Deep - Cole Walter

4

As I finished getting ready, a series of loud knocks echoed on my door before it swung open to reveal a visibly distressed Jackie, her hair a chaotic mess of bleach.

"Girl, what did you do early this morning?" I asked, confusion came over my face.

"They put bleach in the shampoo!" she exclaimed, disbelief spread across her face.

I reached out to touch her hair, contemplating how to fix it with time running out. It's only ten minutes until the boys leave.

"I can try to do a ponytail to hide it, but it won't cover everything because of time," I said.

Jackie sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she glanced at my mirror. "Can you just do it? I'll throw on a hat."

I nodded, swiftly gathering her hair into a ponytail, trying to make the best of the situation.

---

"Hey, Yarelis!" A voice called from behind me. I turned to see Tara, the school counselor.

"Hey!" I said with the enthusiasm

"So I was able to get you a spot on the student council." She said while handing me a paper. "Just get that signed at 2 by the president in room 1620." She informed, " I also heard you've talked to some coaches. Better start resting now," she joked, waving as she walked away.

Suddenly, I felt two arms going across my shoulders, and I turned to see Isaac and Lee.

"Oo, can you get us in?" Isaac grinned, a mischievous spark in his eyes as he grabbed the paper.

"I would but after what all of you pulled on Jackie, I'm reconsidering," I stated as I snatched the paper back and started to walk to class.

"Come on, it was just a prank!" Lee protested, keeping pace beside me.

"Yeah, pranks are supposed to be funny, not a disaster, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum."

Their chatter followed me into the classroom, and I tried to focus as I settled into my seat.

"Deja de ser tonto e ir a clase," I said, smacking their heads lightly with my notebook.

---
After hanging out with a couple of new friends, I met up with Jackie outside of Katherine's vet clinic. As we entered the small office, a man greeted us, and soon Katherine emerged, looking surprised to see us. They talked a little bit about a dog that was sick until Jackie was ready to turn around.

"Girl, I know we didn't come here for a dog." I muttered, following behind before Katherine spoke.

"Is that George's hat?" Katherine asked, noticing the dark cap perched on Jackie's head.

"Uh, yeah. I just borrowed it from the rack in the hallway," Jackie explained, turning back around

I couldn't help but laugh at the startled look on Jackie's face as she removed the hat, revealing her bleached mess underneath.

"Oh, God! What happened?" Katherine asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Well, it wasn't intentional. Someone put hair bleach in the shampoo," Jackie admitted sheepishly.

Katherine sighed, shaking her head. "Come on, Jackie." The two stepped into the hallway, and after a moment, they returned with Cole. "Yari, Cole's going to drive you and Jackie home if that's okay."

I nodded, and the three of us headed outside. As we approached home, I was about to get out when I felt a hand on my arm. I turned to find Cole still sitting in the driver's seat, engine running.

"Let me show you something," he said.

I glanced back at Jackie, who was already inside the house. With a sigh, I slid back into the car. Cole drove us down a hill, eventually pulling off into a secluded spot. At the bottom of a hill, he parked and turned off the engine.

"Jackie told my mom about the bet, so I don't want to hear about the chaos that's about to unfold," he teased.

I followed him as he stepped out of the car and wandered toward a nearby lake. He picked a small bouquet of wildflowers and turned to me with a playful grin.

"For you, my dear princess," he said, presenting the flowers

"A princess doesn't deserve such a small bouquet, I don't think," I replied, acting offended.

"Ungrateful," he joked, snatching the flowers back with a dramatic huff.

I gasped and snatched the bouquet. He started to chase me around while I carefully tried not to trip on rocks or fall into the water. After a while, we sat on the grass in a peaceful silence. Cole leans back, glancing at the water

"So, how are you really settling in? I mean, it's a bit of a shift from the city life, huh?"

I sighed, looking out at the lake.

"Yeah, it definitely is. I like the quiet but it feels a bit... boring sometimes." I explained. "I miss all the energy, activities, going out all the time. I could just hop on the train and be in a different state in less than 2 hours. Here, it feels like everything is miles away."

"I've never been anywhere before, besides Florida and upstate. I love it here but I would go anywhere that wasn't this place."

"Like where?" I asked

"I mean, I was planning to go to Alabama for college, but now that's out the door." He states, looking sad at the thought

"Don't worry, I'll be your sugar mama and we can go to a different planet if you'd want." I joked, trying to lighten the mood

He slightly chuckled before getting up, limping for a few moments.

"We should go, my mom's gonna be mad we skipped dinner."

He grabbed my hands to help me up before leading the way to the car.