Chapter 41 History Lessons
History Lessons
Harper
The party is in full swing by the time we arrive. The house is packed with students celebrating the team's win—their seventh straight, which apparently is a big deal. Cole's hand is warm in mine as we navigate through the crowd, people congratulating him left and right.
"There's the man of the hour!" Sirus shouts, pulling Cole into a hug that nearly lifts him off his feet. "Two goals, baby! Two goals!"
"Team effort," Cole says, but he's grinning.
Maddie hugs me, already a few drinks in based on the flush in her cheeks. "Your boyfriend is amazing!"
"I know," I say, watching Cole get pulled into conversation with some of his teammates. He looks happy, relaxed, and I feel that familiar warmth in my chest. This is my life now. Standing at parties with my boyfriend's jersey on, surrounded by people who've become my friends too.
I'm comfortable here in a way I never expected to be. The hockey world doesn't intimidate me anymore. These parties don't make me want to run. I belong here.
Cole catches my eye from across the room and winks. I blow him a kiss, which makes Maddie laugh.
"I knew it from the beginning," she says.
"Stop," I tease.
"He’s going to be your husband and your children’s father, watch."
I shake my head, loving the thought bouncing around my head.
I'm smiling when I notice Liam, standing near the kitchen, swaying slightly as he talks to some girl I don't recognize. Even from here, I can tell something's off. His movements are too loose, his laugh too loud, and when the girl walks away, he nearly stumbles reaching for another drink.
My stomach tightens.
"Is Liam okay?" I ask Maddie.
She follows my gaze and frowns. "He's been like that a lot lately. All the guys are worried about him."
I watch as Liam downs whatever's in his cup and immediately reaches for a refill. Cole is still talking to his teammates, oblivious to what's happening across the room.
"Should we do something?" I ask.
"Like what? Stage an intervention?" Maddie shakes her head. "He's an adult. He can make his own choices."
But it doesn't feel right, watching him spiral like this. Even after everything that happened between us, I don't want to see him destroy himself.
Cole appears at my side, wrapping his arm around my waist. "Having fun?"
"Yeah. Great game tonight."
"Thanks." He kisses my temple, then follows my gaze to where Liam is now leaning heavily against the counter. His expression shifts. "Shit."
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know. He's been..." Cole trails off, jaw tight. "He's been different this year."
"Maybe you should talk to him."
"Harper—"
"I know it's complicated. But he's your best friend, Cole. And he clearly needs someone right now."
Cole is quiet for a moment, watching Liam with this conflicted expression. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure. Go."
He kisses me quickly. "I'll be right back."
But he's not right back. Ten minutes pass, then twenty, then fifty. I try to distract myself with conversation, with dancing, with anything that will keep me from obsessing over where Cole is and what he's saying to Liam. But the worry gnaws at me.
Finally, after more than an hour, I can't take it anymore. I excuse myself from Maddie and start searching the house. Upstairs rooms, the basement, the kitchen—nothing. Then I head outside.
I find them on the back patio, sitting on the steps. Cole's shoulders are tense, and Liam is slumped beside him, head in his hands. The air between them is thick with tension.
"Sorry," I say, stepping outside. "I was worried."
Cole looks up, and there's something in his expression that makes my chest tight. Exhaustion, maybe. Or frustration. "It's fine."
"Is everything okay?"
"Peachy," Liam mutters without lifting his head.
"Maybe you can convince him to drink water," Cole says, gesturing to the bottle sitting untouched beside Liam.
Liam suddenly pushes off the steps and shoves Cole's shoulder. "Fuck off."
"Hey!" I step forward instinctively, protective energy surging through me. "Keep your hands to yourself, Liam. Cole's just trying to help."
Liam laughs, but there's no humor in it. "There's no helping me, unfortunately."
"Why is that?"
He starts to move toward me, and I see Cole tense. But before Liam can get close, Cole grabs his arm. "Liam. Let's go home and sleep it off."
"I don't want to go home."
"You're drunk. You need to sleep."
"I need—" Liam stumbles, and Cole catches him. "I need to forget."
"Forget what?" Cole asks, but Liam just shakes his head.
Between the two of us, we manage to get Liam to Cole's truck. He's dead weight, mumbling incoherently as we buckle him into the passenger seat.
"What's your address?" Cole asks him.
Liam grins sloppily. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Liam, I'm serious. Where do you live?"
"Nope. Not telling. You'll just... you'll just judge my place."
Cole tries a few more times, but Liam refuses to give up his address. Finally, Cole sighs and looks at me. "I'm taking him to ours. He can sleep it off on the couch."
"Okay."
The drive home is tense and silent except for Liam's occasional mumbling. When we get to the house, Rex goes ballistic, but we manage to get Liam inside and onto the couch before he completely passes out.
Cole grabs a bowl from the kitchen and sets it on the floor next to the couch. "Just in case."
We sit on the coffee table, watching Liam like he might explode at any moment. His breathing is heavy, and his face is flushed.
"You can go to sleep, Harp," Cole says after a few minutes.
I shake my head. "I'll stay up with you."
"You don't have to."
We sit in silence for a while. Liam shifts on the couch, muttering something. Cole's jaw is tight, his hands clenched together.
"He won't tell me what's going on," he says finally.
"Really?"
Cole sighs. "It’s almost been a year. We should be past this fighting over the same girl bullshit, and he should be able to talk to me."
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. Fighting over the same girl. That's what I am to them. The thing that broke their friendship.
I stand, needing distance. "I'm going to shower and get ready for bed."
"Harper—"
"It's fine, really. Stay with him. Make sure he doesn’t choke on his vomit."
I leave before he can say anything else, before the guilt building in my chest can spill over. In the bathroom, I turn the shower on hot and let it scald my skin, trying to wash away the feeling that I'm the reason everything is broken.
When I emerge, Cole is in the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.
"I'm sorry," he says immediately.
"For what?"
"For what I said. I didn't mean—"
"It's okay. I understand." I sit beside him. "Really, Cole. Don’t be sorry."
"I just want my friend back." His voice cracks slightly. "I miss him, Harper. I miss talking to him and joking around and having someone who just... gets it. But every time I try, there's this wall between us, and I don't know how to break through it."
I take his hand. "Give him time. He'll come around."
"I don’t know."
We get ready for bed in silence, the weight of the evening pressing down on both of us.
Cole falls asleep quickly, exhausted from the game and the emotional toll of dealing with Liam.
But I lie awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the boy passed out on our couch and the friendship I inadvertently destroyed.
I wake up needing to pee, my bladder screaming at me. The clock reads three forty-seven. Cole is dead asleep beside me, one arm thrown over his face.
I slip out of bed and pad quietly down the hall to the bathroom. I don’t want Rex to bark at me and wake the entire house, but when I push open the bathroom door, I find Liam hugging the toilet bowl, vomiting.
"Oh God," I whisper, quickly closing the door behind me so the noise doesn't wake Cole or Finn.
"Are you okay?" I ask, knowing it's a stupid question.
Liam waves at me weakly, then heaves again.
I grab a cup from the sink and fill it with water, then wet some papertowels. When he's done throwing up, I hand him the water and clean the toilet seat.
"Drink," I say.
He scoffs. "Don't pretend to care about me now."
The words sting, but I understand them. I sit back on my heels, looking at him. "Drink some water."
He takes the cup and drains it, then immediately vomits it back up a moment later. It looks horrible.
"Thanks," he mutters.
I can't help it—I laugh.
His head snaps toward me. "You're laughing at me?"
"Sorry," I say quickly, biting my lip. "Sorry, that wasn't funny. I think I'm still a little drunk. And I really have to pee."
He starts to stand, but the movement makes him dizzy. He stumbles sideways into the wall, and I lunge forward to catch him.
"Whoa, easy."
But instead of steadying himself, he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. His full weight leans on me, and my heart starts racing.
"Liam," I say, trying to push him away. But he's tall and massive, and he clings to me.
"I know I said he's a good guy and you deserve to be treated right," he mumbles into my hair, "but I take it back, Trouble. I can't..."
"Shh," I interrupt, panic rising in my chest. "Come on, let's get you to the couch."
I manage to guide him back to the living room, supporting most of his weight. He collapses onto the couch, and I pull the blanket over him.
"Get some sleep."
His hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, pulling me closer. His eyes are unfocused but intense. "I'm serious, Trouble. If he screws this up, he's dead."
My pulse is hammering. "Go to sleep, Liam."
I tug my wrist free and back away quickly, needing distance. In the bathroom, I finally pee, but my hands are shaking. When I wash them, I catch my reflection in the mirror. My face is flushed, my eyes too bright.
Guilt crashes over me in waves. I didn't do anything wrong—I was just helping him. But the way he felt against me, the way he smelled, the way he held onto me, the things he said, the way my heart raced when his arms were around me... that feels like betrayal.
I crawl back into bed beside Cole, careful not to wake him. But sleep doesn't come. I lie there in the dark, listening to his steady breathing, feeling the weight of Liam's words pressing down on my chest.
I’m still shaking.
If he screws this up, he's dead.
But who is Liam really mad at? Cole for being with me? Or me for choosing Cole?
The guilt continues to fill me, seeping into every corner of my mind. I didn't do anything wrong, I tell myself again. But if that's true, why does it feel like I did?
I turn onto my side, facing Cole. In sleep, his face is peaceful, untroubled. He loves me. He trusts me. He gave up his best friend for me.
And I'm lying here at four in the morning, unable to sleep because Liam hugged me and my traitorous heart responded.
I close my eyes and will myself to stop thinking. Stop feeling. Stop remembering the way Liam's voice cracked in the parking lot almost a year ago when he said he wants me.
But the guilt stays with me, heavy and suffocating, until the sun starts to rise, and I finally drift off into restless sleep.