Beautiful Mess Read Online Free PDF

be so obtuse sometimes.
    “You
know what Carly’s doing, right?”  When Cole gave her a blank look, Bri
continued.  “She’s trying to make you jealous.  She’s hoping that if
you see her flirting with someone else you’ll march over there and sweep her
away.”
    He
looked horrified.  “But, I’m not even remotely interested in her.  I
thought I’d made that clear.”
    “She
thinks this is you playing hard to get.  It’s twisted, I know, but this is
how she thinks.”
    “Oh,
man, how do I get out of this one?”
    “Well,
the next time she, um...propositions you,” Bri couldn’t hold back her
chuckle.  Cole gave her a pointed look.  “Sorry.”  She
sobered.  “Next time, maybe you should just spell it all out for
her.  Tell her that you don’t like her, and there is absolutely no way
she’s ever getting any action!”  She burst out laughing again.
    “Hey! 
This is serious!” Cole admonished her, but was quickly laughing himself. 
“Okay, enough talking about Psycho Chick.”  He paused as Bri raised an
eyebrow at him.  “What?  I call them like I see them.  Anyway, I
didn’t come all this way to talk about her.  I came to talk about you.”
    “Okay,”
she replied warily.  “What about me?”
    “Well,
how about we start with the basics.  How old are you?”
    “Seventeen.”
    “A
senior this year?”  Bri nodded.  “And, when is your birthday?”
    “December
21st.”
    “Ah,
a solstice baby.  Do you live around here?”
    “Yeah,
I actually just moved here last month.  I live just up in Santa Monica.”
    “Get
out!  Me too!  So, where did you live before you moved here?”
    “Well,
I grew up in Phoenix, but I moved here from Dallas.  We lived there for
about four and a half years, before my dad got transferred out here with work.”
    “So,
how do you like California so far?”
    “It’s
nice.  I love the weather and the ocean.  In fact, the one thing I
insisted on when I found out we were moving here was that we lived close enough
that I could walk to the beach.”
    “Nice. 
So I take it you’ll be going to Santa Monica High, too?”
    “Yes. 
You, too?” 
    Cole
nodded looking out at the ocean.
    “Cool.
 It’ll be nice to know at least one person there, to see a familiar face,”
Bri smiled at him.  A look passed over Cole’s face, but quickly
disappeared.  She couldn’t be sure, but she thought it might have been
regret.  Before she could say anything, he turned back to her.
    “Well,
I’d better get back,” he thumbed behind him to his stand.  “Besides, I
don’t want your psycho cousin coming after me,” he smiled jokingly, but it
didn’t reach his eyes.  “See you, Bri.”  And he was gone.
    Bri
had only a few moments to ponder Cole’s abrupt disappearance, when Carly came
running down the beach.
    “Bri,
we have to get out of here.  Like, now!”
    “Why?” 
She was becoming alarmed at Carly’s agitation.
    “Well,
let’s just say one of those guys got a little too friendly, and I smacked
him.  I don’t want to give him the chance to come down here and return the
favor.  Now, move!”
    Bri
rolled her eyes as she stood and gathered up their things.  This was
Carly’s classic MO.  She caused a mess of trouble, and then ran
away.  Bri glanced at the guys up the beach, and sure enough, they were
all glaring at her and Carly.  Yep, definitely time to go.
    As
the girls passed Cole, Bri smiled and waved goodbye.  Carly didn’t even
spare him a parting glance, as she rushed from the beach.  Cole waved
back, and the girls hurried to the car. 
    “Do
me a favor, Carly,” Bri begged when both girls were safely in the car, and on
their way home.  “The next time you decide to do something irresponsible,
stupid, and potentially dangerous to impress a boy, leave me out of it!”
     

Chapter 3
     
    Carly
did not take rejection well.  Not that she accepted Cole’s rejection as
actual rejection.  She believed he was purposely