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Chapter Sixteen: Victory For The Socially Inept Of The World
Around the time of my ninth birthday, my mom had another one of her 'brilliant' ideas. She's had a lot more since then but that one took the cake, no pun intended. Half of my class (the ones with affluent parents) were invited for a birthday sleepover. She hired a party planner and everything. Her goal was for me to extend my circle of friends beyond Nicole.
Maybe she'd known what a major witch my BFF would turn out to be. I should've listened to her.
Anyway, imagine my shock, disgust and body paralyzing, brain freezing fear when both the Stone boys showed up at my doorstep that day. Their parents had only very recently gotten married but everyone was already used to the idea of them being brothers. I was the only one who saw how stark the difference between them was. One was an angel, the other the human incarnation of Lucifer.
I threw a tantrum, I wanted him gone but it wasn't what a 'well brought up young lady' would do, or so my mother said. Cole stayed the night. In the end the damage wasn't as bad as I'd expected. I only had a severe rash from the itching powder he'd sprinkled all over my sleeping bag. I only had an allergic reaction to the white roses he'd brought me and my hair only turned a mild shade of green when I used my shampoo the day after.
For him, this was tame. I think he went easy on me because of my birthday.
These are the thoughts passing through my mind when I wake up the next day. Oh and I feel like I have hundreds, of thousands of Oompa Loompas doing power yoga inside my head. My skull feels like it weighs a ton and has been mistaken for a set of drums. Someone needs to stop hitting me!
This realization is quickly followed by another one. I can't breathe, like I literally can't. My lungs feel like they're being compressed by a ton of weight. It hurts to inhale and I start to panic. Quickly springing into panic mode, I wrench my eyes open and try to wriggle out from beneath the weight, all the while battling the headache from hell.
Someone grunts near me and I freeze. My hands stop shoving something that feels like a wall of steel and I scoot closer to the edge of the bed. What on earth?
"Is that how you wake people up in this family?" Cole groans next to me, finally removing his arm from over my torso.
Cole. Arm. Torso. Bed. My Bed.
Holy Guacamole.
I let out a shriek loud enough to wake my neighbours, unless of course they're already awake and enjoying the show. Oh no, oh no. If old Mrs. Wilson sees him in my room, she'll probably have it printed in the town paper.
"You forgot I was here didn't you?" A very, shirtless Cole yawns and stretches out. My eyes are pivoted to his extremely shirtless body, fixating over his rippling muscles and defined stomach. How is it possible to look this good, first thing in the morning? Even his hair looks perfect and it hasn't been touched by a brush. The amount of money guys spend on products to achieve this bed headed look seems effortless for Cole.
"Yeah, I think that's it." Struggling to breathe, I look away. The bed creaks, telling me that he's gotten up.
"You can look now, I'm decent."
He sounds smug, a little too smug for my taste but it's deserved. He knows I'd been checking him out. Heck, every girl he meets must check him out. How do you not do that, with someone who looks as good as he does? I'm not blind; I'm a teenager with hormones.
Hormones which never seemed to make me feel this horny until Cole came into the picture.
"How much did I drink last night?" I groan, pulling my knees up to my chest and drop my head to rest on top of them. I have visions of Jay and Gloria Gaynor. Flashes of being up on stage and giving a speech, images of Cole surrounded by a bunch of girls with fake boobs. Okay, so maybe not all of them had fake boobs but they were still desperately all over him. That's just as bad, I think.
"Not enough to not remember everything." He snorts and settles down next to me. He pries my hands away from my face and makes me look at him. All the while, I'm alternating between the urge to puke and battling a sure fire heart attack. Being near Cole does weird things to me, I swear.
"I haven't forgotten. I mean what's the point of getting drunk if I can visualize every stupid thing I did under influence!"
"You didn't do anything stupid. For the first time in your life Tessie, you were honest and I think that rocks."
I look at the determined expression on his face. Understanding dawns upon me and I realize that yesterday I did things; he's always asked me to do. I stood up to a guy, who I've allowed to control me for far too long. I was myself in front of the whole town instead of being shy, quite, meek Tessa. I did something incredibly selfish, I slashed the tires of Jay's car but it made me feel good so I let it pass.
"You're right, I did sort of rock yesterday didn't I?"
He chuckles and gets up to go to the guest bedroom with its en suite. I'm not worried about anyone seeing him come out of my room, for the simple reason that no one's home. My parents are taking a fishing trip with some of their friends and my brother's out looking at colleges. Knowing that I'd have the house all to myself must've been the reason I'd asked Cole to stay, right? I must have been afraid of being alone. Yup, that's it. There is no other explanation. It's not like I crave his company, not that at all.
I go to my own en suite; ready to shower till I turn into a prune but something makes me freeze.
Please don't let it be true.
Shutting my eyes I turn on my heels so that I'm standing right in front of my full length mirror. It's not my bird nest hair that's causing me to turn beetroot red, nor is it the mascara smeared all over my face. I don't even mind the lipstick staining my teeth. Oh no, that is not worrying me, thought it should. What is absolutely mortifying is the fact that I'm not wearing any pants!
Oh My God.
I slept in the same bed with Cole Stone and forgot to wear pants. Someone please fetch the cyanide.
After showering and washing all of yesterday's grime off, I decide to dress down for the day. The sparkling tiara resting on my dressing table is the constant reminder of what I achieved yesterday. If I wanted to, I could be like Nicole or one of the more popular girls. The tangible proof is a huge boost to my self-esteem. Finally, even though it might be a little shallow, I know I'm not loser Fatty Tessie anymore. Even though I'd lost the weight, it seemed like it never made any difference but now I know better.
I also know that this guy I'm beginning to possibly develop feelings for and one who is responsible for almost all of my nightmares is in my house. I eye my tattered oversized shirt in my hand and throw it back into the back of my closet. I could definitely do better. In the end I settle for a look that's both cute and doesn't look like I've spent nearly thirty minutes trying to perfect it. I'm wearing a pair of the designer jean shorts my mom bought me and I pair it with an oversized off the shoulder jumper with white and baby blue stripes. Trying to be casual, I remain barefoot, showing off my sparkly toenails, which had been done yesterday.
I find Cole downstairs, whistling as he cooks. It's a familiar sight from not too long ago but the difference is evident. I'm much more aware of him now. I like to look at him and I like to study his profile. I appreciate the athletic grace he possesses as he moves around, flipping, frying, whisking and shaking. I love the way he bites his pinkie when something tastes odd. I love how he frowns when he burns a piece of toast.
What is happening to me?
Trying to be noiseless, I tip toe down to him. His back's turned towards me and I can tell he's making coffee. The smell hits me like a freight train but only in the best of ways. My mouth waters and the Oopma Loompa's inside me gravitate towards the source.
"How much sugar do you take in this?"
Well, so much for being sneaky.
"One sugar oh and creamer too."
When he settles it in front of me, I all but gulp it down in one go. The heat is welcome and the caffeine does wonders for my pounding head. I have no idea why people make such a big deal out of drinking. It is not fun and I'd really rather wake up without a headache.
"Here, you need to take these, but not on an empty stomach."
He pushes a bottle of Tylenol towards me along with water. Even though the thought of food makes me queasy, I manage to eat a hard boiled egg and some toast. The blander, the better. The medicine kicks in about ten minutes later and the Oompa Loompa's return to the Chocolate Factory.
Beyond embarrassed by the fact that I slept half dressed with him, I can't even look at Cole. He's humming to himself, definitely in a good mood which shows that he wasn't affected by my lack of clothes at all. I don't need to bring it up; he'll just think I'm immature. He's probably been with lots of half naked girls.
That particular thought makes me want to throw up more than the idea of food.
"Why are you so quiet?" He sips his own coffee and raises and eyebrow at me. Trying to look dreadfully casual, I shrug.
"I'm thinking about last night." I say truthfully. I don't mean the Ball, or winning a title but what happened later. We may have slept in the same bed before but something seems different now. He must have felt it too since he was basically wrapped around me when I woke up. Every other time, it's obvious that he practiced restraint. Last night, there was none of it.
"Yeah, I knew you'd win." He grins. I knew he'd take it the wrong way; I'd been counting on it.
"Nicole will probably be spitting fire right now. I'm almost afraid to run into her." I shudder but only jokingly. Something changed last night, my inhibitions went away. Speaking to Jay, letting him know how he'd hurt me, how disappointed I was in him and finally admitting that Cole was a better person than him has made me braver. I know I can face Nicole now. She's the same girl who's terrified of ants. She's the same girl who has the most horrible allergic reaction to coriander and she's the same girl who cried for hours on end when Marissa Cooper died in the OC. Yeah, I know the girl like the back of my hand. Knowing that she's as human as I am, rationalizes my resolve to end her torment.
Cole doesn't understand that I'm joking. His face hardens, his eyes losing all of their previous humour. I really know how to put my foot in my mouth, don't I?
"We're ending it right here Tessie. Whatever hold she has on you, it's over. If it were up to me, she wouldn't even be alive after that stunt she pulled with Hank. We're taking her down and you need to stop being so afraid."
"It's not that I'm scared," I break off, gauging his reaction. Cole refuses to look me in the eye as he finishes his breakfast. This has to be done right or his temper will get worse. The last thing I want is to ruin the beginning of our Winter Break by opening my big mouth and saying something completely horrid. "I let her get away with things mostly because I really lack in the self esteem department."
He begins to say something but I stop him. "I get it now, I do. I might not be skinny enough, blonde enough, smart enough but I also don't deserve all the shit she gives me. I allowed her to walk all over me thinking, that that's what I deserve but its different now."
"Why?" His eyes bore into mine intensely. The atmosphere is charged, a palpable tension surrounding us. I almost miss his crude flirting and teasing, I even miss the bully inside of him who lit fire to the ends of my pigtails more than once.
"Because I met this complete douche bag who made me realize that being a little narcissistic is good for the soul." I place a hand against my heart and sigh dramatically. Finally, the spell of awkwardness breaks and Cole laughs, the sound is like music to my ears.
We laze around for some time. It's not even afternoon yet so I text Megan and Beth, asking if they want to do something today. Both replies are disappointing since Megan can't leave the house after nearly breaking curfew yesterday and Beth is working. She's almost always working, taking odd jobs here and there. Her mom's an aspiring musician turned beautician. She wasn't very frugal with her inheritance, wasting almost all of it when she made a demo and tried to get signed. When she ended up pregnant, she had to give up her dream temporarily, move back to her old town and raise her daughter. No one talks about Beth's father, not even her. It's a taboo topic that no one dares touch. Marie hasn't been the greatest mother; she still spends money like she has best friends with bank robbers. Her dreams of being a singer haven't died down but the more rejection she faces, the more she sinks into depression. Beth puts on a brave face and pulls through but I know how much she's struggling to earn enough for college.
We're watching cartoons, Cole's sprawled all over the couch in my living room and I'm snuggled down in my favourite armchair. He's texting someone constantly and even though I don't want to admit it, it's bothering me.
It's bothering me a lot.
What if its one of the girls from yesterday? They certainly looked friendly enough to give him their numbers. They were all gorgeous; he'd be an idiot to not want to get in touch with them. They're probably better at flirting and witty banter than I am. I bet they would be doing something far more interesting with him than watching Rugrats re-runs.
When he laughs for what seems like the tenth time, I throw a cushion at him which he obviously skillfully ducks.
"What did I do?" He asks incredulously and I scowl.
"You're interrupting my cartoons. I can't even hear what they're saying because of your pig like snorting. Stop texting your groupies or get out!" I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.
His face is blank for a second or so and then he bursts out laughing. That idiot has the nerve to laugh at me, like he's making fun of my more than obvious jealousy. I start feeling uncomfortable pretty fast and sink into my armchair, wanting to completely vanish. Once again, my mouth shoots and scores, victory for the socially inept of the world.
"I was texting my grandmother." Tears start streaming down his face as he buries his face in the back of the couch and thumps his fist against it, his body shaking in laughter.
This is awkward.
Very awkward actually.
"I—I, I didn't know. You were just being annoying." I scowl and pull my knees up to my chest. Right now, I just need the earth to open up and swallow me whole. I wouldn't even bat an eyelash if a meteor struck and eliminated the entire human race.
"You were jealous Tessie, admit it." Even though he's trying to be smug, his eyes sparkle at the idea and I feel all warm and gooey on the inside. He likes that I'm jealous and I like that he likes that I'm jealous. It reinforces the idea that maybe just maybe, I'm different from all the other girls in his fan club.
For the sake of pretence, I roll my eyes and snort. "You're delusional Stone."
"But you're jealous." He nags, making my cheeks heat up. He's going to enjoy himself with this one. I need to change the topic and I need to change it before he sees right through me.
"How is Nana Stone? I haven't seen her in ages."
Nana Stone is Sherriff Stone's mother and one of the coolest, most interesting people I have ever come across. She breaks, no scratch that smashes every stereotype you might possibly have for a person above the age of sixty. When we were kids and she used to live in this town with her husband, Cole's grandfather. I used to go to her house every other day since she volunteered to babysit me. I still remember all the eccentric clothes she used to wear. She had all these different coloured wigs, which she'd pair with crazy outfits. If one day she's wear a neon pink wig and a floor length gown, the next she'd wear an inky black wig with leather pants, a black t-shirt and a leather jacket. On top of everything else, she was the only one who didn't let Cole get away with the things he did to me. Once she caught him emptying a tray of ice down the back of my shirt and she punished him by having him clean every toilet in the house.
Obviously, I idolize the woman.
When Cole's grandfather died, she sold her house and moved away. I hear stories of her travelling around the world and Scuba diving in the Caribbean and I wonder if she's really out there doing all that. I know Cole still sees a lot of her, even when he was states away in military school, he's really close to her even though he tries his very best to not show it. From what I've observed so far, he still goes to see her once every two weeks. For someone who's considered the town bad boy, he sure is a softie when it comes to his Nana.
If he senses the fact that I'm clearly deflecting the jealousy question, he doesn't make anything of it. He just looks warmly towards the cell phone in his hand and shakes his head.
"She's still the craziest old lady I've ever met. She was just telling me about how she let a stink bomb go off during Bingo night."
Oh yeah, she's Cole's grandmother alright.
"Do you still see her often?"
He nods, "I try to but she doesn't like me seeing her in the seniors home a lot. If it were up to here, she'd be off street racing but my dad put his foot down. She hates that place."
I could understand. For a free spirit like Nana Stone, being confined to an old age home would be a nightmare. It didn't matter how good the care was, the woman wasn't supposed to be kept all caged up.
Cole studies me as I stare out the window, looking into the distance but painfully aware of his gaze on me. My skin's starting to prickle under the scrutiny and I just want him to spit out whatever he's thinking but I'm afraid to open my mouth again. My feelings are starting to become painfully obvious and I need to put my guard up before he sees everything.
"Do you want to go see her with me?"
Okay, I was not expecting that.
"You're free right? Its winter break and we've got nothing to do. Do you want to go visit her? She'll love to see you."
I'd love to meet Nana Stone too; it'd been far too long. But from what Cole tells me she lives about four hours away, the drive isn't that long, all things considered but still. I know my parents wouldn't mind, they themselves wouldn't be home till tomorrow. Travis would make a scene but I could take care of him. Besides, he's so obsessed with Mystery Girl at the moment that nothing else matters.
But then do I want this? Am I ready for a four hour road trip with Cole, especially when my mind seems to turn into goo around him? Urgh, when did these blasted things get so complicated?
The sad thing is that even though this teeny tiny part of me is questioning all of this, a bigger part is jumping up and down in excitement. Of course I want to go with him.
He's waiting patiently for my answer but there's a sort of apprehension and anxiety surrounding him, like he's testing me. I wonder what would happen if I said no but I guess we're never going to find out since the word, yes, leaves my mouth before I can over think anymore.
His entire face lights up and he's grinning like a kid on Christmas. We immediately go into prep mode. I put on some makeup while he goes home to change and get his car. It gives me time to think and re-think my decision but nervous as I am this just feels right.
Now I'm no fortune teller that I can assure you. Had I been able to see the future, I could've prevented several trips to the ER. However right, I just have this feeling in my gut telling me that this trip would define who we are. We'd been swinging like a darn pendulum between being frenemies and then something more. Buying dresses, taking me to dances, almost kisses- we were already something more weren't we?
I start hyperventilating at the thought of all the possibilities that could possibly be. I'm doing the dishes, trying to calm myself down when all of a sudden the hair at the back of my neck stands up. I know it's him, without even questioning myself.
"Ready to go?" He whispers in my ear. I hadn't realized that he was so close. The plastic cup in my hand drops the floor with a loud clatter.
I whirl around, only to notice that he's caged me in his arms. I'm breathless, panting heavily with my heart crashing wildly against my ribs.
"Don't do that! You could've killed me." I chastise but the effect is dimmed by my breathy voice. Oh lord, this is so embarrassing.
I expect him to tease me, to mock me and to turn the situation into a humorous one but the serious look in his eyes takes me aback. His blue eyes are considerably darker, his lips slightly parted, a vein pulsating in the side of his neck.
"Cole, what's...?"
"You told Jay, you thought I was sexy?"
Oh.
Crap.
I want to disappear. I want to melt into a puddle, I wanted to be abducted by aliens and I want to be run over by a truck-like yesterday. That big mouthed idiot! I feel slightly guilty for slashing the tires of his car but now I feel like I let him off easy. I want to grab a baseball bat and wreck his Jeep so badly that even that stupid MTV show won't be able to fix it. How could he..., why would he even...?
Why do these things keep happening to me?
"I—I didn't exactly...he misunderstood and I..." I don't know what to say and my pounding heart isn't helping. With all the blood rushing to my head and a whooshing sound in my ears, I don't exactly feel good.
"Do you like me Tessie?"
I gulp. Is it time already? Is this the part where we finally talk about, all the weird tension between us? Do I want to admit that maybe, quite possibly, I could have a crush on Cole Stone?
The words, crush and Cole Stone in the same sentence just sound so strange. It shouldn't feel right but it does.
He tilts my chin upwards to look at him. There's an odd mixture of happiness and fear on his face. It makes answering him all the more difficult. All that hope, all that anxiousness, every conflicted feeling shared between the two of us is now out in the open. I could wreck everything with just one word.
"I don't know."
He cocks his head to the side, a crooked smile on his face. "Well, at least that's better than a no."
"I wouldn't say no, not after everything." I say in a quiet voice, afraid to even look at him again. My heart rate is going haywire, it's not normal. This dizzying affect he has on me, this hold he's always had is now so overwhelming that I can hardly hear myself over the pounding in my chest.
He cups my cheek, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. My eyes flutter close and instinctively I lean into his touch. This moment feels so perfect, so wholesome yet so earth shattering and unreal that I almost feel like I'll wake up any second and realize that it is all a fantasy my mind has conjured up.
I don't want it to be a fantasy.
"Tessie," He says in a voice that says it all. It expresses longing and desire, care and warmth, yearning and...something more.
He takes a deep breath, as if preparing himself for something. I'm afraid to let out the breath I've been holding. This feels so surreal, my mind is hyperactive. I have all these thoughts and feelings, emotions I can't put into words. I don't think I'm ready for whatever he's about to say.
"We'll take this slow, as slow as you want." He gulps audibly and I'm relieved to see that he's as nervous and rattled as I am. "Whatever you need, it'll all be in your terms. I just want a chance to show you that I'm not that stupid boy who left four years ago."
You haven't been that boy for a while now. I want to say this out loud, I want to tell him that he's changed my life, quite literally ever since he's come back but I feel numb, incapable of speech. I just nod stupidly and his hand drops from my face. Instead he takes my hand in his and interlinks our fingers.
"I promise Tessie, I won't let you down."
I squeeze his hand in response, not knowing what else to say. Only someone who's known me for my entire life knows that this means more than words. He knows I'm not the most eloquent person on the planet so he doesn't push me, doesn't try to make me speak. We finish doing the dishes together but only with one hand since Cole doesn't let go of the hand he's holding.
Later when I've made sure that the house is safely locked, Cole and I head for his Volvo. We haven't said much aside from mundane instructions and single worded responses. Is this how it's going to be between us now? Will it be awkward, will we both be too shy to behave the way we usually are with each other.
I take shotgun as Cole starts the car. Once we pull out of the driveway, he takes my hand again and smiles at me shyly, I mirror his expression.
"Tessie?" He says after a while and I remove my gaze from outside the window.
"Yeah?" I say quietly, afraid of what's coming next.
"I told Jay, slashing the tires was completely your idea." He chuckles and I gape at him.
"You did not!"
I lunge for him over the gap between the two seats but am restrained by my seatbelt. He chuckles at my misery and embarrassment and that's when it hits me. It doesn't matter what we become to each other, in the end the most important part of our relationship is his ability to drive me crazy.
And he's doing a stellar job with that. Still I dont let go of his hand, not once during the entire journey.
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*Ducks behind Hagrid*
-Hi everyone! I'm so sorry about the wait, I really am. The holidays are a busy season for everyone so I hope you guys understand. Speaking of holiday, I hope all of you that celebrate Christmas had a wonderful time! :) I'd love it if you would share what your favourite present was. I'd asked for a paperback copy of 'Dinner With A Vampire' by our very own Abigail Gibbs and I was so happy to have gotten it. It' was such a proud moment to see a Wattpad author, published! :) Oh and a very happy New Year to each and every one of you :D I hope 2013 is a prosperous year for you and your families. 2012 was pretty crappy for me so I'm more than glad to be rid of it.
I hope you guys like this chapter, I think it probably marks the start of something all of you have wanted for some time now. Except for the two Jay fans that pop up here and there :P
I also have a great book for all you of to read. OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS! You need to read 'Anna And The French Kiss' by Stephanie Perkins. FSHJGSDJGHJSDG It is SO SO SO GOOD. Stephanie Perkins is amazing. She's my new favourite. 'Lola and The Boy Next Door' is pretty amazing too. It's just a ton of awesomness :D Let me know if you've read it :)
Also, this is where I thank you for having TBBG reach 1,000,000 reads and more than 33,000 votes. I want to pinch myself, it is so unbeliveable. You guys are so fantastic, I'm just thankful to all of you, truly am. I read each and every comment/inbox/messageboard post and even though I might not be able to reply to all of you, I still am grateful-just wanted to let you guys know.
Okay, I hope you guys enjoy my belated Christmas/New Year's present. Please vote/comment/fan if you enjoy my work :)
Random Question : What do you think Cole would get for Tessa on Christmas and what would she get for him? *wink* *wink*
WOOT WOOT 2013 <3