Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2) (10 page)

“That’s because you know you don’t
have anything to worry about.”
 
He refused to back down. 

Bri sighed.  This wasn’t working. 
Time to switch tactics.

“And you do?  I’m not the one who
got proposed to tonight,”
she teased, and saw the corner of Cole’s mouth lift.  “Right in front of
your girlfriend, I might add.  Now, I’m not naive enough to believe that that
will be the last time another girl propositions you, but I’m not dumb enough to
believe that you’d fall for it, either.”

Cole swallowed thickly before
replying.  “You’re right, I’m sorry.  I’m being a total prick.  Can we just
forget I said anything?”

“Sure,”
Bri smiled understandingly.  “So, do
you want to tell me what’s really bothering you?”
 
He looked away, hesitant to respond.  “You know you can talk to me about
anything.  I won't judge you or hold it against you.  Sometimes it helps to
just get it all out.”
 
He looked back at her, wavering.  “Come on, Cole, let me help you.  We’re
in this together, remember?  It’s not going to work if you keep things from me.”

He sighed.  Wrapping an arm around
her shoulders, he turned her towards his dorm.  “Let’s go to my place and we’ll
talk.”

“Okay.  And then we’ll make the
rounds at the parties tonight?”
 
He gave her an angry glare and she held up her hands.  “Kidding!”
 
Apparently it was
too soon to joke about the loss. 

Cole opened the door to his empty
room.  Bri guessed Matt hadn’t been too upset to go out partying.  Not that she
was complaining.  She and Cole hadn’t been alone together for a while.  She sat
down on the couch and looked up at him expectantly.

“Well?”
she pushed when he didn’t seem to want
to start.  “What’s going on?”

He ran his hands through his hair.  “I’m
having a hard time dealing with this whole second string thing.  It’s been hard
enough to have to basically sit back and watch the other guys get all the
playing time.  But lately, with Jordan totally choking under pressure…
it’s all I can do
not to storm into Coach’s office and scream at him.  I mean, what the
hell
is he thinking?  He freaking cost us the game tonight because he was too
stubborn to pull Jordan.  And I’m not saying he has to put me in instead, but
come on!  Do
something
!”
 
Bri sat quietly, letting him vent all of his frustration.  “But I can’t
say anything, not to Coach, not to my teammates, because I’ll just sound like a
whiney loser trying to steal a starting spot.  So I just sit there, biting my
tongue and trying not to go off on someone and get myself kicked off the team. 
I’m so freaking angry and frustrated, I feel like I’m going to explode.”
 
He flopped down on
the couch next to her, leaning his head back and covering his face with his
hands.  “I don’t know if this is worth it anymore.”

Bri watched him for a few moments,
trying to decide how best to help him.

“I know it’s been hard for you to
have to sit back and watch.  You’re used to being the star, being able to
control what happens out on the floor.  And I can’t imagine what it must be
like to lose that.  But,”
she took a hesitant breath, knowing he wasn’t going to like what she was
about to say.  “You knew what you were getting into when you came here.  You
knew you wouldn’t be starting, but it was worth sitting on the bench to get to
play for Duke.  You could’ve gone almost anywhere else and been a starter, but
you chose to come here.  Why?”
 
He stared up at the ceiling, refusing to answer.  “You came here because
playing for Duke was what you’d always dreamed about, and it was finally a
reality.  Are you saying you’re ready to give up your dream because things aren’t
going the way you want?”
 
He shot her a glare, and she placed her hand on his arm comfortingly.  “It
sucks, I get it.  Believe me, I get it.  But you may never get another chance
like this.  I’d hate to see you throw it all away because you’re upset.”

“Like you had to throw away your
dreams?”
Cole
replied cuttingly.  “Do you know how much pressure that puts on me?  Knowing
that I
have
to make this work, because if I don’t you’ll have given up
everything for nothing?  And you wonder why I don’t want to talk to you about
this.”

Bri sat back, his words like a slap
in the face.  “When have I ever said anything like that?  When have I ever even
implied
anything like that?”
 
She was torn between being hurt that he felt that way, and angry that he
thought so little of her.

“You haven’t had to,”
he replied
gruffly.  “You gave up your dream so I could follow mine.  It’s been pretty
freaking obvious.”

“Um, what dream have I given up
exactly?  I’m dancing on my college team, I’m getting my degree in English, I’m
still going to be an editor.  What part of that have I given up?”
she demanded.

“Stanford, Bri,”
he practically
shouted.  “It was always your dream to go to Stanford, just like it was always
mine to go to Duke.  And every day you’re here is reminder that you gave that
up.  For me.”

“Seriously?”
Bri spat incredulously.  “You are
beating yourself up because I’m not at Stanford?  Because I can go to Stanford,
Cole.  I’ll leave tomorrow, if that’s what you want.”

Cole gave her a look.  “You know
that’s not what I want.  I’m just saying that I’m dealing with a lot of
pressure trying not to disappoint you.”

And there it was.  She felt her
anger dissipating, as she realized how fragile and vulnerable he really was
inside.  Despite how much he had changed, how much he had grown, his old
worries and insecurities ran deep.  And as hard as he was working to overcome
them, they still haunted him.

“Do you really think you could ever
disappoint me?”
she
asked earnestly, feeling her eyes tear up.  “I don’t care about you starting,
or even about you playing basketball.  You can ride the bench for the next four
years, or quit the team all together, and I wouldn’t care.  I just want you to
be happy.  That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
 
She reached over and took his hand in hers.  “And I’m here because I
want to be, not because I’ve given anything up.  I’m here because I’m
happy,
and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for myself, too.  You make me happy and I love
you.  I don’t care about anything else.”
 
She smiled at him.  “Okay?”

He nodded reluctantly. 

“Hey,”
she forced him to meet her eyes.  “I mean it.  I think you are amazing,
and you could never, ever disappoint me.  Okay?”

“Okay,”
he finally gave her a small smile.  “I
love you, Bri,”
he
whispered.

“I love you, too, Cole.  Don’t ever
doubt that.”

“I won’t,”
he promised, and sealed it with a
kiss.

Bri knocked on Cole’s door, and
waited anxiously for him to open it.  It had been a few days since his
meltdown, and she wanted to make sure he was in a better place before his game
that night.

“Bri?”
he smiled when he opened the door.  “What are you doing here?”
 
He stepped aside
to let her in.

“I just thought I’d come by and see
how you were doing.  Plus, I missed you,”
she smiled as she walked past him and sat on the couch.

“Well, feel free to stop by and
surprise me anytime.”
 
He sat down next to her and pulled her against his side.

“So,”
she began, “big game tonight.  How are you feeling about things?”

Sighing, he sat back.  “I’m okay.  I’m
still not happy about this whole situation, but I guess I’ll just have to suck
it up and deal with it somehow.”
 

Her eyebrows drew together in
concern.  That did not sound promising.  He was still really frustrated.  

“You know,”
she began, “I’ve been thinking about
this a lot the past couple of days.  Your coaches brought you here for a reason. 
There was a job they wanted you to do, and they need you to do what’s best for
the team.  Each of you has a role to play, and the team is only successful when
everyone is doing their part.  Right now, your team needs you in more of a
support role.  That doesn’t mean that sometime in the near future they won’t
need you in a starting capacity, or even a leadership role.  But for now, your
team needs you on the bench, ready to come in when you’re needed.”

This time it was Cole’s eyebrows
that drew together.  It didn’t look like she was helping.

“So,”
she continued, taking his hand, “all you have to do is go out there and
be the best damn bench warmer they’ve ever seen.  No more pouting or getting
frustrated.  You stay attentive and engaged in the game.  You be the one
cheering the loudest whenever your teammates score.  You be the first to offer
consolation and encouragement when things aren't going well.  You support and
bolster your team, no matter what.  Even when you think your coach is crazy. 
Even when you want to scream at Jordan for screwing things up.  If your job is
to sit on the bench, then
stand out
on the bench.”

His head tilted to the side as he
considered her words. 

“Just because you’re on the bench,
doesn’t mean you can’t be the star of the bench,”
she smiled. 

“Huh, I’ve never thought of it that
way before.”
 
A
small smile formed on his lips. 

“And in practice, you keep busting
your butt.  You keep giving one hundred and ten percent, every day.  And if you
do that, I promise your coaches will notice.  And next year, when they’re
trying to decide their starting lineup, they’ll remember what a team player you
are, how you supported your team and did whatever was best for them.  How you
worked relentlessly, every day, and never complained.  You do all that, and
maybe it might be you starting next year.  It’ll be your turn to shine.”
 

Shaking his head, he smiled.  An
actual, genuine smile.

“Ambria, you are a freaking genius,”
he grinned at her. 
“You always know just what I need to hear.  You’re right.  I’ve been wasting
all my energy being angry and frustrated about what I can’t do.  I need to
focus on what I
can
do, and do it better than anyone else.”

She nodded.  “I want you to love
playing basketball again.  I want you to have fun again.  You’ve lost your
spark, and it shows when you play.  I want you to fully enjoy this amazing
opportunity you’ve been given, so when you look back you won’t have any
regrets.”

Sighing, he lowered his forehead to
hers.

“Thank you.  You keep me grounded and
sane when I want to go flying off the edge.  You keep me from doing stupid,
stupid
things when I get frustrated.  You remind me that I have something bigger than
just myself to work for.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out,”
she pressed a small
kiss to his lips.  “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

“I know.  I love you, Bri.”

“I know.  I love you, too.  Now, I’d
better go.  You have a game to get ready for and an attitude to adjust,”
she winked at him. 
He laughed and followed her to the door.  “Good luck tonight.  Not that you’ll
need it.”
 
She
winked, and gave him a lingering kiss goodbye.  Hopefully, that would help to
improve his mood.  She began to pull back, but he refused to let her.  They
stayed wrapped up in each other, until a loud throat clearing caused them to
finally break apart.

“Really, I could sit and watch you
two slobber all over each other all day, but in case you’ve forgotten, we have
a basketball game to win.”
 
Matt gave Cole a pointed look. 

Bri’s cheeks flushed.  She still
became really embarrassed whenever Matt caught them kissing, maybe because he
caught them a lot.  It was an almost a daily occurrence.  Luckily, getting
caught by Matt didn’t seem to faze Cole at all.

“Just because you’re not getting any
right now doesn’t mean you have to ruin all of my fun,”
he threw Matt a cocky smirk, and Bri’s
face got even redder.

“Whatever, dude,”
Matt scowled.  “I’m
leaving without you.”

Matt grabbed his bag and stomped out
of the room.  Bri, feeling guilty for causing an incident, looked at Cole.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset
him.”

“Don’t worry about it,”
Cole waved her
off.  “He’s just a little testy because his last “girlfriend”, if you can even
call her that, dumped him for some guy in a crappy band.  He’s still nursing
his devastated ego.  He’ll get over it.”

“Okay.  I don’t want you two to
start fighting or anything.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. 
Now, I need a little more motivation before I go out there and rock that bench
like Duke has never seen.”
 
He pulled her tight against him.

“Anything to help the team,”
she smiled, and let
Cole’s expert lips remove any thought of anything other than him.

As the basketball season progressed,
the difference in Cole was like night and day.  He was no longer the angry,
mopey person he’d been for weeks.  His enthusiasm on the bench was contagious,
and the rest of his teammates quickly followed his example. By the time the
regular season ended, the Blue Devils were ranked 5th nationally, and were a
force to be reckoned with.

Spring Break arrived, and with it,
the ACC tournament.  That meant Cole and the team would be headed to
Greensboro, instead of somewhere tropical and warm, like the rest of the
student body.  Bri was a bit disappointed, having imagined a much needed
vacation where she and Cole would finally have the privacy they’d been so
desperately needing.  The good news was that the dance team was going to
Greensboro, too, to help cheer on the team and perform at halftime.  So at
least she and Cole would be together. 

The Blue Devils didn’t play until
Friday, having received a first round bye, so the teams weren’t leaving for
Greensboro until Thursday.  Not having much else to do or anywhere to go for
the week, the cheerleaders and dance team decided to throw a beach party for
everyone stuck on campus for Spring Break.  The cheerleaders, being the control
freaks they were, did most of the planning, and the dance team was in charge of
refreshments. 

When Bri stepped out of her room on
Wednesday afternoon to go help set up for the party, she was grudgingly
impressed with the cheerleaders’
ingenuity.  They had gone all out with their beach theme, and there were
lawn chairs and beach blankets spread around the commons outside their dorm. 
There were squirt guns, water balloons, a volleyball net and Frisbees.  They’d
even gotten a couple plastic wading pools and filled them with sand, the
closest thing to an actual beach they could get.  Lanterns hung in the trees,
and tiki torches dotted the perimeter.  It looked fantastic.

As Bri and her roommates helped
carry down the refreshments, Jillian stepped up to direct them.

“There’s a table over in the corner
for drinks and snacks.”
 
Jillian singled out Bri with a nasty smile.  “Your job today is to make
sure that table is fully stocked at all times.  If we run out of something, you
run to the store and get some more.  Understand?”

“What?”
Bri protested.  “Why do I have to be
in charge of that?  Why can’t any of the other girls do it, or at least help?”
 
Her plans for a
relaxing that afternoon were going up in smoke.

“Because I said so,”
Jillian replied
snottily, dislike obvious on her face.  “Now get to work, people will start
showing up any minute.”
 

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,”
Addison reassured
Bri as Jillian stormed away.

“Or better yet,”
Stacie smiled, “just
tell Jillian to kiss your ass.  Last time I checked, she doesn’t rule the
world.  You don’t have to listen to her.”

“Darn right, I don’t,”
Bri gave Stacie a
high five and grinned.

“Come on, let
’
s get these set out before all the
good chairs are taken,”
Stephanie suggested.  “My tan needs some serious work.”
 

The girls set out the snacks and
drinks before claiming some chairs to lay out on.  They stripped down to their
bikinis and took advantage of the warm, sunny day. 

A short while later, the basketball
team arrived, and Cole and Matt made their way over.

“Well, don’t you all look
comfortable,”
Cole
smiled at the girls.  He froze when he saw Bri, his eyes taking in the teal and
gold bikini she’d bought in Catalina.  This had been her first opportunity to
wear it, and judging from his gaping mouth and goofy stare, Cole liked it.  A
lot.

Of course, Bri liked the view from
where she sat a lot, too.  Cole wore a pair of low slung board shorts, and his
old Mountain Dew t-shirt, that made his eyes look beautifully green.  The newly
developed muscles in his chest, abs, and arms were deliciously accentuated by
his tight fitting shirt, and his shorts highlighted his sexy calves.  Bri had
never realized how sexy calves could be until that moment, and she had to stop
herself from reaching out and touching them.   

“Wow.”
 
Cole squatted down next to her.  The desire she saw in his eyes had her
melting inside, while simultaneously stirring up butterflies in her stomach. “So
this is the new instrument of torture, huh?”
he asked, his eyes traveling over her body.

“You asked for it,”
she threw him a
cocky smirk, but she felt her cheeks heating as he continued to devour her with
his eyes.  Needing a distraction, she looked over at Matt, who was gaping at
her like he’d never seen her before.  “You okay there, Matt?”
she laughed.

Cole stood and hit him upside the
head.  “Stop eye stalking my girl.  Go find one of your own to drool over.”

“Sorry,”
Matt grinned sheepishly at Bri.  He
immediately turned his attention to the rest of her friends, giving them his
most charming smile.  “Hello, ladies.  Mind if I join you?”
 
They all smiled at
him appreciatively and made some room for him to sit down.  

“Is there room for two on that
chair?”
Cole
leaned in and asked in her ear.  “Because I don’t think I can leave you alone
looking like that.”
 
His
fingers trailed up her bare side.

“Well,”
she gave him a sultry look.  “Let’s
find out.”

Cole grinned wickedly and slid in
beside her, giving her a long kiss.  It soon became obvious that they both
wouldn’t fit, but that didn’t seem to bother Cole at all as he maneuvered
himself behind her, setting her between his legs and pulling her back against
his chest, where she happily stayed.   

They spent the afternoon laughing,
playing volleyball, and having water fights.  Bri noticed that Matt and Stacie
seemed to hit it off, and they spent most of the afternoon together.  Bri knew
that Stacie was dating someone seriously, or she’d have been a bit worried
about her friend hooking up with Matt the Man Whore.  Not that Bri didn’t like
Matt.  She just didn’t like his track record with women, and wasn’t about to
let Stacie become just another a space filler until the next girl came along. 
She watched the two of them closely all afternoon.

A few hours later, Jillian walked
over, looming over Bri in her chair. 

“Bri, we’re out of Diet Coke,”
she barked.  She
paused to give Cole an appreciative smile that set Bri on edge.  “I need you to
go pick up some more.  Now.”

Not about to let Jillian win, Bri
smiled sweetly.

“Oh.  I’d like to help you, Jillian,
really I would.  But I’m kind of busy right now, so why don’t you go find
someone else to do your grunt work.”

She had the satisfaction of seeing
Jillian’s eyes widen, before narrowing to slits.  Bri had never openly defied
Jillian before, and judging from the look Jillian was giving her, she was in a
dangerous position now.

“I thought I told you that
you
were in charge of keeping the refreshment table stocked.  We’re out of Diet
Coke.  Go get some,”
Jillian
ordered through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry, I must’ve missed the
meeting where we made you queen of the world.  You don’t get to tell me what to
do,”
Bri
pressed angrily.

“I see.”
 
Anger flashed in Jillian’s eyes as
she smiled dangerously.  She then turned to Cole.  “You’re looking good today,
Cole.  My offer still stands, when you get sick of this one,”
she winked at him
and sauntered off.

Bri froze as Jillian’s words sunk
in.  Ice gripped her chest and she turned to Cole.