GOLD RUSH , [ cole walter ]

four

"Cole Walter!" He just laughs and we look to see Jackie and Alex. I eye them, "And where exactly have you two been?"

"Just checking out the events," Jackie replies. I hum, but I'm not convinced.

"I thought you weren't coming," Alex says to Cole bitterly. What is up with that anyway?

"I had a change of heart," the blonde brother responds.

I joke, "That would require you to have one."

Cole rolls his eyes playfully, "I'm happy to leave, you know."

Before I can reply, Jackie does, "But... another pair of hands couldn't hurt. And he did fix the cart."

I furrow my brows at this reply, since when does Jackie care about the cart?

"Right, guys?" she turns to Alex and I.

I just nod and Alex says, "Right."

Then, Jackie asks Cole what was wrong with the tap and he offers to show her. I stand next to Alex feeling weird. My stomach is knotty again.

"Hey, Alex, did you bring any books with you? I don't know how much help I'll be honestly and besides, I only came because Cole dragged me here."

"Yeah, I have a copy of 'The Lord of the Rings.' I don't know if you read that."

"Right now, I'll read anything," I say as he hands me a book and I sit next to the cart and read. I overhear a man talking about the new quarterback, Dylan. I look up to see Cole has stopped talking to Jackie and is now staring at the stage. I frown, but drag my eyes back to the page and start reading about Hobbits.

One of the good things that comes with my chronic fatigue is that I'm an expert at tuning the world out when I need to. That is, of course, excluding when a blonde boy kicks me.

"Huh?" I look up.

Cole looks worried, "I think you should check on your sister, New York."

I got up right away, "Where is she?"

"This way," he nodded and led to me the table for the silent auction. I noticed Erin and her friends walking away as Jackie looked stressed.

"Jackie, what's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," She says, but my stare makes her spill her guts. "If people don't start bidding, Erin will make it her personal mission to ensure this is my first and last contribution to the fundraising committee."

Cole laughs and I hit his shoulder, "Erin doesn't have that kind of power, Jackie. And if she did, there are plenty of other clubs and committees."

"Yes, but Princeton looks for consistency and follow-through!" she whines.

I bite my lip, "Give me a minute, I'll think of something." Her eyes fill with hope and she hugs me saying "thank you" three times. I sigh, "Don't thank me yet."

I look around to see if I can find a solution. Some people, including adults and elders, pass us by and say hello to Cole. I hear them praising him and a light bulb goes off in my head.

When they're gone, I say, "Cole. Hear me out, okay?"

He looks confused, "What?"

"You're basically the Silver Falls golden boy, right?"

He laughs awkwardly, "Yeah, I guess."

"Well," I start, unsure. "What if you auctioned yourself? Like, people pay for a date with you. Celebrities do that sometimes and you're the closest thing we've got to one."