Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2) (19 page)

“I’m not going to lose it and punch
someone,”
she
replied indignantly.  “I know that Cole loves me, and he’s not interested in
anyone else.  It’s not something I’m worried about.”

“That is a very naive and dangerous
attitude to take.”
 
Lynette
gave her a pitying smile. 

Yep, the woman had the gall to
pity
her.  Bri couldn’t believe it.  She wanted nothing more than to wipe that
condescending look right off Lynette’s face.  But of course, she couldn’t do
that, so she held her outrage in check. 

“When Cole gets drafted, he’ll be
traveling, a lot.  And you won’t be there to make sure he’s behaving, to make
sure his needs are taken care of.  What happens when the pressure and
loneliness become too much for him?  You can’t expect him to resist all that
temptation for long.”
 

Lynette smiled smugly, and Bri’s
hands clenched.  She knew Lynette was trying to rattle her, make her doubt
herself, and Cole.  But that didn’t stop her anger and insecurity from
answering Lynette’s call.  They flooded through her, filling her with doubt and
dread.  Taking a deep breath and forcing those ugly emotions back down where
they came from, she glared at the manipulative woman in front of her.

“I know what you’re doing, and it
won’t work,”
she
seethed.  “What Cole and I have is special and unbreakable, and I won’t let
you, or anyone else, come between us.”

“Well, if you won’t accept reality,
at least listen to reason.  Tell me, how many high school relationships
actually end up working out in the long run?”
 
Lynette crossed her arms challengingly.  “Really Bri, think about it. 
The truth is not many, and let’s face it, you and Cole fall right into that
category.  Look, you two have had a good run, you’ve made it longer than most
high school romances.  But the reality is that you two are not going to last. 
The odds just aren’t on your side, not matter how much you “love”
each other.”

Lynette actually did air quotes
around the word love, and Bri had never wanted to hit someone as much as she
did this woman.  The fact that Lynette was belittling and downplaying what she
and Cole had together had Bri fuming.  She was so infuriated, she didn’t trust
herself to speak.

“Really, Bri.  You’re a smart girl,
this can’t be news to you.  You and Cole would be much better off if you both
just accepted the fact that this little fling of yours isn’t going to last. 
You should both move on now, before you end up resenting each other for holding
each other back.  There are many more guys out there; guys that would be a much
better fit for you, and make you much happier than Cole ever could.  And he
shouldn’t feel so tied down at his age.  He should be out there living and
experiencing life.  He can’t do that with this obligation he feels to you.  If
you want him to be happy, you need to let him go.  Think about it, Bri.”

Bri didn’t even have time to
respond, because Cole bounded over and Lynette pulled him in for a hug.  Bri
took those few moments to try to smooth her features and calm her racing heart,
but inside she was a writhing, seething mass of rage.  She now realized that
Lynette didn’t just disapprove of her and Cole’s relationship, but was actively
trying to destroy it.  She shuddered to think about what poison Lynette was
spewing to Cole on a daily basis.  It made her sick to her stomach to think
about it. 

She desperately hoped that Cole
would keep his promise not to let his mom come between them.

But as she followed a cluelessly
happy Cole and a victoriously smug Lynette out of the stadium, she couldn’t
squash the large seed of doubt that sprouted in her heart.

The end of the semester was a week
away, finals were just around the corner, and Cole was stressed beyond anything
he’d ever experienced before. 

After his first televised interview
went so well, he’d become the go-to guy on the team.  There were always at
least two or three reporters that wanted to talk to him after each game, and
not just local reporters.  The ESPN and network guys always caught him, and
they were even calling to set up phone and TV interviews.  Fortunately for
Cole, Coach had a very strict media policy, and while quick post-game interviews
were tolerated, he didn’t allow any formal TV interviews.  It was too
distracting for the team, and took their focus away from where it should be. 
So Cole turned down all of the interview requests he got each week, but that
didn’t stop the reporters from calling.  He still wasn’t sure how they had
found his cell number, but he was seriously considering changing it.

His mom had been calling a lot,
too.  She had tried to get him to come up to Jersey for Christmas, and had been
a little pushy about it.  She didn’t seem to understand that no one on the team
got to go home for Christmas, and she had been upset and disappointed when he
turned her down.  He felt bad, and a little guilty, for hurting his mom’s
feelings, even though it really wasn’t his fault.  There just wasn’t any
possible way he could’ve gone.  Not that he’d wanted to spend Christmas in New
Jersey anyway. 

But ever since then, Lynette had
been a little brusque on the phone.  She’d promised she would come down for
another game, but was dragging her feet on giving him a date.  She also didn’t
understand that the games all sold out, fast, and he needed as much advanced
notice as possible if she wanted to get a seat.  She just kept pushing it out,
saying she was still trying to find a date that worked.  She kept dropping
subtle, and not so subtle, hints about the NBA, and when he would brush her
off, or couldn’t give her a direct answer, she’d get frustrated.  And for some
reason, he also felt bad about that, too.  But he couldn’t give her answers
when he didn’t know what it was he wanted to do yet.  As Jordan kept reminding
him, he needed to enter the draft in the best position possible.  Jordan saw,
as the whole team did, that they had a really good, legitimate chance to win it
all this year, so it was something Cole needed to think about.

He’d tried to talk to Bri about it,
but she’d made her opinion very clear.  She wanted him to finish school.  End
of story.  She understood what Jordan was saying, but she thought a degree
should be the priority, not getting a bigger signing bonus.  And she had a
point.  Cole’s goal had always been to finish school before thinking about
going pro.  The problem was, he’d never really thought that all of this would
be a possibility.  He hadn’t thought he’d ever be starting at Duke, and never
dreamed he’d be an NBA prospect.  He was now, and a serious one at that, which
threw all of his original plans out the window.  But, regular season hadn’t
even started yet.  He didn’t need to figure out his whole future before things
really got serious.  He still had some time to think it through, just not a
lot.

Of course, he didn’t have a lot of
time for anything anymore, especially Bri.  He’d had to cancel more dates in
the past month than he could count.  The dance team had their Christmas dinner
the past weekend, and Bri had wanted him to come so badly.  But, he had a team
function that night that he couldn’t get out of, so she’d had to go alone. 

Yep, he was officially the worst
boyfriend ever, and a jackass on top of it. 

Usually Bri was pretty understanding
about these kinds of things.  She knew what a commitment the team was, and she
didn’t get too upset when he had to put basketball first.  But she had been
upset he’d missed her dinner.  Apparently she didn’t consider the team deciding
to all go to dinner last minute an adequate reason to miss her team’s Christmas
dinner, which had been planned for weeks.  And Cole did feel bad about it,
really
bad.  But what could he do?  If he hadn’t gone, his team would’ve felt like he
wasn’t supporting them, or that he didn’t have his priorities in order.  But
Bri didn’t see it that way.  She just saw that she had been to all of his
basketball functions, even having to cancel her own plans to be there, and he
had failed to make it to almost any of hers.  She hadn’t brought up all of the
times he’d cancelled their plans, but the implication was definitely there.  He
hadn’t even pushed back, because she was right.  He definitely wasn’t putting
her first, and he felt guilty as hell about it.  She didn
’
t
talk to him for two days after that, she was that angry.

But honestly, he didn’t have the
time, or energy, or room in his over-packed schedule to deal with her anger. 
In fact, those two days she avoided him had almost been a blessing.  He at
least got a little reprieve from having to face the fact that he was failing
her in almost every way possible.  He wanted to make her a priority, she
deserved to be his only priority, but he didn’t know if he could. 

The problem was that everyone around
him had different opinions on what his priorities should be.  He felt like he
was being pulled in fifteen different directions by fifteen different people,
and he wasn’t even sure which way was up anymore.  Nothing he did was right. 
No matter what he chose, he let someone down, or pissed someone off.

And he didn’t have anyone he could
talk to about it.  No one to give him advise or unload his guilt on.  All of
the people he could normally talk to were the people who were most disappointed
in him.  He was slowly coming unraveled, and he didn’t know how much longer he
could hold it together.

And now, on top everything else,
finals were here and he didn’t have time to breathe, let alone study.  He didn’t
know if he’d be able to pull it all off, and he almost didn’t care if he didn’t.

It was Thursday night, he’d just
gotten home from practice and was changing when there was a knock at his door. 
Seeing how late it was, he knew it had to be Bri, so he didn’t bother throwing
on a shirt before answering. 

He opened the door, and froze.

“Hello,”
Jillian smiled as her eyes took in his
bare chest.

“Jillian?  What are you doing here?”
 
Cole had the urge
to go put on a shirt, but he didn’t want to let Jillian in the door.

“Well, I heard Bri say that you’ve been
super busy lately, and haven’t had a lot of time for things like…
studying.”
 
She gave him a
sultry smile.  “We don’t want you failing your finals, so I’m here to offer my
services.  I’m an excellent tutor.”
 
Innuendo dripped off every word, as her eyes roamed over his body.

Frustration bubbled up and he made
an extreme effort to control his temper.  Being propositioned by Jillian was
not
what he needed right now.

“Well, thanks for stopping by, but I’m
good.  I’ve managed to make it through just fine.  I don’t need any tutoring.”

“Are you sure?”
 
She raised an
eyebrow.  “Bri’s been complaining that you haven’t had much time to spend with
her lately.  I can help take care of any other needs…”

“
No
,”
he interrupted forcefully.  “I’m not
interested in anything you have to offer.”

He saw anger flash in her eyes, but
Jillian covered it with a smile.

“Fine.  I’m sorry to have bothered
you.”
 
She
turned to leave, but looked back at him.  “You know, we could be great
together.  I know you’re stuck with Bri right now, but when that goes south,
just know that I’m here, if you ever do become interested.”
 
She smiled
knowingly, then walked away.

Cole stood in his doorway, watching
her go.  As Jillian descended the stairs, he saw Bri standing down at the
landing, watching Jillian angrily.  He felt his stomach drop as Bri turned her
glare up to him.  He didn’t know if she’d heard anything, but Bri knew Jillian
had been up to his room.

The girls exchanged vicious smiles
as they passed, and after making sure that Jillian was long gone, Bri climbed
the stairs to his door.  He let her in, and closed the door behind him, before
he dared utter a word.

“Bri,”
he began, but she cut him off.

“What was Jillian doing here?”
 
She tried to sound
calm and controlled, but he could see her anger simmering right below the
surface.  For whatever reason, her anger pushed him over the edge.  The thin
hold he’d had on his patience and his temper snapped, and his frustration
boiled over. 

How dare she imply that something
would ever happen between him and Jillian.  Did she really not trust him at
all?  He was insulted that she would even think he’d be interested in someone
as depraved and opportunistic as Jillian.  He could feel all his frustration
building, but he was beyond the point of being able to temper it.  So when he
replied, it came out harsh.

“Nothing, Bri.  Nothing happened. 
But obviously you think something happened, so let me have it.  What do
you
think was going on up here?”

“I don’t know,”
her eyes flashed
angrily, but she kept her tone calm.  “I’m not sure what to think when I see
the world’s biggest skank at my boyfriend’s door late at night.”

He let out a annoyed sigh.  “How
many times do we have to go through this?  I am not interested in Jillian.  I
will never be interested in Jillian.  Just because she offers, doesn’t mean I’m
going to accept, and I’m tired of you assuming that I’m going to jump into bed
with every girl who shows up at my door.”

“Well, forgive me for assuming,”
she snipped.  “It’s
not like that wasn't your MO not too long ago.”
  

“Seriously?”
 
Wow.  That one hurt.  “How many times
am I going to have to defend myself?  How many times will I have to tell you I’ve
changed before you start believing it?  I don’t hold your insecurities against
you, Bri.  But damn, it’s getting really hard having to deal with them.”

Bri’s mouth dropped.  He waited for
her cutting retort, but, to his shock, she took a deep breath and relented.

“Okay, you’re right.  Let’s not do
this right now.  I had a really crappy day, and you don’t seem to be in a great
mood either, and this will get us nowhere good.  If you say nothing happened
with Jillian, then I believe you.”

Cole could tell it took a lot for
her to say that, and he backed down.  “Thank you.”

“Even though you were standing there
half naked with her,”
she muttered.

“Bri!”
he exclaimed, exasperated.  Reminded of his shirtless status, he snagged
a shirt off the floor and put it on.

“Fine.”
 
She held up her hands in surrender.  “I
didn’t come here to fight with you.  I’m sorry.”

“Okay,”
he nodded.  “So, why are you here?”

Her eyes flashed up to his, and he
could see hurt and anger flaring again.

“Sorry,”
he sighed.  He pulled her into his
arms, hoping to ease some of the tension between them.  “I didn’t mean to sound
rude.  I’m glad you’re here.  I’m always glad when you come over.  It’s just
late.”
 

Bri nodded against his shoulder,
taking a breath to calm herself. 

“I came by to help you study for
your math final tomorrow.  We didn’t get a chance all week, and you’d said you
could use some help.”
 
She pulled back and sat down on the couch.

“That’s really nice of you, but to
be honest, I don’t think I have the energy to study tonight.”
 
In fact, studying
was the last thing he wanted to do.  He’d resigned himself to the fact that he was
probably going to fail his math final.  He’d done well enough in his other
classes to keep his GPA high enough for basketball, and he really didn’t care
if he failed math or not. 

“But, if you don’t study, you’ll
fail.  You can’t fail your math final.  You might not pass the class if you do.”
 
She looked shocked
that he’d even consider it.

“I might still pass the class.  I
did well enough on the other tests and assignments that I might squeak by.  If
not, well, I fail.  Oh well.  It’s just not that big a deal.”
 
He rubbed his face
wearily.  He was too tired to be having this conversation right now.  He was
too tired to be having
any
conversations right now.

“Cole,”
she pressed.  “That isn’t acceptable. 
Go grab your book, and we’ll spend two hours going over the things you need
help with most.  It’ll be better than nothing.”

“Bri, it’s nice of you to want to
help, but really, I’m good.  I don’t have the energy to do anything but sleep
right now.  And if I don’t get to sleep, I’ll definitely fail my final
tomorrow.”

“But this is important!  You’ll have
to retake your class, and your GPA will be all screwed up.  It’ll be that much
longer until you graduate.  You can’t just give up like this.”

“Yes, I can!”
he yelled.  His anger was bubbling
over again, and he was unable to control his voice.  “I can do whatever I
want.  This is
my
life, Bri, and you don’t get to tell me what is and
isn’t important.  If I say it’s not a big deal, then it’s
not a big deal
. 
So what if I have to retake the class?  So what if graduation gets pushed out a
little?  I’m probably not going to graduate anyway, so why worry about it?”

Bri didn’t flinch as he yelled at
her, but her eyes hardened.

“You don’t mean that,”
she shook her head
angrily.  “This isn’t you talking.  This is your mom and Jordan, telling you
that graduating isn’t as important as making a lot of money.”

“Don’t bring them into this.  This
has nothing to do with them.  It’s my choice, not theirs.”