Cora's POV:
She's dead.
She's in my arms, and she's dead.
My hands are over her wound. I'm trying to do CPR.
"No!! No, Leah wake up!! Wake up!! WAKE UP!!" I shout. I start to hyperventilate and hit her chest repeatedly.
"Wake up!! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?! WAKE UP!!"
"Cora!! Cora!!" Jessica says, shaking me awake. I start to hyperventilate again.
"Hey. Hey. Hand on your chest, sweetheart. Hand on your chest." I do what she says. I'm not dying. My heart is beating quite fast, actually.
"There you go. Good. Good, sweetheart. Is my voice in your head?"
"Shut up, Jessica." She moves the baby to the other side of me and slides into the bed next to me.
"Why's Chloe here?" I whisper.
"She.. had a meltdown," she says. I nod.
"She has those. When.. when I leave. She never wants me to." I face her. She moves my hair out of my face.
"Yeah. I know," she whispers.
"I have a heart of gold, you say?" She chuckles.
"That little gremlin," she mutters.
"Yes. I say you have a heart of gold, Cora. Because you do. And even your worst enemy can see that."
"Our baby hasn't cried."
"It has. You, my love, are a heavy sleeper."
"Why do you call me my love? Is that.. do you pick and choose?" She chuckles.
"Yes, I do. When you experience hardship. Yeah."
"I have to have a panic attack for you to get soft on me?" I ask.
"Yes," she says.
"I don't like that."
"Well, we're rivals Cora-"
"Are we?" I ask. She closes her mouth.
"Or are you in love with me and you don't want me to know."
She knows. She knows I heard her and Leah.
"Cora-" she says.
"Do you want to be rivals with me? Or do you not want to be rivals? Did you tell Señora Flores to say we tied? I mean, you didn't have to lie, Jessie. I saw the paper on her desk you got a 97. So why lie and say you got a 100?"
"Because you don't love me back," she says.
"That's why. Cora, that's fucking why. For god's sake, you just screamed that you don't love me. I heard it."
"But then you go and make out with me-" I stand up.
"You started that shit, Jessica. I don't fucking hear-" She stands up.
"And you gave me the nod of approval and fuck me eyes! Asking me to kiss you to see if you like girls, Cora.. you expect me to just- move on about my day!?" She steps closer to me.
"You wanted me to touch you so fucking bad. And I didn't forget that. And then you make the 20-point rule. If you wanted me to fuck you you could've just asked. But the perfect little Christian girl couldn't risk that, could she." I stare at her.
"Why would you say that?" I ask.
"You know good and damn well how much my religion has traumatized me, Jessica. You saw it. And now.. now you're gonna go this far? Really?"
YOU ARE READING
Keep Trying, Sweetheart
Romance17 year olds are typically focused on college. And their SAT scores that they've been waiting for since forever ago. So are Jessica and Cora. More than everyone else and only in each other, though. Seeing who gets the higher score, higher grades...
