𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒, cole walter

seventeen

blanca made her way out of the barn, the distinct sound of her mary janes clicking against the stones and rocks as she approached cole. as she drew closer, cole grunted in discomfort, causing Blanca to pause mid-step.

concern etched across her face, blanca quickly scanned the situation and noticed cole's pained reaction as he clutched his knee while attempting to stand up.

observing as he made his way towards the paddock, seemingly intent on being alone. blanca, despite her concern, she recognized his desire for privacy and chose not to intrude further. she turned and quietly made her way back into the house.

as blanca entered the home, she found jackie, isacc, lee, and george, who appeared stressed while on a phone call. settling into the kitchen with the group, jackie posed a question that caught blanca's attention.

"what does 'slashing and burning' mean?" jackie inquired, directing her question at lee.

lee paused from peeling his fruit, considering the explanation. "it means we set a fire to kill the pests," he explained, his tone matter-of-fact.

blanca listened in, absorbing the conversation, intrigued by the agricultural topic being discussed. george's explanation shed light on the seriousness of the situation, emphasizing that the 'slashing and burning' method was a last resort in dealing with pests. his hope rested on a new pesticide that might thwart the moths before they caused damage to the roots of the plants.

as the conversation among the teens concluded, they dispersed, each heading off to their own tasks. the howard sisters decided to retreat upstairs to their room, exchanging greetings with katherine on their way up.

climbing the stairs, blanca halted in her tracks as she noticed cole standing in his room with an open door, seemingly lost in a mix of emotions while gazing at a frame. sensing her presence, cole looked up and caught blanca's gaze, prompting her to offer a small smile and wave at him.

unexpectedly, cole's reaction was to step closer and swiftly shut the door, a move that surprised both blanca and jackie, who had just arrived in the hallway to witness the interaction.

"chingate pues," blanca muttered under her breath, a mix of frustration and confusion evident in her tone, as she turned to Jackie, seeking confirmation if she had just witnessed what happened. jackie simply shrugged in response, unsure of cole's sudden change in demeanor.

choosing not to dwell on the moment, jackie led the way downstairs, suggesting they join the rest of the family. blanca followed suit, feeling a bit unsettled by cole's reaction but deciding to let it go for the time being.

blanca's day at school had flown by, and soon, the final bell signaled the end of classes. after victoria kindly offered to drive her home, blanca arrived at the Walter house, entering and making her way up the stairs.

to her surprise, as she reached her room, she saw two unfamiliar teenagers exiting, carrying art supplies. their presence in her room puzzled her, and before she could react, jackie emerged from her own room, holding a canvas.

"sorry, we had to steal these for a project," jackie apologized, a hint of mischief in her tone as she explained the situation.

"oh, that's fine then," blanca relaxed, realizing that her art supplies were untouched and that the teenagers were using katherine's instead. curious about their project, she inquired, "what are you guys working on?"