Friends Forever, huh?

Chapter 12 | i need about four large coffees, please

"Would someone like to explain what's going on here?"

My eyes fly open and focus on my mother's figure in the doorway. I mumble something that sounds like, "five more minutes," and close my eyes again, not seeing why she would have possibly woken me up. She clears her throat.

"Ashley."

Grumbling, I open my eyes again, "What?"

"Would you like to tell me why you're using him as a pillow? Or maybe why he's been here all night?"

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. Then I turn my head on my pillow and realize what she was saying.

It wasn't a pillow. Oh dear goodness I'm sleeping on Cole.  This does not look good.

"We had a..." My voice trails off as my sleepy mind tries to explain, "...a project--that's what it's called! We have to turn it in this morning so we had to do it all last night." I finish my explanation and stretch, accidentally  hitting Cole in the face in the process.

He groans and jerks awake, "I didn't steal the gummy bears I sw--" He tilts his head like a cute confused puppy, "Ashley?"

I wave, not willing to expend the effort it takes to talk. In a few moments, everything seems to come back to him and he frantically pulls up the computer, whispering "please tell me you saved," under his breath multiple times. He lets out a sigh of relief.

We did it! We actually completed that terrible project in one night!

My mother looks at us dubiously but then apparently buys our story, muttering something about 'procrastinating high school kids.'

I give her a somewhat sheepish smile and she rolls her eyes, returning it. "I have to head to work, but good luck at school today, you two. It sounds like they're going to let me out at a reasonable time, so I'll see you tonight, Ash."

I grin at her words, "See you tonight! Love you!"

"Love you too," she replies, waving to Cole and I as she heads out the door.

I groan and lean back, sprawling across the floor. Cole is silent for a few moments and I'm partially hoping he's fallen asleep. We could go to school late, right?

But then he opens his mouth and ruins it, "we should probably get ready to leave..."

"No."

"C'mon sunshine."

"No."

"I'll buy you coffee," he says eventually as a last attempt to get me to wake up for school.

I perk up, eyeing him suspiciously, "do you mean it?"  He nods and I reluctantly stand up, "Okay. I would like four iced Carmel coffees."

Cole snorts, rolling his eyes but not bothering to protest. I think he expects me to give up and just decide to skip school. He's forgotten how bad I am with little sleep.

Fifteen minutes later I've brushed my hair out, put on some mascara and I'm more or less ready to leave. To my surprise, Cole agreed to drive me to school this morning. He's been acting different since yesterday, as if he's willing to give friendship a chance. I'm still cautious, ready for him to flip a switch and begin ignoring me again.

I suppose that's where you can see my trust issues--I don't expect people to stay. Most of the time I'm right in assuming that. But oh, I want so badly for Cole to surprise me. I want him to decide to stay this time. I want to trust him without getting burnt. I want him to trust me. I want to know the reasoning behind his silence and mood shift. Something happened after he moved away but he doesn't seem open to talking about it.

"We need to talk," I say sleepily as we get in the, "but not now, my words can't form English."

Cole glances at me, amusement shining through the uneasiness in his eyes, "Yes, let's wait until you can English."

I slap his arm, stifling another yawn. How is he so awake? "It's your fault I'm so sleep deprived," I mutter, "if you wouldn't have ignored me for two weeks we could have gotten it done early."

"Whatever, sunshine."

A few minutes later, we pull into McDonalds to get the coffee I've been promised. I rub my hands together, fixing my eyes on the window with anticipation. Whoever came up with Carmel iced coffee clearly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to humanity. They're divine.

"You only got one," I pout, looking wistfully at the McDonald's window as we drive away. There's more coffee in there that could have been mine...

"Sorry sunshine," Cole shrugs, not looking particularly sorry.

"Why do you call me that?" I ask, suddenly curious about the nickname he's called me since I was little.

Unexpectedly, he blushes and looks away, "No reason." I raise an eyebrow, increasingly interested in the reason behind his nickname for me.

Cole notices my eyes on him and glances toward me for a moment, "stop staring at me, will you? It's unnerving."

I stick my tongue out at him, realizing just how much I've missed this casual friendship with him. The last few weeks have been harder than the two years of his complete absence. Seeing him and not being able to talk to him...it was a special kind of torture.

Now I'm not quite sure what to expect with him. Are we friends now or should I expect everything to go back to the new normal--him ignoring me?

"Are we friends?" I ask him quietly, nearly dreading the answer to his question. What if he says we're not? What do I do then?

"I know you told me we couldn't be friends but I've spent the last two years waiting for you to come back and now that you're back I don't want us to ignore each other. Please?"

He bites his lip, looking conflicted as we pull into the school parking lot. "I don't know Ash..."

"Cole," I touch his arm, sincerity in my tone, "I don't know what happened after you moved but please don't ignore me because of it. You were my best friend for years." I look down, my cheeks flushing slightly, "I want you back."

"Okay."

***

Okay so I'm not sure how I feel about this at all. But either way, it's done. I might edit it later.

But honest talk: McDonald's Iced Carmel Coffees are so delicious. I was writing this chapter and got a massive craving for one.

Question: Do you like coffee? And if you do what's your favorite way to drink it? (Sidenote: my best friend doesn't like coffee?? I don't understand??)

-J