the next morning, i wasnt sure which was longer. the list of chores jackie and cole had to do, or mrs walters pile of pancakes.
though, because im such an early riser, danny and i had first dips on the chocolate chip pile.
"so you werent at this party yesterday?" mrs walter asked me as she poured me a cup of orange juice, and i shook my head.
"no," i bit into my second pancake, "i didnt even know jackie was."
then i remembered.
her heading out to her car after our meeting.
me advising her to do something fun, for herself.
and cole, last night, saying that he had forced jackie to go yesterday.
jackie must have ran into them in the parking lot, and decided to tag along.
"i hope this isnt one more way added to your list of crossing boundaries lately," she looked at me with cautious eyes, "but how is jackie doing? with everything."
"as good as can be expected," i swallowed, "she is really a great student. dedicated, passionate, organized." i smiled up at her, "i think she's going to be just fine here." jackie stumbled down the stairs, and we both looked over at her, "as long as she stays focused."
mrs walter let a breath out, and thanked me again.
jackie came over to join us all, and mr walter screamed for cole, and the two were given their lists of duties for the day. even through seeing him glance over, i made it my mission to not look at cole.
i was done with it. even fantasizing the idea that cole was a decent person had been proved useless after last night. i wouldnt let myself fantasizing anything else. cole effect or not.
and i wasnt just mad about my own track record, either, but for jackie's.
which i was. as her advisor, i saw these boys as ones who were only adding drama and trouble to her life, distractions to her track to princeton, and just overall bad influences.
so i was going to display good character. and resume my life of staying far away from them as possible.
i would be there for jackie, which meant some involvement with the walter's, yes. shunning them completely would only mean more tension with my relationship with jackie, which would not be a good record for my GoPP.
but friendship was an extra step i couldn't risk.
jackie had gotten started outside, and danny went to his room. i still felt a being on the other side of the room, but stopped myself from looking up, just in case if it was cole.
"come on, harper gray," cole's voice proved me right, jumping me out of my thoughts, "let me drive you home."
"i drove here," i said, stabbing my last bite with my fork, "remember?"
he just leaned against the counter next to me, "well then, at least let me walk you out."
i swallowed thickly, and tried to calm the rage in my chest so it didnt all come flooding out.
as if acting as my knight in shining armor, grace walked through the doors of the walter house. i almost gasped in glee, but called out her name instead.
"what am i seeing right now." the girl said, stunned still at the door.
i practically ran for her, burying her in my arms.
"lets get out of here." i whispered, desperately, in her ear, "please."
"okay," she cooed, brushing her fingers in my hair, "but i just won a grammy telling jackie's mom that i have a super serious school project question to ask her about, but in reality i heard some crazy rumors that-" grace was speaking a mile a minute, but i grasped her hand and pulled her towards the front door.
"grace, i never thought i'd say this," i let the door slam behind me, "but i can fill you in on the tea myself."
it was an eventful rest of the afternoon.
following grace to my house, i told her everything about last night. about how cole had made jackie go to this party, then got her drunk, then called me for help.
"wait wait wait." grace stopped me around that point of the night, "why would cole call you?"
i threw a hand up to the sky, sipping from a cup of scalding tea, "i still dont know. he said multiple things." grace urged me on, "like how i was her advisor, and a girl should really be dealing with her if she's drunk," i shrugged it off, and went to continue, but grace stopped me again.
"when has cole ever cared about what he did with a girl?" she gave me a look, and i sat back in my bed.
i hadnt thought of that, "what are you saying?"
grace shrugged, "just that maybe it was a little more than being cautious around jackie that made cole call you." there was a certain glimmer in the girls eyes.
"what!?" i almost laughed at what grace was insinuating, "no way." grace's smile got longer and longer, "ive been going to this school for how many years? cole walter wouldve noticed me by now."
grace spoke the same words i had just thought, "would he though?"
they were valid ones. i was a hermit by definition. but... it was still cole walter.
"but, why me?"
"because," grace chirped, "youre new, and fresh," she wiggled her eyes at me, "and has an easy excuse to want to see you now, because of jackie. and that's exciting." she whispered the last word, and i got chills down my back. but not in a good way.
i scoffed, "well im also not interested."
"oh come on." grace hit my arm, "you think i didnt notice the way you looked up at him on stage, or when he walked into monty's, or caught that he looked over at you before deciding to even come to monty's." grace nodded like a proud mother, "he's got it out for you, and i think you were noticing it too."
"i was noticing that maybe he wasnt the guy i had always seen him as," i nodded in partial agreement, "the bidding for jackie was nice, but it was probably more so to impress jackie." grace nodded, as if to say that was also logical, "but after last night-"
"oh harper!" grace leaned her head back for a second, "get over your pride for two seconds. you had fun at the huddle and fun at monty's after! and lets also not blame all of this on cole, sure he got you in one awkward mama walter encounter, but he was not the one who you let get you into walter drama to begin with, either."
her words shocked me to silence.
but she was only right. it was jackie who had gotten me into all this. jackie who had let me in on walter drama, jackie who had seen me as a companion and a helper, jackie who had called me for help at the huddle, and jackie who then invited me to monty's. but only because i had let her.
i was her advisor. i signed up for all those things.
my anger at cole held a lot more than i would admit. sure, maybe he had taken it a step too far, but if jackie had called me for help at the party, i probably wouldve ended up in the same situation. in the same hallway at the walters. and i wouldve said yes.
i was just mad this time because it was cole that had done it. it was cole who called me.
grace was right, my pride wouldnt admit that.
grace took my silence as agreement, and she nodded in satisfaction with herself, "thats what i thought."
i still glared at her over my steaming mug, "youre still wrong about cole having it out for me."
she gave me eyes right back, "i guess we'll just have to see."