The Contract

Chapter 21

I wake up still feeling the hype from the night before. Events from last night came flooding back to me. From the time I revealed myself to Cole to my very first kiss. I could feel my heart jump as I relive that very specific moment. I try to remember it as much as I can while it's still fresh from my memory. I would have honestly never imagined that prom would be this memorable for me. I would bet you a million dollars that Jean one year ago would have never thought that she would be going to prom wearing a Taylor Millan gown and have Cole Sprouse as a date. It's a really funny thought, actually. But I guess things really just happen in ways we least expect it. And I think that's the real beauty of it. You never really know what's going to happen. My life so far has been one hell of a roller coaster ride and I wonder if the things that are happening now would have happened even if I didn't agree to drink that milkshake with Cole at the diner that night. Probably not.

I check my phone and go through my messages to find a few messages from Cole.

From: Cole

Call me when you wake up :--)

After reading this, I call him. He immediately picks up the phone.

"Hey" He says. "Good morning" For some reason, hearing his voice suddenly makes me feel fuzzy inside.

"Hi. What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just want to thank you for last night."

I smile, remembering the events from the previous night. "Yeah sure, no problem" I joke. He laughs and I can tell that he probably rolled his eyes at my remark.

"So, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Why'd you want me to call you?"

"Damn Jean, can't a boyfriend ask his girlfriend to call him every once in awhile?" He jokes. I felt my heart skip a beat when he said this. I'm still kind of getting used to him calling me his girlfriend. It's weird, but I like it.

I laugh "Okay, seriously, what's up?"

"Okay, Okay, so.." there was a pause in the line for a short while, and for some reason, I can tell he's nervous. "So we have this thing every year where we have this huge family gathering in my grandparent's place this weekend and my mom wanted me to invite you, I mean, I was totally going to invite you anyways, but yeah, I was wondering if, maybe, you would want to come?" Cole rambled, which I thought was very cute. It's something I notice he does whenever he was nervous, which happens very, very rarely.

"Cole, I would love to come" I hear him let out a sigh of relief. The thought of meeting Cole's whole family is absolutely beyond. It feels like an honor, to be honest. I bet Cole's grandparents are really cool.

"That's great. You're going to love them, I hope." He says "Take care of yourself"

"Okay, I will" I say. We both end the line after that. After my call with Cole, I immediately panic knowing my mom would actually never allow me to go because of my condition. I pace around my room trying to think of possible plans, but nothing seems to fit right.

Then, I remember the one person I can always count on. Immediately dial her number, and pray she picks up. On the third ring, she does, "Emily, I need your help"

-

The weekend arrived and I still wasn't sure if I should be excited or nervous. Spending my weekend with Cole isn't bad at all but the thought of his whole family being there kind of frightens me. For all the time I've known Cole, I've only gone as far as meeting his parents and his brother. And that's another thing too. A whole weekend with Dylan as well. I wonder if Chloe met Cole's family as well. Or how many other girls have met them before Chloe and I. But even worse, what if they don't like me?