Rivals For Breakfast

35| Yours

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When I'm with Nolan, I get a small glance of what life is like for regular teenagers. We go to the park and swing like giddy children, order lots of popcorn only to enjoy the goriest, most inappropriate movies the theaters have to offer, blast music ridiculously loud and sing along like our lives depend on it. Nolan is respectful, and kind, and not in the least bit ashamed of those little crumbs of immaturity he still has left in him. He embraces them, he uses them to "live a little" forcing me to do the same. Did I mention hilarious? I couldn't count the number of times he makes me double over in laughter throughout the small window of time we have together. He says he loves to see my smile, and I love to see his. He's also a shameless, unbearably self entitled, argumentative soul, constantly frustrating me with his habit of refusing to back down. The worst part is, he's usually right. He challenges me and I love it. I find myself almost wishing that the circumstances were different and that I could give my all to our friendship. But no matter how much fun we have together there's always one other person in the back of my mind, and I long to see him.

It's clear to me that Nolan senses It too, although he tends to avoid bringing up Cole by all means necessary. Whenever he does slip up, things get tense... fast.

"So, what's it like, living with Cole?" He asks as we drive back to the school on a particular Friday afternoon.

"Why do you ask?" I chuckle nervously.

"Just curious" he shrugs.

I bite my lip thinking back to my last moments with the blonde-haired super-villain, before he up, and disappeared once again without so much as an explanation or goodbye. He has so many different sides to him, sometimes I don't even know how I feel .

"It depends on the day" I shrug, opting for a vague response.

He rolls his eyes "I know you like him, at least to some extent".

"Why are you so judgmental?" I say.

"I'm not" he protests "it's just, you deserve better."

I meet his gaze, looking over him casually. He's changed so much since the old forgotten days. He's tall now, not particularly muscular, but lean and fit. His brown hair has grown out, his mom used to keep him practically bald as a kid. Nowadays, he wears it neatly combed up.

"Why are you staring?" He shoves me, chuckling, and revealing the one lonely dimple on his right cheek.

"Nolan, trust me you don't want to get mixed up in my mess," I say.

"I'm not scared Ava, so stop trying to scare me away" He replies.

"You don't get it, Cole is... territorial" I say, for lack of a better word.

Nolan snorts "you're not an object, he can't just claim you".

"I just want you to be safe" I sigh.

"And I want you to be safe" he replies.

He parks in front of the school, comes around to open the door for me.

"I'll see you on Monday," he says, giving me a hug and a peck on the cheek.

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When I see his car parked in front of the house that evening my stomach lurches away from me.

I gather my emotions and bottle them up in a safe compartment deep, deep in the furthest part of my brain. I swing the door open, pause, then look around, grateful not to find him sitting there. I hear his faint voice upstairs and follow it, renewing my courage and calming down the butterflies once again. The closer I get to his door the clearer the conversation is.