CHAPTER 50
Odd Preferences and Live Actions

"I can't believe you're making me do this." I glared at him.

"Oh, come on, Lynne. It can't be that bad." He shrugged.

"It's going to be a disaster, Blake. I don't think I would be able to make it through the whole evening without killing her," I said.

"I still don't get why you hate her so much." He rolled his eyes. "Look, you're my best friend, and she's my girlfriend. You're both important in my life, and I want you two to get along."

"But I don't want to get along with her," I whined.

"And I don't want to get along with Cole. But I'm still going to try for the sake of peace," he said.

I huffed and folded my arms with a pout. Blake stopped the car in front of the same diner we fought in front of before we started growing apart. That place just brought back all the partially forgotten sorrows, and I wrapped my arms around myself, as I felt a chill down my spine.

Stepping out of the car, I followed behind Blake as he entered the diner.

Cole sat with Terra in one of the seats, laughing along with her words. The moment we opened the door, his eyes averted to Blake, killing his laugh, letting a deep frown appear on his face.

"I bet he's going to be a dick all day long," Blake mumbled into my ears, making me do a facepalm.

"Blake, he's not that bad," I said.

"Yes, he is! He is always so rude to me!" Blake pouted.

"Can you really blame him?" I asked, pulling him towards the table.

Blake rolled his eyes, sitting next to Terra, and as soon as I dropped to the seat beside Cole, he grabbed my face, placing a hungry kiss on my lips. I pulled away from the kiss, giving a confused glance at his sudden display of affection only to see him smirking at an angry Blake.

"Don't do that," I whispered into Cole's ears, making sure that the other two can't hear us. The new proximity between us only increased the glare on Blake's face, and Terra uncomfortably stared at the table, keeping no eye contact with us.

"Why not?" Cole shrugged innocently.

"You know why not, Cole. I don't see you so enthusiastic to kiss me when we're alone," I grumbled, and he sighed, looking away from me to Terra and Blake.

"Why don't I go order something." Blake's voice snapped my head away from Cole to him.

"That's not necessary. They'll send someone to take our order," Terra informed.

"No, it's alright. I'll just go there and order before I break someone's neck." Blake scowled at Cole, not even trying to be a little subtle as he got up from his seat, walking away from us.

I decided to keep quiet, repressing the urge to claw Terra's brains out as she fiddled with a napkin on the table. Does she have to look so annoying even while doing something so simple?

I caught Cole staring at her, and I wouldn't be surprised if a little drool leaked out of his mouth, but thank god, he didn't.

For sure, Blake escaped from this shit, trapping me in this shitty booth in a shitty diner with the shittiest person ever to exist along with a guy who is so fucking obsessed with her.

Ignoring all that, I sighed, watching the clock tick, waiting for Blake to return, and he only did after what felt like a century, holding our drinks on a tray.

"Four cups of hot chocolate," he said, placing them in front of us. "Your favorite." He smiled at me, making my heart limp.

"Terra does not like hot chocolate." Cole narrowed his eyes at Blake whose face transformed to confusion.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," he told Terra.

"I'm more of a coffee person, but I can adjust," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Well, she wouldn't have to adjust if her boyfriend had the minimum decency to ask her what drink she likes," Cole scoffed, making a glare develop on Blake's face.

"I'll go exchange this for a cup of coffee," Blake offered.

"No, that's fine. I don't mind," she said softly.

"You should mind. What kind of boyfriend does not care about his girlfriend's food habits?" Cole scoffed. Blake took in an exasperated breath, picking Terra's drink and walking away.

"Cole, can I talk to you alone?" I asked, sending him a disapproving look.

I got up from my seat and walked out of hearing distance from Terra before folding my arms, waiting for Cole to reach.

"What?" Cole asked.

"Do you have to be a total jerk?"

"I'm not being a jerk. I just don't think that Blake treats Terra well," he said.

"Not knowing that she does not like hot chocolate does not mean that he's not treating her well," I said.

"Yes, it does. I told him that she does not like chocolate." Cole huffed.

"He might've forgotten," I said.

"Yes, he did forget because he does not care about her!" He shouted, making heads turn to us. He glanced at Terra watching us dejectedly before he turned back to me with guilt.

"Cole, you're making a big deal out of nothing," I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know that it hurts you to see them together, and it's not that easy to get used to it, but you need to."

"I just think that she deserves someone who would care about her," he said.

"Blake does care about her," I said, feeling an uneasy flame in my heart.

"Not like I do. No one would care about her like I do. It's not fair!" He clenched his fists, stamping his foot subtly, and I let out a sigh.

"Just pretend like it does not hurt. You'll get the hang of it eventually." He nodded his head, keeping his gaze stuck to the ground.

"Now, let's go back. Remember to be calm," I told him, making him look up at me.

I cupped his face in palms, attaching my lips to his in a soft kiss. I pulled away, smiling at him, and on turning around, my heart skipped a beat, seeing Blake's cold stare as he stood in front of our table with a cup in his hand. The moment his gaze met mine, he turned around and sat next to Terra as I slowly walked there with Cole.

After that, every second spent at the diner held a heavy silence as the four of us barely exchanged a glance.

"What are we doing next?" I asked, breaking the silence once we were done with our drinks.

"I was thinking of going out for a walk, but that does not seem like a good idea anymore," Blake mumbled.

"Why don't we watch a movie?" Terra suggested, and I gave her a bored look.

"That's a good idea." Blake smiled.

Once he paid for the drinks, we drove to the movies in the two separate cars that we came here by.

"I'm not looking forward to the movie," I told Blake as we walked to the movie theater.

"Why not?" He asked, texting Terra on his phone to let her know that we reached.

"Terra's picking it. It's probably going to be lame," I said.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't have to hate a movie just because she picked it."

"Yes, I do! What if Cole picked a movie?"

"I wouldn't hate a movie just because Cole picked." He chuckled, placing his phone in his pocket. "Besides, we have the same taste."

"Anyways, are they here yet?" I asked.

"No, Terra texted me that they're on their way."

"Well, in that case, I'm going to go buy myself a bar of chocolate to eat while we wait," I said. He nodded and followed me as we walked to the back of the line in front of the food counter.

I felt his arms wrap around me, and I giggled as he kissed my cheek before placing his head on my shoulder.

"What are you doing, Blake?" I asked, trying to hide a smile.

"I'm hugging you," he said, snuggling his head into the crook of my neck.

"We're in public," I said.

"Really? After all the things we've done in public, you're afraid of people seeing us hug?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You make it sound like we did something horrendous." I laughed.

"I wouldn't say that we didn't." He smirked. "Remember the last time we went to the movies?"

"Oh my god! Don't remind me! I still haven't forgiven you for that," I warned, making him chuckle.

"It wasn't that bad." He shrugged.

"It wasn't that bad?!" I whisper-shouted. "You fingered me in the middle of a horror movie!"

"Keep it down, Lynne. There are people in front of us," he whispered in my ear, sending a tingle down my spine. I looked forward at the little boy before us in line, staring at Blake and me, making my eyes widen in shame.

"Well, that's exactly what I told you that day during the movie too." He laughed.

"I hate you so much!" I cried, still keeping my eyes on the kid watching us.

"No, you don't." He chuckled. "But you've got to admit. That was pretty hot," he whispered, making my insides heat up. Suddenly I couldn't focus on the kid or anything around me except Blake's lips which were dangerously close to my neck. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down as his hold on me tightened.

A cough broke us out of our trance, and we both turned to Cole and Terra standing behind us. Blake's eyes widened on seeing Terra, and there was a part of me that was scared to know how she would react because I didn't want her to do anything that would hurt Blake.

"You're cheating on her!" Cole accused as Terra remained silent beside him.

For a second, Blake was silent before he spoke, finding confidence in his voice. "I wasn't cheating on her! I was just hugging my best friend. What is your problem?" he asked Cole angrily.

"You fucking liar! Stop playing with Terra." Cole scorned.

"I'm not playing with her!" Blake shouted, and by now, there was a small crowd watching from around us. "Lynne is my best friend, and I may hug her. That's none of your business."

"You–"

"Cole, it's alright," Terra whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Blake isn't lying, okay? I trust him."

A flash of guilt passed through Blake's eyes while all I could see from Cole was pure anger.

"You might, but I don't trust him," Cole said, placing his hand on Blake's just chest and harshly pushing him, making Blake stumble backward.

"Cole, don't," I warned, standing in between them. Cole pushed me to the side and grabbed Blake by his collar, giving him a strong blow to his face.

"Excuse me!" A guard quickly walked up to us, separating Blake and Cole. "No violence allowed here. I'll have to ask you to leave," he said.

Cole huffed and let go of Blake, turning around and walking out of the theater. Terra panicked and followed behind him, trying to get him to stop.

"Leave me!" Cole shouted as she tried to grab his hand.

"What is wrong with you, Cole?" she yelled, walking behind him.

I shook my head with a sigh, bending down to help Blake up.

"Are you alright?" I asked, wiping his lower lip with my thumb to clean the drop of blood under it.

"Yeah, I am. I just hate him so much!" His jaw ticked as he looked away for a second before capturing my gaze again. "I'm sorry about the movie."

"It's alright. It would've sucked anyways." I chuckled. "Maybe we should go out and make sure that Cole does not break anything."

Blake rolled his eyes, but let out a soft chuckle anyways.

"You never got your bar of chocolate," he said.

"Right. I don't think they're going to let us buy something after that show," I said, letting out a laugh.

"No, they might let us buy it. Wait outside. I'll go get it and be back." I smiled as he kissed my cheek and saw his figure walk to the counter.

I exited the theater to see Terra and Cole at the parking lot as she tried to talk to him, but nothing seemed to tame his anger. Terra's calm exterior soon turned to that of a tired one, and I watched as they argued, only hearing their distant voices, but not enough to decipher what they were saying.

For a second, I got distracted by the sound of a car only to turn back to the fighting couple immediately, and the next thing I know, Cole's lips were pressed against Terra's as her entire body went paralyzed in shock. He grabbed her head, pulling her closer to him and she still remained frozen on her spot.

"What the fuck!" I heard a voice from behind me, and my eyes widened as I turned to Blake. I looked back to Cole and Terra whose kiss had ended and who now had their eyes on Blake.

Blake lunged in their direction, but I quickly placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Blake, don't fight again," I said.

"That fucker kissed my girlfriend!" he shouted.

For once, Cole was left speechless against Blake, lowering his head, making sure to keep his eyes away from Blake and Terra.

A tear slipped down Terra's face, and hearing a sob escape from her, Cole looked up at her, his eyes immediately filling with guilt.

I walked over to them and grabbed Cole's hand, as he still kept his gaze on Terra.

"Let's leave," I told him softly, making him nod as he followed me to his car.

"Give me your keys. I'll drive." Cole threw me his keys and unlocking the car, I got in just as Cole did too. We buckled our seatbelts before I started the car, switching on the headlights, letting it light up the parking lot.

Blake stood far away from Terra; his stone-cold eyes focused on me. Underneath the tough exterior, I saw the other part of him that looked broken as he watched me back the car out of its parking, and my heart clenched, seeing him like that.

Nonetheless, I drove off to the road, glancing at Cole to see him sadly looking out the window.

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

"I don't know." He sighed. "I don't want her to be with him, Addy. I want her to be with me."

"But what about what she wants?" I asked, shifting my gaze between him and the road. "Do you think she wanted you to kiss her in front of her boyfriend?"

"Of course not. I hate myself for doing that."

"I know how this feels, Cole. There was a time when I did impulsive things to make sure that Blake would be with me. None of what I did helped me get him; it drove him away because I kept hurting him," I said. "Sometimes you need to let go. You can't always have what you want, no matter how much to try to keep things for yourself."

"I'm trying, alright. I don't know how you keep it all up so well, but I can't." Cole huffed.

"That's because you still hold a hope deep down inside you. I don't. I've learned to live with the fact that he's never going to be mine," I said, feeling every word of this conversation break a piece of my heart. "If you learn to accept it, you'll be able to control all these emotions of yours."

Cole didn't say another word, instead looked out the window again, as if in thoughts.

I didn't know if I got through to him, but I most probably didn't, because I can't even convince myself that what I said was right.

No matter how much I told myself that I didn't have any hope, every time Blake looks at me, I start feeling something building up inside me, and I am never able to stop it.  

Author's Note 🚨🚨🚨 [NOBODY IGNORE THIS] 🚨🚨🚨

Well, the last time I did that ^ whole thing was for my 20 chapter milestone so that I could ask you how you feel about my book... Now we've reached 50 chapters... yaaay! But don't worry, you don't have to answer a bunch of questions. 

This time I'll have a question, like "Who's the best character?" then, three or four nominees, so you have to choose out of the characters listed. 

Pwease, do this 🥺🥺 Pweaaaaseeeee 🥺🥺🥺 Even if you're a silent reader, or reading this after a long time, I want a chance to get to know what you think

Anywaysh! Let's begin!

So, just make an inline comment against the character to vote for them 👀

1. Best Male Character:

a. Blake Vanderbilt

b. Cole Hamilton

c. Asher

2. Best Female Supporting Character

a. Hazel

b. Kate

c. Terra 👀

3. Best Main Couple:

a. Blake and Addelyn

b. Cole and Addelyn

c. Cole and Terra

d. Blake and Terra

4. Best Supporting Couple:

a. Hazel and Asher

b. Hazel and Luke

c. Jack and Kate

5. Best Non-existent Couple

a. Blake and Cole

b. Addelyn and Terra

c. Jack and Asher

6. Best Friendship

a. Asher and Addelyn

b. Hazel and Addelyn

c. Asher and Blake

7. Best Frenemies

a. Blake and Cole

b. Luke and Asher

c. Addy and Terra [They're more enemies than frenemies...]

8. Best Chapter: [I asked a few friends for suggestions on which chapters to use]

a. First Days and Bad Impressions II (The flashback where they were 10)

b. Painful Sacrifices and Heartbreaking Endings (The first break up after Addy sees Blake and Terra kiss)

c. Pokey Tents and Sex in The Woods (Cole and Addy sex scene)

9. Best Humor

a. Drunk Addy

b. Jack's existence in general

c. Hairy Manly Parts 👀

10. Best Addy Mood: [I ran out of questions, alright?] 

a. Her being a mean girl around Terra 

b. Her being romantic to Blake

c. Her friendly with Asher, Cole, Hazel, Kate or Jack

Welp, going back to the normal author's note! 

Aaaaaah first kiss!! Anyone ship Terra and Cole? 👀

Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Slytherinchick who is celebrating her birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LA!!! I know you love Colerra/Cerra/Whatever AND I put in a Blynne scene that had no business being there just because it's your birthday. I hope you enjoyed it and I love you so much!!

So, if you liked what you read, vote.

If you want to keep reading, add this to your library so you'll know when I update.

If you have absolutely any comments, good or bad, feel free to comment and let me know.

And if you made it till the end, thank you for reading and I love you so much!

Okay, have fun, enjoy life.

Signed,
Me