Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2)

by Preston, Jennifer

  The session lasted a few hours, and after all the sketches and pictures were done, she changed back into her clothes. As she was getting ready to leave, Daymon pulled her over.

  “You did fabulous today, Bri. Thank you so much for all your help.” He smiled at her, his dark eyes shining.

  “You’re welcome. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.”

  “So,” he hedged, “I take it since Marra didn’t come with you today to supervise, you two aren’t together anymore?”

  “Why would you say that?” She ignored the gut check she got when he mentioned Cole.

  “Come on. Any boyfriend worth his salt would never let his girlfriend pose nude without being there to make sure nothing untoward happened,” Daymon smiled. “If you two were still together, Cole would’ve been here fuming, and sulking, and probably yelling at me all afternoon.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Bri forced a smile. “No, we’re not together anymore. We broke up a few weeks ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied softly. “Are you… Would you mind if…” He cleared his throat nervously. “Could I maybe give you a call sometime? We could go get dinner or something.”

  He smiled dashingly at her, and for a moment Bri’s heart lifted. It was nice to feel desired again. She liked Daymon, and she knew they’d have a good time together, but she couldn’t lead him on. Even if she wanted to start something new, which she didn’t, there wasn’t anything left of her to give him. And that wouldn’t be fair to him.

  “I’m sorry,” she smiled sadly, “but I can’t. It’s still too soon. I’m still trying to work through everything, trying to move on, but it’s taking some time.”

  “I understand,” he gave her a half smile. “But if you ever change your mind, my offer stands.”

  “Thanks, Daymon. You deserve someone better anyway,” she pushed his arm. “Someone who isn’t so mopey and sad all the time.”

  “Yeah, but maybe I like the mopey ones,” he teased. “I’ll see you around, Bri.”

  March arrived, cold and blustery, and the basketball team was headed to the NCAA tournament. Bri was picked to be part of the cheer/dance squad that would travel with the team throughout the tournament. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve been ecstatic to go, but not this year. She couldn’t do it. It might literally kill her. It had taken every ounce of strength she possessed to make it through the regular season, cheering next to Cole as he loathed and hated her. She’d tried to feign happiness and excitement as she cheered, but the black hole in her heart seemed to trap any happy emotions she had down deep, beyond reach, and she couldn’t always fake it. Her dance team director, Tanya, had even pulled her aside and told her to get her act together, or she wouldn’t be on the team much longer. Which was why Bri was shocked that Tanya picked her to go to the tournament at all. Knowing she was already on thin ice, Bri made up an excuse about a fake injury, and said she wouldn’t be able to go. Tanya was mad, but what could she do. She picked someone else to join Stacie, Stephanie, Jillian, and the team captains.

  Jillian was the other reason Bri turned down the tournament. She couldn’t tell if Jillian and Cole were actually dating, but Jillian was physically attached to Cole at every opportunity, and she never missed a chance to flaunt it in Bri’s face. Bri was tired of seeing them together, tired of dealing with the hurt and jealousy that always accompanied being around either of them. Even though Bri told herself she didn’t care what Cole and Jillian did, that they deserved each other and all the misery that came with that, she still couldn’t stand the sight of them together. Her heart was already a pile of shattered pieces lying in the bottom of her chest, and every time she had to watch them together, it ground up another piece, turning it to dust. At the rate things were going, she soon wouldn’t have a heart left.

  The tournament progressed, and the Blue Devils made it to the championship game. The entire Duke campus was buzzing with basketball mania. The school opened up the stadium and broadcasted the game live on the jumbo screens in the middle of the court. The whole arena was filled with excited students, faculty, and anyone else who could procure a ticket.

  Bri sat with the rest of the dance team, unable to get out of this required event. She couldn’t help but watch Cole the whole time. He was focused and intense.

  The team was playing as well as they had all year, and Jordan gave Cole a high five after making a great shot. Cole had become quite the Jordan groupie lately, and the two of them were practically inseparable these days. It made Bri sad for all Cole could’ve done and accomplished if his mom and Jordan hadn’t interfered with his plans, sad for what they could’ve been together.

  So, while the stadium erupted around her as Duke won the national championship, Bri sat stoically in her seat, unable to summon any joy or excitement, grieving the future she and Cole could have had. As soon as she was given permission to leave, she walked back to her dorm and climbed into bed, incapable of celebrating with the rest of the campus.

  Two days later, the campus was thrumming with excitement again, as they welcomed home their championship basketball team. Again, Bri was required to be there, to smile, clap, cheer, and show support for the team.

  Cole wouldn’t even look her way during the small ceremony the high-ups had put together for the occasion. He smiled grandly as he helped hoist up the trophy with the rest of the team and the photographers went crazy. He stayed and signed autographs, giving everyone who came up his full attention and dazzling smile. But he wouldn’t even spare Bri a glance.

  He had plenty of attention for Jillian, who hovered around him the entire time, and for Lynette, who’d apparently made the trip down for the celebration. Both Lynette and Jillian had no problem gracing Bri with a constant stream of smug glares. Not that Bri really cared what they thought of her. But it still stung that Cole would shower his attention on two horrible women who didn’t deserve an ounce of it, while he loathed and ignored her.

  That was how screwed up things had become. And for the life of her, Bri couldn’t figure out how things had turned out this way.

  A couple of days later, there was more buzzing around campus when Jordan and Cole announced they were going to have a joint press conference. Bri watched on TV as Cole and Jordan announced that they would both be entering the NBA draft that summer. She had been expecting it, but she’d always hoped that Cole would stick to his original plan to finish school first. But, looking at the people surrounding him, Bri realized that he never stood a chance.

  Carl and Lynette stood to one side of him. Lynette had her hand placed possessively on Cole’s shoulder, and a victorious grin split her face. Even Carl was grinning, and Bri realized that was the first time she’d seen an emotion other than bored indifference on his face. On the other side of Cole, Jillian beamed at the crowd and cameras, her hand also possessively on Cole’s other shoulder. She leaned down to give Cole a kiss, blatantly marking her territory, and Bri cringed.

  Jordan sat at the table next to Cole, his own entourage grouped behind him, and the two traded smiles, jabs, and jokes as they answered the reporters’ questions. One reporter asked which of them they thought would go first in the draft, and they even shared a bro hug as they replied that it didn’t matter who went first, they were both just hoping for the best. Bri wanted to gag.

  There was one person missing from the panel, and Bri’s heart fell when she realized that Jimmy wasn’t there. Whether or not he’d been invited, she didn’t know, but it seemed a small tragedy that he wasn’t there with Cole. Jimmy had been the one who had raised and supported Cole his whole life. He had far more right to be up there than Lynette and Carl, who were only there for money.

  Unable to take any more, Bri turned off the TV. She really hoped that Lynette hadn’t pushed Jimmy out of Cole’s life, too.

  The weeks passed, and everyone turned their attention to finals and the end of the year. Bri couldn’t wait to get home and away from Duke. Knowing that Cole wouldn’t be back
next year left her feeling both sad and relieved. Relieved because with the way things were between them, she knew she couldn’t do this for another year. She could barely function now. Having to keep facing him day after day would kill her. It was very apparent that one of them would have to go, and she would much rather it be him. She hoped that some distance between them would help her to heal and move on.

  But a small part of her was also incredibly sad. He’d been in her life for so long now, she wasn’t sure what life would look like without him. She couldn’t help but wish that this all could’ve turned out differently.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t change the past, and she had no desire to pursue a future with the stranger Cole had become. Her only option was to let him go.

  Whether or not she could do that was a whole other question.

  It was the night of the student art show in May, and Bri was getting ready to go meet Daymon when there was a knock on her door. Daymon had called the week before to tell her that both the paintings he done of her were accepted and would be on display. He’d also asked if she would accompany him that night, not as a date, but just as friends. He’d assured her there would be a lot of people who’d want to meet her and talk with her. She agreed, glad she’d be there to see Cole’s reaction in person.

  The knocking sounded again, more insistent this time. Bri sighed as she put down her curling iron, and went to answer the door. Of course, when she was in a hurry none of her roommates were home to do things like answer the door. She pulled her bathrobe tighter around her, opened the door a crack and peeked through. Her mouth dropped in shock.

  “Hi, Bri,” Claire smiled shyly.

  “Claire?” Bri finally managed, flabbergasted. “What are you doing here? How did you get here? What…?”

  “Can I come in?” Claire asked hesitantly. “There’s something I really need to talk to you about.”

  “Oh, yes, of course.” She opened the door, let Claire in, and followed her to the couch. Both girls sat awkwardly for a moment. “It’s so good to see you.” Bri finally broke the silence. She hated the tension between them. “It’s been a long time.”

  She hadn’t seen or spoken to Claire since Christmas, when Claire caught her coming out of Seb’s room and assumed the worst. Since then, Claire had ignored all her calls and texts. Despite that, Bri had called or texted Claire at least once a week, hoping that maybe one day Claire would forgive her. Seeing Claire sitting across from her now set Bri’s stomach tumbling. For Claire to show up here, out of the blue like this, something had to be wrong. And that made Bri very nervous.

  “So,” she forced herself to smile “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I’m here to apologize.” Claire looked up at her, and Bri saw tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Bri. It’s all my fault. I messed up everything for you. I was stupid and wouldn’t listen, and now look what’s happened. I’m sure you must hate me,” she finished in a rush.

  “Claire, what are you talking about? Of course I don’t hate you! What’s going on?”

  “Okay,” Claire took a deep breath. “I’m sure you know that I sent that picture of you and Seb to Cole. I really wish I hadn’t, but at the time I was so angry. I couldn’t believe you would betray Cole like that. I was angry at Seb, but I blamed you. And I felt that Cole had a right to know what his girlfriend and his best friend were doing behind his back. So I sent him the picture and told him what I saw. And then I didn’t even give you or Seb a chance to explain.” Tears started pouring from her eyes. “I didn’t want to hear your excuses, or listen to you try to justify what you did. So I cut you both off. I haven’t talked to either of you for months. I assumed the worst, I believed you were guilty, and I didn’t want anything to do with either of you.”

  Claire looked up at her with such sad, torn eyes, Bri reached over and grabbed her hand without even thinking. Claire smiled gratefully at her.

  “Then, Jimmy flew out here a couple weeks ago to try and talk some sense into Cole about this whole NBA thing. It obviously didn’t work, and when he got home he told us that you and Cole had broken up, for good. Assuming that this was the opening Seb had been waiting for, I called him to rip him a new one for causing this whole mess. But, he wasn’t happy or smug, like I’d thought he’d be. Instead, he was devastated. It took me so off guard, that I finally let him explain what happened that night. He told me about how Cole had wanted to take a break, and how he refused to even talk to you when he called for Christmas, brushing you off like you didn’t matter. Seb told me how upset and brokenhearted you were, how you couldn’t face the rest of us, so he let you hide out in his room. He told me that he did kiss you, but you stopped him and set him straight. He told me he spent the night on the floor and let you have the bed, because you didn’t want to feel alone. And he told me that as he was getting ready to hop in the shower the next morning, he saw your shoes and jacket and decided to run them out to you. And that’s where I found you.” Claire looked Bri in the eye. “Is that what really happened?” she asked, completely serious.

  Bri nodded, and cleared her throat. “I tried to explain things to you. I hoped that if I could just get you to talk to me, I’d be able to convince you of the truth. But,” she smiled at Claire, “you were kind of hard to get a hold of. Does this mean you believe us?”

  “Yes,” Claire sobbed, and launched herself into Bri’s arms. “As soon as I realized the truth, Seb and I came up with a plan. We had to do something to fix this. So, as soon as Seb was able, we both flew out to talk to you guys, to make Cole listen to the truth, and hopefully get you two back together.”

  “Oh, Claire,” Bri sighed sadly, pulling back to look at her. “I don’t think… Wait. Does this mean Seb’s here, too?”

  “Oh, yeah. He’s waiting outside. I needed to talk to you alone first, to apologize. We should probably let him in before someone calls the cops on him or something.”

  “Good idea,” Bri laughed, bouncing off the couch and throwing open the door. Sure enough, Seb was just outside, a sheepish grin on his face. “Seb,” she smiled up at him. “Get in here already.”

  Seb slid into the room, and Bri hugged him.

  “Hi, Bri. It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too.” She stepped back and looked between Seb and Claire. “I can’t believe you both are here.”

  “Yeah, and it looks like we caught you at kind of a bad time.” He motioned to her bathrobe.

  “Oh, yeah,” Bri blushed, pulling her robe around her. She’d completely forgotten she was only half dressed. “I was just getting ready. I’m going out with a friend tonight.”

  “Oh.” Seb’s face actually fell. “Well, could you tell us where Cole’s room is? He and I are long overdue for a chat.”

  “Of course I can show you where his room is, but he’s not going to be there. The student art show is tonight, and that’s where we’ll both be.”

  “That’s where you’re going on your date? Who is this guy, he sounds kind of lame.” Seb smirked.

  “It’s not a date, and Daymon isn’t lame,” she refuted, eyeing Seb. “We’re just friends.”

  He actually perked up a little at that. “Good. Well, I don’t mind waiting for Cole to be done with this thing tonight. I’ll camp outside his door all night if I have to. We need to get this cleared up now, so you two can move forward.”

  “Okay.” She gave him directions to Cole’s dorm. “But, you should probably know that, while I appreciate what you are trying to do, it’s not going to change what happened between Cole and me.”

  “What? That’s crazy.” Seb shook his head. “Once Cole realizes what an asshat he’s being, he’ll come groveling back to you, and you can make him suffer a little before you take him back. Everything will go back to normal.”

  “No, it won’t.” Bri dropped her eyes. “This isn’t the reason we’re over.”

  “But, I thought this is why you guys broke up,” Claire said, confused.

  “It is the reason we broke
up, but it’s not the reason why we’ll never get back together.”

  “Oh no, what happened?” Claire sank to the couch, horror on her face.

  Briefly, Bri told them about Cole’s suspicions of her, and how he’d slept with Jillian to get back at her. By the end, Seb was cursing up a storm.

  “I’m going to rip his effing head off,” he seethed. “How could he do that? Change of plans, Claire. You’re no longer allowed to come with me to talk to Cole.”

  “Why not?” Claire protested. “I have to tell him…”

  “Nope. Cole is getting his ass kicked tonight, and it wouldn’t do for you to watch your big brother beat the crap out of someone. Can Claire hang out here for a while, Bri?”

  “Um, yeah.” She glanced at Claire’s pouting face. “I have to go in a little while, but she can stay here and watch movies or something until I get back. I shouldn’t be too late.”

  “Okay. I’m going to go wait outside Cole’s door. There’s no way he’s getting out of this. I’ll stop by after and pick up Claire. Sound good?”

  “But, I’m hungry,” Claire protested. “You expect me to starve, waiting here by myself all night?”

  “Fine,” Seb huffed. “We’ll go get some dinner, and then you’re staying here. Agreed?”

  Claire and Bri both nodded.

  “Here,” Bri removed her dorm key from her key ring, and handed it to Claire. “I’ll lock up before I go, but this will let you back in. I’ll leave a note for my roommates, in case they come back. Feel free to make yourself at home.”