Chapter 7: The Couple Everyone Expected

The very next morning, Cole and Amber walked into homeroom and loudly announced that they were officially a couple.

I wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Looking back, all the signs had been there.

When Amber first transferred in, she immediately won over the guys with her loud, outgoing personality. She wasn't afraid to curse, laugh too loudly, or say exactly what was on her mind.

And Cole had slowly become fascinated by her.

Maybe it was because Amber was everything he thought I wasn't.

She wasn't soft.

She wasn't quiet.

She didn't wear pink.

She didn't need anyone to protect her.

Or at least, that was what I used to think.

The moment they walked through the classroom door together, Amber had her arm looped through Cole's.

She was smiling like she'd just won something.

Her eyes immediately found me.

I looked away and continued scrolling through my phone.

A strange silence fell over the classroom.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for Aurora to cry.

Waiting for me to storm across the room and demand an explanation.

Waiting for the girl who had followed Cole around for nine years to finally lose her mind.

Instead, I opened my notebook.

Then I took out a pink pen.

And started doing my homework.

"That's it?"

One of the girls beside me whispered.

I glanced at her.

"What?"

"Cole and Amber are dating."

"I heard."

She blinked.

"And you're okay with that?"

I thought about it for a moment.

Then I shrugged.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Across the room, Cole suddenly looked up.

Our eyes met.

For some reason, his expression darkened.

Amber tightened her hold around his arm.

"See? I told you she was just being dramatic yesterday."

Her voice was deliberately loud.

"She'll get over it soon enough."

I almost laughed.

Cole said nothing.

He just kept staring at me.

Then Amber leaned closer and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

A few people gasped.

Someone started clapping.

"Finally! We all knew this was going to happen!"

Another guy laughed.

"Seriously. Cole and Amber make way more sense together."

"Yeah," someone else added. "Aurora was always too clingy."

In the past, those words would have destroyed me.

I would have gone home and stared at myself in the mirror, wondering what was wrong with me.

Wondering why nine years of loving someone had never been enough.

But today, I felt nothing.

Maybe Cole and Amber really did belong together.

Two people who could humiliate someone and call it a joke.

Two people who thought an apology erased everything.

Two people who believed I would always come back.

The bell rang.

Cole slowly walked toward my desk.

I didn't look up.

"Aurora."

I kept writing.

"Aurora, are you seriously going to ignore me?"

I finally lifted my eyes.

"Didn't I tell you yesterday? Don't talk to me."

His jaw tightened.

"I'm just trying to make sure you're okay."

I glanced at Amber.

She was standing several feet away, watching us with narrowed eyes.

"Your girlfriend is waiting."

Cole's expression shifted.

"She's not—"

He stopped himself.

Then his face hardened.

"Whatever. Do what you want."

He turned and walked away.

I watched him go without a single feeling in my chest.

For nine years, I had loved Cole.

For nine years, I had made him the center of my entire world.

But apparently, all it took was one slap to finally wake me up.

And for the first time in my life, I was curious about who Aurora might become without him.