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Needs to be proof read! I apologize for the mistake x.
Chapter Eighteen: "You're Not Sexting Stone Are You?"
The next morning I'm basically floating on cloud nine or higher, if you know, that actually makes sense. The stupid smile hasn't left my face since yesterday and all I can concentrate on is reliving the experience. Cole's coming to pick me up in about two hours and we're going to go lasso Nana Stone right back to the senior home. We have a plan, one involving tempting her with double chocolate fudge cake if she protests. I'm trying to convince myself that the reason I'm up at seven in the morning during my winter break is because I really want to see Nana Stone but seriously who am I kidding?
I want to look nice, exceptionally nice. The last thing I want is to look like someone from the set of the Walking Dead when Cole arrives so I made the decision last night. I'd showered and straightened my hair before going to bed so it's some what manageable. The blond locks fell in soft waves right to my lower back and if I do say so myself, when I twirl they bounce like they belong in a Pantene commercial.
Picking out an outfit is a challenge. I don't know if I should try hard, I don't want him to think I want to change myself for him. Of course I could wear my short skirt and even shorter tank top but who am I kidding? Fatty Tessie would never be able to wear clothes like that and so wouldn't I. It's important that I try to maintain a sense of self while I do, whatever it is that we're going to do. Yes, that's it Tessa, be a strong independent woman and don't let a boy get to your head.
Well considering how I'm sacrificing precious hours worth of peaceful sleep over him, I'd say he's already gotten inside my head and throwing a house party while he's there. Fudge this; I'll just wear the first thing I grab from my closet.
I'm contemplating the merits of such a decision when the doorbell rings and I jump. It's early; it is way too early for Cole to show up. He cannot ambush me while I'm still in my pajamas. I rush to my window from where I can get a pretty good view of whoever's outside. It can't be Cole, now that I think about it. He has his own key, much to my chagrin and he rubs the fact in my face every time he can. However, now with the weight of his confession between us, I wonder if he's going to stop teasing me all the time. The thought makes my stomach sink.
I pop my head out of the window just in time to see a figure sit down on my front porch. I know who it is almost immediately and when the realization hits, I rush downstairs without pausing once to take a breath. Throwing the door open, I find a very tired looking Beth who's now standing. Her appearance takes me aback. It's not like the three of us haven't seen each other at our absolute worst, we've had our fair share of sleepovers but this is something else entirely. She looks like she's just thrown on clothes in a hurry, a pair of too tight jeans with a mismatched t-shirt. Though it's not the clothes that worry me, it's her bloodshot eyes. She looks like she hasn't slept in days and it doesn't help that she's swaying on her feet. Her hair's a mess, like she's been running her fingers through it constantly and if you concentrate hard enough you'll see the tear tracks she's been trying to hard to cover.
"What happened?"
I know though. I know the answer even before she says it and it makes me feel both sad and ridiculously furious at the same time.
"Marie." She says simply and it's all she needs to say. I let her into the house and she heads into the kitchen, bracing herself against the counter. It's been a while since things have gotten this bad. Marie hasn't done anything too drastic in a while but seeing her like this makes me forget all that. It's not fair, its not. I know I didn't exactly win the lottery when it came to parents but she doesn't deserve the hand she's dealt.
"Do you want something to eat? I could make you coffee and I'm pretty sure we have some leftover lasagna in the fridge."
She smirks and suddenly all's right in the world. I don't like seeing her like this, so defeated and just...broken. It took a long time for Megan and me to break through her nearly impenetrable walls but after lots and lots of trying she finally opened up. Even though she always hesitates about talking to us about her home life, we more or less force it out of her. This would have to be one of those cases.
"You're offering me lasagna at seven in the morning?"
"Its food, you're hungry. I don't get why we as a society need to label foods according to what time it is. If you want to eat lasagna, you should eat lasagna and not care about the dang clock." I finish passionately and she smiles, shaking her head.
"You really shouldn't be up right now, its messing with your head. Did I wake you?"
"No, I was already up. I was supposed to meet..." I leave the sentence hanging, not sure how to say it. If I said his name, Beth would ask questions. She'd most probably deflect all the attention onto me just because she wouldn't want to talk about what happened at home.
"...My partner for the history project but we can always reschedule." I hope I sound convincing.
"No, its okay, go. I just need to catch up on some sleep and I'll be out of here." She yawns in the middle of the sentence and once again I have this overwhelming urge to hit Marie.
"I'll stay here. My parents left us a bunch of chores to do and I bet Travis hasn't done any of his so I should get started on those."
Wow, I'm starting to do really well with the lying. This has got to be my delinquent crush's fault.
"Chores? Since when do you have chores? Don't you have a cleaning lady?"
Right.
"Her sister died, poor thing's taken the week off." I say sorrowfully not even knowing if Glenda actually has a sister.
"Well, that sucks."
Once she believes every lie I've fed her, I take her up to the guestroom. Giving her one of Travis's t-shirts and shorts, I decide to give her some alone time to get some sleep. I'll hound her with my questions later when she doesn't look like she'll pass out any second. Changing out of my pajamas into a striped black and white tank and jeans, I decide to try my hand at cooking. Yes, it's true I almost burned down my kitchen but there were a few dishes I could manage. Beth would need a home cooked meal when she got up; I think she's had her share of pizza nights for a lifetime.
Though there's something else that needs to be done before I decide to play Betty Crocker. Fishing out my cell from beneath a mountain of clothes, I prepare myself for what's to come. What sort of a potential love interest am I? We haven't even gone on an official first date and I'm already bailing on him. The thought of hurting Cole makes my heart sink. I know he's looking forward to this, I know I am more than looking forward to this but I can't bail on my best friend. She's someone who has been there for me, more times than I could remember. I am one of the biggest reasons why she's been dubbed a social pariah and the least I could do for her is be there when she needs me.
Me: Hey, I'm sorry but something's come up. I can't go with you today.
I press send and place the phone on the kitchen counter, standing as far away from it as possible. I mean I know it's not like Cole's going to jump right out of it and break my heart but right now, I'm nearing a full blown panic attack and that rectangular piece of technological terror is the sole reason.
I'm just collecting the necessary ingredients from our pantry when my phone beeps, signaling the arrival of a text. Wow, that was definitely fast; maybe he knew all along that I would be a horrible person to date. Maybe I've just cleared any doubts he's had over the two of us being a good idea. Maybe he's relieved that I'm cancelling so that he can go out and pick a girl who's more his type.
Let's just pretend the thought isn't like someone driving a dagger through my heart.
Reluctantly I open the text, closing one eye as if that would soften the blow.
Cole: Are you okay?? Do you want me to come over? Do you want me to get Cassandra?
Oh Wow. He isn't breaking up with me. I don't know if we can break up since we're not even together properly but he isn't abandoning me, he's not angry. I finally let out the breath I've been holding for so long and my chest fills with warmth. Why is he so sweet? Is it possible to be so perfect? Can he just mess up once, just once to show me that he's still the Cole I used to know?
Me: Everything's fine. It's Beth; I should stay with her today. I really am sorry.
The comment about Beth is self explanatory. He's perceptive enough to know that she has an unstable home life. He asked me about it once but and I tried to tell him as much as I could without betraying Beth. She isn't comfortable with people knowing what her life is like; she says she doesn't like the pity. I just wish one day she'd realize that it's not pity we're offering, its empathy.
Cole: Call me if you need anything and I mean it. Promise or else I won't be able to leave. Also, stop apologizing before I make you.
My heart's literally a puddle of goo at this moment. He's so cute but I don't think he realizes it half the time. It's like he doesn't know what his words do to me, time after time. Oh and is the last part supposed to be flirting, am I supposed to flirt back. I'm supposed to say something equally heart melting right?
Uh.
Me: I promise, don't worry about us. Oh and what exactly do you have in mind to stop me from apologizing?
There. That's flirty right? If he were here in front of me, I'd try doing that twirly thing with my hair and peek at him from beneath my lashes to complete the effect. Who said Tessa O'Connell couldn't flirt when she wanted?
Cole: I'd kiss you, simple.
Oh My God.
OH MY GOD.
Cue the hyperventilation.
My hands literally shake as the phone nearly drops to the ground. I blink furiously at the screen, reading the text over and over again. Did he just...wow? Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?
Kissing Cole. Me and Cole, kissing. Of course, that's supposed to open. I agreed to go out with him and kissing is a natural part of the whole deal so why I haven't I thought about it until now. We'd come pretty close to it a couple of times but now that it's out there in the open; I don't know what to do. Do I want to kiss him?
Hell yes!
But of course I can't say that when I reply. The last thing I want is to come across as eager, inexperienced and just...desperate. If he wants to play with me, I can play right back.
Me: What makes you think I'd let you kiss me?
The reply is instantaneous, like he doesn't need to think twice before coming up with answer. What if he knows that I take minutes to reply because I'm all over the place with my frazzled nerves?
Cole: I have this feeling you would do it quite willingly Tessie.
Heart. Attack.
I inhale and then exhale loudly, trying to calm myself down but this conversation is kind of ...a turn on. I bite my lip and pretend that my cheeks aren't the colour of ripe tomatoes. He's not so open about things like these when we're together. Sure he makes crude remarks but most of the time he's just teasing me, trying to embarrass me and rile me up for my virgin ways.
However, this isn't teasing. It's just outright intense flirting and I'm totally into it.
Me: Beth needs to talk to me. I have to go, talk to you later?
Okay so I'm a huge coward and an epic fail when it comes to intimate conversation but I hope he understands. He knows me so well that I just hope he realizes that I'm nervous and not trying to get rid of him. The last thing I want to do is hurt his feelings.
Cole: Can't wait to see you, have a good day Shortcake.
Me: You too Cole.
"You're not sexting Stone are you?"
My head whips up from my phone, only to see Travis making his way towards me in the kitchen. I glare at him, the goofy grin disappearing from my face.
"You did not just say that." I shudder. The words 'sexting' and 'you' should never come out together in a sentence from your brother's mouth, its just gross.
"Hey, you're my baby sister. It's my job to make you so uncomfortable about boys that you decide to become a nun."
"You need to get your head checked." I say tapping my knuckles against his forehead.
"So since it's obvious you were texting Cole, its safe to say he isn't the one lounging in our guestroom?"
I open the cupboard above the sink and take out a box of Coco Puffs, abandoning my efforts to cook a proper meal till later. Both of us liked our cereal with warm milk so I heat some up and then make us both the only breakfast I could safely make. When we're both seated at opposite ends of the island, I answer his question.
"That would be Beth."
His spoon pauses mid air. A look of surprise flickers across his face but is gone as fast as it appeared. He chews on his cereal thoughtfully and I follow suit.
"One of your new friends right? Is she the redhead?"
"They're not new. I've known them for two years and no not the redhead that would be Megan. Beth was the DJ at the founder's ball, remember?"
"Oh."
We eat silently and I'm glad he's not asking too many questions since I wouldn't know how to answer them. How would I explain to him why my best friend showed up at seven in the morning during the vacations and is sound asleep upstairs? It might not be a big of a deal but like Cole, Travis is pretty perceptive, he'll know if something's wrong.
"Is everything okay, with her I mean is she alright?"
I gulp, swallowing loudly. Suddenly I don't want to keep it all to myself. I want to talk about it; I want to talk about it with someone who understands what a dysfunctional family is like and who better than my brother? If I tell him, maybe he can give me some advice on how to help Beth.
"She tries really hard to pretend that she is. Beth's like that, she never wants anyone to see beneath the surface but I wish she did. I wish she'd tell us more about what's going on in her life before we find out ourselves when something like this happens."
He's frowning into his bowl, concentrating really hard as if trying to unravel the greatest mystery on earth and that's exactly what Beth is to many-a mystery.
"And what do you mean by something like this?"
"Her mom, basically. Sometimes she forgets who the teenager in the house is. She throws parties that last for days at a time. Beth has to go to the library to get her homework done. She has to sleep with her door locked so drunk strangers wont try to grope her. She works to pay the bills, to keep her mom's business afloat. I know our parents aren't a prize but it seems like she never seems to catch a break and its all her mom's fault."
I should feel guilty for telling Travis all this but I don't. It seems like him finding out could only ever be a good thing. He'd know what to do, he's my big brother and he always has all the answers. That's how it's been since I was a kid.
I look at him again and now he just seems angry, like seeing red, ears flaming kind of angry. I guess the protective instincts are kicking in. My best friend must be like a little sister to him as well and being the person he is he'll want to protect her from all the bad things too.
"Why doesn't she just leave? She's eighteen right, so why doesn't she use all the money she earns to find a decent place to live?"
Megan and I have had or tried to have the same conversation with Beth several times but to no avail. We even offered that she stay with one of us for the remainder of the school year but she wont budge. She won't leave her mother, not until she has to go away to college. The reasons are a bit vague but I guess love factors into the equation. Even if her parental abilities are more than questionable, Marie is still her mother and Beth still loves her enough to stay.
"That's not the kind of person she is Trav. She doesn't quit on you, she'll stay right until the end."
He mumbles something under his breath and we finish the rest of our breakfast in silence. He asks me what my plans are for the rest of the day and I tell him that most probably we'll have a girl's day in and then a sleepover. He nods and hands me thirty dollars for pizza before going back into his room. I'm halfway through the chores; I've planned when he makes a reappearance, all dressed for the day. It's still early, around ten-which is like the crack of dawn for us O'Connell's so I'm surprised to see him looking chipper. He's dressed in a black button down with khakis and converse. It's the most effort he's made into picking out his clothes in a while, besides the Ball.
"Got a date with mystery girl?" I stop scrubbing the kitchen tiles and sit up on my knees, smirking at him.
He sighs, "Don't I wish."
"Still no luck with her? Wow, she's the first girl to ever give you such a hard time. I like her already."
He narrows his eyes at me playfully, "Yeah the two of you would be best friends but don't worry I've got the situation under control."
His tone is cocky, more self-assured now. Whenever we've talked about this 'mystery girl' before he's always seemed a little despaired and despondent so it's good to see he has a plan. Any girl who has been resisting him for more than two weeks seems like a keeper to me. Travis has always had it easy and I'm pretty sure no girl's cared that he's been holed up in his rooms, hugging a bottle of Jack Daniels to his chest for more than year and a half. They swarmed towards him at the Ball, he's still the town's golden boy but this girl's definitely giving him a run for his money.
"Well, best of luck with that. If she does come around, I'd really like to meet her."
"You'll be the first to know kiddo," He ruffles my hair making me swat his hand away. Chuckling and seeming in a better mood than ever he heads out the door. I huff exasperatedly and start cleaning until he pops his head back in.
"Oh and I know about your little chaperone less trip with your boyfriend and we'll talk about it when I get back."
"By talk, you do mean you'll make it sound ten times dirtier than it actually was, don't you?"
"You know me so well little sis."
I glare at him and he leaves, I can still hear him laughing as he gets into his car.
Beth's been asleep for more than six hours now. She must really have been tired to be out of it for so long and every second that passes I get angrier at Marie. How could she do this to her own daughter? If she continues to go at the rate she's going, she's going to lose the only person who has ever honestly cared about her. Beth deserves better, so much better than she allows herself to accept and it's about time she understands that.
Megan just left for Boston last night and is staying with her grandparents for the holidays so I can't really call her and talk to her about all this. She's busy enough with her work at the animal shelter, the Red Cross and orphanage. Yeah, there is no such thing as a vacation for her so I'll just let her be for a while.
I make a light lunch for Beth for when she wakes up, a salad with plenty of lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos and olives. There's some canned sausage in the fridge so I toss them in there as well before pouring ranch dressing over the entire thing. Then I make a big jug of sweet tea and carry it all upstairs on a tray. She's awake, just laying there staring at the ceiling. It's the kind of mood I'm most afraid of. It's when she's making decisions, big ones, and usually self-destructive ones.
"Lunch is served." I announce, plopping the food down next to her on the bed. She's startled like she didn't even hear me entering and again, I'm worried. This is not good, time for a distraction.
"Did you make this?" She examines everything carefully. Yes, my track record when it comes to cooking is not stellar but she could just try and spare my feelings.
"Well if you don't want to eat it..." I trail off; popping a jalapeno into my mouth knowing it would annoy her the most. She loves those little spicy suckers.
"Hey!" She swats my hand away and hugs the salad bowl to her chest. "No touching my food."
I've already eaten so I leave her to set up a movie in my room. She's opposed to anything remotely defined as a 'chick flick' hence I raid Travis's collection and pick out a Matt Damon one, the girl is obsessed with Matt Damon.
I strip the comforter off the bed and lay it on the floor, throwing plenty of cushions on there. Then I make a big bowl of popcorn and get out some Kit Kats from my secret stash. I'm as possessive about my Kit Kats as KFC is of their chicken so it's pretty monumental that I'm sharing.
Beth's showering in the en suite so I leave a t-shirt and some shorts for her in the room. It surprises me when she comes out wearing the same shirt I lent her this morning, over my shorts. She shrugs, "This is more comfortable."
Halfway through the movie, I try asking her about what happened. We're propped up against the foot of the bed, blankets covering us and cushions forming a cocoon around us. We were high on chocolate and buttery popcorn so this is as good of a time as any.
"Can I ask what Marie did this time?"
Her eyes never leave the screen and she shrugs, "The usual shit. Party, drugs, strangers getting it on in my bed."
I scrunch my face up in disgust. The last part was a new one.
"She blew up whatever she earned at the ball by spending it on booze. I told her we needed the money to pay the electricity bill but there's not a dime left. I don't know how many more shifts I can take, my grade's are getting low and Berkley won't take a slacker."
I rest my head on her shoulder. "You're a brilliant music producer, they'll take you the minute they hear one of your mixes. Don't worry about that."
"But I still need to have enough for tuition. I can't save much if I'm taking care of her messes all the time."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I've been thinking about finding out who my father is, you know? I've never wanted to meet the man before but maybe he could help."
I'm surprised by her answer. She's never brought up her father much and I know the idea of asking him for help must be killing her but she's been driven to this point. If Marie wasn't such a big disappointment for a mother, Beth wouldn't have to do this. Anger once again, surges through me and I wish I could just take it all away.
"Well if you need help with that, you know where to find me."
She rests her head on top of mine and we watch the rest of the movie in silence.
We're watching the third Jason Bourne movie when someone knocks on my door. It must be Travis since he's been gone for a better part of the day so imagine my surprise when I open my door and find the most brilliant deep blue eyes staring back at me. My heart rate accelerates almost immediately, my skin begins to prickles and my knees start to wobble.
Cole.
"Hey." He smiles his crooked smile and my thudding heart soars right out of my chest. I just realize how much I missed him. There had been something wrong today, the entire situation with Beth aside. I'd felt incomplete, a little depressed and now I know why. He hadn't been there with me to make it all right.
"Hi." I say, my voice coming out a little breathy.
"Hi." He says, the blue orbs shining brightly as both corners of his mouth now pull up into a dazzling smile.
"Hi."
"Are you two planning on going beyond that?"
Beth's voice brings me out of my Cole induced coma and I turn scarlet. Opening the door wide enough, I move back to let him in. He's holding two Wal-mart shopping bags and is dressed in a fitted grey long sleeved shirt and jeans. His hair looks like he's just showered and I nearly lunge for him there and then. The conversation we had in the morning immediately comes to mind and if it's possible, I turn redder.
"Hi Beth," he waves at her sheepishly and she rolls her eyes.
"If either of you says the word hi, one more time I swear I'll pummel you to death."
He raises his shopping bag laden hands defensively, "No more greetings, copied."
"Besides, if you killed me I'd take my peace offering with me."
He takes out three different tubs of ice-creams and yet again if it's possible, I get more infatuated with him than I already am. How does he know that ice-cream is just what I needed right now.
"Strawberry and cream for you," He hands me the biggest sized tub they have in stores and I almost snatch it away from him. "Mint chocolate chip for you," He gives that one to Beth and I'm touched that he knows what her favourite is and lastly he takes out his favourite, cookie batter for himself. Just like that he becomes part of our evening. I scoot over on our blanket on the floor so that I'm sitting between him and Beth. The close proximity has my nerves on high alert and I'm extremely aware of the lack of space between us. I wonder if he can hear how loud my heart's beating. I can smell his cologne, mixed with the scent of aftershave and pumpkin spice. If I could bottle the smell up and keep it with me forever I would.
"Hi," he whispers in my ear, low enough so that Beth doesn't hear. She's too engrossed with Mr. Bourne to care anyway.
"Hi," I say smiling and biting my lip nervously.
He wraps his arm around me and scoots closer so that my entire right side is pressed against his left. I can feel his body heat searing me through our clothes. Goosebumps arise on my skin but it's not at all because of the cold. Momentarily I forget how to breathe but then when the urge to be closer pulses through me, I brace myself.
Taking a deep breath, I rest my head on his shoulder, leaning into him. His breath hitches and I feel this strange sense of satisfaction. I caused this reaction in him; I have some sort of power over him. I'm not the only one who feels so affected.
When his breathing becomes constant, I look up at him and he's staring down at me. The look in his eyes is so intense that it knocks the wind out of me. His eyes smolder, scorching me to the core with just one look.
"I missed you,"
It's not him that says this, it's me and I take us both by surprise. I'm whispering but it feels like we're in a world of our own, an all consuming world where Cole's the center of the universe.
Cheesy right but that's what it feels like.
His fingers curl around my waist, digging into my skin but not in a painful way. If anything, it's more pleasure than pain.
"I missed you too, so much Shortcake."
Smiling, I rest my head back on his shoulder and we watch the rest of the movie wrapped up in each other. So much for keeping it a secret from Beth huh?
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Come say hi on social media!
Hi everyone! :) I hope you guys are doing good. Once again, I'm rambling since I've forgotten what I actually wanted to say in my A/N. Oh well, like always I'll edit it if I remember :P
SO there's a reason why I asked you guys who your favourite character besides Cole is. Most of you said Beth so I'll try to incorporate her more into the story. This chapter gives you guys some back story about her life and a big clue as to what's going to come for her in the future. I hope all of you noticed it :)
So people are asking if this story is ending soon and the answer is NO WAY. I've barely scratched the surface of Cole and Tessa's relationship so there's a long way to go :D Yeyy right?
Book suggestion? The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Miller. Josh Bennett is just JKGHSKJGHKG. Such a cute/hot/loveable male lead but more importantly its an amazing story, touching and just incredibly well written :D
Random Question? Yeah this ones for me. I need you guys to suggest a TV Show similar to Gilmore Girls. It can be an old on. I've heard a lot about Everwood and such. I've seen most of the new ones, Gossip Girl, TVD, 90210 and have suddenly started hating them so suggestions please?
That is all for now, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Leave a comment with your thoughts, below for me to read. Also I'll reply to all your inbox messages and messages on my messageboard as soon as I can, promise!