you belong with me | c.w. ✓

twenty [paper thin]

t w e n t y

paper thin

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Raegan, Zoe, Maggie, and I got back from dress shopping right before one-thirty, while the Red Land team was at practice. We spread out our dresses on the beds, admiring them before hanging them up. Maggie had gotten a simple black bodycon dress with lace sleeves; Raegan's was blush pink and strapless, and Zoe bought a navy blue dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves. I'd found mine on the clearance rack, of course: it was light purple with an illusion neckline, along with a tulle skirt and lace on the bodice. I'd gotten it mainly because I didn't own anything that color and was surprised that I liked it. I was definitely more of a tomboy, so purple wasn't typically a color I was drawn to. But I figured, since this dance was supposed to be all about moving on from Cole and "starting a new chapter in my life," according to Raegan, it wouldn't hurt to change up my style a little bit.

Of course, the girls all freaked out when I told them about Walker asking me to the dance and basically saying he liked me. I knew they were happy for me; that I'd finally found someone to help take my mind off of Cole. And as much as it hurt to admit, it was working. Now, when I thought of Cole or heard his name, my chest didn't feel like it was splitting in half.

That seemed like progress.

We hung up our dresses and decided to just walk around the stadium. We looked at a few booths selling t-shirts and jerseys, and eventually ended up at one of the practice fields to watch the team.

The rest of the team was doing drills, while Cole was standing off to the side throwing pitches to one of the coaches.

As usual, I felt my heart skip a beat when my eyes met his and he gave me a smile - even though it was so small I might've imagined it. I thought about what Walker had said the day before, when he asked me if I had moved on. I was trying to, but it was natural for it to take time, right? The fact that Cole still made my heart race after six months of being apart wasn't unusual. Was it?

I didn't let myself dwell on it. But I also didn't force myself to take my eyes off of Cole as he whipped the ball towards his dad.

We'd gotten there right at the end of practice, and soon the boys came off the field. Jaden and Zack came over to us, telling Zoe Braden had to talk to his dad but would talk to her later. Jaden leaned down and kissed Raegan while Zack wrapped an arm around Maggie. I tried not to be jealous, but it was hard not to be when you were surrounded by couples. It made me think about Cole and what we could have been. Except now that Walker was thrown into the mix, I was thinking about him, too. It was all so confusing - I didn't know what to think anymore.

The rest of the team was gathered about twenty feet away, and out of habit I looked for Cole. It wasn't hard, since he was by far the tallest person on the team. As soon as my eyes landed on him, I saw he had already been looking at me - and I realized that maybe it was his habit to look for me.

Cole gave me a small nod when our eyes met. I tried to smile at him, but I knew it didn't reach my eyes. He turned and walked away before I could do anything else. A small part of me was relieved. It was hard trying to figure out how to act around him - a constant battle of the balance between friendly and not too friendly.

I turned back to my group, which had gone down to just Jaden, Raegan, and Zoe. I'd heard Maggie and Zack saying they were going back to the dorms, but it hadn't really reached my brain while I was looking for Cole.