“That was what I told your father. So he took it to the Best Buy. They said it was a lost cause and told him to just throw it out, though.”
I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. I knew old people were bad with electronics, but Cole’s parents had taken things to a whole new level.
Cole ran his hands over his face. “Are you serious? You know what, never mind. I don’t need to use the computer I got you. We can use any computer.”
“We don’t have one. Our phones work just fine. Well, mine does. Your father’s runs so slow.”
He watched porn on his phone too?Cole’s dad was as pervy as Cole was.
Cole turned to me. “Do you want me to drive back to the city? We can…”
“Nonsense,” said Mrs. Halifax. “Only drunks and hoodlums are on the streets at this hour. You know, they say that driving tired is even more dangerous than driving drunk. And you both look exhausted. You’re going to sleep on the couch, and Raven can take your room.”
“But we really need to…”
“Tate Abernathy Halifax, you’re staying the night. And that’s final. Now give me your keys.”
“It’s okay,Abernathy,” I said. I couldn’t resist making fun of that ridiculous middle name. “We can spend the night. The photos will still be there in the morning.” As much as I wanted to see the photos, I was freaking exhausted. And maybe a small part of me was scared to look at them. Right now I was so hopeful that the photos would give me the clue I’d been missing. The key to finding Rosalie. But I knew there was a high probability that it would just be another dead end. Or maybe there wouldn’t even be a photo of her. The spit roast photos were only of the winning team. So there was a 50% chance that she wouldn’t even be in it.
“If you’re sure,” he said.
“Great!” said Mrs. Halifax. “I’ll go get everything ready.” She ran off towards the house.
Cole and I looked at each other.
“My dad totally crashed the computer by looking at too much porn, right?” he asked.
“Oh for sure,” I said. “And then tried to cover it up by throwing it out. Doesn’t surprise me, really. I mean…like father, like son.”
“I beg your pardon?” said Cole. “For your information, I’ve never crashed a computer.”
“Never?You know I can ask your mom anything I want tomorrow morning, right?”
“Fine. I had a computer in high school that stopped working. But I swear it wasn’t my fault. The thing was so old...”
“Your poor mom. Does she know how perverted you two are?”
“We’re not perverted. We just have a nuanced appreciation for the artistic beauty of the female form.”
I stared at him. “Mhm. Sure.”
He laughed and pulled me into a hug. “Thanks for coming along on this crazy adventure with me tonight.”
“Are you kidding? Thankyoufor figuring out a way to get that flash drive. It seriously means the world to me.” I looked up at him and smiled. He may have been a filthy pervert, but he was also incredibly sweet.
A part of me didn’t want tonight to end. Because in the morning, I’d either be one step closer to Rosalie, or still as far away from the truth as ever. And no matter what, I’d have to face the consequences of what happened tonight. Dr. Lyon’s key was burning a hole in my clutch. Tanner was still a stupid runaway. And Cole…Tate. I let my head rest on his chest. I think I may have accidentally started falling for him. What the hell had I gotten myself into?
This Is War - Chapter 42 – Looking Like an Absolute Snack
Sunday – September 24, 2023
My entire body ached when I woke up. Literally every inch of me was sore.
Did yesterday really happen?
I rolled over and rubbed the sleepy out of my eyes. I hoped that when I opened them I would be back in my apartment. That the Emerald Oasis had just been the craziest sex dream ever. But nope. I was definitelynotin my apartment. Because last time I checked, I hadn’t redecorated with a bajillion posters of swimsuit models in seductive poses. Some of them had even forgotten to put on their swimsuits.
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought for sure that I was in a frat house. But I did know better, so I knew that this was just Cole’s childhood bedroom.
