Some backstory; Your parents are full-time entrepreneurs in New York City, and you hardly see them, especially during the holidays, you can't remember the last time you were together as a family. This is why you often go to your family's vacation lake house in Silver Falls, for one reason only; spending time with your best friend Cole.
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There were a lot of things that Cole disliked, pineapple on pizza, films with stupid plot twists, when one of his siblings broke the no-snitching code, when someone says he peaked sophomore year of high school ... and New Year's. He hated New Year's.
He'd never been the biggest fan, but it had felt a hundred times worse since it had meant he was one year closer to reaching adulthood. The year turning to the next just felt like a continuous reminder that he was going into the next chapter of his life without knowing what to do with it. Cole couldn't picture his life other than playing football, through which he would get a scholarship, go to college, and eventually go pro and make a living from it. But after his accident, he no longer knew what to do with his life, football was no longer an option, he lost his scholarship, his parents would never be able to pay for college because of their debt, and his low grades didn't really help out either. So every new year would now be another new year where Cole was reminded of how he'd 'wasted' another year of his life and that adult life was approaching. And that made him HATE New Year's.
He wanted to forget it was happening this year. He'd go to sleep at 11:50, wake up the following morning, and forget that anything had changed. He'd miss the fireworks, he'd avoid the celebrations, forget the New Year's kisses, and simply wake up for another new day.
"Cole Walter, are you even listening to me?"
It's your voice that breaks him from his thoughts.
He glances up from where his eyes had been focused on a single spot on the kitchen floor, turning his attention across to where you were standing on the opposite side of the kitchen island. You were spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise over the sandwich you were making for him.
"I-" He clears his throat, "What were you saying?"
You shake your head at him and let out a soft chuckle, Cole's sure at that moment he'd pause and playback that exact sound just so he could hear it again.
"I was saying..."
You and him had met this past summer. Will had got Cole a side job at the Lark to keep him busy over the summer to 'take his mind off things'. You happened to have a job at the Lark as well working as a server. At first, Cole had been nothing short of cold to you. He was blunt, he was rude, and he practically ignored you and everyone else for that matter. It was a couple of weeks later when you wore him down a little bit more. He started to say hello to you at the start of a shift, he offered to help you carry the crates of drinks, he stood with you whilst you cleaned the glasses and he had nothing to do until customers arrived, which didn't happen very often. Eventually, he started taking on more shifts so that he was always on the same days as you were. And that then turned into him driving you to and from your shifts most days, on the days when he didn't, it would be you offering to drive him instead. He lived further away than you did and he practically had to pass your house to get to work anyway but that didn't matter, you felt guilty if you never offered to pick him up. It was on those drives that he first started opening up to you. He told you about everything he had gone through, he told you about his parents, all of his siblings, about his cousins, Lee and Isaac, who live with them at their ranch, About a girl named Jackie who just started living there as well, and just so many more things. He asked you about your family, and found out about your plans with college and your career. Despite the initial coldness, Cole quickly became one of your closest friends.
