Pieces of Him

Polaroid Camera

Cory's POV

"Ughhh," Cory moaned, putting his hands on the sides of his head, as if he could ward off the splitting headache that way.

He forced himself out of bed, trying not to wake the still-sleeping Drew, and swallowed some Advil, grimacing from the pounding in his head.

Ding! Ding! His phone chimed. Frowning from the amplified noise, he stumbled over to the tabletop, nearly tripping over the leg of a chair, and checked the text before muttering, "F*k you."

Cory, it read, I know you feel sorry about our argument yesterday. If that's the case, and I'm sure it is, I feel sorry too. It's okay. You did do something wrong, but you understand that, don't you? I'd be willing to forgive you if you present me with flowers, chocolate and the beautiful necklace from Tiffany & Co. that I've been talking about on Monday. If you put extra effort into it, maybe you will be rewarded. No need to thank me for giving a chance to undo your sin. I will wait for my surprise unless you know, I just might have taken a liking to the football team's wide receiver. -Melissa

Cory rolled his eyes. God, she was so dumb. There was no f*cking way he would do that. Did she think that everybody catered to her every single damn whine and need? Actually, yeah, she probably did. She'd lived her whole life in a mansion, literally overflowing with servants. She even had her maid tie her goddamn shoes. He had actually taken pictures out of amazement when he had first gone to her house. Granted, he had been seven, but still.

He then thought of the day he had first asked her out...

"Hey Melissa, you want to go to Bordeaux on Friday?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Bordeaux? That rundown old place?"

Cory looked at her in disbelief, "It's the best restaurant in town."

"You're suggesting that you take me out to a restaurant IN TOWN?"

"Uh, yea? Are your ears clogged with earwax?"

"I'll let you know I have them cleaned every Thursday," she answered snottily, "But if you want to take me out, you'll have to take me to somewhere outside of town."

"And I would do that because?" Cory questioned, already knowing his own answer to the question, weighing down his heart. His dad couldn't have picked a different dying wish could he?

"Well, Cory. You can choose between not going out at all or taking me to a restaurant outside of town,"

"Outside of town restaurant," Cory grumbled.

Eventually, he did take her out to a restaurant at her recommendation, Cory having rarely eaten out of town. He later told Drew that he swears that Melissa went down the menu and ordered the most expensive dishes on the list. Even though Cory tried to order the cheaper ones, his wallet was bleeding when they exited. He had even spent the paycheck from his part time job on the date and had to borrow money from Drew for lunch the next day.

Letting out a frustrated breath, he scrolled through the other messages, reaching the one Drew had sent. Laughing until his stomach hurt, he saved the picture, grinning. A memorable New Years. Truth be told, he had no idea how the bottle of beer came to be stuck on his head. He made a mental note to ask Drew later.He then flicked through his photos, only sparing a glance for each one.

Wait a second.

He looked closely at a photo. Who was that girl? He had to admit, she was gorgeous. Dark hair framing an angular face, pansy blue eyes dancing, flecked with gold, looking like two deep pools of ocean. His heart tugged unfamiliarly, uncertainly. Who was she? She looked familiar...