A Girl Like Me

15. Penny boards and drama queens

You know when you imagine something in your head to be so amazing and great, but then it turns out to be really bad? That's how I felt when I woke up in Cole's bed. I had dreamt of waking up, my head nuzzled into Cole's chest as he breathed steadily. Our bodies would be all tangled together and Cole would already be awake, looking down at me and thinking, well, nice thoughts about me. I'd look up at him and our breaths would catch when we saw each other, before leaning in for a romantic kiss.

The reality however, was not so much like a fairytale.

"And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we loooove..." I heard Cole's voice as my weary eyes began to open. My vision was blurry, and I had to rub them as I adjusted to the brightness of the room. I tried to lift my head up, but I had fallen asleep with my neck in an awkward angle, so it was stiff and sore.

"Great clouds rolled over the hills, bringing darkness from aboooove..." Cole sang (or screeched) along to the music playing in his headphones, unaware that I could see and hear him. He was going in and out of the bathroom as he dressed and washed, dancing along to the music.

"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?"

I wish I could say that he had the voice of an angel, and that it was breathtakingly beautiful and whatnot, but it wasn't. I had my fingers pressed tightly into my ears in an effort to drown him out.

"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before?" He belted out the lyrics, swinging his hips as he sprayed deodorant under his arms. I watched in amusement as he moved his right hand up into the air and down again as if there was an imaginary scale that his voice was following.

"How am I gonna be an optimist about this? How am I gonna be an optimist about this?"

And then the fist pumping began. I buried my head in my hands as he fist pumped his way over to the wardrobe, pulling on a tee shirt. I watched his arm muscles flexing with each pump as he shimmied back into the bathroom.

"We were caught up and lost in all of our vices...OOF!!!"

It all happened in slow motion. Cole was bopping along to his music, fist pumping away as you do and singing as loudly as he could and then...BAM! He punched the bathroom door which had swung closed without him seeing. He ripped off his headphones and bent over, cradling his fist. I couldn't stop myself from spluttering with laughter.

"Fuuuuck!" Cole moaned as he rocked back and forth gently. "My knuckles are bleeding..."

"Oh, Cole," I said through my laughter. He looked embarrassed that I had seen him singing and dancing and...fist pumping the door.

I got out of the bed and strolled over to him, heaving a sigh. He looked up at me with a grim expression. "You look like you're trying to hold back tears," I pointed out.

"Fuck off," he whispered, but I noticed a small smile. "Please just get me some ice, Bianca."

"Okay."

I slipped out of the room in my red polka dot pyjama shorts and a loose black top. The kitchen was behind the food hall, and I knocked on the door twice. After half a minute, the door swung open and a short, podgy man with a chefs hat on appeared. "Can I help you with something?" He asked me. I saw a wooden spoon in his hand and I guessed that he was still making breakfast.

"My roommate hurt his hand, have you got an ice pack?" I asked him politely.

The man disappeared behind the door and came back with an ice pack. I thanked him and hurried around the corner, bumping straight into Mr Walsh. "Ah, Bianca. I was just looking for you!" He said, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. His face was bright red.