Queen of Nothing

2. A Ladder? But Your Parents Aren't Even Home

After all, you never forget your first. Even if you weren't his. 

So I took a quick shower, primped myself out in all the ways that were necessary, even going so far as to slide myself into a pair of scandalous underthings that I'd slipped into my pocket at Victoria Secret.

I felt my stomach rumble, and reached for a slice of bread. My fridge had grown paltry, with nothing more but a couple jars of sauce, wilted lettuce and turkey slices, so there really wasn't much else to choose from. And Cole wasn't the type to take a girl out after "spending time" with her. Although, what horny teenage boy did, really? 

Then, with steel-backed determination, I drove to Cole's house, parking on the street just a block down. When I'd approached his front door, I heard my phone buzz. 

C: Not the front door, meet me by my bedroom window. Use the ladder. 

I tamped down the squeal of frustration that was waiting to be let out. 

M: R u srs?

C: Sorry lol 

I swung his backyard door open and found the ladder that he'd mentioned. Normally, if his parents were home, he'd sneak me in from the backdoor, so this was new. I rolled my eyes and began my ascent, rapping on his window when I was at the top. He opened it immediately, hoisted me inwards. 

Before I'd even landed on my feet he fused his lips to mine, grabbing me to him, one hand on my lower back, the other on my face. I smiled against him, and kicked off my shoes, because this I could do. Hooking up with Cole was second nature to me at this point, and frankly the least complicated part of my night. 

But he wasn't budging from the window, and I slowed the kiss down, 

"What, you're not even going to take me to the bed?" 

And that's when I heard a squeak. I whipped around immediately, to see Lily standing in the window right opposite to Cole's, as she slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. My face grew red immediately as I slammed his window shut, pulling the blinds closed. 

"Jeez, babe can you be a little more careful?" Cole groaned, trying to slip his arm around me again. 

"What the hell, Cole?" I fumed, pushing away, "Was she just there the whole time?" 

He shrugged, "I don't know." 

"What do you mean, you don't know?" 

"I mean, I don't keep tabs on her like that, Mahi. I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this." 

I wanted to pull my hair out and shake it in his face, because if it was one thing that he excelled at, it was weaponizing his incompetence, the lack of common sense he seemed to operate with. 

"Cole, she could have seen us, that's why it's a big deal." 

He looked away. 

My heart started pounding in my chest, "Cole did you want her to see us?" 

He shook his head, "Mahi, I don't know. She's been complaining about the noise all week, and frankly I thought this would shut her up for a while." 

I felt a drop in my stomach. 

"So you invited me over here to have sex and...what? Piss her off? What was this going to achieve, Cole?" 

"I don't know," he murmured, before pulling me close and kissing me, "Can we just forget about it?" 

And against my better judgement, I allowed him to dim the lights, to slip off my sweatshirt and whisper his apologies. 

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