed, and Bri whacked him on the
arm.     

“Guys
are all the same,” she sighed, half teasing, half serious.

Cole
parked in front of a frozen yogurt shop.

“So,
does this work?  Sweet and fattening enough for you?”

“It’s
perfect!  Ice cream, or yogurt, makes everything better,” she
smiled. 

Bri
and Cole ordered their frozen yogurt, and then Cole drove them to the beach, where
they parked and ate in the truck.  After a few quiet minutes, and a
contented sigh from Bri, Cole broached the topic again.

“Alright,
Bri, time to spill.  What happened tonight that had you in tears?” 
He paused and asked hesitantly.  “It wasn’t you catching me and Serena
making out, was it?”

Bri
gave him an insulted look and scoffed.

“No,
Cole.  Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed enough tongue swapping between the
two of you to have built up quite the tolerance to it.  You kissing Serena
did
not
upset me,” she rolled her eyes.

“Okay,
okay,” he held up his hand in surrender.  “What was it then?  I’m not
letting you out of this truck until you tell me,” he pressed, taking a smug
bite of his yogurt.

Bri
shook her head at him before answering.  “Fine, you want to know what
happened?  Your buddy, Trey, happened.”  She felt her anger rising as
she thought about it.  “He pinned me with his freakishly strong arms and
assaulted me with his mouth!”

“He
what
!”  Cole was shocked and outraged.  “Is that all that
happened?  He didn’t try anything else, did he?”  His voice shook
with anger.

“No. 
I’m not dumb enough to put myself into that kind of situation.  We were
out back on the patio, and he tried to kiss me a second time.  But I
punched him, and he finally got the message.”

“You
punched
him?”  Cole took her hands, checking her fingers and
knuckles.  “Are you okay?” he asked, worried.

“Yes,
I’m okay, just angry.  My hand’s a little sore, but I’m good.”

Still
examining her knuckles, Cole asked quietly, “He didn’t... he didn’t try to hurt
you, did he?”  He looked up into her eyes.

Understanding
what he was asking, Bri replied, “No, he didn’t hit me back or anything. 
He was pretty pissed, but he didn’t try to retaliate.”

“Thank
goodness,” he let out a breath.  “Are you sure he didn’t hurt you? 
Because I’ll go back there right now, and kick his ass if he did.”  He was
completely serious.

“No,
he didn’t hurt me.  I wouldn’t let him.”

“Good,”
Cole raised her hand to his lips and softly kissed her knuckles.  “But I
may just kick his ass anyway.  I can’t believe he treated you like
that.  I know he’s a cocky prick sometimes, but I didn’t think he’d do
something like this.  I’m sorry.”

“It’s
not your fault.”  She was surprised how much the whole incident bothered
Cole.  She wasn’t sure why he was so upset.  She looked down at her
hand that still tingled from his kiss.  Feeling the desire to cry again,
Bri decided it was time to get home.  “Um, Cole, do you think you could
take me back to Layla’s now?”

“Will
you be okay by yourself?  I could hang out for a while?  We could
watch a movie until Layla gets home?”

“No,
that’s okay.  I just really want to climb into a hot shower, scour my
mouth with Listerine, and forget this whole night ever happened.  But
thanks, though.  It’s nice of you to be worried.”

“That’s
what friends do,” Cole shrugged.  “They take care of each other.”

“Isn’t
anyone home?”  He asked as he pulled up in front of Layla’s dark
house.  “Maybe I should stay.”  He looked at the house
apprehensively.

“Layla’s
parents will be home a little later.  I’ll be fine, I promise,” she
smiled, touched by his concern.  “Thanks for taking me home tonight,
Cole.  I really appreciate it.  And thanks for the yogurt, I owe you
one!”

“Just
glad I could help,” Cole smiled warmly at her.  Bri stepped out the door,
but Cole’s voice stopped her.

“Oh,
Bri?”

She
turned back to look at him.

“I
just want you to know that I’m here, if you need anything.  Tonight, or
anytime.  I promise I’ll always be here for you.”  He gave her a sad
smile.

She
nodded, and headed into Layla’s house.  As Cole drove off, she suddenly
regretted sending him away.  He’d been so sweet and protective, and she
yearned for his comfort.  So much so, she almost pulled out her phone to
call him.  Instead, she forced herself into a steaming hot shower, where
she finally let all the tears fall as her emotions came rushing out.  The
anger and fear over Trey.  Her mixed and complicated feelings about
Cole.  The jealousy and pain she felt when she thought about him and
Serena together.  And all the hurt and frustration she’d felt since the
beginning of school.  She washed them all down the drain with her tears.

She
then climbed into her bed in Layla’s guest room, emotionally and physically
exhausted, and fell asleep.

Cole
sent her a couple texts that weekend, making sure she was okay.  Bri was
touched that he cared so much.  She hated to admit it, but he was wearing
down her resistance.  The protective barrier she’d put up between them was
becoming harder to maintain.

It
was fall break, and school was out for the whole week.  Bri and Layla
decided to go shopping with Jess and Maddie, and they all got to endure Layla’s
five hour dissertation on the wonders of Devon Peterson.  Apparently
things had gone
very
well at the party.  Bri held her tongue, and
let Layla go on as long as she liked.  She was obviously smitten with
Devon, and Bri was happy for her.  Layla deserved to be happy.

There
was no dance practice all week, and Bri was extremely grateful.  She
managed to get caught up on her homework, and also got to spend some quality
time with her brothers, which had been lacking since school had started. 
She was having a perfectly nice, relaxing week, but something was
missing.  She about smacked herself on the forehead when she realized it
was Cole she was missing.  It was getting frustratingly difficult fighting
her feelings for him, which had been slowly resurfacing since they began
spending time together again.  Bri kept telling herself that her life
would be a lot easier if she didn’t feel anything for him.  Unfortunately,
her body wasn’t listening.

So
on Thursday, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she took a chance and called
Cole.  She decided to start with something casual, so she asked him if
he’d like to go running with her.  They had run together a lot last
summer, and she missed it.  He agreed, and Bri felt excitement stir inside
her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. 

They
met at the park, like they used to, and ran the trails for an hour.  After
they cooled down, Cole walked her to her car.

“This
was fun,” he smiled at her.  “I’ve missed this.  We should do it more
often.  Especially now that it’s not so hot during the day.”

“Yeah,
that would be fun,” she smiled back.

“So,
how are you feeling?”  He gave her a concerned look.

“Oh,
I’m good.  I’m fully over the whole Trey thing.  Though if he tries
anything again, I’ll gladly knee him in the balls!”  She tried to joke.

“If
he ever tries anything again, I’ll do more than that,” Cole almost growled.

Deciding
to change the subject Bri asked, “So, what about you?  How are things
going?  Done any painting lately?”  She missed seeing his paintings.