Beautiful Mess

by Preston, Jennifer

  They had dinner at their favorite Mexican place, trying to act as normally as possible. They talked about Bri’s upcoming four day trip to Sacramento for State, and the basketball playoffs that started the next Friday. Bri was having a fabulous time, until they pulled up in front of Alex’s house. The place was packed, with people spilling outside, enjoying the mild February night. Dread filled Bri, carving a pit in her stomach.

  Cole killed the motorcycle and looked back at her.

  “Hey, you okay back there?” he asked lightly. He offered her a hand and helped her off the bike.

  Bri stared at the house a moment and turned towards him.

  “I don’t think I can do this. I don’t want to go in there, Cole. I can’t deal with all of these people, the angry glares, the names...”

  “Bri, it’ll be alright,” he pulled her into his arms. “You can do this, I know you can. You’re stronger than they give you credit for. Go in and prove it to them.”

  While his words made her feel a bit better, she was still a nervous wreck.

  “I need a distraction,” she said. “Something to calm me down.”

  “What kind of distraction?” Cole’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, and looking at him, Bri knew exactly what kind of distraction she needed.

  “This kind,” she whispered, and drew his lips down to hers.

  Cole was momentarily taken by surprise, but he recovered quickly and was more than happy to oblige her. As they kissed, Bri’s nerves vanished and were replaced by a warm pool of desire. Cole’s expert mouth wiped every doubt and worry from her mind as he pretty much kissed her senseless. When they were able to finally disentangle themselves, Bri was proud to see that she had pretty much kissed him senseless, too. They walked up to the door, hand in hand, with grins on their faces.

  Alex answered the door, and when he saw them his smile turned a little sheepish.

  “Oh, Cole. I, uh, wasn’t sure if you were still coming tonight.” Alex looked uncomfortable, and it made Bri sad. He and Cole had been friends before, and now they hadn’t talked for a week. Damn Serena.

  “Yeah man, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Cole slapped Alex on the back and walked in like nothing at all was wrong.

  Alex looked slightly guilty before hurrying away from them.

  “Ready to make the rounds?” Cole yelled over the music.

  “Definitely,” Bri yelled back, and followed Cole through the house.

  Everywhere they went conversations stopped and people turned to stare. Cole smiled and greeted everyone he passed. They spotted Serena snuggling up to Trey on the couch. They purposely walked right past her.

  “Serena,” Cole greeted her coldly as he passed.

  “Serena.” Bri smiled sweetly at her as she followed Cole out of the room. She was gratified to see a flash of fury mar Serena’s perfect face.

  They found Layla and Devon sitting with Jess and Ethan. The two couples made room for them and they sat and talked for a while. They all ignored the rest of the room, that was glaring at them and talking about them, and laughed and joked like they were the only ones there. After deciding they’d been there long enough to prove their point, Bri and Cole decided to go.

  Finding Alex before they left, Cole pulled him aside to say goodbye.

  “Hey, great party! Thanks for letting us crash it,” he smiled.

  Alex ducked his head, looking a little ashamed.

  “Hey Cole, I’m sorry, man. I’ve been a total asshat this week. You don’t deserve to be treated like this.” Alex looked up, the sincerity plain on his face. Cole stood there, shocked for a moment.

  “No, dude, don’t worry about it. I know how Serena gets. It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. But I’ll try to make it okay.” Alex nodded to himself and then slapped Cole on the arm. “Thanks for coming. See you Monday. Bye, Bri.”

  Bri smiled at Alex as they walked outside. Alex’s regret and sincerity gave her hope that she and Cole weren’t fighting a losing battle after all.

  The next week, Alex and a couple of other guys from the basketball and football teams started talking to Cole again. Alex had been doing some recruiting for the We Don’t Give A Damn What Serena Thinks club, and the support helped lift the cloud of gloom that had settled over Bri and Cole. Serena, sensing a change in the tide, decided to double her efforts, and got even nastier.

  By Thursday Bri was exhausted. Dance had been kicking her butt, and the insults and name calling had worn away any patience she had left. The Dance Team was leaving the next day for Sacramento, and Bri was so ready to get out of Santa Monica, and away from all the drama.

  As Bri walked down the hall after school, Serena made a particularly vile remark about her, loud enough for half the hall to hear. Weeks’ worth of frustration and anger surged forward, and Bri lost it. She was done letting Serena get away with her puerile schemes. Bri was going to take her on, once and for all, and she was going to do it right here, in the crowded hallway. She had caught Bri on a bad day, and the girl was going down.

  “That’s it, Serena,” Bri yelled angrily as she stormed over. “I’m not going to take any more shit from you. You can’t seem to get it through your pea sized brain that Cole and I are not breaking up, and nothing you do is going to force him to come running back to you.” Bri had the attention of the entire hall, and more people were coming in to see what was going on. “I’m done being your punching bag. You and I are going to end this. Now.”

  Fear flashed in Serena’s eyes, but her face showed nothing but confidence. She quickly surveyed their crowd and turned back to Bri with a contemptuous sneer.

  “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you are making a total idiot of yourself.”

  “Well, let me tell you exactly what you’re going to do,” Bri stepped closer. “You are going to call off your hounds, and stop forcing everyone to treat Cole and me like pariahs. You are going to stop spreading rumors about us, and stop flinging insults. And, you are going to leave us alone and stay out of our lives.”

  “Or what?” Serena scoffed. “What are you going to do? You’re like the size of a preschooler.”

  “Push me, and find out.” Bri stepped right into her face. Two of Serena’s friends flanked her, providing back up. “What’s the matter, Serena? Afraid to face me on your own? You need your little body guards here to keep you safe from me? Pathetic,” Bri gave a derisive laugh. “You’re nothing but a coward, hiding behind a lot of talk.”

  Serena’s anger erupted, and pure hate filled her eyes. “You want me? Well, you got me!” She pushed back her friends, and it was just she and Bri, toe to toe.

  “It’s time someone put you in your place, Serena. You don’t own this school, and you don’t own us. We don’t have to bow to your every whim, or let you order us around.” Bri made sure she spoke loud enough that her voice carried through the hall, but she didn’t take her eyes off Serena. “We aren’t your playthings, to manipulate however you want.”

  Serena’s eyes widened furiously before she let out a screech, and dove for Bri with her claws. Bri leaned out of the way, and then dodged again as Serna tried to grab her hair. Seeing her opening, Bri pulled back her fist and popped Serena in the eye, knocking the girl on her butt. Serena cried out, covering her eye with her hand as she glared up at Bri.

  “Are you done? Because I can do this all day long,” Bri eyed Serena down on the floor. When Serena made no move to get up, she scoffed. “Thought so.” She turned to address the students around her. “You don’t have to follow her blindly. She can’t really hurt you. As you can see, she’s nothing but a lot of talk. Do yourselves a favor, and start thinking for yourselves for a change.” She looked down at Serena. “You have no more power here. And if you ever try to come between Cole and me again, you’ll end up with a lot more than a black eye, I promise you.” She turned her back on Serena and walked away.

  The crowd in the hall parted for her, a mixture of shock and amazement on their faces. Bri
saw Cole standing at her locker, her bag packed on his shoulder. She could tell from his grim expression that he had seen her and Serena go at it, but he said nothing as he slipped his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the school.

  Once in his truck, he turned to her. Worry, anger, and amazement warred on his face.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” he finally said. He sounded more that marginally upset. Bri thought it best to stay quiet and let him say what he needed to say. “Do you realize what could’ve happened? What if Serena had come back at you? You could’ve been hurt, seriously hurt! Or worse, you could’ve been caught and expelled!” His voice rose as his anger did. “You could’ve lost your chance at Stanford, at your dream! What were you thinking!?!”

  “That it was time I stood up for myself,” she replied quietly. “It was time for Serena to learn that we aren’t pawns in whatever game she wants to play. I want her to leave us alone, and this was the best way to make that happen.”

  Cole’s eyes softened a moment, but then hardened as his anger returned.

  “And did you give any thought to what might happen to you? Shit, Bri! You’re so close to getting everything you’ve wanted, and you almost threw it all away! Why? Why would you risk something like that?”

  Bri paused as his words sunk in. She had almost thrown her whole future away. Admittedly, she hadn’t even thought about the repercussions of getting caught fighting at school. If she’d been caught and expelled, or even suspended, there was no way she would’ve gotten into Stanford. All of her dreams and plans would have been ruined. Why had she risked that?

  “I did it for you,” her mind answered both her and Cole’s question. She didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud until she heard Cole’s sharp intake of breath. “I did it for us,” she continued. “I did it so that Serena couldn’t ruin anyone else’s life, like she tried to ruin ours. I did it to show her that she doesn’t own you, or me, or anyone else. I did it so that we could be free to be us, to be together.” While we still can, her mind finished. She wanted, needed, to enjoy the time she had left with Cole. She looked up to find him gazing intently at her.

  “Ambria, I... I...,” he shook his head, unable to figure out what he wanted to say. “I can’t believe you’d risk so much for me. I know you did it for you, too, but still. No one has ever done anything like that for me. Thank you.” He reached over and pulled her into his arms. “But don’t you ever do anything like that again,” he said forcefully into her hair. “I’m not worth it.”

  But as she held onto him, Bri couldn’t agree.

  Chapter 26

  That weekend the Dance Team headed up to Sacramento for their four day trip to State. They rocked almost all of the teams, but came in a disappointing second place overall. It was still a great accomplishment, but not what the team had hoped for.

  Bri returned to school to find a dramatically different atmosphere than when she left. Apparently, her face-off with Serena had worked. Serena and her core group of loyal followers were still angry, but the rest of the school seemed relieved to be out from under Serena’s thumb. People not only stopped spreading rumors and glaring, but most were even apologetic and friendly. Cole’s social exile was revoked, too, and he seemed much happier. While Serena continued to eye Bri evilly and whisper, at least the insults had stopped. Bri decided she’d take whatever reprieve she could get. The other great thing was that the majority of the student body no longer paid Serena much attention, and Bri was glad she had had an impact.

  Cole and the basketball team breezed their way through their playoffs. The State tournament was held down in San Diego, so Bri, Layla, and their friends, along with Claire, went down to cheer Cole and the team on. They made it to the championship game, and it was a closely fought and exciting battle, with the Tigers pulling out a victory. Bri was so incredibly proud of Cole, and they spent that weekend celebrating with their families and friends. A couple of the schools trying to recruit Cole upped their offers after his State win, adding extra incentives. But, Cole had known all along where he wanted to go. After convincing his dad that this was what he wanted, Cole signed his offer letter from Duke.

  That was a hard day for Bri. Not because she wasn’t thrilled for Cole, because she was so excited for him. But because it was official. Cole was going to Duke, and she had just received her acceptance letter from Stanford. While she had also been accepted to Duke, her fall back school, for her it had always been Stanford. Her and Cole’s time was drawing quickly to a close. It was a fact that was weighing heavily on Bri, despite all her mental preparation.

  Before Bri knew it, it was April, and time for spring break. She had purposely not made many plans for the week, wanting to relax and veg as much as possible. One thing she was looking forward to was her beach party with Cole, Claire, and Sebastian. Seb was home from UNLV for the week, and they had decided to meet at the Hamilton’s house on Monday to hang out.

  Cole picked her up on his motorcycle, and as they pulled up to the Hamilton’s house, Bri’s jaw dropped. It was a huge, sprawling two story home, with its own private gate. It was a beautiful mix of light brick and stone, and backed right to the beach.

  “Wow,” was all Bri could manage. Cole chuckled when he saw the look on her face.

  “Yeah. Apparently it pays to have multiple luxury car dealerships in LA.”

  “Scott is a car dealer?” Bri was shocked. He so didn’t fit the typical dealer stereotype.

  “Yep. That’s how he and my dad met. My dad was Scott’s head mechanic in his first dealership. They worked together for a few years before my dad decided to open up his own shop. Scott actually backed his business loan.”

  “It’s always nice to have family you can depend on,” Bri smiled.

  “Yes, it is.” Cole smiled and rang the doorbell.

  Claire answered the door with a shriek, and threw herself at Bri, wrapping her in a huge hug. Bri returned Claire’s hug warmly, and let Claire drag her inside.

  “I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been waiting all day!” Claire squealed, forgetting all about Cole still standing in the doorway.

  “Yeah, good to see you too, Claire,” Cole called out wryly before letting himself in. Claire, of course, ignored him.

  “Here, I’ll give you the tour before we join the boys.” Claire grabbed Bri’s hand and led her through the large house. She filled Bri in on what was new in her life, mainly her new boyfriend, who was super cute and a really good kisser. Bri caught her up on her life, and answered all of Claire’s questions. Finally satisfied, Claire ended her interrogation and led Bri out back to a beautiful, open patio where the boys were lounging by the pool.

  Cole and Seb both looked up as the girls made their way out, and a huge grin spread across Seb’s face as he rose to greet Bri. He pulled her in for a hug, slightly surprising her.

  “Bri! Finally! I thought Claire was going to hold you captive all day.” He pulled back, smiling, and Bri couldn’t help smiling back at him.

  “Hey Seb! How are you?”

  “Good, thanks. And you? Still dating this loser, I see,” he nodded over at Cole.

  “Well, you know Cole. He kind of grows on you,” she teased, throwing Cole a wink.

  “Like a fungus!” Seb laughed.

  Cole rolled his eyes as he came over and wrapped his arm around Bri’s waist.

  “Okay guys, I have lunch all set up for us,” Claire called from behind them. She had set out a whole array of sandwiches, fruits, veggies, desserts, and drinks on an outdoor table. “Come sit, and let’s eat!”

  “Um, you didn’t make all this yourself, did you?” Cole eyed the buffet, apparently skeptical of Claire’s culinary skills. She hit him on the arm.

  “Yes, I did,” she said, defiantly. “And you are going to eat every last bite, Cole, and you are going to like it!”

  They all sat and filled their plates. Despite Cole’s reservations, Claire had done a great job, and everything was delicious. After they had all eaten their
fill, and satisfied Claire, Cole stood up from the table.

  “You guys ready to hit the beach?” Everyone nodded. “Okay, you girls go change and meet us back out here.”

  Claire grabbed Bri’s hand and pulled her up to her bedroom.

  “Please tell me you brought that white bikini you got in Catalina,” Claire demanded.

  “Yes, I brought it. How could I not, when you texted me like twenty times not to forget it?”

  “Good! Here, you can change in my bathroom.”

  After changing into the more than slightly skimpy suit, Bri began to doubt that this had been a good idea. She tied her wrap skirt around her waist and walked back into Claire’s room.

  “I don’t know, Claire. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

  Claire’s mouth dropped.

  “Oh, no, this is perfect! Cole is going to flip when he sees you in this! He won’t be able to keep his hands off you!”

  That was exactly what Bri was afraid of.

  The girls walked out across the patio, to the beach beyond. Bri looked up to find both Cole and Seb gaping openly at her. Yep, this bikini was definitely a bad idea. Claire pulled her over and they set out their towels on the sand. Bri slipped out of her skirt, revealing her cheeky, Brazilian cut bottom, and heard a gasp behind her. She turned, and was surprised to find it had come from Seb, who was staring at her, openly admiring. Cole, who had also been devouring her with his eyes, heard Seb’s gasp and shot his friend a look. Seb’s face flushed a bright red, and he quickly averted his gaze.

  “See something you like there, Seb?” Cole teased.

  “Yes. I mean, no! I mean...,” Seb cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he smiled sheepishly at Bri. He then turned to Cole with a smile. “You are one lucky SOB, man!”