The Cole Effect - Cole Walter

11 - Cider

A few days later, nothing much has really happened. Me and Cole haven't really talked and Erin still bullies me everyday.

Currently, it's around 12:00am, and I'm having a nightmare again.

"Mom!! No!!" I scream, shaking her dead body. "P-please wake up!" I yell. Blood is everywhere and there is glass from the car on the ground.

Then I wake up screaming. I'm hyperventilating but I didn't wake Jackie up. I stand up but I'm dizzy and go downstairs to get some water. Walking down the last stair, I get really dizzy and almost fall to the ground when someone catches me.

"Woah, woah, let's get you some water." He says. I can't tell who it is. Everything is blurry and my ears are ringing.

The person hands me a bottle of water and I start chugging it. Then I close my eyes for a second to try and focus. I'm sitting on the counter. Then I look up and see Cole Walter in front of me.

"You alright, Claire?" Cole asks.

"Mhm, yeah I think so." I say. "Just a nightmare."

Then Cole puts both of his hands on both sides of the counter, leaving me in the middle, giving me butterflies. We stare into each others eyes and lean closer. I've never wanted to kiss someone so badly in my life. But I can't kiss him. I don't want to get involved with his little hookups. I don't want to be one of his little hookups.

I look down, just as Cole and I are about to kiss. "I don't want to be one of your little hookups, Cole." I say.

"You wouldn't be. You're different." He says. I shake my head and get off the counter. Then I starts to get dizzy again and Cole catches me. "Cmon, I'll help you."

"No, I'm fine Cole." I say, shoving him away, but almost falling again. Cole doesn't leave anything else up to debate and he picks me up and slings me over his shoulder. "Cole, put me down." I mutter. Then he takes me into my room and lays me on my bed and puts the blankets over me. He kisses me forehead.

"Goodnight, Claire." He says.

"Goodnight, Cole." I say.

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The next morning, I wake up and immediately remember last night. I groan and get up. I put on a t-shirt and jeans and I head downstairs.

"Good morning, Katherine." I say.

"Good morning, Claire, how'd you sleep?" She asks.

"I slept fine." I say, grabbing an apple and sitting down.

Then we all head to the little silent auction thing and football thing. I help run the cider cart with Alex and Jackie. I don't know where Cole is, and honestly, I don't really want to see him.

Jackie and Alex go to watch whatever is going on at the stage and I stay at the cart. I look down at my phone for a few seconds and then someone knocks on the cart and I look up and it's Cole. My eyes go wide.

"Oh uh, hey Cole." I say.

"Hey." He says, smiling at me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"That cart does say, 'Walter Cider" right? Cole Walter? Walter? Ring a bell?" Cole asks, standing next to me.

"Yeah." I say.

"Listen, about last night..." Cole gets cut off by me.

"We were both super tired and it never happened?" I ask.

"You got it." Cole says.

Then on the stage, the football coach starts announcing stuff,

"And now! For you new starting quarterback, number 44, Dylan Newsome!!" He yells. I see the pain in Cole's eyes as he watches. I also notice that Dylan took Cole's old number. What an asshole.

"Cole, don't worry about him." I say. "You'll always be better." I smile at him and he gives me a small, sad one back.

Then we go back to the cart. "Like my grandma always says, an apple cider a day keeps your hair from turning gray." Cole says, causing me to laugh.

Later, me, Cole, Skylar, and Jackie go out for pizza at Monty's.

All the football players and cheerleaders are partying in the parking lot.

"This pizza is so good." I say. "And I thought city pizza was good, wow." Cole smiles at me. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing." Cole says. Then Erin walks in so Cole goes over to her.

Then they both walk out. Cole's probably going to fuck her. I can't like Cole like this, it's just toxic and he's stupid. If we were to become a thing, I would just be a side hookup, which I don't want.

Cole's POV

I watch as Claire eats her pizza and her eyes go wide.

"This pizza is so good." She says. "And I thought city pizza was good, wow." I smile at her. She's so pretty, and just so, cute. Erin is a bitch, I'll admit that. But she's the hot popular chic in our school so I kinda have to be with her. But I don't really love her.

"What?" Claire asks.

"Nothing." I say. Which definitely isn't true. She's so cute eating her pizza and smiling.

Then I see Erin walk in. I walk over to her.

"Hey." She says.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah." I say, not really wanting to talk to her.

"Do you wanna go to my place?" Erin asks me.

"Well actually I have plans." I say, looking over at Claire, who is laughing with her sister at something.

"Plans." Erin says.

Then I look out the window and see Dylan celebrating with the football team. They won the game. Without me. It makes me feel worthless.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." I say. We go back to her place and we fuck.

I don't love Erin. But Erin makes me feel like I'm worth something. I feel worthless with my injury but when I hookup with people and have sex with Erin, I feel like I'm worth something. Even though I know I'm not.