Page 35 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“Shh. I’m not asking you for anything.”Not yet, at least.“I know shit is complicated with Aaron. Just… don’t shut me out again. I kinda like having you around.”

“Cole…” She bit her lip, peeking up at me through her long, dark lashes.

Jesus, she was beautiful.

Looking at her took my breath away. But lying here with her, alone… well, it did things to me. Made me want things I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to have.

I toyed with the ends of her hair, leaning in a little more. Until my lips brushed her forehead. “Sofia, I—”

The blare of my cell phone killed the moment.

“You should get that,” she said with a sigh, pulling away.

I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and hit answer. “Yeah?”

“Breakfast is in twenty,” Aaron barked. “Coach expects us all to be there.”

“Okay.”

“Is she—”

“Okay,” I said, glancing back at Sofia. Her brows furrowed as she watched me.

“We’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen.” I hung up and said, “We’ve got to join everyone for breakfast. Poppy is going to sneak you some clean clothes.”

“Okay, I need to freshen up.”

“Go for it. I’ll be here.”

Sofia got up and padded toward the bathroom. But when she reached the door, she paused, looking over her shoulder at me. “Cole?”

“Yeah, Sofe?”

“Thanks.”

* * *

We all headeddown to breakfast together, hardly surprised to find Coach Ford, his wife Felicity, the other coaches, and the Bennets already down there.

“Just act cool, remember?” Aaron whispered as he grabbed Poppy’s hand and pulled her toward an empty table.

“Morning,” Coach said, and we all grumbled a reply.

“If I didn’t know better,” Sofia’s dad Asher said. “I’d say they were hungover.”

“Ash,” Mrs. Bennet warned with an amused smile.

“Relax, Mom, Dad… Coach.” Aaron dipped his chin at Coach. “We didn’t get into any trouble.”

“We’ll see about that,” Coach grumbled. “Get your breakfast. We want to leave in an hour.”

“You got it, Coach.”

We all sat down and ordered coffee. I felt surprisingly alive, but then I’d barely drunk last night, too obsessed with Sofia and what she was doing.

Speaking of Sofia. I realized she hadn’t joined us. Instead, she was standing behind her parents at their table, all speaking in hushed whispers about something.

That trickle of unease went through me again as I watched Mr. Bennet’s expression darken as he talked to his daughter.

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