Page 97 of The Breaking Pointe
The goal was to make it to my mom’s, check on her and Steven, paythenurse,and gethomeasfast aspossiblesoI
could have time to stress about these exact things. Which feels selfish when I dissect it.
Right now, the answer I need is whether or not Noelle is finished getting ready, and instead of waiting, my next move is to go to her place and pace in her kitchen instead of mine. At least until we can meet with Trey. Sitting here having a stare down with Bonnie, checking the time repeatedly, is torture at its finest.
I’m only impatient when I feel like something might go absurdly wrong or the odds are possibly not in my favor. Tonight, either of those could be an option if a certain encounter happens or I have to suddenly whip up a speech on the spot. I would hope by showing my face that all duties would be fulfilled,leaving me with little effort to put in,but now that I’m tied to a cereal brand, who knows what to expect. I don’t even know anything about it and it’s already being advertised.
Parking in front of her apartment, I look out the passenger window, seeing the lights on before I get out of the car. Adjusting my glasses on my face, I jog up to the door and give it a few firm knocks then wait for a response.
When the door opens, Tony is standing there, holding a beer.“Hey, come in.Noelle should be ready any minute,” he says, immediately letting me in.
I take a few big steps to get inside, looking around and fixing my hair.
“You look spiffy,” Lauren says, taking a break from washing dishes to wipe her hands.
“Andjittery,”sheadds.
“I am jittery.This whole thing is making me want to explode.Allthesepeople,watchingmeandquestioning
me on things I have no answers to. And the pictures—the damn pictures,” I say, looking at both of them.
They each stare at me with concerning eyes.
“You want a beer, man?Sounds like you need it,” Tony suggests.
Lauren backhands his arm and glares at him then looks back at me.“Colton, it’ll be fine.This isn’t a royal ball or something.Just dinner to celebrate your achievements.Take it all in.”
“Yeah, and while you’re at it, teach some of these other fighters how to have a real backbone, eh?” Tony chuckles, sipping from his can.
Smiling, Lauren rolls her eyes. “Yeah, that too,” she says, patting my arm softly as she walks past me.
Taking a deep breath, I turn to face the sound of heels against the wooden floor coming my way.
“You guys would tell me if I looked like the Green Lantern, right?” Noelle asks, smoothing her dress out with her hands. The fabric fits perfectly against her figure, and the satin is somehow the perfect shade of green for her eyes. It hangs alongherlegs,openingononeside,lettingmeseejust enough skin to make my mind run to places it shouldn’t. Her hair tops it off, perfectly pin straight and hanging evenlyoneachsideofherface,drapingoverhershoulders.No
surprise, but she looks more than perfect.
Tony raises his beer, starting to say something, but Noelle snaps her head at him, speaking before he can.
“Not you. You think jean jackets go with everything,” she says with disgust, walking up to me.
Lauren snickers, covering her mouth to block a possible spit take. “I think you look hot, Elle.”
“Thanks, Lauren,” she says, then turning her head to look up at me. “The opinion that matters most…?”
Clearing my throat softly, I take one final examination of her. She has me at a loss for words, really. She’s that kind of beautiful. Makes you go mute.
“It’s that bad?”she asks under her breath, begging me for confirmation with her eyes.
“No—no,no—Godno,”Istutter.
“Well say something, Cole.”She looks at my glasses, furrowing her brows.
“I don’t have words to describe anything.All I know is I can’t take my eyes away,” I say, exhaling through my nose as I grab her waist. “The green matches my new gloves.”
“Right.Cause it’s your night, remember?”She smiles, pressing her body into mine, fixing a few of my shirt buttons. “Do you have any other settings aside from a charming man with great compliments?”
“I’m afraid not, sorry.”I shake my head, looking down to watch her. “Unfortunately, with you, this is my default setting.”
