Emma

Chapter 37

Cole let out a deep breath as he impatiently tapped his feet against the tiled floor.

The noise or so-called 'music' that surrounded him did nothing to reduce his boredom and only fueled his annoyance.

Why am I here in the first place? As though hearing his thoughts, Derrick came up to him, a wide grin on his face.

"Hey dude! So glad you could come for the party!" Derrick said straining his voice above the music.

A nonchalant look was already plastered on Cole's face and he just nodded, not bothering to spare Derrick a glance. He didn't want to be there, and he wasn't going to act as though he did.

His usual laid-back look was suddenly wiped out and replaced with one of pure hatred as his eyes met with the pair of dark green ones behind Derrick.

There stood Rose, with her hair tied in a high ponytail and her lips filled with thick red lipstick that matched the short dress, hugging her deadly curvy body. But that wasn't what made Cole's blood boil, what made his blood boil was the person who had attached himself to her.

Jake.

He completely disgusted Cole, everything about him irritated Cole's being. Jake was like a bundle of all the things Cole stood against and the fact that he had been so hypocritical to Emma, only added oil to his burning furnace of despise.

Their eyes instantly met and Cole could almost taste the mirrored hatred that swam in the deep pool of Jake's eyes. It took all that was in Cole not to let out a growl. Jake only increased his despise by forming his lips into a sly taunting grin, as though daring Cole to make a move.

"Hello Walker. Long time no see. Is someone avoiding me...are you scared?" Cole's jaw immediately clenched and he could feel his mind begin to blackout, only focusing on Jake and devising the type of pain he was going to put him through.

"Jake, take it easy." Rose said noticing the inhuman blackness that had swallowed Cole's grey eyes.

She turned and placed her hands on his Jake's chest as though trying to push him away, only drawing an annoyed look from him as he rolled his eyes.

"What's he going to do? Shoot me? Wait this time there's no gun this time." Jake said, pouting and tilting his head to the side, knowing that fueling the fire was going to work both for him and against him.

Cole's fist tightened and the whole room could hear the cracks coming from his knuckles as he took a step forward, silently daring Jake to say one more thing.

The whole place had frozen; everyone had gone completely silent as they watched the ordeal, even the music seemed to have magically ceased.

"Cole not again, come on dude just forget about it." Derrick said desperately trying to calm him down, knowing how feral he could be and not wanting any victims on the floor this time.

The grin on Jake's face widened as he chuckled.

"Leave him, he wants to end up in jail again. Besides, there's no Emma to calm him down this time." Jake said, a smile of mockery and amusement was playing on his face but his eye betrayed him, displaying his feelings as they turned a darker shade of green, colored with the mixture of both fear and envy.

Cole's jaw abruptly stopped clenching just by the mention of her name. It felt like a drug was being shot directly at his veins, bathing his blood stream and forcing him to stop all movement.

His eyes were still dead black and positioned on Jake but it was as though just the thought of her warm brown eyes, just the mere hearing of her name, they felt like some kind of rare sedative, specially made for him.

His fist loosened a bit as he forced his gaze to meet Derrick's own, he was getting tired of running around in circles with these people and all he wanted to be was out.

"I'm done." No one knew the power of those two words, not even Cole himself. He was just tired of putting up with them, tired of breathing the same poisoned air with those set of people. It was usually hard to just leave the gang, it hadn't fully been his choice to even join it in the first place. But he's Cole Walker, and once he says he's out, he's out, and no one dared to force him back in, gang or no gang.

He turned his back and began walking towards the door as he muted out the shouts of Derrick telling him that if he walked out he would never come in again.

A small smile played on his lips.

I'm so glad to hear you say that. He never wanted to be in their so-called 'group of friends' and at that moment, he forgot why he had been there in the first place.

He still wanted to watch Jake's face deform into a bloody mess under his fist, but he wouldn't go back, he would keep to his words, he was done.

He got on his bike and began to ride towards the direction of his house. All he wanted to do at this point was sleep.

I didn't know breaking up with 'friends' was so exhausting.

He was halfway at his apartment, when he spotted her.

Emma's head was facing downwards and covered with her black hood as she walked awfully slowly.

No one would have noticed her by the way she had covered her face and how her usually bubbly steps had become dull and Goth-like.

Cole could recognize her from anywhere, no matter what she wore or how she walked. There was just something about her that stood out to him and even if she dyed her hair all the colors of the rainbow, he'd always know who she was.

He didn't give it a second thought as he parked his bike in the middle of wherever and jumped off it.

"Emma!" He called out as he jogged towards her, ignoring the death stares of people.

Emma froze before slowly turning, her shoulders visibly relaxed as her eyes met with Cole's

"Hey Cole." Emma said a small smile plastered on her face. But it was different, the smile, it wasn't the genuine and bright smile that she had and Cole could sense it.

He could see something hidden behind her eyes but he couldn't pinpoint what it was, and he didn't like it at all. His face fell as he reached her and noticed how tense she was.

"What's wrong?" Cole asked, his voice had become like a whisper and his eyes had visibly softened. Emma shook her head and averted her gaze from Cole, knowing that he would see the hurt hidden under them.

He sighed, frustrated by her secrecy and softly put his arm round her shoulders, gently pulling her closer to him.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride" Cole said as he walked back to his bike. He felt Emma shake her head against his side but didn't attempt to release his grip and only pulled her closer.

"I didn't ask." Cole said simply, not giving her any alternative option.

They finally reached his bike and Cole shifted his arm from round her shoulder to her waist, as he gently lifted her up and placed her on the bike, facing him.

Emma looked at him, both curiosity and fatigue laced in her eyes as he adjusted the helmet in his arms.

"I thought you didn't let anyone on Kalayaan." Emma said in barely a whisper. Even her voice sounded dazed and suffocated, and that only increased Cole's worry. He managed to let out a small smile, grateful that she had at least said something.

"You're not anyone." Cole said, his smile widening at the spot of the small genuine smile on Emma's face.

He tucked the stray strands of hair behind Emma's ears before placing a small peck on her forehead and putting the helmet over her head.

He climbed onto the bike and Emma instinctively wrapped her arms round his torso leaning into him and causing his smile to widen.

"Where are we going Twix?"