Beautifully Broken

11

Cole

This Saturday is the Autumn Ball. Everyone worked so hard to make sure this would be a successful event since it's our last year.

I plan to ask Mina to be my date. I didn't tell anyone my plans except the guys and her senior track friends. We have a surprise plan to ask her and convince her to go. The harder part is not getting her to be my date but to get her to actually go to the event.

"You ready?" Annika asks, meeting me on the sidewalk after practice.

"I guess so. I don't know why this makes me so nervous. It's not like I haven't asked her to a dance before. Or-"

"Cole." Annika's holding back a laugh when I look at her. "You'll be fine. Don't overthink."

"Yeah, dude." Luke says, coming up to us. "You two are like inseparable. And if I were Zazu and this was Lion King, I'd say you two would be betrothed."

Annika lets out her laugh and I roll my eyes.

We reach our house and start setting up.

"She'll love it." Clarissa says, walking out to help us out.

We finish by six and hopefully Honey will let her out early today too.

"She's coming!" Hailey exclaims, making us all excited as they rush to hide.

I sit on one of the chairs and casually fix the things on the table.

She walks in and slows to a stop when she sees me. I notice her look carefully at all the decorations and eventually at me.

"This better not be what I think it is." She says, raising an eyebrow, a small smile playing at her lips.

I shrug. "Do you want me to cancel and ask Jennifer to come over here? She'd freak out."

She rolls her eyes and I smirk.

I stand and help her to the chair.

"Cole. You don't-"

I hold up a hand for her to stop. "Let me spoil you. Please. I need to make up for those years that I didn't know anything and couldn't help you."

She stares at me disbelief.

"So, allow me to-" I snap my fingers and our friends come out as waiters, smiling as they serve us for the night.

"Why are you guys in on this?" She playfully glares.

Cherry shrugs. "You always serve people despite your circumstances. It's time we help you too."

Her smile brightens and we enjoy the night, eating, laughing, talking and at the end, I give her another gift.

"Cole. You spoil me too much." She says softly.

I shake my head and chuckle. "Stop trying to push me away. It won't work."

She rolls her eyes and I hand her the box. She eyes it carefully. "I didn't open the first one yet."

"Hey, it's okay. It's up to you anyway. Your gifts." I say, holding her hands in mine. "I just want to remind you that you're not alone and that you're loved."

She lifts her hands away from mine and opens the box. She gasps.

She pulls the hoodie out and her fingers trace the border of our logo. She must've forgotten about it since she's tearing up.

Years ago, Carson, Charity, Mina and I were doing art stuff in our backyard. Wanting to be cool, we decided to make up something just for us, that our parents wouldn't understand. We tried making our own language, handshakes and a logo.