It used to be Simple | ft.Cole Sprouse

Chapter 012:

It was rare that the English sun could get this hot. It felt as though the only way to get rid of the overflowing warmth was to have all the windows open whilst going fast in a car. Luckily, the only car we had could just go above what I would call "fast" – it was enough for me as long as there was wind in the car, cold wind.

Cole's car, a 2006 Ford Mondeo, wasn't a race car. I loved extremely fast cars but I didn't demand them, the Ford did the job, was fast enough to get cold wind on my face and body and that was enough for me. It wasn't a fancy, expensive car, Cole admitted he got it for £950 from the guy, but I liked it. It smelled of pine trees which was my ultimate favourite scent, followed by bonfires.

Cole didn't use bubbleheads, thank god, but he did stick around the odd photograph. Not too many and they weren't too big, they were kind of hard to spot too. He kept them in his cabinet and told me he looked at them when he was waiting to pick someone up or something similar, to take a moment and see how good he'd gotten at photography so he can be proud of himself. At that, I could tell Fran would roll her eyes and cross her hands across her chest because, he's such a fuckboy. He's only saying that to make you like him.

Either way, Cole drove us to a place he didn't tell us about, I panicked a little bit but then remembered that's Fran's role so I calmed down and told Fran to do so too because I wanted her to have fun as much as me. She said she was calm but clearly wasn't. Fran, please. It won't be bad and if anything I'll go home with you.

The music fades out between our conversation, which finds itself getting lighter and lighter until I can feel Fran not as stressed anymore. I use our inside jokes on the way and talk about last night's conversations, (maybe smell and buy will be our always?) to make her feel comfortable, which was most important because she always did that for me and made me feel million times better. I just hope everything will go amazing.

We arrived with the sun blaring at us, almost as if it were angry at us, to the beach. The same beach that Cole took me to, except further away from the pier. Much, much further. So far that the pier could easily be put between my fingers and fit in my palm. We were very close to the cliffs. The light, rough texture of them, the way they invite you to come climb them, although it wouldn't be such a good idea.

The clouds vanished through the sky, a tiny, thin layer of them occasionally blocked the sun for a couple of seconds, but the heat didn't leave one bit. It stayed stuck to your skin like a sticker that couldn't be peeled off easily. I loved it secretly, it wasn't common for England to have so much sun and nice weather often since the normal stereotype was clouds and rain.

Fran grinned but then tried to hide it; she loved beaches. And although this was a rocky one, and she wasn't a fan of those, she was still grinning because she loved going as a kid and her time run out as an adult. She became more and more busy trying to make a living she forgot to actually live and enjoy herself. She isolated herself. A little like me.

Although I was obviously excited, I expected a good time, my hands were still shaking. It was normal with me, it's what I've always told Fran (Don't worry, it always happens, I'm okay.) to keep her calm, although I knew I wasn't. Despite what I've told myself, my hands shook because I was scared, not because it was normal. It was normal, yes, but it wasn't pointless. I had a reason for my hands to shake and go cold and blue.

So I was fake grinning and my eyes cast dark, my hands bulged into fists in my pockets to stop them shaking, looking from Fran to Cole to Fran. Crap, I thought, they aren't as nervous as I am aren't they?

I suspected Fran to be eyeing Cole but she was grinning and helping him with the blankets and baskets, so I felt much more relieved. Calm down, I told myself, why can't you just enjoy yourself damn it?

And then Cole's friends arrived.

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