my better half | c.w. ✓

Chapter 5

McKenna's POV

"McKenna! Hurry up, you're going to be late!"

I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head to try and drown out my mom's yelling.

Mornings were definitely not my thing.

Sighing, I gave up and got out of bed, yawning and rubbing my eyes as I grabbed the outfit I picked out the night before and headed to the bathroom. I winced as I met my reflection in the mirror: I had a rat's nest for hair and dark circles under my eyes, not to mention the fact that I had gotten less than four hours of sleep the night before - and it showed. After Cole's mom dropped me off, I stayed up all night thinking about him, and mostly worrying about scaring him off with my crazy fangirl side. I really just wanted to get to know him; he was a great guy, and even though deep down I liked him, being friends with him would be enough.

An hour later, I was pleasantly surprised at my reflection. My blonde hair was curled to perfection, my bright blue eyes sparkled against my eye makeup, and my lips were pink and glossy.

Note to self: never underestimate the power of a curling iron and makeup.

I went downstairs, and after grabbing my house key and backpack, headed out the door to the bus stop. I was pretty much the only teenager in my neighborhood, so I was the only one waiting for the bus.

"Hey, McKenna."

Oh, right. I was one of two teenagers in the neighborhood.

I turned around with a smile. "Hey, Cole."

He walked over next to me and leaned against the street sign. "Excited?"

I laughed. "I really hope that was sarcasm."

"Oh trust me, it was."

After a minute of awkward silence, I said nervously, "I had a lot of fun at the pool with you guys yesterday."

"Me, too. We should do it again sometime," he replied, smiling.

I raised an eyebrow. "Might be kind of hard to go swimming in September. I mean, we could break in at night, but you know, we'd probably get arrested."

"I really hope that was sarcasm," he said with a laugh.

"Don't be too sure, Wagner," I said, smirking. "I could be a total rebel for all you know. Didn't you notice my combat boots?" I gestured to my feet, where I was wearing my favorite pair of black combat boots.

"Says the girl who freaked out and thought it was you every time the lifeguard blew his whistle yesterday," he said grinning.

I playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Well sorry for not wanting to get into trouble."

"There's nothing wrong with that, but you should learn to just relax and have fun now and then."

I fake gasped. "Do you mean to imply that I'm not the single most fun person you've ever met in your life? Because, frankly, I'm hurt."

He rolled his eyes. "Dramatic, too. Nice."

"Why don't you add that to your list?"

"What list?"

"The list of assumptions you've made about me in the two weeks we've known each other."

"I'm not assuming anything, I'm just observant," he said with a sly smile.

"Oh, yeah? And what makes you think you can get to know someone in less than two weeks?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Woah, calm down. I'm just joking."