Cole
For the first 5 minutes of lunch, I waited for Bailey at the bench. She wasn't anywhere. I waited for her to sit beside me and awkwardly talk but we didn't. Maybe Bailey is in the library. I ran in the school and checked but still. Bailey wasn't there.
Bailey
"You look stupid in that coat, so boy like." A blonde girl kicked me as I shuffled to the corner on my hands and butt.
"That jacket is too tight on you, let me help." Another girl said and grabbed the sleeve, but the material was strong so she couldn't rip it. It was Cole's and it was why I was getting hurt. I think.
"Look at your legs. Ugh, you should, like, not eat." A brunette kicked my knee. Now I was in the corner of the library, nowhere to run, surrounded by 3 girls.
"Leave me alone!" I yelled.
"Fattie wanna go?" The main girl said and punched my forehead.
I started to cry.
"Aww, want your mommy?"
she kicked my stomach and it felt bruised.
"Hey!" Called a voice.
Everyone turned to it. It was Cole!
"Back away from her. She's with me."
"What are you talking about Cole? Your like, hot, and she's basically molestor moon." She kicked me again, but while she was turned around to me, Cole put her in to a head lock and the girl gasped.
"If you touch her again, you're going to have to deal with me." Cole warned.
"Okay, sorry." She whined and Cole let her go.
The blonde walked away, but the other two stayed.
"Cole... your not mad at us... are you?" They sucked up.
"I saw you."
"But it was an accident!"
"You, get out."
They made a face and walked out, twirling their hair and acting like nothing happened. Cole turned his back to me.
"Thanks." I whispered.
"Why didn't you do anything?"
"How could I?"
"You could have clearly, at least tried to run away!" He raised his voice.
"Well why are you so mad? I'm alright! It's not like it effects you in a-"
He turned and hugged me.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"Hey. Why did you say I'm with you..? We're just friends."
"I know." But I think I heard him say quieter, "I wish we were closer." Maybe I'm just crazy.
Cole
The next day, Bailey was talking to some kid. A guy, actually. She was sitting on the bench with him, giggling over a book they're reading together. I've never seen him before, or met him, but I hate him already. When he wrapped his arm around her, my fist clenched. We're just friends. I repeated in my mind and walked away, I'm not sure where I was going, but I wanted to keep my mind off of this.
After school, I came back to talk to Bailey. I missed her, but I still wondered about Peter, the boy she was with.
"Hey Bailey." I waved as she packed up the homework from her locker.
"Hi Cole." She didn't even turn around. Bailey zipped up her grey backpack and slung it on one shoulder.
"So... who... was your.... friend?"
"Oh! That's Peter."
"Anything else about him?"
"Um... nope!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah..."
"Okay. Want to hang out at the library right now?"
"I cant... I gotta clean our house."
"Till when?"
"Dinner."
She looked like she was lying, and walked away from me. Strangely, to the same direction as where the library was.
Nothing seemed right to me since she met Peter. Everyday, she changed a little. The bottom of her hair was dyed black today. I missed it blonde. She always was with Peter, laughing and happy. Maybe it was better this way. But I knew Peter, he wasn't a good guy.
"Hey Cole!" My friend, Gabe called to me.
"Yeah?"
"Wanna shoot some hoops?"
"Umm.." I turned and looked at Bailey.
"No thanks." I decided and Gabe shrugged, then walked away with the basketball.
"Come back if you wanna play!" He shouted to me.
I nodded at him and waved good bye as I walked home. Peter wasn't very attractive, but his freckles seemed to do something to Bailey. Freckles. I thought and ran home, with a funny idea.
Bailey
Everyone in my group had black lipstick on. Every girl did. It was totally in.
"Mom! Can I get some black lipstick?"
"Hun, you lips are red enough!"
"No, black ones."
Mom walked in to my room.
"W-why black?"
"Because, it's for a project. People say that black lipstick is a better coloring material than marker or pencil crayon." I lied.
Mom laughed hard.
"Okay, here, get some." She handed me $20 from her pocket.
"Thanks, mom!"
I ran out to buy some.
I looked good in it! It was so pretty on me. I fell in love with this lipstick as I smiled at the bathroom mirror. When I heard my mom wlaking around, I quickly washed it off in the sink and put on some of my mom's red lipstick to cover up some of the black left on my lips. I sneaked out of the bathroom with the black lipstick in my pocket and to my room, undetected by my mom. I sighed in relief when I arrived to my room, thank goodness mom didn't see. I'd start blushing. Today, I was going to go to school late. It was me and Peter's thing.
Cole
I came to school an hour early. To see Bailey. She wasn't here. I looked around, and realised, maybe Peter was up to this. Ever since Bailey met Peter, she changed. Yesterday, she had dyed the tip of her hair black. I missed it blonde.
Bailey was hanging with Peter again, I could tell even though I only saw the back of her. I grabbed her arm and pulled her from the group and turned her around. Bailey had black lipstick on. I helplessly stared at it, and she stared at my fake, orange, freckles. I tried to make it look like Peter's.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Who are you, Bailey? Peter is-"
"Peter is my friend!"
"What?"
"Actually, my boyfriend. We're going out today."
I shook my head.
"No, no, no..."
Bailey looked at me weird.
"Uh- yeah."
My heart felt like someone stabbed me.
"Bailey, don't you know that I like you?"
"Yeah. Obviously."
My face blushed.
"Well why are you going out with Peter?"
"Because I love him." She turned to leave but I pulled Bailey back.
"Why cant we hang out anymore?"
"You were a jerk to me."
"Didn't you forgive me?"
"Memories, Cole. They keep coming back."
"Well I'm sorry, I cant fix this! I need a time machine! I'm sorry Bailey!"
"Too late for that."
"Why do you even like Peter."
She paused and looked up at me.
"Maybe it's because he doesn't, and didn't talk bad about me, maybe it's because he accepted me the second he saw me, maybe I think he's cute!"
"Cute..." I slowly backed away, "Oh, I know Peter. I've known him since elementary. Watch out for him. He can seem cute to some people but he'll hurt you." I walked away angrily. Can she not see that Peter is goth, and he only likes her because she is starting to dress like him?
Bailey
Cole was being such a jerk! Peter is a sweetie!
"Hey, Bailey?" Peter asked as he held my hand.
"Yeah?"
"Isn't this great?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, are you thinking about losing weight?"
"Umm... no..."
"Oh. Okay."
He smirked and left me.
"See ya at school." Peter waved.
What was that all about?
At school, I went to talk to Peter, who was talking to the Braid Sisters. We call them that because they always have a braid on it's pretty, they're in our group.
"Bailey is so fat." One of the sisters said. I started to cry but I had hope that Peter would stand up for me.
"Yeah. She's like a sumo or something." Peter laughed.
I couldn't listen to this anymore so I ran off trying to cover my face when I bumped in to someone.
Cole
"H-hey." I greeted.
Bailey cried hard so I hugged her.
"I'm sorry-" she started but I hugged her tighter.
"It's okay." I knew what happened, Peter hurt her. I took her to the library, with an arm around Bailey.
"I don't want to be here." Bailey whispered.
"What? But you love it!"
Bailey pointed to Peter who was laughing with his friends in the corner of the library.
"Okay." So I took her out. To the park, while it was soaking wet outside, just like the day we became friends. I had realised that we ditched right now, but Bailey meant more to me than detention.
"Why are we here? It's so cold." She shivered, I realised that Bailey had short sleeves on.
"Let's go to the shelter." I lightly pushed her there and sat down on the ground, which was concrete.
"It's almost Christmas Break."I smiled. Today was Friday, the last day of school.
"Yeah." Bailey's face glowed.
"Yeah."
"I'm going to be gone... to.... California... yeah. And I cant see you during the break and January. I'll be back on February."
"Oh, okay."
I kissed her soft cheeks (yeah, the ones on her face, not the ones on her bottom).
Bailey wiped the fake freckles off my face, hugged me tight, then whispered
"I think I like you too."
~
~
A/N:
This was a long chapter so you could read more. Thank you for the support and 400+ reads. If I get 500+, I'd reach my first read goal :)
Goal 1: 500
Goal 2: 1k
Goal 3: 3k
Goal 4: 5k
Goal 5: 7k
Goal 6: 9k
Ultimate Goal: 11k+
Even if I don't get to my ultimate goal, it's really fun to write this and meeting great supporters.
Question: what is your favorite chapter so far?
My answer: maybe this one :)