Cole slipped his backpack off and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch.  Kelsey took up the right side, Cole, the left.  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to size him up.  For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine what Brent saw in the boy.  It couldn’t be his personality, she figured.  He was immature.  He broke into houses in his free time.  He was obsessive and just plain creepy.  Likewise, Cole couldn’t see anything redeeming about Kelsey.  She was a bitch, she’d probably been spoiled her entire life, and the girl was a complete downgrade from him.  And still they both sat waiting for Brent to arrive home.

“How old are you?”  Cole looked away from the floor and at the girl sitting next to him.  Her arms were crossed and her eyes were narrowed.

“Seventeen.”

“Wow, that’s just perfect.”

“What is?”

“Oh, the fact that my boyfriend cheated on me with a guy who isn’t even legal yet.  He could go to jail, I’m sure.”

“Do I look like I’m gonna snitch on him?” Cole asked.  Kelsey rolled her eyes and huffed, digging her phone out of her pocket.  She typed away on the keyboard.  After a few messages back and forth, she slid her phone onto the table.

“You don’t have to stay.”

“I want answers, too.  I want to know why he used me.  I want to know why he used you.  I especially want to know why he has all that money.”  That shut the girl up quicker than he imagined.  It felt like eternity before the jangle of keys interrupted their silence.  Cole’s heart instantly kicked into gear, pounding in his chest even before the door squeaked open.  Brent didn’t immediately notice the two sitting down.  He tossed his keys onto the table by the door and locked the front door.  When he spun around to face the living room, he froze.

“What’s going on?”  Like a cougar, Kelsey hopped off the couch and waved the check in the air, crumbling it up and tossing it at him.

“You tell me, Brent.  Why do you have a check from my dad?”  Brent wore a look of confusion, picking the paper up from the ground and opening it.  He read over it multiple times, then said,

“I’ve never seen this before, Kels.”

“Bullshit,” Cole replied.

“What are you talking about?  We just found it in your English textbook,” she shot at Brent.

“Kelsey, I’ve never seen this before.  I haven’t even seen my English book in weeks.”

“Cole had it,” she said, glancing at him.

“I only took it to read up on things,” he explained, standing up as well.  He didn’t like sitting down while the others stood.  Brent glared at Cole.

“How do we know you didn’t put the check in there yourself, then?” Brent asked.  Cole felt dumbfounded.  There was no way this could be happening.  Brent was not trying to turn this around on him.

“Because I found it in the book when I was reading!”

“But you said you had no idea what it was when it fell out earlier,” Kelsey said carefully.  She watched his reaction intently.

“I… I lied about that.”

“You’re lying about the entire thing, Cole.  You were the one who had my textbook.  You could have easily made a fake check, put it in my book, and left it for Kelsey to find.”  Brent’s eyes were full of an anger Cole had never seen before.  He felt genuinely scared.

“And I just forged her dad’s signature?”  There was no way he could have done that, he was sure.

“I assume Brent snuck you in whenever I was out.  My dad sends me money every month, and I usually leave the checks on the table in the kitchen until I make a trip to the bank.  You saw it there, then,” she said with determination.

“Are you kidding me right now?  I swear to God, I didn’t write that check.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?  You knew about me, knew I was with Brent, and you still slept with him.  And now this.  Creating fake checks, trying to turn me against him.  Did you think if we broke up he could go back to you, Cole?  Because you’re wrong.  He’s not gay.  He was only confused.  Told me that himself, right?”

“Exactly.  It was a stupid mistake.  You were a mistake, Cole.”  Brent glowered at him, emphasizing the word ‘mistake.’  Cole laughed sarcastically, unable to process his emotions.  Brent’s words cut him like a knife, tearing into him violently.

“A mistake, Brent?  If I was a mistake to you… what does that make you to me?  You’re an asshole, Brent.  And you’re an idiot if you believe him, Kelsey.  You both deserve each other,” Cole said as calmly as possible.  Kelsey turned to Brent as if to say, are you just going to take that?  While they shared a look, Cole snagged her phone and grabbed his backpack.  He stormed to the front door, shouldering past Brent.

Brent grabbed his arm, applying just enough pressure to make Cole wince.  “Let go of me or I swear I’ll tell everyone I know what you and I did in Kelsey’s bed,” Cole said in a low voice.  Brent pushed him through the front door and slammed it afterwards.

Cole held back the tears, focusing on his anger instead.  He climbed into his car and yanked the door closed with all his might.  His chest heaved in his rage.  Cole had to make a mental note to unball his fists and open her phone.  Figures she didn’t have a password, the stupid bitch.  He maneuvered through her contact list, moving to the D section.  If Brent wasn’t going to tell the truth about the money, Kelsey’s father would have to.