"Yes."
She gives a satisfied hum. "Did he speak?"
"Kind of."
"Did he spit up blood?"
"Um… Yes… He spit on the floor once, but I think it was just from his lip."
"Then he’ll be fine." She interrupts me. "I understand that you’re worried, but trust me, he can take a lot. And as long as he can still walk and talk, he’ll be fine. I promise."
Again, I sniffle audibly, but don’t say anything back.
For a while, neither of us speaks until I can’t keep it to myself anymore.
"He told me to get out. That I can’t help him and will end up like herif I try. What did he mean by that?"
She remains silent. Not a single sound comes from her lips, which is why I ask again.
"Who was he talking about? Who isshe?"
Jules makes a pained sound before she begins to speak almost angrily. "You know what? Fuck it. If he can’t get it together, I’ll tell you. He’ll probably rip my head off, but whatever."
"You don’t have to tell me," I quickly relent, not wanting to drive a wedge between them, but she just clicks her tongue and hushes me.
"Cole didn’t used to be so angry and pissed off. And he didn’t always drink so much either. Actually, he was always in a good mood, no matter how shitty everything was. I couldn’t stand his stupid jokes, but he still managed to make me laugh with them every time."
Her voice has become sad, and my throat closes up when I imagine what Cole must have been like.
"Then came my sixteenth birthday. He taught me how to drive."
Jules lets out a laugh, but there’s a pain in the sound that makes the corners of my mouth drop.
"He was so annoyed because I just didn’t get how to use the clutch. Still, he didn’t give up even though his car was really suffering, and I wanted to throw in the towel a few times. We kept bumping on this stupid road until I finally figured it out."
"Where did he get a car?" It bursts out of me, remembering what Cole told me.
"He won it in an illegal street race. I hated those races because they were dangerous as hell, but… he never lost. Not once."
The last words come only softly from her lips, but I can still hear the hint of pride that resonates in them.
"I don’t know exactly how he got into it. He never told me. But one day, he showed up in this sports car with a wad of dollar bills in his hand. From that point on, things started looking up.It was… crazy. I’m pretty sure he had stolen that car. But still, he was my hero. Really."
She remains silent for a few seconds, apparently indulging in her memories, until I quietly bring her back to the present. "What happened on your birthday?"
"When I was finally able to drive that damn car, I was supposed to take us to my party. Well… it wasn’t exactlymyparty, but it happened on my birthday, and that was enough for him. Cole was the center of it all, as usual. Everyone just seemed to be looking at him. It was totally his thing, you know? He’d walk into a room, and five minutes later, everyone was hanging on his every word, laughing at his stupid jokes."
At first, I can barely imagine him like that, but then I see it. I see Cole, laughing and joking with everyone and brightening up the room with his presence. How he exudes joy, is happy, and enjoys life despite all its adversities. How he was the exact opposite of what he is now.
"Then this girl entered the room. Milena. She was a little older than me, incredibly sweet, and by far the most beautiful girl at the whole party. The moment Cole saw her, it was as if he were no longer attracted to the earth like the rest of us, but only to her. There’s no other way to describe it."
Her words cause a strange sting in my chest, but I try to ignore it.
"She looked like you," Jules adds quietly and makes my breath catch.
"Like me?"
She sighs audibly. "Mm-hmm."
