Chapter 6 | Getting Closer
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𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 in the shower, the warm water rinsing down my hair, mixing with the burning sensation on my scalp. Anger surged through my veins as I realized what the boys had done. This was no ordinary prank; they had gone too far this time. I quickly rinsed out the shampoo, desperate to fix the damage. But as I looked up into the mirror, my heart sank. My once dark brown locks were now a bright shade of blonde, resembling a poorly executed DIY hair dye job.
Frustration consumed me as I called out for Isaac to fetch Katherine. But to my disbelief, he brushed off my plea as if it were a minor inconvenience. "No chance," he said sneering, as if my predicament was a mere inconvenience to him.
Infuriated, I let out a scream that could shatter glass. "Why?" I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. ''Cause there's a bet going on that you would rather skip school than go with bleached hair'' he laughed as if this was some funny joke. The anger boiled in me I felt like I was going to hit him.
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I was standing at my locker, reading my notes when Cole casually walks up to me, his face extremely close. "Who takes this many notes?" I do, I say. "That's 'cause you're a dork," he retorts. I try to walk away, but he follows me. "You know what, forget about it," I get angry and say. "Relax, Blair, I was just joking," he reassures me. "Yeah, well, it's not funny," I pout.
Next thing I know, Mrs. Burkett, the guidance counselor, walks up to us. "Blair!" she screams. "Yes?" I answer, wondering what she wants. "You have a free period, right? I want you to join the student council." "Okay, alright," I respond. Cole, make an appointment with me," she says sternly. "No thanks," he says cheekily. "That wasn't a question," she walks off.
"What was that about?" I ask Cole. He avoids the topic and says something about student council and track. "When are you going to stop, girl?" He says, "Not until I get into Princeton." He walks me to class which I find strange but don't think too much into.
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That evening, as I entered the vets, Katherine looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Blair, what happened to your hair?," she looks concerned. I sighed, knowing I couldn't hide it anymore. "Well, Isaac told me about a bet." I confessed.
Just then, Cole, walked in laughing at my hair. I put my hat back on feeling insecure. "Your car won't be ready for a while mom Tony said, but I can give you a ride if you need one." Katherine declined politely saying she had to work late anyways. "Blair, you should accept the offer. We'll deal with that thing later," she said, a hint of concern in her voice.
Reluctantly, I agreed, and we got into the truck. As we drove, Cole,m asked me what his mom meant by "that thing." I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to tell him the truth. "Yeah, I snitched," I admitted, rolling my eyes at his smirking face.
We veered off the road and entered into a field. Unsure of where we were heading, I questioned Cole. He explained that by staying here for a while, I would be safe from the arguments of snitching about my hair.
Finally, we arrived at a pretty lake. Cole reached for a flower and handed it to me, a small gesture that made me smile. But then of course, mischievously, he snatched my hat, causing me to protest and try to retrieve it back. He kept on playing around with me I eventually found it funny and gave in playing back with him laughing around.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing and joking around by the lake. It was a carefree moment, a rare instance of genuine happiness. Cole and I tugged at each other's jackets, laughing and chasing each other. Somehow we ended up in a hugging position from Cole trying to get his jacket back it felt nice I felt safe in his arms. We sat around the lake for hours talking and admiring the place and each other.
As the sun began to set, we made our way back home, still smiling and content. In that moment, I realized that maybe Cole Walter wasn't so bad at all.
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