𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒, 𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 ⤜ 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑬𝑹

𝟎𝟐: 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒

࿐
"YOUR NEEDS, MY NEEDS."
CAMILLE WOODS
࿐

"It's ridiculous, Kiley," I complain begrudgingly, relentlessly scrubbing the counters with pure vigor in my motions. "He's texted me not twice, but three times since he's asked me initially. Who has that much time in their day to bother someone insistently about a deal they didn't even accept?"

"Someone who's desperate?" She suggests, cleaning out the grinder in the sink, the two of us preparing to close The Lark for the night. Haley had asked us if we could stay late to shut things down and clean up for her, both of us knowing how she's been needing the extra help recently. Wind is that her and Will aren't doing the best. They're not on the verge of breaking things off or anything to an unfixable extent, but Kiley and I were both aware of the fact she could use some time away from worrying about the café. I could use the money for my college fund, too, so the extra hours were beyond worth it in my case.

"Cole Walter? Desperate? Yeah, I don't know what alternate reality I've stepped afoot in, but from my perspective, that seems insanely unbelievable." I move to the counter beside Kiley, still using a good amount of force to clean the counters, a good way to release my frustration in his abominable request, and his unwillingness to accept my answer. "The guy could pull absolutely any girl he wants. There's a reason half the freshman class shows up to watch him drive past after school. He's practically a town legend. If we had some form of the louve here, that man would be on the first wall."

"I wouldn't be so sure he's feeling very secure in himself right now," she mutters, scrubbing a detachable piece from the espresso machine. "After what he went through, I mean, his dreams have practically been crushed. He probably hasn't even processed that fully."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair as I pull it behind my shoulders, continuing to wipe the counters down, with a little less force than I'd had a moment ago. "I get that, Ki, I do, but even if he isn't feeling secure in himself, there's plenty of other girls—hell, even other cheerleaders I know—who would practically die for him to ask them out or to do this weird, little arrangement."

"Maybe he knows you're on pretty bad terms with Erin? More fuel to the fire with you than them?" A quick shrug falls from her shoulders, turning off the tap as I pass her a dish towel to dry them off with.

She mouths a 'thanks' as I continue to ponder on my encounter with Cole. I mean, truly, what the hell was he thinking? I still don't get why he'd ask me when plenty of other girls would immediately be into the deal. Maybe that was it? Maybe he doesn't want feelings to be involved, doesn't want to break someone's heart. But that's not very Cole-like, I think. "Maybe he wants this to be more of a transaction than anything else? No emotions, just pure acting." I vocalize my thought as I move to sweep the floor behind the counter.

"Anyone else, that could be a viable theory. However, have you personally met Cole?" She asks rhetorically, sarcasm seeping through her pores.

"I've unfortunately had the displeasure," I laugh as Kiley reassembles our machines in preparation for the next employee's shift, moving to put the chairs up on the tables once she finishes.

• • •

I drive through a more desolate, country road, the one that I take everyday in transit between school and home. It's creepier at night, the darkening sky and sun that's almost fully set only adding to the sudden eeriness. Something I hate? How early the sun sets in the fall months. It makes everything seem duller, less vibrant, and it surely makes this secluded road even creepier than usual. I'm not one for destroying grassland or cutting down trees, I'm a true environmentalist at heart, but I wouldn't mind a building or two out here, a light other than my headlights that seem to mute more with each coming day.