𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐨, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟓: 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Elizabeth woke up with a pounding headache and the sound of Cole Walter's voice. As her vision cleared, she saw him standing in the doorway, smiling at her. She sat up in bed—an unfamiliar bed—in an unfamiliar room. Her gaze moved around the room, then realization struck: she was in Cole's bedroom.

"What am I doing here?" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice. She feared the worst, not remembering anything from the night before.

"Relax," Cole said as he walked over to her. "I slept on the couch." His reassurance brought her a moment of relief, but she was still full of questions.

"Why am I here, though?" she asked, emphasizing the 'why'.

"You don't remember anything from last night?" Cole asked, sitting on the edge of his bed. Elizabeth shook her head.

"You had a little too much to drink, and you were quite the mess," he explained. "I brought you here because I knew your parents would be furious if they found out you had been drinking." Slowly, the memories of the previous night began to return to her.

She grabbed a pillow and let out a loud groan into it, making Cole laugh. "My parents agreed to keep not tell your parents that you were drinking, but they might know about you skipping school," he warned.

"Great," she muttered sarcastically. Cole looked at her with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry," he said, catching Elizabeth off guard. Was Cole Walter actually apologizing? She never thought she'd see the day. "I shouldn't have pressured you to skip school and drink with people you don't even like. I just saw you were having a rough day and wanted to help."

Elizabeth appreciated his apology and smiled. "It's my fault too," she admitted. "I could have said no and not gone along." But she knew that she couldn't because Cole Walter was her addiction, and it was hard to resist when he wouldn't stay away.

Cole sighed and stood up. "My mom made breakfast downstairs if you're hungry," he offered.

Elizabeth rose from the bed. "I appreciate it but I should probably get home," she said. Cole nodded. "Want me to drive you?" he asked.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" she responded. Her parents already knew she hadn't been home last night, and showing up with Cole would be adding fuel to the fire.

"Do you have a better option? I'm your only ride unless you want to walk," Cole said.

Elizabeth sighed, realizing Cole was her only option for getting home. Her headache was still pounding, and she definitely didn't want to walk. "Fine," she agreed.

Cole smiled. "I'll meet you outside," he said before leaving the room.

Elizabeth picked up her phone from the nightstand and turned it on, immediately faced with a flood of messages and calls from her parents—about 200, give or take. She sighed and sank onto Cole's bed, dreading the consequences awaiting her at home. She knew her freedom was about to be very limited.

__

Cole pulled up to Elizabeth's driveway, and she let out a weary sigh. "My head is killing me," she groaned, rubbing her eyes. Cole chuckled. "First hangover, Liz?" he teased.

She nodded slowly. "Never again," she muttered, gazing up at her house and bracing herself for the lecture she was about to get.

"You've got this," he reassured her. "Remember, they only know you skipped school. They have no clue about the drinking." Elizabeth nodded, his words offering some comfort, but she still felt nervous about facing her parents.