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Chapter Twenty-Five: The Lecherous Hoe Has A Point
For a few minutes, my mind is simply processing why a leech is sucking the life out of my boyfriend. It's like staring at a piece of abstract art and trying to figure out what the artist was trying to portray. It's all a blur of shapes and colours and you're just standing there trying to console yourself that you're not entirely an idiot and it's the artist that lacks talent.
It's not the most apt comparison but that has to explain why the visual doesn't make sense to me. There is a girl, a girl wearing next to nothing and she's wrapped herself like a freaking spider monkey to Cole. Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick. I might be making really painful sputtering sounds but I don't really care. What matters is that there is another girl with her hands all over MY guy.
"What the fuck Kimmy!" I hear growling. Someone is growling and the leech is pushed away. She makes a sound of protest and is ready for another attack but someone grabs her arms and pulls her in before she does some more soul sucking.
"But Coleee I missed you," Okay so the leech speaks. Huh, what are odds of that?
"That's enough Kimmy. Don't make me bring out the tranquilizers." A heavy male voice tries to control the leech who is struggling in his grasp. What is wrong with her? Is she epileptic, is she having a seizure?
"God damn it Lan, you said she wasn't going to be here." My head whips around and then I realize it's Cole who is growling and rubbing his lips very, very vigorously. Well, too late for that buddy. You have her saliva and germs all over you now. I shudder, pitying the poor guy but that's when I take in the crestfallen look on the leech's face and suddenly it all makes sense. She's pouting but looking at Cole like he's her entire world. I recognize that look; I wear it more than often myself.
Oh My God.
"Yolanda" I gasp and all three people turn to look at me with various expressions on their faces. Cole looks apologetic and panicked, like he's waiting for me to storm out of the place. I can't exactly do that even if I want to since it's a three hour drive back home and he's my ride. I then face Yolanda, the leech and she's glaring at me with a kind of viciousness only rivaled by that of Nicole's and then there's Lan.
Lan is as tall as Cole and has a similar build. Tall and lean with arms that aren't overly muscular, a t-shirt stretching over his biceps emphasizing them and his toned chest. He has a head full of thick, dark hair and when my eyes finally land on his face I realize he has really stark green eyes which are watching me with wariness and something akin to shame.
"Who the hell is she?" I have come to the realization that Yolanda the leech emphasizes a word in every sentence she says and it is kind of funny. But it is hard to find the humour in the situation when all I wanted to do is to rip the extensions from inside her skull.
I feel a hesitant hand placed on the small hand of my back and feel the warmth of Cole's body next to mine.
"This is my girlfriend Tessa and you better damn respect that Kimmy." His voice is hard enough to cut steel and I'd pity the person being on the receiving end of it if it were anyone else but here.
She gives me the basic bitch onceover. I've faced it quite a lot so it doesn't make me as insecure as it used to. She scrutinizes every inch of my body, her lips tilted up into a vicious snarl.
"That's who you're dating?" Her face scrunches up in disgust and I feel Cole's body tense even more if that's possible. To save the poor thing from becoming a pummeled mess, I speak up.
"I'm afraid so but at least you should be glad that he's upped his standards since you."
"Meoww"
I assume that's Lan but I'm too busy having a stare down with Yolanda who looks like she wants to deck me. Bring it sister, my brother's Travis O'Connell and he has taught me well.
Cole chuckles next to me and pulls me closer, exhaling in relief. Ha, he thinks he's off the hook but I am so not done with him. This must be one of his 'distractions' from military school and I don't know what that says about him. How could he tolerate being with someone like her, a pseudo Nicole. It hurts more than I expected and we'll need to talk about it but after I put the leech in her place.
"How dare you!" She stomps her foot, actually stomps it and I stifle a laugh. She is such a walking cliché it's not even funny. "You have no idea what the two of us shared. He's just using you as a rebound until we get back together." She hisses and I snort. If I didn't trust Cole the way I do, I would have believed her but there's too much history for me to doubt. The girl is clearly delusional and obsessed with Cole in a way that's nowhere near being something akin to love. She's a brat who hates the fact that she can't have what she wants. I'm well acquainted with the type; I was best friends with her for a long time.
"I'm sorry but from where I'm standing, it doesn't look like he's in too much pain being away from you. If anything you might have just traumatized him trying to suck his lips off. Does that particular technique work for you?" I ask with a straight face but Lan ruins the effect when he bursts out laughing. Yolanda shoots him a poisonous glare and then closes in on me.
"Back off Kimmy. You don't want to do this." Cole steps in front of me with warning ringing clearly in his voice.
Ah, my Yolanda is actually a Kimmy.
She looks back and forth between me and Cole, as if gauging how much more she needs to work on destroying what we have. Seriously, I thought people like her only existed in the trashiest of romance novels. The unrelenting, psychotic ex who goes to great pains to come between the hero and the heroine. She's even doing the crazy eye twitching which always creeps me out. What the heck did Cole see in her?
Or maybe it wasn't her sunny personality that attracted him. The thought makes me sick to my stomach.
"Come on Kimmy, don't make a bigger fool of yourself than you already have. Just go to your room and we'll forget this ever happened."
Lan is once again playing mediator and manages to get through to her. With one last withering stare, she huffs and turns around, her circle skirt flashing all of us as she does so. Huh, she wears thongs, why am I not surprised?
Standing in the hallway we hear a door slam and there's a general sigh of relief. Cole and Lan are having a silent conversation and it's almost comical how I can almost imagine the conversation they must be having. Megan, Beth and I do it a lot so it's easier for me to read into this.
I decide to break the straining silence and do the polite thing, which is to introduce myself to Lan.
I extend my hand to the towering guy, "Hi I'm Tessa. You must be Landon; Cole has told me so much about you." I purposely use his full name just to tease him a little and get back at him for introducing Kimmy the leech into my life.
He winces but takes my hand nonetheless, surprising me by kissing it instead of shaking. My cheeks heat as Cole's fingers dig into my spine.
"Lan, please call me Lan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Tessa. The guy's talked my ear off about you." He grins and I bet this is the kind of smile that makes most girls go crazy about him. I find myself smiling back.
"Nice to meet you too, even though you have questionable taste in house guests."
I'm rewarded with an embarrassed laugh from Lan and Cole tucking me closer. "I'm so sorry about that Tessie. My soon to be dead friend here told me she wouldn't be here." He glares at Lan who holds up his hands in defense.
"That chick is crazy. I accidentally let it slip that you and the guys were coming up and she managed to her mom into letting her out of the nut house."
To me he explains, "She's my step sister. Though I'd rather chew my arm off than be related to her."
I totally get why.
By this point we've walked into the huge apartment, obviously decorated by a professional and take a seat on the massive leather sectional. I turn towards a brooding Cole, "And how do you know her?"
He scratches the back of his neck. It's his tell and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like what comes out of his mouth next. Preparing myself for the worst, I hold my breath.
"We...uh we...she went to military school with me. Her dad, he's a teacher there and we...God." He runs his hand through his hair and tilts his head back, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Remember how I told you I was sort of messed up during the time I spent there? Well she's a part of that mess."
"So you two..."
I have no idea why I'm doing this. He's made it quite obvious what kind of relationship he shared with 'Kimmy' and it's painful enough without him putting it into words. In spite of myself, my mind conjures up images of him through the years with many other faceless girls. Ouch, that just hurts.
"Hooked up, yeah."
I swallow heavily and try my best to act like a manic, jealous girlfriend. It's all in the past, well a past where he was supposedly pining away for me but still. Something inside my chest hurts; it's getting difficult to breathe. I feel lightheaded...oh god. He slept with THAT??
"If it's any consolation, Kimmy has slept her way through the entire school. When you're with her, you know exactly what you're getting into. A meaningless, hard and fast f..."
"Dude shut up! Don't you think you've done enough already?"
Lan looks sheepish but his face softens once he obviously takes in the state I'm in. "Listen I'm sorry Tessa. She just showed up out of the blue and I couldn't kick her out. Her mom's got my dad wrapped around her finger and this is his place."
I nod and try to smile but I'm pretty sure it comes across as a grimace. I'm as comfortable in this situation as someone having a root canal and bikini wax at the same time.
You get the picture right?
"It's okay. I understand. I know all about having a dysfunctional family."
To Cole I say, "Really though, her? Of all people? What did you see in her?" I scrunch my nose and he laughs, understanding that I'm letting it go for the time being. He leans in and kisses the top of my head. "I learnt the hard way that she was entirely the wrong shade of blonde for me."
We spend some time waiting for two of Cole's other friends to arrive. Lan is an amazing host warm, funny and charming. I'm horrified at myself for being so judgmental of him before even meeting him. He is nothing like the biker image I had in my head. No piercings or visible tattoos and he seems completely normal. Hoorah!
Kimmy stays in her own room though I do hear the whiniest pop songs blasting through the door so I'm guessing she's still in a mood. Cole's still pretty embarrassed and he's showing that by being overly nice to me. Yes, imagine how wonderful he usually is and multiply that by like a hundred. I almost get the urge to put the guy out of his misery but then a more vindictive part of me is enjoying this very, very much.
Currently he's in the kitchen since he's the resident cook of the group. When the rest of his friends arrive, they've planned to just relax at the apartment first and then there's some college party.
College party, yes. Yes, I'm also perfectly well aware of my history with parties. But then Cole's asked me about a hundred and one times if I'm 'okay' with the plans. It might be his guilt talking but still it's awfully sweet of him to be so considerate and the last thing I want is to ruin his plans so I say yes. There's no Nicole here and things might actually go okay.
"I really am sorry you know. Kimmy's always been a pain in the ass but lately it's like she's channeling the lovechild of Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus."
Lan sits down next to me and I have to laugh at that comparison, it's so apt.
"Did he, umm did Cole date girls like her a lot?"
I use the word date since saying what he actually did with them would be utterly embarrassing.
He understands what I'm trying to say and hesitates a little, "I'm not sure I'm supposed to answer that question."
"Bro code?"
"Definitely."
I shrug and smile it off but in my mind I think that's its even worse than I imagined. He's been with so many girls that even his best friend refuses to tell me the extent of his philandering ways. This is one of the classic moments where the girl asks the guy for a list of every woman he's been with. I can't do that with Cole.
There's not enough paper in the universe apparently.
"If you don't take your hands off my girl McGinty, I might have to rip it off."
I'm trying not to laugh at the raging jealousy on Cole's face but it's too hard. His friends Seth and Jameson arrived about an hour ago and ever since then Seth's been making an active effort to get killed. The guy is smooth like butter and he's decided to put the moves on me today. If it's not the hug he engulfed me in the moment he entered then it's the almost snuggling on the couch. Cole's hands have been fisted for a really long time and I think it's about time we stop torturing him.
"Relax Stone. I'm just getting to know her after all the time you've spent drooling over her. Must she she's even more beautiful than you described."
I don't know if he's only teasing Cole but that just makes me blush and Cole growls as Jameson and Lan snicker. The boys are playing video games; well two of them are playing video games while the other two are engaged in some juvenile caveman role play. Seth places an arm around my shoulder which immediately has me tensing.
"So Tessa, do you have sister?"
"No she doesn't and your brother is about to become an only child if you don't stop touching her."
"Okay, okay. Man you're so whipped but I'd be too if she were mine." He winks at me and while another girl would've swooned, I can only laugh since this guy is helping me take sweet, sweet revenge from Mr. Casanova over there. I feel so empowered, it's not even funny.
"Don't encourage him." Cole glowers at Seth and almost drags me to his side of the couch.
"He's just being friendly Cole, relax."
I'm given the stink eye and he pouts like a petulant child, muttering "A little too friendly" under his breath.
Seth is more muscular than Cole and Lan, because he's on the wrestling team. He's got light blonde hair which is cropped close to his head and has the lightest blue eyes I've ever seen. He's a total flirt and the womanizer of the group, it seems. But I like him since he does everything in good humour and there are no creepster vibes coming from him. If anything, he seems a lot like pre-meltdown Travis. Jameson is a bit like me, in the way that he's quite and seems a little shy almost. It doesn't seem like he talks much even on a regular basis but he seems to fit the group perfectly. His looks compliment his slightly brooding personality. Messy dark brown hair, grey eyes and a nose that looks like it's been broken at some point. I also catch my first glimpse of a tattoo as it peaks out from under the sleeve of his shirt. It's a foreign script, Latin I think but I couldn't gawk at it as much as I would have liked to without appearing like a freak. He's tall too, lanky with a skater chic vibe.
"We're still going to that frat party right?" Lan asks, switching off the game. There's a unanimous grunting of yeahs and I sigh inwardly. I've read a lot about the horror that are frat parties and most of them end with someone falling asleep naked in the bathtub. I hope to god it's not me.
"Sweet, I'll let my cousin know."
"I'm not exactly dressed for a party." I mutter once the rest of the boys are distracted and Cole turns to me.
"You look great. What's wrong with what you're already wearing?" He frowns. Ah, sweet adorable naïve boy.
"It's your job to tell me I look good but honey I need something better than this to wear if we're going to that party."
He's still frowning, "It's true though, you always look amazing but if you want to we could go shopping."
My heart melts at his sincere suggestion. He would really ditch his friends to take me shopping and that breaks through all the doubts I've been having throughout the day regarding his past. It may or may not be guilt but I shouldn't be questioning the integrity of his feelings for me, not when he's shown me so many times.
"We're going to the mall?" The two of us whip our heads around to where Seth is standing, stuffing his face with a BLT. I grin at how excited he sounds and how Cole immediately gives his caveman grunt.
"The mall? Cool, I hear the arcade got a couple of awesome new games. Hey, Jameson we're going to the mall!" Lan calls out to him as he too emerges from the kitchen. Suddenly everyone's buzzing and making plans. I giggle at the absurdity of it all and laugh even harder at the look on Cole's face.
He's so not happy about this.
But then suddenly everyone's up and getting ready to go out. We're waiting for Seth to finish taking a call when Kimmy crawls out her lair and walks over to the door, twisting the door knob and then shooting us all an impatient look.
"What? I thought we were going to the mall, hurry up."
Perfect.
Shopping is fun. Shopping with four boys is downright hilarious. When I told them that I needed an outfit for the night, being the gentlemen that they were all of them agreed to accompany me. Hard as I stressed, they wouldn't go and do their own thing. I realized shortly that they were trying to stop Kimmy from ambushing me.
"That's really pretty,"
"You look great."
"Damn girl you look hot."
The last one is Seth, obviously. Cole just grunts.
I'm standing outside the dressing room wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a basic black boat neck top that's really flattering. I don't know whether I'm supposed to trust their judgment since they've said the same thing about the last three outfits I tried on. Cole's not being much help with his moody possessiveness. Seriously, how is he even upset when I have slutty Barbie probably plotting a painful death for me?
"Cole?"
He's still acting like a four year old throwing a temper tantrum so I get an idea. He needs to assert his 'ownership' and while that is not the healthiest thing in a relationship, I can't let his immaturity ruin this day.
"Could you come here for a second?" His face softens as he sees the discomfort on my face and together we enter the dressing room. It's sectioned into two areas, a curtain separating the actual changing room and a sitting area. Pretty posh for a department store.
He's staring at his shoes, avoiding eye contact. "I can't find something good to wear. Would you mind picking something for me?"
If he recognizes what I'm doing he doesn't show it. Instead he looks pleased, "Yeah of course." Bending down to kiss my forehead he leaves the changing room in a much better mood.
I roll my eyes, boys.
Once accompanied by shopping bags containing the two outfits Cole got me and insisted he pay for, we roam the rest of the mall. The boys go the arcade while I get myself a frappe. Letting myself wander alone, without the guys flanking me turns out to be a bad idea. Just as I take a seat at the café, with my drink and blueberry muffin I'm ambushed by Kimmy. She'd changed for the trip, from her slutty get up of a crop top and short shorts to an even sluttier outfit of a sheer halter neck dress.
"So you're still around." She smirks at me and pulls out the chair opposite to mine.
"And you obviously still have issue understanding the concept of personal space."
It takes her about a minute to process what I just said and when it finally hits home she glowers at me.
"He may think he wants you, a little goody two-shoes but trust me I know what he really wants. He likes them bad and wild and honey you're never going to be that."
Well then, the lecherous hoe has a point.
I don't know how to respond to that. It's not like I have something substantial to deny that with. Cole's past sure as heck favours her but then there's everything he's told me and how I can't convince myself that he's lying.
"Do you know his middle name?"
"Huh?" She looks like we just launched into a discussion about astrophysics.
"Do you know what his favourite food is?"
"What does that...?"
"Do you know what his parents do for a living?"
By this point she's stopped trying to make sense of what I'm trying to do and just watches me, cautiously like I've lost my mind.
"My point Kimmy, is that whatever you two 'share' can't be that great seeing as how you don't even know the first thing about him."
She opens her mouth, closes it and repeats. It's quite entertaining to watch. I've never been one to deliver the verbal bitch slip but today I seem to be on a roll. I have to give credit where it's due though, this girl is such an easy target.
"Whatever!" She huffs getting up, "I do not need to hear this." Then in her signature style, she stomps away.
"Sorry I acted like a jealous ape."
I'm in one of the guestrooms, finishing getting dressed when Cole walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me. He nuzzles his face into my neck causing my eyes to shut on their own.
Thump.Thump.Thump.
That's all it takes for my body to go haywire.
Somehow I find my voice, "You bought me shoes. In girl world, that makes everything okay." I joke and feel his laugh reverberate through his chest.
"And god, the whole Kimmy disaster. I'm so sorry about that babe."
"I shrug, the best I can when he's holding me like this. "I'm not too worried about her. That girl's got more dead brain cells than live ones. She's not a threat."
"She wouldn't be a threat even if she was freaking Einstein. You know that don't you Tessie? You're it for me."
And despite the day we've had, despite what I've learned about him today, I believe him. Maybe a while I'd have brushed off his statement and refused to accept his feelings. I would have laughed it off and made a joke about it but not anymore. You might call it faith I guess. Finally realizing that not everyone you care about will eventually leave you and when that's firmly ingrained in your mind you stop being afraid and just accept.
"You're kinda it for me too."
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FSFJHSKGHSKJGHKJ I'm so sleepy but I had to, had to finish this chapter today or I would've just killed myself. It was mostly written, the ending needed a bit of work so yeah YEYY ME. I wish I had that kind of motivation for homework.
You guys are so incredible! Thank you for the warm welcome, I won't have to hire private security after all (jk). TBBG shot right back up to #1 in both Teen Fiction and Humour and it's stayed there for a few days now, wowwww. I'm so overwhelmed by your love and support
In other news, Kim and Kanye named their daughter North and now the poor child's name is North West. OH the travesty. What the hell were they thinking?? Tch Tch
Non Wattpad reading recommendations you ask? Well I absolutely loved Tangled by Emma Chase. It's hilarious and Drew is drool worthy! Once again, it's for mature readers, lets say 17+ so keep that in mind please.
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*Edit: Cole's POV is now, or at least the prologue is. Go check my profile for the story :)
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