Chapter 16: Bonfire - Monet

The campus is in uproar. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm also feeling very proud that Cole gets to be such a big part of this.

I'm also a tad bit concerned, and I send Mom a message relaying this to her.

Sometimes, when Cole is in high stress conditions, his nightmares come back, the kind that has him screaming and sweating. One time when he just started high school, he even wet the bed, and I remember how embarrassed he was, how he couldn't even look me in the eye for a month after that.

The truth is, nobody can survive the ordeal he has, without leaving something behind. Even in his therapy sessions, they told Mom that he's going to need some medication just to cope. That was just before he found football, and he didn't need it in the end.

The nightmares became fewer in-bteween in his junior year of high school. I asked him what was different, and he said I was there. I was finally in the same school as him, so he could see my face and everything would be okay. I know he only said that to make me feel special, but I basked in it anyway.

So I'm really concerned for his well-being right now with all this attention on him. If they don't already know, his past is going to be out there very soon, and I don't know if he's ready for the world to know all of it. Is that even something he thought about?

I hope I look Amy-approved. I'm wearing one of the jerseys Cole borrowed me paired with white cut-off shorts and a pair of red Converse that I luckily had. I did my hair in loose flowing curls again with a hint of makeup.

"Are you going to the bonfire?" Chrystal asks me, surprised.

"Yeah, everyone is going, aren't they?"

"You almost never go out." She looks me up and down. "Your outfit is greay by the way. I heard your brother is dating Stacey from the cheerleading squad."

I instantly get flashbacks of last week Saturday, when she was on her knees choking on his cock. A pang goes through my chest, but I refuse to acknowledge what it means.

"He hasn't said they're serious or anything." I shrug, grabbing my phone and keycard to put it into the small bag I'm taking with me.

Chrystal smiles slacaiously. "That's what I thought, but rumor has it she's becoming very territorial, and there are a lot of girls ready to have some with him." She winks at me, making me want to gag. "Tell him that, and give him my number of he ever gets tired of Stacey."

Does she even know he she sounds right now? Where exactly is her self respect, esecially since she knows he's sleeping wih another girl. I also don't know if he's really exclusive with Stacey or not. He would tell his family if he was, right?

I hate this feeling inside my chest. I've never felt like this before, envious of other girls. I've never had to, so why the hell is the idea of girls just waiting their turn with Cole, really pissing me off right now?

My phone buzzes with a text, and I see it's James. I've been sort of ghosting him, telling him that I'm too busy to meet up for dinner or a coffee. I don't even know why I'm doing it, he's a very handsome guy and I should feel lucky that he's showing all this interest in me.

James: Will I see you at the bonfire tonight?

I wasn't planning on looking him up tonight, but this sexual fixation I am building around Cole needs to stop, so I text him back that I will definitely be there. Maybe kissing him will help, they do say to forget about someone you have to get underneath someone else. I need something drastic to help me stop thinking of my brother in that way.

I text him back that I would love to see him and hang out with him, feeling every bit the liar that I am.

I'm surpirsed when Amy pulls up in a truck and not her usual small car.

"Whose truck did you steal?" I ask when I get inside. Everything looks expensive.

"It's Daddy's of course. This is a tailgate baby, and I thought why shouldn't us girls have our own truck? He might have to come fetch it later, though, because I packed us some wine coolers."

"You are the worst." I shake my head, but I laugh.

"That's why you love me."

"I do, come to think of it." I push her shoulder jokingly. "Love you, that is, even though you're a pain in my ass."

She beams at me."Well, if we never find love in this world, at least we found each other."

She's right. I never thought I would meet another girl who shares my love for science and maths, but who still wants to live life to fullest, and have all the fun that we can get. She's really taken me out of my shell, making me do things I wouldn't otherwise have done, and it feels great actually. I'm so happy she decided that I would be her friend.

The bonfire is something else. There are hundreds of trucks on a big, open field, some people even turning the back into a jacuzzi. Everyone is wearing red and white, the music is blaring and the drinks are overflowing.

We find a place to park, and we open the back of the truck and get inside.

"Picnic basket courtesy of my mother." Amy gets out the wine coolers, and hands me one. "To our very first bonfire! May all the hot boys find us, and may we win the championship!"

We clink our bottles together, then Cole's truck comes driving through with the windows rolled down, filled with football players on the back. The crowd goes wild, and I can't help but laugh and join in on the excitement.

And I was worried for nothing, because Cole is laughing too, seemingly enjoying the attention. He honks when he spots me and Amy, and my friend waves like a crazy person.

I realise then, that university is going to be one hell of a ride, and I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Now to find James, kiss him, and forget that I ever saw my brother naked.