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He pulls at the necklace harshly. I whimper in pain as it breaks around my neck. It’s more mental than physical but damn it hurts. He throws the necklace in the yard. “There, that should help.”
Tears build behind my eyelids, a noose closes up around my throat.
No, no, come on, don’t cry.Don’t give him that.
“Jake. What the fuck, man,” Cole steps in, putting both hands on my shoulders. He rubs at them in a reassuring gesture, but it makes it worse. I blink once, thanking God for still having dry cheeks.
Jake smiles at Cole before bringing his dark blue gaze back to me. The color of night, that’s what they are. Nightmare-filled nights. Dark, but still blue enough to give you hope of a better day coming.
“I don’t get it, Angel. Is that your new boyfriend or are you just trying to make me jealous? I see what you’re doing, Jamie. That revenge, the way you’re changing yourself to get back at me…it’s giving me importance. It’s all still with me on your mind. You’re not doing it for yourself, you’re doing it for me.”
The truth in his words hits me, but it probably hits Cole harder.
“Alright, fuck off now. This is none of your business.”
Cole pulls me back as he says that, stepping before me and putting himself between Jake and me. I let him, I’m not strong enough to fight by myself right now. When am I really? Last time, Rose intervened. This time it’s Cole.
I’m so disappointed with myself.
Jake’s vicious smirk is now directed straight at Cole. He doesn’t realize the kind of danger Jake can be.
“I could fuck you up so bad, Cooper. You know that, right? I wouldn’t even have to try that hard.”
Cole stands his ground despite Jake’s threats. “What, like your brother did to Jas’? Real brave, bro. To your teammate as well.”
“You’re not my teammate,bro.And now that I’ve left, watch me kick your ass with N.S. High colors.”
Cole’s answer is cut off by Camila’s confident voice. “Don’t fight over something so insignificant, guys. If someone isn’t worth it, it’s her.”
“I’m not fightingoverher. I’m just trying to get her to leave,” Jake jeers.
“You’ve been downgraded back to a nobody, Goody,” Camila continues, digging the knife a little deeper.
“This party ain’t for you. Go home,” Jake orders triumphantly.
“You heard him. Bye-bye, tramp.” I don’t react fast enough when I feel Camila’s hands on my side. She pushes hard enough for me to stumble to the side and fall into the pool.
I shriek when the freezing water engulfs me. Everything happens too quickly for me to grasp it. Two hands grab me to help me back out, laughs and giggles bring heat of shame to my cheeks and ears while my body trembles from the cold.
Cole’s jacket is taken from me, and two warm arms wrap around my body, picking me up and letting me wrap my legs around a strong waist.
When I fully come back to my senses, Cole is putting me in a taxi. He joins me, and I don’t really know how long it takes but, next thing I know, he’s walking me to my house, inside and to my bedroom. He helps me out of my wet clothes and gives me privacy to get changed into my pajamas. He stays silent though.
He gets me into bed, and I sit against the wall I use as a headboard as he pulls the covers over me. I bring my knees to my chest under the covers. We stay in silence for another minute and the slight tension between us is what finally brings me over the edge.
I go to speak but he does too just at the same time, so I keep quiet.
“Jamie…” he sighs. “I…I can’t do this. I can’t be this guy in-between you and Jake. I think I like you too much to watch you choose him over me.”
He goes silent again as he thinks of what he’s going to say next, and my sudden sob breaks it all.
“I’m sorry,” I cry. “I’m sorry, Cole. I…” My next words are only whispers in the dark of the night. Secrets I can’t admit to myself. “I’m in love with him.”
Against everything I expected, Cole sits down on my bed and squeezes my small hand in his big one. His voice is empathetically soft, “I know, Queen Bee. I know.”
I completely break down into loud sobs as I let myself fall back into the darkness I was in only a couple of months ago when Jake left. My whole world crumbles around me again, my heart breaks open, bleeds out, and still beats to emptiness. It goes to a slow rhythm of nonexistence on repeat as Cole lays down beside me and takes me in his arms.
“He doesn’t deserve you, Jamie. You’re too good for him.”
