Where We Began

chapter thirteen

"Hey los- Holy Fuck!" Cole all but yelled when he saw my face.

"Shhh," I hushed him and drug him towards the doors at the end of the hall that led out to the art and agri buildings.

"BG what the fuck happened to you?" Cole said, grabbing my arm and spinning me to face him.

"The first rule of fight club is we don't talk about fight club," I tried to deter his question with a joke but failed as he reached up to turn my face and look at the bright red handprint that was staining my cheek.

"Have you ate?" He asked, dropping his questions until I was ready to talk.

"No," I said quietly, not meeting his eyes in fear I may start crying.

"Let's go get food and you can tell me about it or you can just eat and I'll sit with you," he smiled at me pulling my hood up to cover my face.

"Okay but promise you won't leave me?" I asked like a scared child. In this moment that's what I felt I was. Not physically scared but scared I was about to lose everything I had worked so hard for.

"Never loser," he laughed and kissed the top of my head as he led us into the cafeteria with his arm around my shoulders.

The rumor mill was already churning full force in the cafeteria. Luckily it didn't seem like anyone knew more than some people had an altercation and one was sent to the emergency room unconscious with a broken nose. No one knew who it was or who the other person was but it wouldn't be long before they found out. Word travels so fast in a small town.

"Do you want to sit at our table or somewhere new by ourselves?" Cole asked, grabbing both our trays and milks effortlessly. It looks like his time serving tables at Zane's dad's restaurants was paying off. Not to mention how it was helping to define his biceps.

"With our people please," I said, trying to keep my head down as we crossed the cafeteria holding on to Cole's arm.

"I heard it was the county probation officer that finally lost her shit and snapped on a student," Zane was saying as I slid into our side of the booth.

"No way she's a cop man," Eli scoffed, "I bet it was that new coach. The one Brooke hates because he's a sexist ass."

"No it wouldn't be coach," Juan joined in, "he doesn't get physical when he can just make you run until you're throwing up your stomach whole."

"Sounds like a personal experience there, Juan," Cole laughed, sitting our trays down and throwing Eli my milk.

"I'm telling you it was the cop," Zane said with urgency then he laughed, "I just wander who would have the balls to step to her?"

I peeked at Cole through my hair that was covering my face under my hood. He smiled at me and winked, knowing I was the billy badass that finally put the she devil in her place. His smile made me feel safe, like even though i just punched a cop in the face, not only breaking her nose but knocking her out and sending her to the emergency room, I would be okay.

"Brooke why do you have a hood on and why are you being so damn quiet?" Zane asked as he reached to flip my hood off my head but Cole grabbed his hand and shot Zane a warning look.

"What the fuck?" Zane said with a puzzled look on his face as his brain tried to connect the dots.

"Fuuuck," Eli drug out as I looked up, meeting his gaze as his eyes grew wider.

"Don't make a scene," I hissed as I gave up and pulled my hood back exposing my battered face.

"Oh. My. God." Rebecca gasped covering her mouth.

"Shit Brooke!," Zane exclaimed catching another warning glare from Cole, "I mean fuck."

"It's nothing," I said, picking at the school chicken sandwich that was growing cold on my plate, "I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about it yet but I promise you guys will be the first to know."

"If you're still here then," Zane pondered, his eyes growing wide as his brain finally caught up to reality, "Holy fucking shit Brooke! You knocked someone out and sent them to the E.R.!"

"I can't say anything," I laughed winking at Zane, "but just know it was self defense."

"You look like Zane after the one chicks husband found him" Eli laughed, making a joke as normal, "what was her name?"

"Stacy started it," Cole said, "but Zane couldn't settle for her he had to go after her mom too. That's when her dad found out and beat his ass."

"He tried to beat my ass," Zane interjected for the sake of his pride, "I got away after landing a punch or two and my man Cole picked me up."

"That was like the summer before senior year," I laughed, recalling Cole's phone call that night asking to bring Zane over and tend to his wounds at two in the morning, "You two never cease to amaze me with your shenanigans."

"We're just lucky to have you around to bandage us up," Cole said, pulling me close to him and kissing my head. I stayed pressed against his chest soaking in his calming scent surrounded by the warmth of his embrace.

"Gross," Juan said with an uneasy tone, "can I get out?"

"You've been strangely quiet since I got here," I called him out as we stood up to let him out of the booth seat.

"I just don't have much to say to you," he grumbled, taking his stuff and walking away.

"What is his problem?" I asked sitting back down this time Cole had slid into the booth first and was against the wall in Juan's normal spot.

"Nothing he won't get over," Cole said with an edge to his tone.

"He's just being a pussy," Zane said in agreement.

"Nothing he can do about it anyways," Eli said, solidifying the bro code of silence.

I groaned as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch period. I had to go back to the office for the rest of the day and face what I had done. I wasn't sure I was ready to know just how much of my life I had screwed up before it even had the chance to get started. Cole carried my bag as we walked into the main hallway. He stopped as we rounded the corner and found four police officers, one of them being Kurt, and the principal waiting for me just outside the office. He squeezed my hand as I let him go and took my bag to go face the consequences of my forced actions.