Before Morning Breaks

Dragging Cole out the door on Friday night took work. Every Friday we were supposed to do the same thing with his baseball friends. Still, by the time 7:30 hit, he and his best friend Reid were stretched across the couch with Play Station controllers gripped in their hands. "Tell me you didn't start another GTA mission," I said flatly. "No," Cole answered, right as Reid said, "Yeah." "I'm serious, I'll leave you to catch a ride with Owen and Talia." Cole groaned and tipped his head back. "Do we really have to go?" "No," I told him from the doorway. "But I'm dressed, my makeup's done, and my hair is curled. So you're taking me somewhere." I looked down at my Apple Watch, which now read 7:34. "I'm going to go finish up my eyeliner." "I'm up!" Cole shouted after me, and I only rolled my eyes. Talia's makeup still covered my counter. "Cole acting like a baby?" "Always." I jumped up on the counter and slipped off my glasses, squinting at the blurry mirror. "Let me do your eyeliner," Talia said. "You're about to stab yourself in the eye." I batted her hand away. "I've got it!" I kept it simple, just a thin swipe of liner and brown mascara that made my brown eyes stand out. After I hopped down from the counter, I gave myself one last spin in the mirror to check everything. I had on a black crop top with high-waisted jean shorts, and I meant to steal one of Cole's flannels to toss over it. My blonde hair fell in curls all the way to my waist. "Which shoes?" I asked Talia, turning in another circle. "First of all, your ass looks incredible," Talia said. "Second, we're bowling. Why do your shoes even matter?"