Breaking Barriers

29

29

"Next time don't cough so weirdly, I nearly burst out laughing in there," I said to Craig as we walked out of the exam hall.

"You do know that I can't change the way I cough, right" he replied.

"yeah, but did you really need to cough that many times. I'm pretty sure the invigilator thought you were having a fit" Riley says jumping in between us.

Craig just rolled his eyes and fished inside his pocket and took out his phone.

One of our last exams was finally over. I had one more to go in one week but my grade for this year is pretty much fixed.

"did you know about this" Craig asked me as he shoved his phone in my face. I squinted my eyes and looked at what he was showing me.

Some article with Cole's face on it. He was finally getting an investigation into this whole scandal he has landed himself in.

"why would she, she dumped him ass remember" Riley said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"yeah I'm aware but surely you would have wanted to know what's happening to him"

Oh, I do, but I would rather not let it be known. My mom tells me everything that I need to know regardless as to whether I want to hear it or not.

"He has good people around him; he doesn't need me. My mom and cherry's boyfriend tell me what's happening anyway" I said as we carried on walking.

They both went quiet.

By the time we reached the end of the hallway we all needed to split up. I needed to get home soon anyway.

I rushed to get to my car quickly and drive home. I sang a few depressing songs in the car from the latest hot hits on Spotify. When I arrived home, I headed upstairs to grab some things from upstairs.

I was gradually bringing my summer clothes back home from the flat since the year is ending. Me and Kim were thinking about what we were going to do next year and decided that we were not going to find a house to share but rather just stay at the flat we were in.

Saves the hassle.

Neither of my parents were home so I just dumped the stuff in my room and headed downstairs to raid the fridge for a snack.

I found some frozen blueberries in the fridge, so I decided on a quick smoothie with a piece of my dad's apple pie he left out.

It wasn't until I finished blending the smoothie that I heard the doorbell. I patted my hands off on a towel and left to go and answer it.

I opened the door and didn't expect to see Cole's father standing there.

"Hey Mr Hamilton, is everything okay?" I asked as I opened the door wider.

He smiled down at me. "I think you know it isn't, but I would really like to talk with you if you're okay with that" he says continuing to smile at me.

Yeah, that was a stupid question to ask him wasn't it.

I gestured him to come inside. It was weird since the last time I saw him was that horrible night. I couldn't wrap my head around what happened, why Cole would let that woman touch him like that.

He knew that he could always come to me for everything.

"Do you know much about Cole's brother?" he asks as I bring him a glass of orange juice from the fridge.

I sat down slowly. "I know what happened to him and some other stuff Cole has told me"

He nods. "Braden and Cole were inseparable. His death was hard on all of us but even though he was our boy Cole took his death hard"