Page 38 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“You’d be so good together. I know you both think Aaron won’t like it—”

“Because he won’t,” I said. “Cole is his best friend.”

“I’m your best friend and he didn’t seem to care much about that.”

“Actually, I distinctly remember him repeatedly using me as a reason the two of you shouldn’t be together.” I gave her a pointed look and she narrowed her eyes at me.

“Oh hush. He just wants you to be happy, and if a certain star quarterback makes you happy then I don’t see what the problem is.”

“I can’t trust him.” It came out a murmured whisper.

“Sofe—”

“Just drop it, Poppy. I’m not in the mood.”

I didn’t want to think about how I’d trusted Cole with the truth, and he’d betrayed me, ratting me out to my brother the first chance he got. Even if he maintained he only did it for my benefit, he’d still broken his promise. And now the truth was even more dangerous.

How could I ever trust Cole with this?

I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

No matter how good it had felt to be in his arms.

Even if I did lower my defenses long enough for him to infiltrate my heart, what was the point?

My life was about to get a whole lot complicated. If Dr. Google was correct, I had a future of chemotherapy and various cancer treatments to look forward to.

It was senior year.

Cole would run the other way when he realized what my future looked like, and I couldn’t blame him for that.

What eighteen-year-old guy wanted to spend their senior year standing beside their sick girlfriend?

I didn’t want that for him.

I didn’t want to be anyone’s burden.

It was bad enough that eventually I’d have to tell Aaron.

“I don’t care what you say, Sofe. Cole likes you; he always has.”

He did.

I didn’t doubt that.

But it wasn’t enough to withstand the storm blowing my way.

And I didn’t intend on dragging him into the trail of devastation it would no doubt leave in its wake.

* * *

I slept all day.

I didn’t know if it was the hangover, exhaustion, or a bad case of the morning after blues, but I slept through lunch and dinner, and by the time Mom managed to wake me, it was almost seven thirty.

“How do you feel?”

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