my better half | c.w. ✓

Chapter 10

"Cole, I-"

I stopped short when I noticed someone behind Cole. He was standing with two other guys, and he hadn't seen me yet - or if he had, he didn't recognize me.

But I recognized him.

My eyes widened and my heart started pounding.

No no no.

He couldn't be here.

But he was.

All the memories started flooding back, and I struggled to catch my breath.

Faintly, I could hear Cole saying, "Kenna? Are you okay?" But I couldn't see or hear or focus on anything other than the boy standing fifty feet in front of me.

I didn't know why he was there, or who he was with, but it didn't matter. I just needed to get away from him.

So I stood up and ran into the woods.

Fear pulsed through my veins as I ran deeper into the woods behind the stadium, my feet slapping against the pavement of the trail. I kept running, ignoring the pounding footsteps behind me and Cole's voice calling, "Kenna! Kenna, wait!"

Finally, I came to a small clearing, where there was a long bench overlooking a stream. I was about to run past when Cole grabbed my arm from behind and stopped me. He spun me around to face him, confusion and concern filling his eyes when he saw the fear on my face and the tears forming in my eyes.

"Kenna, what's going on?" he asked.

I couldn't talk. I was out of breath from running, not to mention on the verge of a panic attack. I just shook my head, trying to stop myself from breaking down in front of him.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly, guiding me over to the bench and sitting down beside me. His hand was still on my arm, and it felt like an anchor to me, the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart.

I leaned forward, putting my head in my hands as I took deep, shaky breaths. Cole's hand left my arm, and it went to my back, rubbing small, calming circles against the thin material of my jacket.

"Shh, it's okay," he said reassuringly.

Slowly, I sat up, wiping the tears from my face. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the bench, taking a deep breath.

Cole took his hand away when I opened my eyes again, like he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was touching me.

"Kenna, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

I looked straight ahead, willing myself not to cry again. "I-I saw someone."

Confusion filled his expression. "You saw someone? Who?"

I sighed and looked down at my hands, which were folded together in my lap. "It's kind of a long story."

He shrugged and gave me a tentative smile. "I've got time."

I took a deep breath. I was about to open up to him, more than I'd ever opened up to anyone besides Emma. Not even Lexi or Avery knew much about my past. "I saw a boy. He's...someone I used to go to school with. Noah." His name left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Remember when you asked me why I moved?" I asked, referring to the day before the first day of school when Emma and I had spent the day with Cole and Jaden at the pool.

He nodded, and I hesitated before continuing. "Well, he's kind of the reason why."

Cole looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?"