Xander winces under Cole’s firm hold. “I didn’t see her,” he chokes out.
“Try again, Corn Pop,” he says, tightening his grip.
“Stop, you’re hurting him,” I strangle out. Xander’s face starting to turn an unnatural shade of blue.
I yank at his arm. Cole shrugging me off.
“Stop! He can’t breathe,” I beg as Xander’s eyes start to glaze over. Fluttering closed. “Iceman, stop!”
The words like kryptonite. Cole releasing him in the next instant. I run toward him in a haste. He hadn’t deserved this.
My focus on him. Making sure he was alright.
“She’s fine,” Xander pants, once his breathing was somewhat normal.
“Donotblame her.” Cole’s voice was so strangled; I almost didn’t recognize it.
I was staring at him, and he was staring at the ground. Us on one side, him on the other. Not looking either of us in the eye like he couldn’t stomach the sight before him.
“Why weren’t you watching for pedestrians?” Finn demands, voice coming out of nowhere. Crossing his arms.
“It wasn’t his fault,” I bark out, tired of their ridicule.
I was the one who’d stepped out without looking. If anything, Cole was to blame for the distraction. He was the one I was thinking about before it happened and now, he was the one bullying Xander because of what I’d done.
That didn’t sit well with me.
“It was mine,” I huff out, defeated.
Cole’s shoulders stiffen automatically. I repeat it more forcefully and his hands ball at his sides.
The tension thickening around us.
“I’ll take you home, Rory,” Eli suggests. “Go get in my car.”
“No.”
He sighs, “Hailey’s then?”
“No.”
“Finn?” he clips out. His patience dwindling.
Slowly I shake my head from side to side. “I already have a ride.” Glancing at Xander.
Cole’s face snaps up. Eyes going wide. “Bullshit! You’re not getting in a car with him after he almost turned you into a doormat.”
I grit my teeth. Meeting his stare with one of my own. “I make my own decisions, Iceman. Just like I fight my own battles,” I finish grimly.
Harsh lines form around his mouth. My chest ached but I hold firm in my decision. Chucking my book bag into the back seat of his car. Reaffirming my choice.
I freeze when Cole’s hand shoots out along the hood. I focus on where it sits, blocking the passenger side door instead of his face.
“Is this what you want?” he asks after a moment. Voice quiet, the slightest hint of panic hidden in his words.
I gulp. My eyes closing briefly as a ball of nerves forms. My chest squeezing in on itself.Is this what I want?Second-guessing everything now. Him so close.
My eyes open and it’s like I can see clearly. If what Hailey had said is true about Cole using Madison as a shield, then I was only a game to him.