silver springs ~ c. walter

prologue !

"Isaac, do you even know basic algebra?" It was about a week until school started and Dorothea Bates was tired of checking over her best friend's math homework. No matter her efforts to help Isaac with his work, she always seemed to be filling in the blanks that he'd leave specifically for her to figure out. It was frustrating, yes, but she'd finished her summer work weeks prior and knew he needed help. At some time in the year, he'd write her paper or something. It was just how their friendship worked.

"Shut up, I'm just tired. Give me a break," he groaned, resting his head on the couch and pausing the video game he was playing with Alex. "Besides, math is your thing. Not mine." Exasperated, she ruffled his hair and threw his books onto the couch and picked up his controller while motioning to the empty pages.

"I'll play for you while you finish up."

"Dorrie," Alex said, drawing out her name with a sigh. "You're just going to beat me. Again."

"Get over it," she said with a smirk and unpaused the game. After a few seconds, she decided to take a chance. "How are things going between you and Cole right now?"

Alex glared at her and Isaac kicked her subtly from under the coffee table. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Point taken."

A few moments later, a presence Dorrie knew all too well entered the doorway. "Time for dinner," Cole Walker said nonchalantly. "Dorrie- you joining us?"

"Speak of the devil," Alex muttered, loud enough for the room to hear. Cole raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes as Isaac sighed. Without pausing the game or saying goodbye to the girl, Alex stormed out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Um, no, Gramps is making homemade pasta tonight and I need to be home for that." Dorrie didn't know what else to say as she cleaned up and got ready to leave.

"Want me to drive you?" Cole asked. Dorrie and her Gramps lived on the next ranch over and so she often walked to the Walter house to help Katherine with a new knitting project, Danny with a monologue, or Isaac with his homework. It was a normal occurrence for her to walk, even after dark, because it was only about fifteen minutes.

"That's okay! I texted I'd be back by 7:30, so I have about thirty minutes."

"You sure? It's raining," Cole replied as Dorrie walked past him into the hall. Just as she was about to respond, thunder cracked through the air.

"If it's not too much trouble, that would be great." The Banks girl wasn't one to ask for favors all that much, but she loved her boots too much to get them overly muddy.

"Of course, I'm not eating here anyway." Before she could ask where Cole was going, he set off to find the keys.

"See you tomorrow? Uncle George has us doing extra chores and I'll need some extra help if you have the time," Isaac pleaded with her. She merely smiled and nodded, knowing that these 'chores' were likely just weeding in the backyard.

"Ready?" Cole said as he walked up to the two.

"Yep!" Dorrie turned to Isaac with a wave. "See you tomorrow."

When the two got into the car, it was silent for a few moments before Dorrie decided it was too awkward to keep up. "Where are you eating tonight?"

"With friends," Cole responded. He didn't add anything else, so the girl figured it would be a silent ride until he added, "You're close with Alex, right?"

"I mean, I would say so. We've been friends for ages." It was unlike Cole to ever talk about his family with her, or even talk to her at all. Dorrie was shocked.

"Just how bad did I fuck up?" Cole grimaced, looking like he wished he could take it all back. "I mean, I know the situation is fucked up and everything but do you have any idea how mad he is?"

"Honestly, Cole, he won't talk to me about it," Dorrie replied. He looked over at her when she said his name, then quickly back to the road.

All the girls at school always asked her how she lived so close to the Walters and didn't feel the "Cole Effect" in person. She claimed she was immune to it, but the truth was that she felt it every day. It was like she could sense his presence, his proximity to her at any point in time. She would feel a pang in her chest when she'd hear someone sneaking out of his room while she would watch movies with Danny in the living room. She'd wonder what it would be like to be one of those girls, but knew it was a hopeless cause. Being with Cole would be complicated, and Dorrie Banks hated anything complicated. She liked knowing where she stood and for everything to be cut and dry. And yet whenever she was around Cole Walter, it felt like her world was being shaken.

Cole didn't say anything else until he pulled into Dorrie's driveway. "Hope the homemade pasta is good," he joked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I hope so too." Dorrie didn't move. After a moment, she added, "Cole... how are you actually doing? I mean everyone says you're doing well after rehab, but how are you really?"

Cole's eyes met hers and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Without a word he turned off the car and let the sound of rain hitting the windshield envelop them. "I'm... I'm doing my best."

"And when you're not? Do you have people to talk to?"

"I'm trying to just focus on the doing my best part."

Dorrie nodded and tentatively reached out to grab his hand. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to about how you're really feeling, I'm here. I've been told I'm pretty good at advice- at least according to Lee- and I don't know if I could help all that much, but I'm here."

Cole smiled at her and interlaced their fingers. He knew her well, of course, but always seemed to stay out of her way when she was over at his house. Dorrie Banks was a powerhouse, and getting in her way was a bad idea. After all, they both used to be so busy so they almost never ran into each other to begin with. But after coming home from rehab and not practicing for football, he was seeing her more than he was used to. And he liked what he saw. He liked the way her laugh sounded when Isaac cracked a joke that other people would only snort to. He liked the way that Parker would hold onto her leg and make her drag her throughout the halls of their house. And he liked the way his heart jumped a little whenever their eyes met. He was terrified, however, of the way that his heart was racing at the touch of her hand. Dorrie had always been beautiful, but in the waning light of the day and the rain she was unlike any girl he'd seen before. He would've kissed her right there and then, but he had already fucked things up with a kiss with another girl earlier that summer. He couldn't risk something going wrong for the sake of his entire family. She was a staple at his house, and if he did something to jeopardize that, they'd never forgive him. So, he held onto her hand and smiled at the girl. If he couldn't have all of her, he'd have the parts she was willing to give him.

And so, over the course of a few weeks, he told her everything.

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lina speaks!

i haven't been able to get this show out of my head so here's my attempt of doing that lol

very much team cole (if you can't tell) but lots of love for alex❤️❤️

can't wait for this story :) i hope you all like it!!

don't forget to vote and comment!! i would love to know what y'all think <33