The Break Up Plan

35: PANIC ATTACK

"I swear if you don't leave me alone I will make you ingest this entire pillow. Feather. By. Feather." I grumble into the pillow as someone continuously shakes me.

"That's cute princess, but I think I know what your empty threats sound like", a familiar deep voice chuckles.

“Cole?”

"The one and only", his smug voice is close to my ear and a shiver runs down my spine.

"Leave me alone", I mumble, chasing my sleep desperately.

"I can't"

"Ugh, why?"

There's a short silence and when he finally speaks, his voice is low and fragile, "I can't be alone today, princess. Please."

I sit up.

I study his face and his eyes are stormy, like he's fighting something, "gimme a minute"

A relieved smile spreads across his face and he nods.

I head to the bathroom to freshen up, armed with a change of clothes. After brushing my teeth, washing my face and changing into a white crop top and dungaree shorts and redoing my ponytail, I head back out. Cole instantly pipes up when he sees me.

"Damn, you really need company don't you?"

He smiles and reaches for my hand, "come on, breakfast"

"So why are you even up this early?" I ask when I see that almost no one else is up.

He shrugs, "up early, up late, depends on how you see it"

I stop in my tracks and my hand in his makes him stop too, "you didn't sleep?"

He shrugs again, avoiding my gaze. "Cole"

"There was a weird noise that kept me up all night, okay?"

I watch as he struggles to keep himself from reflexively biting his lip like he does after lying.

I stare at him for a while as he keeps staring at the floor. Will he ever trust me like I do him? "Come on" I sigh, "breakfast"

By the time we're done eating, everyone is up and about.

"Hey Bella", I turn to see Nicole walk up with Jasper, hand in hand.

The smile on my lips is wide as I stand up to hug her, "thank you so much for yesterday" she tells me when we pull apart. I nod, my smile still intact and a little squeal escapes my lips.

"Geez Izzy, don't pop a vein" Jasper teases and I punch him lightly, still smiling.

As soon as they leave to get breakfast, the space in front of me is instantly occupied by Tess and Chelsea.

Am I hallucinating? –Tess

Are we in Armageddon? – Chelsea

Did you and Nicole Bitchman just hug?

I giggle at their expressions and bafflement, "Yeah guys, Nicole Breyman and I just hugged and we also worked out our differences. We're friends"

They glance and each other and nod, "Armageddon" they decide on Chelsea's theory.

I roll my eyes, "Things change, Nicole and I are friends now"

Tess throws her hands up in the air, "since the world has gone bat shit crazy, I'm going to go look for a dinosaur in the woods" and with that, she walks away.

Chelsea and I watch her dramatically stomp outside before exchanging eye rolls and laughs. Her eyes catch something behind me and her face instantly flushes red. I turn around to see Darren Phillips, a member of the Westmond team.