After Hollyn got her schedule and other info she needed from the office, she got to her locker and unlocked it. As she was grabbing her books for her first few classes, someone approached her.

"Hey, Holls."

"Oh, hey Cole." Hollyn responds, smiling at the familiar blonde-haired boy. She didn't expect to see him again when she left the office. She assumed he would have went to class or met up with Erin. "What's up?" She asked, grabbing the last of her books. After shutting her locker, she looked over at him, tilting her head slightly.

Cole was leaned against the locker by hers, his hands in his pocket as he shrugged. "Nothing, I just wanted to walk with you to your first class." He replies, his smile never fading. "If that's okay with you." He added.

"Sure, why not." Hollyn agrees, not minding the company. Besides, she liked spending time with Cole. She missed him, after all. "Come on." She gestured for him to follow her and he did.

Their shoulders brushed together as they walked down the hall, but they didn't mind the closeness. They talked while they walked down the hallway and they soon stopped in front of a classroom. Her first period was art class, and she loved art class. She was a bit surprised Cole followed her inside the classroom, but she didn't mind it. 

"Thank you for walking me to class." Hollyn told him when they reached her classroom. He didn't stop by the door, he walked into the art classroom with her. It surprised her a bit but she smiled and followed him. He smiled back and walked her to her desk. 

"Anytime, Holly Berry." Cole responds, his smile turning into a grin. He pauses as he looks at the other three ladies at the table they were at. He sends them a smile. "Ladies." He greeted, his gaze lingering on Hollyn before he walked out of the classroom.

Grace, a good friend of Hollyn's, gasps as she stares at Hollyn with wide eyes. "Oh my word, the God of all guys is flirting with you."

"What?" Hollyn gasps, her face turning red. "No way." She grabbed an apron to put on, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered at the possibility of Cole flirting with her.

"He just walked her to class." Jackie points out, furrowing her eyebrows. "How is that flirting?" She asked curiously.

"Did you not see the eye contact and the smiles they shared? That's totally flirting." Grace argued.

"Who's flirting with Hollyn?" Kira asks curiously as she joined the table. She was good friends with all the girls, but she hadn't met Jackie yet. "Hi, I'm Kira Doyle. You must be Jackie." She introduced herself, smiling friendly at Jackie. 

"Nice to meet you. Yeah, that's me." Jackie replied, smiling at Kira politely.

"Nice to meet you too." Kira responds with a soft smile. "So, spill the tea." She turns to the other girls with a grin, her gaze falling on Hollyn. "Who is flirting with you?" Kira Doyle was curious by nature and loved gossiping with her friends. So when she heard someone was flirting with Hollyn she had to know. 

"Cole Walter." Grace grinned.

Kira's eyes widen. "What, no way!" She gasps, smiling wide at Hollyn. "Holl, that's so great. I'm so happy for you."

"No, no. Not happening. Nothing is happening." Hollyn said firmly, her blush darkening. She glances down in hopes of hiding her blush, her hair had fell slightly and blocks the view of her red face. "He's not flirting with me. We're best friends."

"Tell that to him 'cause he was so flirting with you." Grace smirked, wiggling her eyebrows at her friend.

"Oh my gosh, stop." Hollyn groaned, shaking her head and focusing on the assignment they had been given.

"Fine." Grace grumbles, her smirk turning into a small pout. "But really it's okay to have a crush on him. It's the Cole Effect. Everyone has had a crush on him at one point." She shrugged. 

Kylie quickly speaks up, her face scrunching up with disgust. "Not everyone."

"I don't have a crush on him." Hollyn muttered, ignoring her and the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't have a crush on him. Those butterflies meant nothing...Right?

"If you say so." Grace said, grinning and wiggling her eyebrows. Hollyn glanced over at her, sending her a look. Grace laughed, not at all bothered.

Kira giggled and went back to her table. Hollyn shook her head, smiling softly as she focused on the painting in front of her. Her gaze went over to Cole where she saw he was talking with another girl. A frown formed on her face. It was a small, barely noticeable frown, but it was there. She was then reminded she would never have a chance with Cole because of his reputation. She didn't want to just be another girl, someone to be toyed with and then forgotten. She wanted something more, something special. She sighed softly, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind as she concentrated on her artwork. Despite the brief pang of disappointment, she reminded herself that she valued her friendship with Cole above all else. Whether or not he was flirting with her, she cherished their bond and didn't want anything to jeopardize it.

****

The rest of the morning went well for Hollyn. She got to her classes and talked with some of her friends which were nice. She had missed them while she was gone. Now it was third period, and she was excited to see Cole in their shared class. She made her way into the classroom and saw that he was already there, sitting at a desk near the back. She smiled and went over to him, putting her bag on the desk beside his.

"Hey, how's your day been so far?" She asked, pulling a chair over to his desk and sat on it.

"Well besides getting a not so good grade on my math test, it's been great." Cole replied, a frown on his face.

"How'd you manage to fail a math test?" Hollyn chuckled, raising her eyebrow at him.

"It was a hard test, shut up." Cole mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I'm just teasing." Hollyn chuckles lightly, shaking her head. Then her face softens as she notices the look on his face. "I know math isn't your best subject so if you need any help, let me know. I can help."

"Nah, it's alright." Cole reassures her, not wanting her to worry though he did appreciated her offer. "Thanks though." He said, sending her a small smile. "How's your day been?"

"Pretty good, actually. I don't know how I managed to get a good score on my math test on my first day back but I did. It was great reuniting with my other friends-"

"You have other friends besides me?" Cole gasped, mockingly putting a hand over his heart.

"Oh, hush." Hollyn laughs, playfully hitting his arm and smiles when he laughed along with her. "You know what I meant. I missed them so it was great catching up with them." She then adds, "But I'm serious, Cole. If you ever need help with your homework or studying, please let me know. Don't feel like you would be a burden either 'cause you wouldn't be."

"Well, I'm glad your day has been going well. And thanks, I appreciate the offer but I'll be fine. If I need help, I'll ask you." Cole promised, smiling a little as his heart warmed. He appreciated what she said, it meant a lot to him. 

"Alright, just let me know." Hollyn smiled. Soon the bell rang and it was time for class to start. She turned to the front of the classroom, listening as the teacher spoke. 

****

At lunch, Hollyn walked into the cafeteria, seeing nothing had changed since the last time she was here. It was just the same.

She noticed Alex, Nathan, and Jackie were sitting together and she smiled a little. Her smile widen when she locked eyes with Jackie and saw the dark-skinned girl wave at her with a small smile. She waved back at Jackie and then looked away, looking around the cafeteria. She spotted her friends from art club sitting at their usual table near the back. One of them had spotted her and grinned, waving at her as well.

The one who had noticed her was Areli Cruz, who was the president of the art club and she was one of the sweetest people Hollyn has ever met. She was the oldest, a senior, in the club. She was like a big sister to everyone in the club and everyone loved her. When the rest of the art club saw who Areli was looking at, they followed her line of sight and all got happy and excited at seeing Hollyn. She giggled a bit, slightly amused by the reactions from the group, but she couldn't help but smile as well. She thought it was sweet.

Hollyn went through line and got her food and she had pulled out her wallet to pay. Before she could hand money to the lunch lady, someone had come up behind her and handed the money to the lunch lady.

"Keep the change."

She had a confused look on her face and turned to see who paid for her. It was none other than Cole. She didn't understand why he had paid for her, she was more than capable of paying for her food. "You didn't have to do that, you know." She murmured, but she still smiled a little and tried to ignore the way her heart flutter at the kind gesture.

"I know, but I wanted to." Cole replies, smiling a bit. He shrugs. "Plus it's your first day back, it's a special occasion."

"Sure." Hollyn chuckles, shaking her head a bit. She couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips. "But still, thank you."

"Don't mention it. Anyways, come on, you're gonna sit with me. Don't think I forgot about our plans for sitting together at lunch." Cole reminded her. He then turned to start walking back to his table. Hollyn shook her head a little, a small smile on her lips.

She looked at the art club, a little bit guilty that she wasn't going to sit with them. They seemed a little disappointed, but they understood and sent her encouraging smiles and waves. She felt better and waved back at them with a smile before she followed Cole to his table. But the smile immediately faltered at seeing Erin at the table. She should've figured. It was obvious that Erin was going to be there, and she hated it. But she didn't have a choice. So, she put on a smile, hoping it was believable.

"Alright, everyone. Everyone remembers Hollyn, right?" Cole asked, looking at his friends at the table with a small smile. They all smiled a bit and waved at Hollyn.

"Hi." Olivia smiled, greeting Hollyn. She was the only one who said anything to her besides Cole. Hollyn was a bit surprised about that. Hollyn sent her a small smile and nodded back at her. She didn't like Erin at all, but she also wasn't really a fan of Olivia. But she could tolerate Olivia more than Erin, at least.

"Sit." Cole tells Hollyn with a smile though he raised his eyebrows when no one moved over for Hollyn. "Guys." He chuckles. "Move over."

"It's pretty cramped already." Erin muttered, running a hand through her hair. In response, Cole picked up his tray, handing it to another guy in the booth across from Erin and Olivia.

"Hold that." Cole glances at Hollyn with a smile. "You can have my seat." He knows that Hollyn and Erin don't like each other, but he still wanted Hollyn to sit with him at the table and it looked like no one else was moving so he decided he would instead.

Hollyn had to admit, it was sweet and she appreciated the gesture. She was surprised, she wasn't expecting that at all. "It's okay, Cole. It does look pretty cramped, I can go sit with the art club." She reassured him, not really wanting to sit by Erin but she did want to sit by Cole. Though it wouldn't be the end of the world if she didn't sit with him this one time. 

"Nah, it's fine. Really." Cole replied, shaking his head. He smiled at her and then he hit the back of the chair the boy sat on at the end of the table, gesturing for him to move. He got up and sat at the booth across from the girls while Cole pulled the chair back for Hollyn to walk over to the now empty seat. He then sat down at the end of the table, taking his tray back from the boy he handed it to.

Hollyn felt so awkward. She really didn't want to sit by Erin, but she did want to sit by Cole and there was no more room anywhere else. With a heavy sigh, she took a seat and put her tray down, trying not to show how uncomfortable she was. She looked to her left, smiling a little when Olivia smiled at her again. Her smile fell again as Erin put her elbow up on the table, resting her chin on her hand and looking at Olivia which blocked Hollyn's view from Olivia. Great. This is going to be fun, Hollyn thought, sarcastically. She then felt someone kick her foot and she looked over, seeing Cole smirk a bit.

She rolled her eyes a bit, knowing what he was trying to tell her. She wasn't sure what he meant, though. He was probably telling her not to let Erin bother her. But that was easier said than done. Especially when Erin was right by her, blocking her view and purposely ignoring her. She sighed heavily and ate her lunch, deciding to ignore Erin's existence and listen to the conversation everyone else was having. She just hoped this lunch would hurry up and end.

Cole noticed Hollyn was being quiet and it wasn't like her. She would usually be talking and laughing. He looked over at her, seeing her looking down at her plate as she played with her food. He nudged her foot again to get her attention.

"Holls, are you alright?" He asked her quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, is all." Hollyn answered. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. She was a bit tired, but the real reason she wasn't saying much was because she didn't want to make a scene.

Cole didn't seem to believe her, but he nodded anyway. He didn't say anything else and instead continued his conversation with the others at the table. He did try to include Hollyn in the conversation as much as he could which made her feel a little better, but not by much. When the bell rang, indicating lunch was over, Hollyn couldn't get out of her seat fast enough. She was quick to get up and throw away her trash. Cole had noticed her actions, and it bothered him. He knew she didn't want to be there. He could tell, and he was sorry. He was really hoping she would sit with them today, and it wasn't supposed to be awkward, but it was.

He follows her out of the cafeteria and gently grabbed her arm, turning her around so she was facing him. "Are you sure you're okay? You seemed kind of off at lunch. I'm sorry you had to sit by Erin, I just really wanted to sit with you at lunch." He apologizes, letting go of her arm and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I missed you when you were gone and wanted to spend more time with you." 

Her face softens and she sends him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Cole. Really. And don't apologize, it's okay. I'm glad I was able to sit with you 'cause I missed you too. I guess I'm just not used to sitting at your table. I've never done that before and Erin sitting by me didn't really help. But I swear I'm okay. Thanks for asking, though."

"Of course, I was worried. I can't have my best friend being all sad and depressed." Cole jokes, earning a small giggle from her. He smiles at hearing her giggle and it makes his heart flutter. He's missed that sound. "Are you gonna be okay for the rest of the day?"

"Yes, mother. I'll be fine." Hollyn teased, rolling her eyes playfully. She couldn't help but tease her, especially when he was being protective. She had forgotten how protective he could be.

"Alright, alright." Cole chuckles, holding his hands up in defense. "Just making sure." He said as the bell rang. "I'll see you later, Hollyn." He smiled, waving a bit as he walked away.

Hollyn waves back, smiling a bit. "Bye."

She turned and headed to class. She was thankful for him checking up on her. It was nice, and she appreciated him doing that. It was nice having him back in her life.

****

After school, Hollyn had went home and decided to finally unpack. Lottie laid on her bed and watched as she began pulling out clothes and putting them away. She had a record playing and she hummed along to the music as she worked. As she worked, she thought about her day and everything that had happened. She was glad to see her friends again and had a good time at lunch, listening to them catch up and tell her stories.

She couldn't get Cole out of her mind though, and how he had been acting today. He had been so sweet, especially with Jackie. He was being really nice to her, but she thought that was also good. It was Jackie's first day at a new school and a new town, it was understandable she was nervous and a bit scared. So maybe Cole just wanted to make her feel welcome and comfortable. That's what she told herself anyways. As she unpacked, she heard a familiar knock on her window and her lips curled up into a smile. She and Cole came up with knocks when they were younger so they knew who it was. She quickly got up and pulled the curtain back, her smile widening at seeing the familiar blonde-haired boy. She opened the window, allowing him to come inside.

"You could have came through the door, you know." Hollyn chuckled as he closed the window.

"This is more fun. Plus, we've always had a special thing with the windows. Why break that tradition?" Cole askes, smiling at her. "So, how was the first day back?"

"It was alright, pretty good actually. It was nice seeing my friends again." Hollyn replied, a soft smile on her face. "How was your day? You know, besides the math test."

"It was pretty good." Cole shrugs. "I might've not waited for Jackie though after school." He added sheepishly, grimacing when Hollyn slapped his shoulder. 

"Cole! It's her first day and you just left her there?" Hollyn gasps. "Hopefully she made some new friends that are kind enough to give her a ride home."

"I did tell her the time we would meet up so that's partially on her." Cole shrugs, sighing when he noticed the look she gave him. "And maybe a little on me too, I probably should've waited a bit for her."

"You should've." Hollyn agrees with a nod. "It's her first day at a new school. You could've just given her the benefit of the doubt."

"I know." Cole sighs heavily, a frown tugging on his lips when he noticed something. "Hey, you started unpacking without me." 

"'Cause I knew with you helping me I would get distracted no matter what." Hollyn teases. "And that's what you get for not waiting for Jackie." She stuck her tongue out at him and laughs as she dodges the pillow he threw at her. "Hey!" She picks it up and tosses it back at him. "This is what I'm talking about with you distracting me." She ads jokingly. "We won't get anything done if you keep this up." She laughed again, catching the pillow when he tossed it back.

"Wow, okay." Cole feigns offense. "Just for that, I won't help you." He turned to go back to climb out the window, laughing as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He didn't plan on actually leaving, but it was fun to tease her and see her reactions.

"No! Don't leave. I was joking. Please stay and help me." Hollyn pouted, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. She was trying not to laugh. She could tell he was teasing her too and she was going to play along.

"Ugh, fine." Cole rolls his eyes, unable to stop the smile forming on his face. "But I'm only staying 'cause of those d**n puppy dog eyes." He muttered, playfully glaring at her. He could never say no to her when she used those puppy dog eyes on him.

"Well, then it worked." Hollyn grins, shrugging. "Alright, let's get to work."

"Yes, ma'am." Cole saluted her, earning a chuckle and a playful shove from her.

They then got to work, working side by side as they unpacked. They would take breaks and talk about random things, laughing and catching up on the time they were apart. When they were done, Hollyn had decided to change into something more comfortable and Cole had sat on her bed, waiting for her. He looked around her room, taking in all the posters and pictures on the wall. Most of the pictures were her with her family or her with her friends. But there were some with him and it made him smile. Then his gaze landed on a music box on her dresser and he smiled softly.

The music box was white and it was decorated with flowers. Her grandmother gave it to her when she was younger. It had belonged to her grandmother and she wanted to give it to her granddaughter. She had told Hollyn that whenever she needed a little bit of inspiration, she could play the song that played and it would help. There was a tiny ballerina inside and the song played whenever the box was opened. But the music box stopped working a few years ago. He remembered Hollyn had been so upset because she loved the music box so much.

"I don't know if it'll ever work again. It hasn't in a while. But I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. It's not the music box itself, but the memories." Hollyn's voice caused him to look away from the music box and he saw her leaning against the doorframe. She now wore grey sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. She had no makeup on and her hair was now in a messy bun. Cole couldn't deny she looked adorable.

"I think it's sweet you still have it." Cole smiled softly at her, making her smile as well.

"Thanks." She replies softly and walks over to him. "Sorry if that took too long. Thanks for waiting though." Hollyn smiles at her, sitting beside him. "Wanna watch a movie?" She asked.

"Sure, sounds great." Cole smiled. Hollyn then stood up, moving over to her TV. She had her TV stand where the bottom drawer had movies. She had her movies organized into genres. So, she started to browse through them, deciding on which one they should watch. Cole had laid back against the pillows, making himself comfortable as he waited.

"Disney?" She suggested, smiling back at him.

Cole chuckles, not surprised by her suggestion. She loves Disney. "Disney." He nodded, returning her smile. He always liked seeing her get excited and happy about something, and Disney movies are no exception.

Hollyn grinned and picked a movie before putting it in. She then joined him back on the bed and cuddled up next to him. He immediately wrapped an arm around her, smiling a bit. He missed this, having her cuddled up against him, watching Disney movies and just spending time together. It's been way too long. He wasn't surprised when he saw what Disney movie she picked. She picked one of her favorites, Cinderella.

"You love that movie." He pointed out with a small chuckle.

"I know. But can you blame me?" She shrugs, smiling at him. "It's a classic. Everyone knows it's a classic."

"Fair point." Cole agreed.

As the movie went on, they got even more comfortable. He was laying against the headboard and her head on his shoulder with his arm around her. Lottie was on the bed as well, cuddled up on Hollyn's other side. By the time the movie was over, both of them had fallen asleep. Cole had fallen asleep first and Hollyn followed soon after.

They had both slept peacefully, neither of them waking up. That was until her mom came home. Her mom had called her name, looking for her. She opened her bedroom door, stopping in her tracks when she saw Hollyn sleeping, cuddled up to Cole. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. She turned and left, shutting the door behind her and letting them sleep.

****

The next day Hollyn was at her locker in the hallway. She and Cole had went to their spot after dinner like usual and she couldn't believe what he and the boys had done to Jackie. They had scared her with Rumple, the pet snake. She felt so bad for Jackie and of course scolded Cole for doing such a thing. He didn't care and had laughed, telling her it was all just a joke and nothing to worry about. She knew Cole wouldn't hurt Jackie, she was just worried about Jackie being freaked out.

"Hey." Lillian's voice brings her back to reality. "You alright? You've been staring at the books in your locker for a while now." Lillian O'Brian was another senior in the art club and one of the most popular girls in school. She was one of the smartest girls Hollyn had ever met, and the most talented. She wasn't like your typical popular girl though, she was really sweet and cared about people. She was the one everyone went to for advice, she always somehow had great advice for any kind of problem. Hollyn and Lillian had left the shared class they had and were talking as they walked to her locker when she had got lost in her thoughts.

"Sorry, just thinking." Hollyn replies sheepishly, sending Lillian an apologetic glance and closing her locker to turn to face her. "I'll see you at class?" She asked with a small smile.

"Of course. See you." Lillian returned the smile before she walked away. Hollyn then walked down the hallway, finding Jackie.

"Hey, Jackie." She greeted, getting the other girl's attention.

"Oh, hi." Jackie replied, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I just wanted to apologize for the boys last night," Hollyn admits, earning a confused look from Jackie. "Oh, Cole told me about what happened with Rumple. I'm sorry, I should've warned you they like to play pranks. I should have known Cole would do something to you."

"It's fine." Jackie reassured her. "I wasn't hurt, I was just a bit surprised." She sighs. "And believe me, I know all about their pranks." She said, fixing the red hat she wore. Hollyn raised her eyebrows in question, then she notices the bleach colored part of her hair and she nodded in understanding.

"They have no boundaries. The color works great on you though if that helps." She complimented with a small smile.

"Thanks." Jackie replies, smiling back. "So, I'm guessing you're close with the guys then?"

"Yeah, I've known them all my whole life. Cole and I are best friends." Hollyn explains. "So I'm sorry for their behavior." She grimaces. "I hope they didn't scare you off. It'll be nice to have another girl nearby."

"Trust me, it'll take a lot more than a prank to scare me off." Jackie chuckles a little and smiles. "Yeah, I agree. It would be nice to have a girl close by."

"Good, I'm glad." Hollyn returns the smile. "Hey, maybe we could hang out sometime. Do something just us girls." She wanted to get to know Jackie more and thought maybe doing something with just the two of them would be good.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Jackie nodded, her eyes lighting up. She was excited to do something with Hollyn, she didn't really know her very well. So, she was excited to get to know her.

"Great. I'll see you around then." Hollyn said with a smile, waving a little before she turned to head to class. Jackie waved back, a soft smile appearing on her face. She was happy to have found a friend in Hollyn, she could tell she was a great girl. And having another girl around would be nice. She was looking forward to getting to know her better.

A/N hollyn & jackie are becoming friends yay (: