Chapter 4 Untitled Chapter

A long, trembling breath of relief unfurled from my lips the moment I saw Cole. My shoulders, which had been tight and pulled up to my ears, finally dropped a little.

A mocking grin appeared on Jax's face when he saw Cole. He took one step away from me, giving me an inch of breathing space.

"Now you're a savior or what?" Jax asked. "Are you the one that invited this kid here?"

Cole didn't flinch like the other students. He walked into the kitchen and stopped right next to Jax.

"First of all, she's not a kid," Cole said. "And second, she can attend any party she wants to in Kingsley."

"Not mine," Jax snapped back, his smirk turning into a hard line. He leaned in closer to Cole. "Not on my property."

Cole didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, he looked away from Jax, and caught my eye. The coldness in his face melted away for a brief second, replaced with a warm look. He reached out, his fingers wrapping around my wrist. His hand was warm against my cold skin.

"Come on," Cole said softly.

Before Jax could utter another word, Cole pulled me away, leading me out of the kitchen.

As we walked through the doorway, I felt every single eye in the house lock onto us. The crowd of students parted, murmuring and glancing as Cole led me outside the house. And just moments after we left, I heard Jax's deep voice.

"And why has the house suddenly grown quiet?" he asked. "Blast this place with some music!"

The bass of the music suddenly boomed into life at Jax's words, shaking the walls of the house. Nobody cared about the drama anymore; the show was over.

The cool night air hit my face, immediately drying out the suffocating heat of the indoor crowd. The front yard was huge, lit up by strings of tiny white lights hanging from the trees. A massive swimming pool glowed with a bright blue light, reflecting off the dark water. It was much quieter out here.

Cole led me over to a soft, white leather couch near the pool. As I sat down, he slid closer to me, leaving some space between us.

"Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head to look at me. His hazelnut eyes searched my face. They were full of worry and concern.

I gave a small nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yes. Thank you."

Cole rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a long sigh. "I'm really sorry about that, Summer. Jax sometimes acts like a psycho."

"No, he's not just a psycho," I said, my voice growing stronger as the fear turned into anger. "He's a bully."

"He is," Cole admitted, nodding his head. "And I'm sorry you had to deal with that on your very first night. He shouldn't have spoken to you like that." He paused, looking at my shirt. "By the way, he kept calling you a kid. Are you really a fresher?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm a transfer student. I'm actually in my second year."

"Okay, see? Even more reason for him to shut up," Cole said with a small smile.

"But even if I was a fresher, is there something wrong with it?" I asked, turning to face him fully. "Are freshers not allowed to come to parties here? It seems a bit strict and extreme."

Cole leaned back against the couch, looking out at the glowing blue water of the pool. "It's complicated. Jax hates freshers because of something bad that happened some time ago. Ever since then, he made a rule that no first-year students are allowed in his house."

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. "Well, he was a freshman once too. Imagine if everyone treated him like a piece of garbage during his first year."

Cole chuckled. The hard, serious guy from the kitchen was gone, and the cheerful boy from this morning was back.

"You're right," he said. "I would love to see someone put Jax in his place."

His smile softened then, and he looked at me curiously. "Why did you change schools though? What brought you to Kingsley in your second year?"

The question made me freeze. The noise of the party slowly faded, and a heavy weight settled in my shoulders. I looked down at my lap, crossing my fingers in my jeans. Memories of my old life started to surface. I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut softly.

Cole noticed my sudden silence immediately. He raised his hands up slightly. "Hey, if you don't feel comfortable talking about it, you don't have to. Just forget I asked."

I looked up and gave him a small, grateful smile. "I'm sorry. I don't feel comfortable sharing what happened."

"And that's okay."

"Thank you."

Just then, a student walked toward the couch holding a tray of drinks. Cole reached out and grabbed a cup of white wine, handing it to me. I took a slow sip, the cool liquid soothing the dryness in my throat.

"Summer! Oh my God, there you are!"

I looked up to see Sophie and Bri running across the grass toward the couch. Sophie's red curls were bouncing, and they both looked out of breath.

"We've been looking for you everywhere since the music stopped!" Bri cried out.

"Looking for me, or did you purposely avoid me when Jax's drama started?" I asked.

Bri flashed a nervous smile and quickly avoided my eyes. "We're really sorry."

"We were afraid of what Jax would do to us if we showed ourselves," Sophie said. Then, her eyes shifted to Cole, and her mouth parted in shock.

Cole stood up from the leather couch, and he gave my roommates a small nod. Then he looked down at me with a smile.

"Let me give you three some space to talk, Summer," he said. "Actually, I would like to make a request."

I blinked, taking a sip from the wine. "What's that?"

"Can you come to my match this Friday?" Cole asked, fetching what looked like a ticket from his pocket. "It's a hockey match. Our first big game of the season."

"You're a hockey player?"

"Yes."

I felt a small smile break across my face. "Of course. I'll be there." I took the ticket from him.

"Great," Cole said, his smile widening into a lopsided grin. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you there, Summer."

He turned around and walked back toward the doors of the house, his tall frame disappearing into the crowded living room.

The second the doors closed behind him, Sophie and Bri turned around to face me. Their eyes looked like they were about to fall from their sockets. Sophie sat down next to me.

"Okay, what the heck is going on between you and him?!" Sophie demanded. "First the coffee, then he escorts you, then he rescues you from the school's bully, and now he's inviting you to his hockey match with an exclusive ticket?!"