LET DOWN

fourteen.          i adore you

▬ "NOT THAT I MIND, but is this our thing now?" Emmett asked, an amused smile on his lips as he watched Cori pick at the lunch he had packed for her – he packed her a lunch everyday – his hand against her head. It had been nearly two weeks since the accident and she had done the same thing almost everyday.

"I have a headache." She shrugged, biting into a muffin.

"And this helps, how?" Travis asked, his eyebrows pinched slightly, his arm draped over the back of the chair Rosalie occupied.

"He's a freaking ice pack." She told him. "And, also, I like contact." She shrugged, her voice going quiet.

"Weird."

"Listen here, Psycho." She huffed as she turned towards Edward. "I am not weird. You're just insanely boring."

"Psycho?" He echoed, his eyebrows creased.

"Yep." She nodded, giving him a sarcastic smile. "Now, shut up and leave me alone." She reached up and moved Emmett's hand a little so it rested closer to her forehead and the cut that was hidden by her hair. And all Emmett could do was laugh, he loved that she seemed to hate Edward, or at the very least dislike him.

"So, Shorty, how's the noggin?" Travis asked, trying to fill the silence.

"Still sore. Still have a hard time focusing in class, but at least one of you is in all my classes. And I really do appreciate all the help. And the notes. Especially you." She motioned to Jasper with her muffin. "Would you mind helping me with more flashcards? It's for Spanish class, but your penmanship is... I don't even have the words."

"Happy to help." He gave her a small nod, a smile pulling at his lips and her own smile grew.

"Nerd." Emmett mumbled, jokingly.

"Shut up, Tree." She huffed, narrowing her eyes at him and he chuckled. Even though she was trying to be intimidating, she was completely adorable. It didn't help that his hand was still resting on her head or the fact that his hand was almost as big as her head.

"I can help you study for algebra, if you need it." Alice offered up. "I noticed that you had a really hard time during class, you seemed frustrated today."

"Really?" Emmett questioned, getting slightly worried.

"Yeah, I'm not great with math to begin with. And with my lack of focus and all the numbers and letters..." she shook her head a little, just thinking about it hurt. "And I can never remember the formulas."

"We can study after school, maybe even over the weekend. If you're feeling up to it." The girl almost bounced in her seat, a wide smile pulling at her lips. "You can come to our house."

"I would really appreciate that." Cori nodded, her own smile wide but it faded when Emmett moved his hand. "Why'd you move your hand?" She almost pouted and he stopped, his arm slightly raised.

"My shoulder got stiff." He told her, rolling his shoulders a little bit. "Sorry."

"I gotcha." Travis stood up and leaned across the table, placing his hand on her head and she giggled. "I didn't think this through." He muttered.

"You hardly ever do." Rosalie patted his back, a small chuckle leaving her lips and he let his head hang forward a little.

"Sit down, dummy." Cori told him, her smile still intact and he pulled his hand back as he sat down again. "I appreciate the effort though." She told him, getting a nod in return, then she turned towards Emmett. "And if it hurts your arm, you don't have to. I didn't even think about it being uncomfortable for you, I'm sorry."

"No, I really don't mind." He gave her a smile. "Just staying in one position for so long..."

"I totally get that." She nodded. "I can't sit still for very long."

"We've noticed." Edward hummed and she turned towards him, her eyes narrowed. "What now?" He sighed, but he could clearly hear the angry comments rolling around in her head. Though he didn't need to read her mind to know that she didn't like him very much, she wore her emotions on her sleeve.

"I'm not very fond of you."

And she said what she thought.

His eyebrows pinched a little as he looked at her, but something across the room caught his attention. He pushed himself up without another word and walked away.

"Finally, he's gone." She mumbled. "Let's talk shit about him." The others at the table laughed, even Jasper, who she had never seen laugh before. Well, it wasn't really a laugh, more like the start of a chuckle he tried to keep in but he failed miserably.

Emmett leaned towards her and lightly kissed her cheek, he wanted to do more but he'd settle for now. "I adore you, Shortcake."

Her cheeks went pink, even the tips of her ears had changed color, but her smile was as big as ever as she looked up at him. She couldn't wrap her head around the way he made her feel. All she knew was that she had never felt it before and she didn't want it to stop.

"I also adore you, Tree." She told him, her voice quiet and his smile grew even wider, nearly splitting his face in two. He leaned in again and pressed about a dozen kisses to her cheeks before lightly pecking her nose and all she could do was giggle.

.

.

.

.

.

.

▬ CORI SAT WITH HER LEGS crossed, her back against Alice's bed, her math book laid on the floor in front of her with her notebook in her lap. Alice laid on her back, her head hanging off the bed and her hair standing on end.

"X equals five, according to the last equation."

"Correct." Alice hummed, not moving from her spot as she looked up at the ceiling.

"And I just put five into this one where there's an x then y equals..." she scribbled out the math on her notebook. "175?" She turned, looking at the upside down girl to her left.

"Also correct." She nodded and Cori smiled.

"Can I just quit school and have you homeschool me?" She mumbled, laying her notebook on the floor as she leaned her head back against the girl's bed. Alice giggled, turning to look at the human girl.

"Whenever you need help, just ask."

"Thank you." Cori gave her a smile before her eyebrows creased slightly. "How are you not lightheaded? You've been upside down for a while."

"It's a gift." She shrugged and Cori just nodded, her head hurt too much to question it. "Is your head okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded. "It's just really bright-" Alice flipped backwards off the bed, somehow managing to land gracefully before she basically hopped her way towards the light switch and flipped it off. The room dimmed, but it wasn't dark. Some light still covered the room from outside, but it was overcast so the sun wasn't beating down into the room.

"Better?" She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly.

"Yes, thank you." Cori gave her a smile and Alice returned it before sitting on the floor next to the girl.

"We're finished with that." She pushed the books to the side. "Anything else you wanna do today? Maybe something not school related?"

"Um, not really." She shrugged. "Bella's at the beach and my dad is working."

"Have you been into town?" Alice asked. "They have some cute shops that I think you would like. It's all beanies and coats. Oh! I saw a sweater that you would love."

"I don't really have a lot of money." Cori gave her a small smile, and Alice could see the hint of embarrassment in her eyes. How could she not? She was sitting in a room that was bigger than her living room and the house, it was huge. It had floor-to-ceiling windows, the fanciest – yet somehow most comfortable – couches. The artwork was impeccable. It was a nice house, but that was to be expected. Carlisle was a very renowned doctor and surgeon.

"Oh, I'm paying." Alice waved her off before jumping to her feet and pulling the girl up next to her. "Don't even worry about it."

.

.

.

.

.

.

▬ EMMETT HELD HIS ARMS out as Alice piled shirts, sweaters, jackets, and even dresses on him. Even still, all he could do was smile because of the way Cori's eyes lit up every time Alice showed her something before telling her that she was, in fact, trying it on.

He didn't like shopping, at all, but the second he heard that Alice was taking Cori out after they had been studying all morning he asked if he could join. He just wanted to spend time with Cori, which he hadn't gotten to do when she arrived at the Cullen house – Bella had dropped her off – because Alice whisked her away and up to her room.

Now, he sat in a chair that was too small for him and even if it hadn't been, it wasn't cushioned enough to be comfortable. He slouched forward a little, his elbows on his knees as he twiddled his thumbs, he had been all but abandoned as the two girls disappeared into the dressing rooms.

"Okay." He looked up as the door opened and Cori stepped out, she wore a large sweater that hung down past her thighs, a pair of thick black leggings covered her legs and on her feet were her fuzzy snowman socks. She pulled her hair over her left shoulder, a wide smile on her face as she held her arms out to the side a little. "What do you think?"

"Wow." He simply breathed out.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking down at the outfit. "It isn't too simple?"

"No, you look adorable." He pushed himself up and made his way towards her, a smile on his lips. "But I think you'd look even better in one of my sweaters." He lowered his voice a little and her cheeks flushed, she let the sleeves hang down past her hands and she clenched her fist around the extra fabric.

"Stop saying stuff like that." She lightly hit his chest with the side of her fist, not meeting his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I-I never know how to respond." She mumbled. "My brain short-circuits and I have to stop myself from kissing you."

A smirk pulled at his lips. "You wanna kiss me?"

"Only, like, all the time." She muttered, toying with the buttons on his shirt. "But I-" He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, catching her completely off guard as he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her up a little. She quickly moved her lips against his, her hands sliding up his torso until they locked behind his neck as she pushed up onto her toes, still the reach was tough. She pulled back, falling back to her heels as she looked around.

"I'm sorry." He rushed out as she made her way over to the chair he had been sitting in. "I couldn't-" She grabbed his wrist and tugged him with her as she stepped up into the chair. "Cori, what are you doing?"

"I can reach you now." She mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ear and he grinned, stepping closer to her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he leaned in again. This time kissing her just a little slower, less impatiently, like he was savoring it. She smiled into the kiss, slipping her hands into his hair as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, tugging her against him.

"I adore you." He mumbled against her lips before trailing kisses down her neck. It was still too early to utter the l-word even if he so desperately wanted to say it.

She was breathless, trying to take in as much air as possible as she squeezed her eyes closed. All she could manage to get out was a soft moan, the words getting caught in her throat as he kissed the spot where her collarbones met, and that only made the boy smile against her skin before pressing his lips against hers again.

"Finally!" Alice cheered, bouncing a little when she saw the two as she stepped out of the dressing room and they pulled apart, keeping their arms locked around the other. "Took you long enough."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 🎄🎅🏼☃️

also, they had their first kiss!!!