silver springs ~ c. walter

chapter 8 !

When Cole arrived home, Dorrie and Parker were waiting for him on the porch, the older girl with her arm around an upset Parker. Cole could feel his heart sink into his stomach when he realized that there as no way he was going to get away with his negligence unscathed. Parker walked up to him as soon as he exited the car.

"Parker I can explain-"

"No!" she cut him off. "You said you were going to be there and you weren't. You're a liar!" With that, she ran inside the house, pretending she wasn't crying. Cole picked up her jersey that she'd thrown to the ground and looked at the name on the back.

"What's going on, Cole?" Dorrie asked, from the steps, her eyes glaring at him angrily.

"Nothing," he said, unable to meet her gaze.

"No. You don't get to do that. You don't get to act like everything's fine after you mess up and expect someone else to pick up the pieces." She stood, walking towards him and snatching the jersey from his grip. "She was searching for you in the stands. Every few plays, she'd look up and hope you'd be there, and you weren't. I don't know where you were last night and I don't really care. I'm not your mom, as you so gallantly pointed out. But I know you, whether you want to believe that or not. I know you, Cole, and you don't mess up like this."

"Dorrie-" he started, closing his eyes.

"No," she cut him off. "My turn to talk. Here's what's going to happen: you're going to talk. You're going to tell me what's going on or I'm going inside to get your cousin and he'll reign hell on you for weeks. So which is it? Me or Isaac?"

Cole's eyes snapped to hers. Isaac was not common threat. The last time he'd 'reigned hell' on someone, it was a girl who'd made a mean comment about Dorrie's dad dying and she'd had to watch her back for weeks. The pranks that were played on her were funny, yes, but nothing Cole would ever wish on himself. "You wouldn't."

"I would," she smiled, sardonically. "I get it if you don't care about me anymore or hate me or whatever. But I know you, Cole, and I don't think that's true. So either fess up and talk to me or go on living your life with a little bit of... fun added. Your choice."

"Fine," Cole replied, eyes searching the sky for some kind of lightning to strike him and save him from the conversation. Dorrie Banks was scary when she was mad, and he hated being on the receiving end. "Let's talk."

She nodded and headed inside to grab a blanket and walked over to her car. "You coming or not?"

Cole walked over to her car, and got into the passenger seat he'd missed so much. This was familiar. This was comfortable- at least, when Dorrie wasn't about to kill him. He missed the long talks they'd have in her car, or in his. He missed the smell of her, and the way that he felt safe with her, always- even when she hated his guts. What he didn't miss, though, was the pain that ripped through him when he remembered that he could need her, but he could never have her in the way he wanted. When he looked into the backseat, he saw Dylan's jersey and a few of Erin's extra pom-poms that the girl had told him Dorrie borrowed for the game. And he remembered exactly why he had tried to distance himself in the first place.

At his core, Cole was selfish. Or, at least, that's what he told himself every day. He knew he'd be bad for Dorrie, but he wanted her anyway. He knew that she was happy with Dylan, but he hated that it wasn't him that got to kiss her after classes or hold her hand while they drove. Most of all, he hated that he couldn't stay away from her, even if he tried. He'd always end up back at her side because he was too selfish to cut her out of his life.

"You hungry?" Dorrie asked as she put the key in the ignition.

"For what?"

The girl pulled out a tin of muffins that she and her mom had baked the day before. "Your favorite chocolate chip muffins."

Cole's face lit into a smile and Dorrie hated the way that her heart skipped a beat. "You didn't have to bring me some."

"I know," she replied, somewhat coldly. "But I also know you're about to give me the apology of a lifetime so I think you deserve some sustenance."

He nodded. "Dorrie, I-"

"No." Cole looked at her weirdly. "You're going to apologize when we get there."

He nodded, and sat back in his seat, rehearsing what he was going to say. "Can I put on some music?"

Dorrie fought a smile as she nodded, tossing him her phone with her Spotify open. However, unlike most times he was in her car, he didn't play their designated playlist. Instead, she heard the guitar intro of a Taylor Swift song playing through her speakers. Immediately, she laughed and Cole knew he'd chosen right. "You must be really sorry."

"I am," he said, smiling softly. "This is an apology song, right?"

"It is," Dorrie replied, loving that he remembered that. They'd been discussing some of her favorite songs, and when this one came up she'd told him all the lore behind it. She'd assumed he'd forgotten about it or hadn't been listening at all, but here he was, playing it and making her heart soar with every chord.

They listened together as they drove. Cole pretended not to notice Dorrie mouthing the lyrics and humming along, but he smiled all the same. He knew she was infuriated with him and everything he'd done in the past week, but he knew he'd just won some points back. When Dorrie pulled into the Watering Hole, his eyes widened as he remembered the day he'd taken Jackie there to avoid Dorrie's wrath about Jackie's hair.

"We're here," she said, getting out of the car with the blanket, muffins, and two Spindrifts in the flavor she knew he loved. "Ready to grovel?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he sighed, helping her set up the blanket and sitting. She sat too, and looked at him expectantly. "Dorrie, I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry, and I hate that I hurt you. Truth is, I've been self-destructing this past week and I knew that you'd see it happening and try to stop it and I just couldn't talk about it. I knew that you'd do what you could to make it better, but I just wanted to wallow and feel sorry for myself and act as if nothing mattered at all. And I said some things that I know you know aren't true, because you were right when you said that you know me. You know me well enough to smell my bullshit from a mile away, and that terrified me. And so I pushed you away in the worst possible way, and I'm so sorry, Dorrie. You deserve the world. You deserve a lot more than me, and I hope you know that I'll work to be the type of guy you deserve to have in your life."

It was silent for a moment as Dorrie deliberated what to say next. "You're right. I deserve a lot more than the shit you gave me this past week. But I know that's not you, Cole. I know the type of guy you are, and you're exactly the type of person I want in my life. You're the guy who helps Parker with football and stands up for her when Jordan is teasing her. You're the guy that makes a fool out of himself to help Jackie and Danny raise money for the auditorium at the pep rally. You're the guy who will drive me home when it's raining and not care when I accidentally ruin your night by making you stay with me when I have a nightmare on the couch. You're the guy who gives me sunrises and talks to me about the things that matter, not just the stupid, every day type of stuff. And I've missed you," she said quietly. "So I accept your apology under the condition that you tell me what's wrong and why you shut me out."

"Okay," he sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. "I will."

They talked for hours, ranging from Cole's sadness about losing football to what Hogwarts house they thought the Kardashians would be in. And it was nice for them both to have each other back. And when they drove back, Cole didn't feel as resentful towards Dylan when he saw the jersey in the back because he knew, deep down, that Dylan would never know Dorrie like he did. And that thought made him very, very happy.

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lina speaks!
favs have made up!! also alexa play back to december plz and thank u
i am sooo excited for the next chapter. y'all have no idea.
thank you all so so much for the love on this story. i love you all more than you'll ever know and i live for your commentaries