𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 ✧ 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜

chapter nineteen.

"i just have so much to do." 

jackie groaned as we both walked out of the walter household.

it was the day of the wedding, and everyone was feeling the stress.

i probably was feeling a very different weight of stress, though, currently.

jackie had just finished reciting her list of wedding planner duties, and i could see the sweat bubbles forming on her lip as she huffed out a breath, "just, everyones counting on me."

i smiled slightly, knowing the truth, "you love it, though."

she smirked as an agreement.

"but anyway, enough about me," she gave me the same knowing smile, "how are you? with everything?" i caught myself immediately looking around for any walter boy in sight, finding none, "with the boys?"

"i dont know," shockingly, i had been here for an hour helping jackie and hadnt seen either one of them, cole or danny. and hadnt heard from them since the awards ceremony the other night, "just nerves, i guess. i want them to be okay." i shook the nerves out of my hands and arms, and took a few deep breaths.

"yeah, but what do you want?" i paused at jackie's question, feeling as if i had just told her, but her face told me she had a different question on the mind. maybe more so of who.

"no," i shook your head, "im not even thinking about any of that until they come to me. if neither of them are ok with anything, im not doing anything." i nodded in confidence, and jackie raised her eyebrows.

"impressively mature, harper gray." a smirk came with the nickname, and i hit her forcefully on the arm. she made a yikes face, "i guess you know whos team im on."

i just rolled my eyes and laughed, trying to take it as a joke.

we headed inside to find the boys, and a rock settled into my stomach. luckily, both of them were in their shared room. cole, sitting on his bed looking sluggish, and danny, with a stuffed suitcase on his bed.

"danny," i said hestitantly, "where are you going?"

both the boys looked at me, stunned. but danny's next words told me it was for a reason i didnt expect.

"jackie, did you tell her?" danny peered around me to the wide eyed brunette behind me.

"shoot." was all she said.

"danny, where are you going." i said more forcefully, and i could tell cole was watching my every move. danny seemed to be doing the same to his words.

"i got into julliard." i think my jaw dropped to the floor, and i messily picked it back up. i cant believe i didn't hear about this!

"danny!" i said gleefully, "thats great!" and i truly meant every word.

he nodded, "jackie's uncle is gonna let me stay with him, but," he paused, "im leaving for the summer, too." the rock reappeared in my chest.

"yep," cole heaved a long sigh, "youre going to new york, alex is going to training camp, will's getting married, and me?" cole slowly made his way over to me, smirked over at me as he bumped his shoulder into mine, "harper? do you know?"

not unless we have other things to talk about, i wanted to say, but i just giggled at him instead. we'd find that out later.

i brushed cole off and gave danny a hug, congratulating him again.

"cole, you'll be fine." i encouraged, "if nothing else, you can reawake that dream of the great american roadtrip for the summer." i said it in a goofy mockingly way, but cole's eyes stayed serious. pointed at me.

one look at them and i could tell thats not what he would have wanted to hear. thats not why he asked me.

he wanted to be with me. he said that the night he drove me back from the football field. his eyes said it as he tried to stop me from consoling danny outside of the awards ceremony. and they were saying it again now.

we had kissed. we had admitted it to each other. we had a screaming match in the rain for goodness sake.

and now danny was gone for the summer?

come on harper.

it all hit me, and it felt like i was suffocating.

i was only feeling like fate was screaming one word; cole.