Chapter 28: I Still Need Time Part Three

Molly swayed her body to the music. She took a sip of her vodka and sprite in a cup and continued dancing. Hands gripped her hips, pelvis on her butt. She grinded on him slowly. Not caring who was behind her, the alcohol flowed through her body as she moved her hands up in the air. "Wow!" Molly exclaimed, fanning her face from the heat. His nose traced from her neck to her cheek.

"I want to take my shirt off!" Molly shouted, pulling the hem of her shirt.

"Do it!" The guy behind her yelled in encouragement.

Collard Greens by Schoolboy Q came on. "Yes! This is my jam!" Molly pushed the guy away, hopped on the nearest table. She whipped her hair around like a crazy person and popped her booty to the song. Hearing cheers from the crowd as they watched her drunk dance, throwing money at her feet.

"Molly, get down right now!" The voice loud enough below called to her.

"I love yall!" The crowd whooped as she lifted her shirt up, exposing her bra and stomach. Molly lost her footing from the table and slipped, "Whoa!"

Someone caught her over the shoulder, taking her away from the crowd. "Boooo!" everyone jested.

"Put me down!" Molly exclaimed weakly, hitting the person's back while giggling.

"You're drunk," the familiar voice said in an agitated tone.

"You're drunk, everyone's drunk. I don't even know you," Molly scoffed, trying to get their tight grip off.

"Sure, you don't know me." Molly felt the effects from the liquor, trying to keep her eyes open, she glanced at the person carrying her upstairs. She recognized his jawline.

The familiar black wavy hair, she lit up. "Cole, you actually care!" She turned over enough to get her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Cole opened a door to a room, managing her over his shoulders.

"Of course I care, why would you say that?" he questioned, closing the door behind him as he laid her on the soft bed.

"The way you were dancing with that skank on the dance floor doesn't seem like it," Molly slurred, adjusting her body slowly. She raised her arms up, swaying them from side to side.

"Mol, she was just some girl that came to me and started dancing," he explained.

Molly rolled her eyes, "whatever." She pulled her knees into a fetal position facing her back to him.

"Come on, Molly! She meant nothing to me." Cole sat on the end of the bed near her.

"Why are you telling me, anyway? We broke up, you are free to do what you want." Her eyes were half open, waving her arms in front of his face.

"If it still bothers you, I won't."

"It doesn't." Molly turned to him in an angry tone. Her vision was blurred, she sniffed and blinked over and over. The shape of him looked clumpy and wobbly.

"Then why are you mad that I'm dancing with some girl?" Cole asked, trying to make eye contact with her half closed eyelids.

"I'm not. Leave me alone." She tried giving him a hard look, then started laughing. "You look like a blob."

"I'm not leaving until you're sober." Cole scooted closer to Molly on the bed, his hand brushed a strand of her hair behind her hair.

"Cole," Molly whispered, looking into his eyes. As blurry as her vision was, his eyes were still beautiful. The gray irises that mixed with the green was breathtaking, gazing down to his plump lips she literally lunged at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, crushed their lips together. Molly climbed on him as he gripped her hips, fingers holding onto his hair for dear life. She moaned loudly as she grinded her groin against his.

"Molly," he moaned, caressing the skin below her stomach. Breathing began to get narrow, the air becoming hotter in the room, taking off her shirt, her mouth back to his. Cole flipped Molly on her back, now on top as he massaged her breast.

'I miss this.' He unbuttoned her jeans, reaching inside as he kissed her neck. "I love you," he said softly.

Molly's breathing became short, which snapped her back to reality. Looking around the room, it wasn't Molly's dorm room or her room at home.

'What the hell did I just do?! I am so stupid!' Molly's mind spoke in a drunken haze. Cole was still on top of her.

"You know you feel the same," Cole told her breathlessly. He brushed his lips on hers again, she pushed him off with all her strength to get out of there.'I'm never drinking again.'

"Molly, wait!" Cole yelled out, she couldn't even look at him, stumbling out of the room as fast as she could. She maneuvered her way out of other party goers. Molly tried to be careful not to fall on anyone, failed miserably as she bumped into walls and people from her drunken stupor.

'Mel? Where's Mel?'

"Mel!" Molly yelled out, the thumping bass of the music filled her whole body and made her dizzy. "Melanie!" She called out again, hoping she heard her from this loud music. She couldn't find her. 'Where is she?' She looked around the beer pong table with a crowd of people, one guy gloating and wiggling his butt that he won.

"That's Mel's favorite game!" She screeched. Taking her chances, Molly approached the table searching for her familiar face.

"Mel's not here," she said in a sullen tone, slumping her shoulders. She had to find someone for assistance.

"Hey!" Molly tapped a guy on the shoulder, he turned to face her. "Where's Mel?!"

"Who?!" The guy with hazel eyes and alcohol on his breath responded.

"Mel! She likes playing beer pong! I need to find her!" Molly hurriedly explained, her mind racing if Melanie's hurt or about to be hurt.

"And here I am making out with my ex when I'm supposed to be with my friend. We're in unfamiliar territory right now. Oh no, I'm such a bad friend! I need to tell her sorry! She's not obsessed!" Molly ranted out loud, throwing her hands up in fear. She didn't notice the guy rubbing her arm with his slimy hands, chuckling at her drunken speech.

"I can help you find her. If not, we can go upstairs and find her later," his alcoholic breath was wafting into her face.

"Ew," Molly muttered, scrunching her face in disgust. She pushed him away, he didn't budge. Instead he grabbed her elbow, pulling her into his chest harshly. He whispered something in her ear, it was plain old gibberish. Molly pushed him one more time to get away from him, it made him hold on tight.

"Get off me!" Molly yelled over the music, hoping somebody heard. To no avail, no one did because they were enjoying their time. He pushed Molly into a wall, nuzzling his face into her neck and started slobbering all over it. Closing her eyes from his assault, Molly opened her mouth to scream out help as loud as she could but her words were swallowed when his open mouthed kissed her, darting his tongue in and out. She attempted to hit him in the gut instead of the jaw.

His weight lifted off her, Molly opened her eyes that he wasn't there anymore. Checking her surroundings the burly guy on the floor, writhing on the ground and holding his eye in pain. "Oh thank you God, I'm alive!" Molly exclaimed, thrusting her fists in the air for victory. Everything went to black.

***

Molly opened her eyes. It hurt too much to keep open. "Shit," she rubbed her eyes with her palms. They were dry and crusty from the night before. The sun streamed on her face. She lifted herself from the bed slowly to close the curtains, a pain struck her head. Molly hissed, tasting the bile and liquor lingered in her taste buds. Using her index and middle fingers, she massaged her temples. "That was some dream," she muttered. Why would she dream about Cole again? His scent lingered on him. And beer.

"Never again," Molly said groggily, rubbing the temples of her head to relieve the ache.

"That's a lie," a groggy voice said, entering the room. Molly looked up slowly. Melanie's hair was messed, dark circles under her eyes and some kind of brown stain on her shirt.

"Where the hell were you during the party?" Molly asked, trying to sound angry, it came out whiny from pain.

"You really don't remember?" Melanie asked with a shocked expression

"What?"

"You yelled at me that I was a bad friend."

"What?"

"Basically I'm obsessed with boys and I always leave your side."

Molly shut her eyes, I said that? "You know that's not what I think of you. You're always there for me. I can't believe I said that."

Melanie nodded, "I know. You were drunk. I forgive you. I was with Matt."

"Matt?" Molly asked with wide eyes but it hurt. She massaged her eyelids.

"Yeah. It was a long talk. We have closure. I came just in time before anything happened. You yelled my name and there was Cole who knocked that jackass out." Melanie sat on the bed next to her, handing her a glass of water.

"What do you mean? What happened last night?" Molly asked, she took a quick sip of water.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

It dripped on her chin when she released the cup from her mouth, "seeing Cole with some girl and drinking a whole bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade." Melanie gave Molly two pills of ibuprofen, she swallowed it with water. Melanie explained what Cole relayed of the recollection of last night.

"Wait, I kissed Cole?!" Molly asked in disbelief. 'I thought that was a dream. Her head was still pounding.

"Cole punched that guy so many times, he almost drew blood."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Last night was like a movie. We should have stayed home, my tbr lists on Wattpad misses me."

"You love that app."

"I loves me a badboy trope." Melanie would stay up browsing and reading if she didn't have class. Molly would catch her on her laptop reading instead of taking notes.

Molly pushed Melanie's arm slightly with a laugh.

"I'm sorry for leaving your side." Melanie bumped Molly's arm.

"Don't be. I'm sorry." Melanie opened her arms, Melanie met her halfway for a hug.

Molly's chest and stomach swelled. "Oh, God," Molly gulped, removing herself. The vile taste coming from the back of her throat. She ran to the bathroom to empty the contents in the toilet.

"Ugh," Molly stood from her knees, rinsed her mouth with water after she finished and exited the bathroom, Cole was sitting in the same spot on the bed Melanie was. He had a tired look on his face, his hands clasped together when he met his ex's eyes. "Hey," Molly's voice cracked trying to break the awkward silence.

"Hey," Cole responded with a soft look.

"Some night huh?" Molly joked with a giggle.

"Yeah what was that about anyway?" he asked.

"I don't remember but Mel explained about me and you making out."

"We did."

"I was drunk and sloppy, it was my body reacting."

"Drunken actions mean you wanted to."

"Not without consent," Molly rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall.

Cole crossed his arms over his chest. Molly looked at the ceiling with frustration.

"You're making this difficult," she muttered.

"What?" Molly scoffed, standing up and began pacing.

"My head's killing me. You can't tell me all of this while I'm hung over. It's not fair."

"Molly, I'm trying to explain to you what I finally feel, just please sit down." He patted the seat next to him. Molly saw his stoic expression, she hesitantly went to the bed, sitting on it slowly. "Last night I said I loved you."

Molly's eyes widened at this information. 'Wow I was really drunk.'

Molly opened her mouth but he placed his finger on her lips to withhold her words for him to finish. "You were all over me, I thought you felt the same. I was hurt when you left but it was the right intention. What I did was worse, I didn't want to take advantage. I don't know how many times I have to apologize," Cole shook his head, disgraced from his actions. Molly grabbed his hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.

"You don't have to keep saying sorry. I've forgiven you. Maybe when I saw you with that girl, old feelings came back and I was a little jealous," Molly admitted, she glanced at Cole, he had raised eyebrows and smirked. Molly glared and continued, "ok I was a lot jealous. But you can't blame me. I loved you and..." Molly couldn't figure out how to end that sentence. Everything has been said already but it was as if they're going around a carousel with this conversation. What was left to say? Cole curled his hand under Molly's chin, he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Molly and Cole stared into each other's eyes. An unspoken conversation getting lost into their eyes. Less intense. Safe. The feelings were there, they were subsiding.

"I understand you don't have to say anything, like I said, I can be friends." Cole said, brushing her chin with his thumb. Molly smiling a little, finally having closure, the exes hugged in a tight embrace. Molly will always love Cole but now she can love him as a friend.

"Ow, shit!" A muffled voice from the other side of the door, the two pulled apart, Cole confused but Molly knew who it was listening in. Molly got up from the bed slowly, tiptoeing to the door.

"Shut up!" Melanie whispered behind the door. Molly shook her head, opened the door harshly revealing Mel, Matt and his brother Mickey all falling to the ground like a domino effect.

"Ow, damn it. Get off of me!" Melanie exclaimed. The two boys were sandwiched on her. They all got up, brushing the dirt from their bodies. Crossing her arms, Molly raised one eyebrow, glaring at three of them.

"We didn't hear anything!" Matt said quickly with his hands in the air. Molly looked at Melanie with pursed lips.

"So what happened?" Melanie asked with an innocent smile and laced her fingers.

Molly exhaled, "let's go home, Mel."

***

The guys followed the girls to the garage to retrieve the car. They paid him and packed their stuff in the trunk, getting ready to leave. Matt was the first to hug the two girls, squeezing both tightly at the same time. Melanie held on longer, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Be strong." he whispered and ran to Cole's car.

Mickey came and hugged them both, "it was nice meeting you two. Find me on twitter."

"Of course." Molly and Melanie said at the same time.

Cole came up last, coming up to Molly tentatively as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders slowly. She put hers around his waist, holding him for a while. He kissed her cheek, "I still care about you."

"Me too," Molly replied.

"Can we still talk?"

"Until I'm ready." He nodded in response and let go of Molly.

"Okay enough, we have to get on the road." Melanie said, interrupting them.

"Oh Mel I'll miss you too!" Cole grabbed her, lifting her up in the air.

"Yeah yeah lots of love, put me down." Melanie said in a deadpan tone. Before releasing her, he kissed her cheek too. She grimaced. Matt and his brother were laughing from a distance, Molly giggled while opening the car door. Melanie followed suit, strapping her seatbelt and starting the ignition. Enough gas to get home she pulled out the garage and drove off. Giving one last look if Cole was still there but he left already. Being able to breath, content but sad because her and Cole were over but she gained her friend back.

Melanie leaned back to her seat. "It was fun right?

"Yeah. I'm glad I did this. I found out, if I didn't he would have continued behind my back."

"You and Cole? Reconciled?"

"We're friends, for real. Our chapter is closed." She meant it. It takes time.

"Good. Ok. Here's what I'm thinking: California for a summer trip. We shop on Rodeo Drive? Run into some celebs. Or back to New York? A lot of them live there, too." Melanie's eyebrows went up and down, drumming the dashboard.

"Mel, can we at least get back to school, do our school work and then talk about it?"

"This was all your idea. It needs to be done more often. Get a little money from our parents. They'll like the idea. It's a vibe now. Ooh we can make it like a group trip, rent an RV or a van."

Molly sighed, "what have I done?"

Melanie bopped to the song on the radio, turned up the volume, and held her hands in the air. Molly waved her hands, placing it on the wheel quickly. She laughed as Melanie was doing the robot. Molly couldn't take the smile off her face as the two danced, after everything that has happened, Molly could count on Melanie to have her back.