Page 57 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“Hey, Sofe, talk to me. We can get through this. We can—”

“Don’t you get it?” She let out a strangled, hopeless laugh. “There is no we. Everything is different now and we don’t know what the future holds for me. I won’t burden you with that.”

“Whoa, it’s not a burden.” How could she say that? “You are not a fucking burden.”

“You say that now. But what happens when I’m puking up every five minutes? When my hair starts falling out from the chemo? It’s senior year, Cole. You don’t want to be tied to a girl who will be too sick to… be with you.” Tears pooled in her eyes, and it broke something inside me.

Without thinking, I pulled Sofia into my arms, holding on tight. “You don’t know me at all if you think any of that matters. I like you, Sofe. I care about you, and I want to be there for you.”

She pulled back enough to look up at me. The air turned thick around us. Heavy with anticipation. I wanted to kiss her again, to finish what we’d started at Roadhouse.

But the light dimmed from her eyes as she said, “My answer is still no.”

“Sofe—” But she was already pulling away.

“You’re a good guy, Cole. And you’ll make some girl really happy one day. But that girl isn’t me. I’m sorry.”

Sofia took off before I could stop her. Before I could pick my jaw up off the ground and make my voice work.

What the fuck had just happened?

I didn’t want to date other girls, to stand by and watch as she went through her treatment and God only knew what else… I wanted to be there for her.

But she’d cut me loose. Before this thing between us even got started, she’d set me free, thinking that she was doing me a favor somehow.

Well, she was wrong.

I just needed to figure out a way to show her that.

* * *

It waseither the best idea I’d ever had, or it was the worst. But I tried not to overthink it as I knocked on Mrs. Bennet’s door and waited for her signal to go inside.

“Come in,” she called, and I slipped into her office. “Cole, this is a surprise.”

“Hey, Mrs. B. I was hoping we could talk.”

“Of course, take a seat. Coach Ford said you might stop by.”

“Actually, I didn’t come by to talk about football or college.”

“You didn’t?” She sat back in her chair and studied me. “What’s going on, Cole?”

“It’s about Sofia…”

“What about her?” Her whole demeanor shifted. “Is she okay?”

“I know, Mrs. B. I know about… you know.”

“I see. Did Sofia tell you?”

I nodded.

“Have you told Aaron?”

“No, and I won’t. I swear.”

“What is going on between you and my daughter, Cole?”

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