More Than Friends

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(Requested by @JhedwigaXx I hope you like it) ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cole's POV
Hi I'm Cole Sprouse. I have a little sister called Jessica but I call her Jess. I'm 15 years old and Jess is only 4. I know there's a big age gap but that's what happens when both of your parents are high most of the time. They are both drug and alcohol addicts. They've been like that from before I was born, in fact both Jess and I were born addicted to drugs. We are currently in foster homes. We have been for just over a year. Jess was diagnosed with social anxiety, anxiety and separation anxiety form me by our therapist. We have a therapist because of all the stuff we, well I went through. We were verbally, mentally and somethings physically abused us. They never physically hurt Jess thankfully but she has watched me be beaten. Because of all of this I have social anxiety, anxiety, depression, I have abandonment issues and nobody knows this but I self harm. They did shout at Jess which cause her to be very scared of people who weren't me. We had just been told we were being adopted by a family and we're meeting them today. We were currently staying at the adoption centre. Jess and I shared a room because she couldn't be away from me. I sigh.
C: "who are they?" I ask our social worker Rachel. She sighs.
R: "they are the Reinharts, they've got one biological daughter the same age as you and they've fostered before for us and they are amazing!" She says smiling. I frown.
C: "that's what you said about the last ones." I say sighing. She nods.
R: "this time I really think these ones will be it though." She says smiling. I nod.
C: "you also said that about every other home we've been today including our birth parents home." I say tying my shoe laces. Jess was asleep beside me, which means I have to wake her. She nods.
R: "right well, it's in the past! Wake up your sister and come on! There waiting!" She says before walking out. I sigh and rub Jesses back. I sigh.
C: "Jess wake up." I say gently. She rolls over and looks at me.
J: "where are we going Coley?" She asks sitting up. I sigh.
C: "there's so nice people here to see us." I say softly. She sighs and moves into my lap.
J: "why?" She asks laying her head on my chest. I sigh and kiss her cheek.
C: "well, they are adopting us which means we will be staying with them." I say softly. She nods.
J: "okay." She says sighing. I nod.
C: "now, let's get your shoes in and go meet them." I say sounding happier than I was. She nods and I help her put them on. She sighs.
J: "can you carry me, I'm really scared." She whispers. I nod and pick her up.
C: "I'm here okay, nobodies going to hurt you." I say looking into her eyes. She nods and I kiss her head.
J: "nobodies going to hurt you either." She says smiling. I smile.
C: "thank you cutie." I say tapping her nose before walking out. She giggles and lays her head on my shoulder. We walk to the visitor room and the closer we get the more nervous I become. I knock on the door and slowly walk in. I see a couple sitting in the couch. They weren't very young but they didn't look too old either. I smile lightly before sitting beside Rachel. She smiles. The man whispers to the woman not so quietly.
MRR: "I thought there was only a little girl? I didn't agree to two." He says glancing over to us. Jess grips tighter into me. I rub her back.
MRSR: "Daniel! Not now!" She says smiling. He nods.
R: "now, so Mr and Mrs Reinhart this is Cole and Jessica Sprouse. Cole is 15 and Jessica is 4." She says smiling.
R: "Jessica would you like to say hello to Mr and Mrs Reinhart?" She says touching her back. Jessica screams, jumps out of my lap and runs out of the room. I glare at Rachel before running after her. She was back in our room. She was sitting in the corner crying and shacking. I sigh and slowly go over to her.
C: "hey baby, it me." I say sitting across from her. She looks up and me and jumps into my lap. I sigh and hold her tightly.
C: "just breathe baby, take a deep breathe." I says taking a deep breathe as she does the same. After 10 minutes her breathing was back to normal.
J: "he was angry because you were there, he was going to hurt you." She says scared. I sigh.
C: "no, I'm okay. We are okay. They are nice people. How about we go back and ask just to talk to the lady? Then after awhile if your comfortable he could come back in." I ask gently. She nods so I walk back into the room. I smile.
C: "I'm so sorry about that but would it be possible that we could just have Mrs Reinhart in the room just, Jessica isn't too good with new people." I say smiling. He nods and walks out of the room. I feel Jess relax a little in my arms. I smile and I sit back down.
C: "I'm so sorry about that Mrs Reinhart. It's just hard. She's so young and she doesn't really like new people." I say smiling. Mrs Reinhart smiles.
MRSR: "on it's no problem at all and please call me Amy!" She says smiling. I nod.
C: "sorry, Amy." I say smiling. I rub Jesses back.
C: "do you want to say hi to Amy?" I ask Jess softly. She looks at me for reassurance and I nod. She takes a deep breath and looks over to Amy.
J: "hi." She says softly. Amy smiles.
A: "hi hunny, your beautiful." She says smiling. Jess smiles a little before resting her head back on my chest. I smile and kiss her head.
C: "good job baby." I whisper so only Jess can hear. She smiles and I smirk. Rachel tells Mrs Reinhart a little bit about our past foster homes. I was rubbing Jesses arm to keep her calm until I felt her body go limp on my arms. She was asleep. I kiss her head and put both of my arms around her so she doesn't fall off my lap. Amy smiles.
A: "is she asleep?" She asks me smiling. I nod.
C: "yah, she was napping before this and I guess she's just exhausted from earlier." I say looking down to Jess. She had my sweatshirt in a fist and her lips were slightly parted, a slight snore coming out. I rub her cheek. Rachel speaks up.
R: "Cole, how about you tell Amy about yourself and Jessica?" She asks me smiling. I nod.
C: "well, Jessica has social anxiety, separation anxiety, anxiety and is very nervous around new people especially men. I've been the main person in her life from the days she was born. Her favourite colour is baby pink and her favourite animal is a giraffe. She sleeps with her giraffe stuffed animal and cries with out it. Her favourite number is 8 and she has never been to school. I taught her all the stuff she knows. She can count to 50 and knows how to right my name but we're working on that. She speaks with our therapist once a month and hates being sick. She loves having her nails painted and doesn't like rice. Her favourite food is soup and she's allergic to peppers and red berries. She doesn't like warm milk unless it's for hot chocolate. She loves candy but if she has too much has a sugar high and then crashes. Her favourite fruit is bananas and loves smoothies. Her go to meal is the chicken nuggets from the freezer and fries. She only likes baths because she doesn't like the water pressure on showers. She doesn't like cheese burger, she prefers chicken ones. If she isn't asleep by 9 she's really grumpy for the next two days. If she can't sleep she likes to be sung to. She loves cuddles. Her favourite show is 'Barbie' and loves playing with baby dolls." I say taking a breath. Amy nods.
A: "okay." She says laughing. I sigh.
C: "oh and she'll only take banana flavoured medicines." I say nodding. She nods.
A: "and what about you?" She asks smiling. I nod.
C: "I suffer for social anxiety, anxiety, depression and I have abandonment issues. If I get to stressed I get sick. I only know the basic stuff to do with education but I know how to spend and save money so your only spending $50 a month. I'm allergic to Advil and have to sleep with a light on because of my past." I say sighing. She nods.
A: "anything else? Favourite food?" She asks curiously.
C: "I'll eat anything. I also know to make a lot of meals. And we both have anxiety attacks." I say shrugging. She nods slowly.  Jess moves in my arms.
J: "I want Gaffy." She says looking up at me. I sigh.
C: "do you want to go to our room and get her?" I ask her. She nods and slowly leaves the room.
C: "she's just going to our room get her giraffe." I say smiling. She nods.
A: "as in both of yours room?" She asks confused. I nod.
C: "we have separate beds but because of the separation anxiety she can't sleep in her own room. I was working on it in our last foster home by like staying with her until she falls asleep and checking on her after 5 minutes then 10 until I go to bed. Then we got pulled out of there and then her whole routine was ruined and we were pushed back to the start and that's were we've got so far." I say sighing.  She nods.
A: "it's progress." She says smiling I nod.
C: "yah." I say shooting her a small smile. Jess comes back in dragging Gaffy with her. I pick her up and she lays her head on my chest. I kiss her head and she snuggles into me. She was facing Amy. Amy smiles.
A: "your brother was telling me about you. All about what you like and what you don't like." She says softly. Jess nods. We get to know Amy and use seems nice enough. Then it come to Mr Reinhart and he's different. I don't like him at all. He's too strict but he might be nicer when we get to know him. We were moving in with them tomorrow. It was all so quick. We were back in our room. Jess was playing whilst I was cleaning up and packing things we don't need. We had almost nothing and we only needed two trash bags so it wasn't a lot. One was filled with toys and the other was all our clothes. Neither was even half full. Jess sighs.
J: "that man was a meany." She says sighing. I nod.
C: "he was not the nicest person I've ever met but he might be nice if we get to know him." I say shrugging. She nods.
J: "do we have to go? Can we not just stay here?" She says pouting. I sigh.
C: "baby we can't stay here, this is just for a short time whilst we're in between families but now we have a family that wants us so we have to see how this one goes." I say looking at her. She nods.
J: "I'm just scared. He's scary and maybe she's nice but so were the last ones until they didn't want us." She says quietly. I sigh.
C: "come here." I say sighing. She slowly walks over to me. She sits in my lap and looks at me.
C: "no matter if we're living with them till we move out or we move out after 3 months I will always be with you, okay? We will always have here, you will always have here! And also, if Amy's daughter is nice you'll have her so that's fun!" I say hoping she lightens up a bit. She nods.
J: "yah I know but I just want to have a house with just you! Me and you and only me and up you!" She says sighing. I nod.
C: "I know Jess me too but I'm too young and I'll still be with you when we move in with the Reinharts." I say rubbing her back. She nods and hugs me. I chuckle and hug her back. I kiss her head.
J: "I love you Coley." She says smiling. I kiss her nose.
C: "I love you too cutie, so much." She smiles and hops off my lap going back to playing. I sigh. This was going to be a hard move. I sigh and sit on my bed. I didn't have a phone, I have never had one so I just sat there and watch Jess play. She was so content here and I knew when we moved in with the Reinharts she would be pushed straight back into square one. There was a knock on our door before someone walked in. It was Rachel. She smiles.
R: "hey you two! Are you excited for tomorrow?" She asks smiling. I just shrug and Jess shacks her head. Rachel nods.
R: "ahh you'll be fine! Anyway, I think you should pack what you can so when your leaving all, you'll have to pack is the basic stuff." She says sighing. I nod and point over to the two black bags. She nods.
R: "I see you've already done that, and why are they only half full?" She asks confused.
C: "ones toys and stuffed animals and stuff and the other is our clothes. I have left an outfit for us both and our pyjamas but the rest is packed away. We only have a small amount each." I say shrugging. She nods.
R: "right okay well, enjoy your last night here kiddos and I'll see you for dinner." She says before walking out. I nod and we get on with the rest of our day. It was about 6.30 and Jess and I were taking our final walk around the foster centre garden. Jess loved walking around here. She sighs.
J: "do you think this will be our actual last night here?" She asks nervously. I sigh and look down at her.
C: "I don't know. I hope it is because you need a permanent home to grow up in." I say sighing. She nods and yawns.
J: "can we go back I'm really sleepy." She says with her eyes closed. I nod and we turn around. She stops and puts her arms up signalling for me to pick her up. I chuckle and pick her up. She rests her head on my shoulder. By the time she was in bed it was 8.30. She sighs.
J: "can we cuddle until I fall asleep?" She asks smiling. I nod and lie beside her. She snuggles into me and I kiss her head.
C: "I love you." I whisper resting my head on here. She giggles.
J: "I love you too." She whispers before falling asleep. I smile and gentle move her into her bed. I tuck her in and kiss her head. I quietly pack up her last toys and get myself ready for bed. I do a double check of the room making sure everything that can be packed is packed. I nod before getting into bed myself. I turn the TV on and put the volume on very quietly. By 10pm I was fast asleep, dreading what the day ahead had I hold for us.
The Next Day
I was awoken by Jess tapping my arm. I turn around to look at her.
C: "good morning." I say sitting up. She gets up onto my bed and lies down. I frown.
C: "what's wrong?" I ask running my fingers through her hair. She sighs.
J: "we're moving today." She says sighing. I nod.
C: "yah we are." I say sighing. She frowns.
J: "I'm really scared." She whispers looking up at me. Her eyes fill with tears. I sigh and rub her cheek with my thumb. She hides her face in my shoulder. I rub her back.
C: "I know it's scary baby but you'll be okay. I'll be there. There's nothing to be scared of." I tell her kissing her head. She nods and after a while looks back up at me. Her face was red and her eyes were bloodshot. I sigh and pick her up bringing her into my lap. She lays her head on my shoulder and I rub her back.
J: "I wanna stay here with Rachel and all the other kids." She whispers sniffling. I sigh.
C: "I know but we'll still see Rachel every week and you can make new friends." I say honestly. She nods and we get ready for the rest of the day. We go into the cafeteria for breakfast and finally it was time to go. The Reinharts were picking us up. It was 10am and they had just arrived. They fill in final forms before it was time to go. Rachel smiles.
R: "okay so, Cole and Jessica you'll be keeping your surname but your legal guardians are Mr and Mrs Reinhart." She says smiling. I nod. Jess cuddles into my side and I rub her back. Amy speaks up.
A: "is that all we have to do?" She asks smiling. Rachel nods.
R: "yes so when ever your ready your free to go!" She says happily. Amy nods.
A: "perfect, well Dan do you want to get there bags?" She asks him smiling. He nods and looks at me.
C: "there beside you." I say quietly. He nods and looks down. Amy looks at me confused.
A: "do you not have back packs for bags?" She asks shocked. I shack my head. She nods and Mr Reinhart picks up the two black bags. Rachel squats down to Jesses hight.
R: "you be good for the Reinharts now okay?" She asks taking her hand. Jess nods and hugs Rachel. She smiles and hugs Jess back. When they pull away Rachel hugs me.
R: "let me know if you need anything." She says smiling. I nod.
C: "thank you." I say smiling. She nods and Amy smiles.
A: "will we go home then?!" She asks happily. I smile as an answer even though it was fake. We walk out to their car and Rachel waves by before we drive off. Jess holds my hand the whole way. I could see how scared she was and honestly so was I but I was strong for her. After about 15 minutes we pull up to a house. It was like a traditional house, some might call it homey but it's just a house after all. Amy smiles.
A: "well, here we are, this is where we and you will live." She says smiling. I nod. She smiles and we get out of the car. Jess doesn't leave my side. Dan smiles.
D: "so, just to let you know, we have an amazing daughter, Lili, she's beautiful and really amazing so don't mess her up. She doesn't know about you only Jessica so just speak if your spoken to." He says smiling. Amy glares at him and I nod. He smirks to me before we walk into the house. Their daughter was standing at the door waiting. When wane sees me she frowns.
L: "who's the boy?" She asks confused. Amy smiles and goes to touch my shoulder but I jump because I was normal hurt around the shoulder so she stops.
A: "this is Cole and Jessica. These are the kids we are adopting." She says smiling. Lili frowns.
L: "I only agreed to the little girl, not a teenage boy." She says looking me up and down. I frown but shack it off. Dan smiles.
D: "don't worry hunny, Cole won't bother you." He says smiling. She smiles.
L: "thank you daddy." She says hugging him. I nearly gag. Disgusting. Dan hugs her back.
D: "no problem at all princess, anything for my baby." He says kissing her head. I internally gag and look away. Jess was hiding behind my legs. I sigh.
C: "can you show us our rooms please?" I ask politely. Amy nods. She leads us up the stairs and stops in front of two rooms.
A: "okay so, in the second room there's two beds. I thought maybe it would be rice for the first while just if Jessica would feel better with you. Then in the other room theres a double bed and a closer and stuff so that can be Jessica's room whenever she feels comfortable. So in the first room there's like a closet and desk and we have a double bed in our basement so we can change it over when your both comfortable here." She says smiling. I nod.
C: "thank you so much! We aren't the easiest people to care for." I say smiling. She shacks her head.
A: "it's no problem at all! So have you guys ate breakfast?" She asks smiling. I nod.
C: "yes, we had food before we left." I say. She nods.
A: "okay well, if you want to unpack? Make up yourself at home. Your bags are there so yah. We have a dog about somewhere so yah, she's called poppy. There's a porch swing outside feel free to use it whenever and help your self to any food. We have Netflix and stuff on the TV so give one of us a shout if you need help figuring that out." She says smiling. I nod and she leaves. I sigh and rub Jesses back.
C: "hey baby, are you okay?" I ask her softly. She nods against my leg and we walk into the room. I sigh and bend down to Jesses hight. She looks at me with watery eyes and her chin was trembling. I sigh and hug her. She hides her face in my neck and I rock her back and forth as she calms down. After a while I smile to her.
C: "how about we go into your room and we organise all your toys?!" I ask her happily. She nods and takes my hand. I smile and we go in and unpack her toys.
Lili's POV
Cole was hot! God he was amazing, he was cute and handsome! I don't like him though. Before him and his sister I was my parents life, now they're taking the spotlight. I was currently in the kitchen with my parents chatting. My mum sighs.
A: "you have to be nice to Cole and Jessica sweetie, they've been through a lot together." She says smiling. I nod.
L: "okay, but tell me what he's been through, I need to know what's wrong with him before I be nice to him." I say shrugging. She sighs and grows her arms up in frustration.
A: "this boy has been through multiple abusive homes and has brought his little sister up form he was 10! At least have enough respect in you to not be a complete jerk!" She says before storming off. I look at my dad and he shrugs.
Amy's  POV
I hated how rude Lili was. I love my daughter of course I do but the way she was treating Cole was not good. I walk up stairs to check on Cole and Jessica when I hear Cole talking.
C: "and where will we put your stuffed animals?" He asks Jessica hold up a black bag. Jessica giggles.
J: "over there." She says pointing to a corner. Cole nods and tips the bag of stuffed animals into the little a basket that was in the corner. There was a lot of them. Jessica runs over to Cole and hugs his leg smiling.
C: "what do you think? Are you toys happy with their new home?" He asks her rubbing her back. She nods and motions for Cole to pick her up. So he does and sighs.
C: "now we do the clothes!" He says smiling. She nods and yawns.
C: "you sleepy?" He asks her. She nods.
C: "do you want to take a nap? You can do it while I finish unpacking our stuff." He asks kissing her head. She nods and he sets her down. It only takes her a couple of minutes to sleep before he starts to unpack again. I smile and gently knock on the door. He looks at me and smiles a little.
C: "she's just taking a nap, she was really tired." He says tilting his head to Jessica. I nod and smile.
A: "she's a deep sleeper." I say shocked because he was talking in a normal tone. He nods.
C: "you have to be when you grow up in a crack house." He says smiling. I frown.
C: "not funny?" He asks sarcastically. I shack my head. He nods. I laugh.
A: "is there anything you want for lunch?" I ask him smiling. He shacks his head.
C: "no I'll just eat whatever." He says smiling. I nod. He's smile was dull and shy. Like he was afraid. I nod.
A: "okay well, when Jessica wakes up ask her if she wants anything and let me know." I say smiling before walking off. He nods and carries on unpacking. I knew this would be hard, of course it would, they have been through so much but I was happy. After having Lili and I was never able to have more kids and I know there's a big age gap but we've give them a home and stability.
Cole's POV
After I had finished putting away both of our clothes I just sat in Jesses room waiting for her to wake up. 10 minutes later she does so we go down to the Reinharts. I was holding Jess because she has just woke up. They all smile when they see us. I smile back.
C: "I was just wondering if you need me to do anything?" I ask nervously. Lili and Dan raise their eyes brows shocked and Amy shacks her head.
A: "no there nothing, why do you ask?" She asks confused. I just shrug.
C: "just, I guess in our old foster homes we had to earn are keep as such." I say shrugging. Her face goes soft and she gets a sympathetic expression.
A: "well, that's not happening here. Obviously you should keep your room tidy but you don't need it do anything else." She says smiling. I nod and sort of stand there awkwardly. She sighs.
A: "is Jessica okay?" She asks me concerned. I nod.
C: "yah she's just waking up." I say looking down to Jess. She was awake it had her eyes closed and her head on my shoulder. Lili speaks up.
L: "I was thinking we could do pizza tonight for dinner? Celebrate the new members of the family, or we'll any sort of take away." She says shrugging. Amy nods.
A: "yah! Are you okay with Pizza?" She asks me. I nod and rub Jesses back.
C: "do you want pizza for dinner Jess?" I ask her in a whisper. I don't get a response.
C: "baby." I whisper kiss her head. She nods and hides her face in my neck. I smile.
C: "yah we're both okay with that." I say smiling lightly. She nods.
A: "how about we go into the living room and get to know each other?" She asks smiling. They all nod and walk in, me trailing behind unsure of what to do. Amy smiles.
A: "you can come in Cole, you can sit whenever." She says smiling. I nod and sit on one of the chairs. Jess was sitting in my lap, her head on my chest. Amy smiles.
A: "well I know you told me about your self and Jess and I have told Dan and Lili about it so it's only fair that we tell you about us." She says smiling. I nod. Lili was staring at me. I don't know why. She had a small smile on her face. She was probably staring at Jess. I look around the room. It was very decorated. There was photographs in frames and pictures of Lili. They tell me about themselves but honestly I only really listen to Lili. She was beautiful, even though she was a bit rude at the beginning she was beautiful. Her hair was a golden blond and her eyes were a beautiful colour. They were like an emerald green with a touch of yellow to them. You could get lost in them. She was wearing blue jeans with a light purple hoodie. Her hair was down and it rested on her shoulders. I wasn't sure if she has makeup on or not but I don't think so. She was just gorgeous. I shack my head, knocking myself out of the day dream. The rest of the day Jess was quite quiet but I understood. At 8 she was bathed and ready to sleep. I was holding her as she drifted off to sleep. We were all sitting in the living room. I was rocking Jess back and forth to try and get her to sleep. After at least 45 minutes she was asleep. I sigh.
C: "I'm sorry that took so long. It's just the new house and people scares her because she's young and has seen things no one but especially not a 2 year old should see." I say apologetically. They all smile sympathetically.
A: "it's no problem at all, it's very understandable." She says smiling. I nod. Lili sighs.
L: "what did she see?" She asks curiously. Amy glares and her. I sigh.
C: "our biological parents were not good people and let's just say if things didn't go there way they would hurt the person who they though caused it and 100% of the time that was me and Jess saw that so she's just scared." I say quietly. She nods and looks down. I clear my throat.
C: "I gonna go lay her down, I'll probably stay with her so goodnight, I guess." I say before walking out. I walk up stairs and into my room. Jess starts to fidget in my arms so I rock her but she wakes up.
J: "I wanna sleep you you." She says clinging to me. I nod.
C: "okay baby, will we sleep in your big bed?" I ask her rubbing her back. She nods. We walk into her room and I lie down on the bed.
C: "can you wait here till I get ready for bed?" I ask her. She shacks her head. I sigh.
C: "do you trust Amy to hold you till I'm ready?" I ask her hopefully. She slowly nods so I nod and go back downstairs. I smile.
C: "Amy would there be any chance you could hold her till I get changed?" I ask nervously. She nods.
A: "of course!" She says happily. I nod and pass Jess to her she smiles and I run back up stairs and quickly get changed.
Lili's POV
My mum smiles. She looks at me and mouths.
A: "she's so small." She mouths shocked. I nod. After about 5 minutes of my mum rocking Jess Cole comes back down stairs in pyjamas but he was shirtless and well as you can guess I started. He had abs yet he was super skinny. He sighs.
C: "thank you so much!" He says taking her back of mum. She nods.
A: "no problem! That's what I'm here for." She says smiling. He nods.
L: "goodnight." I say as he was walking out. He looks over to me and shoots me a small smile.
C: "goodnight." He says before running back up the stairs. I smile a little. I look back at my parents.
L: "mum you said he had mental health issues right?" I ask gently. She nods.
A: "yah emm, anxiety, social anxiety, depression and abandonment issues. That's all he mentioned and I was told about." She says shrugging. I nod.
L: "it's just he has scars across his chest and back." I say biting my lip nervously. She sighs.
A: "maybe you try talking to him. Your not an adult yet so he might chat to you." She says shrugging. I nod.
L: "yah, okay I'll try soon." I say nodding. My dad kisses my head.
D: "your doing a good thing." He says smiling. I nod.
L: "so is mum." I say smiling. She smiles and we sit and watch a movie. At 10:30 I was going up to bed but stopped outside Jesses bedroom door. I gently knock it and open the door. Cole was just sitting on the bed. Jess was curled on his chest. He frowns.
C: "Lili? Are you okay?" He asks confused. I nod.
L: "yah I'm okay I was just going to check if Jessica was okay but your here so." I say giggling. He nods.
C: "oh, okay, thank you." He says shocked. I nod.
L: "on problem, goodnight." I say smiling. He smiles.
C: "goodnight." He says. I nod and close his door over and get into bed myself. I watch TV for awhile but all I could think about was Cole. What was his life like before? What's his story?  I sigh and shack my head. My parents were already in bed so I was probably the only one awake. I sigh after a while and get out of bed. I go downstairs to get a drink when I see a figure sitting on the porch swing. I frown and look our the window. It was Cole. I frown and go outside to him. He was cradling Jessica who was wrapped in a blanket and was running his hands through her hair. She was fast asleep, her body was faced towards Cole. I go and sit beside him.
L: "what are you doing out here?" I ask him. He sighs.
C: "Jess had a nightmare. She calms down quicker when she's outside so I come out here. I haven't went back in yet cause it's just so peaceful out here, like nothing in the world is wrong. Everything's perfect at night when your outside and alone." He says sighing. I nod.
C: "why are you out here?" He asks quietly. I sigh.
L: "I couldn't sleep so come down here to get a hot drink and saw you sitting here. I thought it was a stranger but it was you. I suppose you sort of are a stranger but I know a bit about you so." I say shrugging. He nods.
C: "okay then." He says nodding. I sigh.
L: "you suffer from depression right?" I ask him. He sighs.
C: "you need to that that because?" He asks confused. I sigh.
L: "well I was just wondering." I say shrugging. He nods.
C: "well I don't think you need to know that especially since I'm a stranger." He says shrugging. I nod.
L: "okay then, for you not to be a stranger tell me why you can see your ribs and how you only eat two slices of pizza and then claimed to be full?" I say crossing my arms. He sighs.
C: "well as a 12 year old kid, with no income I would rather have my baby sister eat and not die than me." He says seriously. I giggle a little thinking he's joking. He just looks at me.
C: "are you actually laughing?" He asks me shocked. I look at him
L: "cause you were joking! Right? The real reason I want to know." I say confused. He sighs.
C: "people like you don't have a clue!" He says annoyed. I scoff.
L: "people like me?" I ask confused. He nods.
C: "yes people like you, you've never been yelled at once in your life, you've never had to live out of a black bag or watch your parents drug themselves to the point where they've passed out! You have never fought to breath after a beating or panic attack. You have never held a baby as they scream after just having drugs shoved down your throat. You've had the perfect life with the perfect parents in the perfect house with dogs and an education! You look at people like me like we're pieces of dirt and brush us off. I wouldn't be shocked if Jess and I are only here because of pity!" He says pi*sed off. He sighs when he finishes. I scoff.
Cole's POV
L: "you know what, you probably are only here for the pity! I don't give a sh*t about you or your sister! You don't deserve to be here or in any home! Every punch they hit you with or every word they spoke to you, you deserved it! Every panic attack and depressive though you deserve! You ever wonder why Jessica is so clingy! She's probably scared! Of you! She probably thinks if she doesn't cling to you you'll hit her! Just like your mom and dad did to you! You were born addicted to drugs! For all we know your on it now! Your a useless piece of cr*p!" She shouts at me. I sigh and nod. She looks mortified. Her hand moves up to her mouth and she gasps. The house door opens and Amy comes out.
A: "what the hell are you two doing? It's 2 in the morning! Lili why are you yelling?!" She's asks annoyed. Lili goes to say something but I interrupt her.
C: "Im stressed out and nervous so said some things that were so untrue and Lili was putting me in my place! I'm so sorry for waking you and I will take every punishment you decide fits best but do not punish Lili because she hasn't done anything wrong! Let me go and lay Jess down and then you can do whatever you want to me!" I say seriously. She sighs.
A: "I'm not going to punish you because I understand this isn't easy so I'll let it slide this time but don't do it again!" She says sternly. I nod.
C: "I'm sorry." I say looking down. I knew I was lying but I've already ruined this family enough. She nods.
A: "it's okay, now go back to bed you two. Is Jessica okay?" She asks me glancing to Jessica. I look down and Jess was shacking in my arms. I sigh.
C: "I'll go up into her room." I say before walking past her. She nods and I get Jess calmed down.
Lili's POV
I felt so guilty. Cole just took the blame for you. I went back up to bed but stopped when I heard Cole talking.
C: "you know Jess you can spend time with Amy and Dan and Lili and anyone else you want to. I won't be mad or hurt you if you do." He asks her looking at her. She shacks her head.
J: "no! I don't like them! Lili was so mean and so was Dan. Amy was a little nice but not you! I just want you! I only trust you!" She says throwing her arms around him. He nods and whispers something to her. She nods and Cole comes out of the room. He frowns when he sees me standing outside the door. He scoffs.
C: " have you come back to tell me how much of a horrible person I am?" He says gently whilst closing the door. I sigh.
L: "no I'm just sorry." I say sighing. He nods.
C: "yah, and so was my dad after every beating." He says shrugging. He walks down the stairs and goes into the kitchen. I follow.
L: "Why did you lie for me?" I ask confused. He sighs.
C: "I've already clearly ruined your life enough so in front of your parents I'll be civil but other than that for the next 3 years I will never bother you." He says pouring a glass of milk. I sigh.
L: "why in 3 years?" I ask confused. He just looks at me.
C: "I'll be 18." He says before walking off. I sigh and bite my lip fighting back tears. He runs back upstairs and that's the last I see of him for the night. I slowly walk back upstairs but here gaging. It was Cole. I sigh and think of what to do. I just go back to bed and think of what tomorrow holds.
The Next Day
I woke up around 10 and went downstairs to see my mum, dad, Cole and Jessica setting at the table. My mum smiles.
A: "good morning honey! I was just going to start on breakfast! Anything you would like?" She asks smiling. I nod.
L: "yah, can I just have eggs and toast?" I say sitting beside Cole at the table. She nods.
A: "of course you can! Now what do you want Cole and Jessica?" She asks smiling. Cole looks down at Jessica.
J: "can I have eggs please?" She asks gently. My mum nods.
A: "yes and Cole?" She asks him. He shacks his head.
C: "I'm not hungry." He says politely. My mum nods slowly.
A: "are you sure? You don't look good, your really pale, are you okay?" She asks him curiously. He nods.
C: "yah I'm fine, just tired." He says nodding. My mum nods unconvinced.
C: "I'm just gonna go and get ready." He says standing up. Jess grabs his arm.
C: "you stay here with Amy okay? I'll only 10 minutes okay?" He asks her gently. She nods and he kiss her head before running off. I sigh.
L: "I'm just gonna go up and grab my phone." I say before running upstairs. I really only wanted to speak to Cole. I grab his arm just as he goes to shut the door. He looks round and sighs.
C: "what?" He asks annoyed. I sigh.
L: "I heard you being sick last night. Why?" I ask him. He shrugs.
C: "wasn't me or Jess so?" He says shrugging before walking into the bathroom. I sigh and get my phone before going back downstairs. When I'm down there I go into the kitchen to my mum.
L: "mum I have to tell you something." I say seriously. She nods.
A: "what's wrong?" She asks nervously. I sigh.
L: "I don't think Cole's okay." I say sighing, she looks at me confused
A: "what do you mean?" She asks confused. I bite my lip.
L: "like mentally. He's just. Last night when the thing happened he said some stuff about his past and I think he need to talk to someone about it. Also, last night I heard him throw up." I say sighing. She nods.
A: "okay, well we'll keep an eye on him because I know he has been depressed before so well just watch this space and maybe you could talk to him? Your dad and I need to go out today to get some stuff so you'll be at home. You could talk to him then." She says shrugging. I nod.
L: "okay." I say before going to walk out but she stops me.
A: "thank you for telling me." She says smiling. I just smile back before walking out. I don't know what I'm going to say to Cole. I knew had I to but I didn't know what.
Cole's POV
Amy and Dan had just went out. They said they needed to get some stuff. So that just left me, Lili and Jess. Jess was watching a movie on the couch and Lili and I were sitting at the other side of her. I felt panic rise in my chest, no reason for it but it just happened. I sigh and clear my throat.
C: "I'm just going to get some air." I say my voice breaking half way through. Jess nods and I go and stand out. I take deep breaths but that doesn't really help. A panic attack. I try doing the different things I've done with previous attacks but nothing works. I hear the door open. Lili walks out. When she sees me she sighs.
L: "hey." She says softly.
L: "sit down." She says quietly. I do so and she takes my hands in hers.
L: "just take a deep breathe." She says softly. I try to but I can't. She nods. She moves one of my hands up to my chest and put my other hand on her.
L: "your hearts beating faster than mine?" She asks. I nod.
L: "okay, try and match your heart beat to mine, just take a deep breathe." She says gently. After about 10 minutes my heart beat was more like hers she smiles and I drop my hands. She sighs.
L: "you okay?" She asks softly. I slowly nod and taking a deep breathe. She sighs and hugs me. I slowly hug back. I rest my head on her shoulder. She rubs my back.
C: "thank you." I whisper. She smiles.
L: "no problem and about what I said last night." She says pulling away from the hug.
L: "none of that's true, I was tired and jealous. It's always only been the three of us and now you two are here and I'm not the centre of attention anymore and I know that makes me sound really spoiled and maybe I am a little bit but it's cause it just always been me and because mum wasn't able to have anymore biological children after me and I knew at some point they would probably foster or adopt but I didn't know and then all of a sudden there was these two people at the door!" She says looking down. I sigh.
C: "it's okay, and what I said isn't true either, well the stuff I said about my past is true but the stuff I said about you wasn't true. I was jealous too because I never got the life you had and that I wished to have." I say sighing. She nods and smiles.
L: "it's okay and very understandable." She whispers looking into my eyes. I nod a little. We both start to lean in until our faces were an inch apart. We were about to kiss but quickly pull away when Jess comes out. She comes over to me and sits in my lap. I clear my throat.
C: "what's up?" I ask her smiling. She sighs.
J: "can you make me a snack?" She asks smiling. I nod.
C: "sure, what do you want?" I ask her smiling. She sighs.
J: "some fruit?" She says shrugging. I nod and kiss her head. I lift her off my lap and go back inside. I wash my hands before cutting her up some fruit. Lili comes in.
L: "are you okay?" She asks me seriously. I nod.
C: "yes, I'm fine." I say nodding. She sighs.
L: "yah well I don't believe you." She says looking at me, her eye brows raised. I sigh. 
C: "well, you don't have to believe me." I say before walking out. I give Jess her fruit as she was sitting in the living room watching a movie. When I go back into the kitchen Lili was still there.
L: "I think your scared, overwhelmed, tired, tired mentally, anxious, sad, you bound to be confused, your probably feel sick to your stomach and your ashamed of your past aren't you? You've never had someone to talk to about how you feel or what happened when you were growing up. You've always had to be strong for Jessica but now you don't. There's people here who will take care of both of you. You were a parent, a brother and a best friend before you experienced child hood. You probably know how to last a month with only 10 dollars. You've got scars and maybe their from your past but are they form something else? Your wrists and stomach. I now the ones on your back can't be from you but are the others?" She asks gently. I sigh and look down. She had just pinned everything I've been feeling. I sigh and sit on the kitchen floor. She walks round beside me and sits down. She grabs my hand.
L: "I know all your life you have had to be strong and do things you didn't want to do just to live but you don't have to be strong anymore. There will always be someone to watch Jessica when you need time alone." She says softly. I nod as a tear rolls down my cheek. She sighs and raps me in a hug. I sob into her shoulder.
Lili's POV
I feel Cole sink into me as he sobs. I rub his back and whisper sweet nothing to him. After a couple of minutes. The kitchen door opens causing Cole to look up and quickly rub his checks. It was Jessica.
J: "I'm done with my sna- why are you guys sitting on the floor?" She asks confused. Cole clears his throat.
C: "we were just talking and decided to sit down. Do you need anything else?" He asks standing up. She nods.
J: "some water?" She asks smiling. Cole nods and takes her bowl and makes her a drink. He goes to hand her it but she stops.
J: "Coley? Why are your hands shacking?" She asks nervously. Cole sighs.
C: "I'm just hungry baby, go finish watching the movie then you can tell me all about it okay?" He asks her smiling. She nods slowly and goes to walk out but stops.
J: "nobody hurt you right?" She asks nervously. Cole smiles.
C: "no, nobody hurt me." He says smiling. She nods before walking out. He sighs.
C: "Sorry, she just, I would shack a lot after my bad would u know so she always checks if she sees me shacking." He says sighing. I nod.
L: "it's okay." I say getting up off the floor. I sigh.
L: "are you okay?" I ask him gently placing my hand on his shoulder. He sighs.
C: "as good as you can be right?" He says smiling sadly. I nod.
L: "have you ever thought about asking for a therapist?" I ask him gently. He nods.
C: "I have a therapist." He says looking down. I frown.
L: "why do you not talk to them then?" I ask him confused. He sighs.
C: "cause she's a complete stranger and Jess is always there so I can't really saw I hurt myself infront of her can I?" He says sighing. I nod.
L: "not really and I'm just as much a stranger as she is." I say shrugging. He sighs.
C: "no, I don't know much about you but it feels like I know you, with her she's like a complete stranger. I don't even know her name." He says sighing. I nod.
L: "so you don't think I'm so much of a stranger?" I ask him smiling. He rolls his eyes and shrugs. I smile we look into each others eye and slowly just like earlier we both start leaning in only this time our lips met. It was a soft kiss but at the same time I could feel how nervous he was. I wrap my arms around his neck and play with his hair. He places his hands on my hips pulling me closer. I smile and so does he. We were just about to kiss again but we hear the front door opening so we pull away and act like nothing happened. Cole goes over to the dish washer and starts putting Jessica's dishes in it. I just stand at the island not doing anything. They come in with 5 bags each. I smile.
L: "I see you two had fun shopping!" I say happily. My mum nods.
A: "yah, I picked up a few new outfits for Jessica and you too Cole so I hope you like them. I also got you something else Cole." She says smiling. Cole frowns and turns around. My mum pulls out a phone and laptop. She sighs.
A: "now they're not brand new but they are in perfect condition and work perfectly fine. I just thought your old enough you should have a phone and if there a point in time where you go to or like Lili do homeschool you'll need a laptop." She says shrugging. Cole frowns.
C: "really?!" He asks shocked my mum nods and places it into the island. They were the same that I had only mine were white and Cole's were black.
C: "you really didn't have to, I would have bought them myself!" He says shocked.
C: "I can't accept these." He says shocked. My dad laughs.
D: "take them, you deserve them after everything." He says smiling. Cole nods.
C: "o-okay, thank you so much!" He says happily. I smile. He was so cute.
A: "no problem at all, if you two want to go into the living room Lili can help you set them up and I'll bring in the new clothes." She says happily. We both nod a go into the living room. Jessica's face lights up when she sees Cole.
J: "Coley! What do you have?" She asks confused. Cole sighs and sits beside her, I sit beside Cole.
C: "well Amy and Dan got me a phone and a laptop for school." He says smiling. She smiles.
J: "can we watch a movie on it?" She asks curiously. Cole sighs.
C: "maybe." He says smiling. She nods. I sigh.
L: "have you ever set up a laptop or phone?" I ask him smiling. He shacks his head.
C: "nope." He says sighing. I nod and help him set it up. I had my hands on his shoulder and my chin rested on my hands. After a while we got the laptop set up and then the phone. Half way through my parents come in. Jessica moves closer to Cole. My mum smiles.
A: "hey Jessica, when we were out shopping we got you some new toys and clothes!" She says smiling. Jessica's face lights up.
J: "for me?!" She asks confused. They nod. She smiles and after Amy places the bag down pulls each thing out. She got a bunch of new toys and 4 new outfits, 4 new pairs of pyjamas and clothes we've never had before like slippers and robes. She got a nice winter dress and the classic new underwater. She looks at me.
J: "Coley look! It's a barbie fluffy jacket!" She says smiling. I nod.
C: "it's beautiful." I say smiling she runs over and hugs Amy's legs. I smile. Dan speaks up.
D: "we picked up a couple of new bits of clothes for you. We weren't sure what size to go so there's a mixture of sizes but after a while hopefully you'll grow into them." He says passing me a bag. I smile and look through it. I got new pyjamas and a robe too. I smile.
C: "thank you so much, most of her clothes were from clothing banks and her toys from the dollar shops. As for mine it was what ever fit which wasn't a lot so thank you so much." I say honestly. They nod.
A: "it's my pleasure." She says smiling.
That Night
I was putting Jess and I'd clothes away when there was a gentle knock on the door. The door opens and Lili comes in.
L: "hey, I was just wondering if we could talk." She asks gentle. I nod.
C: "sure what's up?" I ask confused. She sighs.
L: "earlier, in the kitchen, what was that? Well I know what it was but." She says shrugging. I nod.
C: "yah." I say sighing. She sighs.
L: "do you regret it, I don't and I know maybe you were not emotionally there." She says shrugging. I nod.
C: "I was emotionally there and no I don't regret it but I don't have a clue about anything to do with any of this so?" I say confused. She nods.
L: "well, we live together, and if we were to start a relationship and then break up that would be too awkward so I think we call it a one time thing and just stay friends." She says shrugging. I nod.
C: "sure what ever you think suits best." I say smiling. She nods and walks out. Just friends might not be that easy.
3rd persons POV
And just as you guessed it wasn't so either, for either Cole or Lili. It all stared with a week after the previous conversation when Lili laid her head on Cole's shoulder whilst they were watching movie. A couple of days later she lifted his arm around her shoulder so she was practically cuddling into his chest. Dan and Amy new they both wanted to be more than friends and fully sported them. Cole also knew that these actions were more than friends, he did know much but this he did. They had inside jokes and Lili loved to be as close to him as possible when they watched movies. One night Cole was watching a movie on his bed and Lili was bored so she joined him. She woke up the near day on Cole's chest, his arms wrapped around her. She didn't mind so she willingly cuddled back into him. Over time it got worse, or better. It got to the point where in silent moments they stole quick but beautiful kisses, never to be spoken about. They both knew they just couldn't be friends but they tried. They spent most of their time together, doing school, watching movies, baking cookies, the only time apart was when Lili went out with her friends and a couple of times she took Cole with her. They were inseparable but when told so they denied it. Finally though, Amy and Dan were fed up of the hopeless flirting between the two and sat them down for a talk.
A: "you two, dining room now!" She said trying to sound stern. The two teens glance at each other before nodding. Jessica was with Amy's sister and daughter who was the same age as Jessica and was very close with her. The two walk into the dining room to see Amy and Dan sitting looking at strict. They sit down, confused and a little bit intimidated.
Cole's POV
Lili and I were sat down completely confused. My mind automatically went to the worst so I started to get anxious. Lili sees me tapping my foot and takes my hand from under the table. I shoot her a smile. Amy speaks up.
A: "okay you two, I've seen it and so has Dan but what is going on with you two? We are not cross, in fact we've been rooting for you two from day one but what is going on?" She asks seriously. I look at her and then Lili confused.
C: "what are you talking about?" I ask confused. She sighs.
A: "your even holding hands now!" She says smiling. Lili sighs.
L: "I'm only doing that because he was anxious! You come out all stern and intimating he's gonna need some comfort, last time that happened he was probably beat." She says annoyed. I just sigh.
L: "too far?" She asks me. I nod.
L: "sorry." She whispers. I just nod in response. Amy sighs.
A: "yah okay understandable but your still holding hands and I've seen you two, a cuddle here and secret kiss there. You cant fool us." She says smiling. I look down at my hands not knowing what to say. Lili sighs.
L: "there was a moment yes but we decided to stay friends instead of anything else incase it ended bad." She says shrugging. Amy nods.
A: "yes I know, I heard that conversation. That was over a year ago." She says shrugging. Dan speaks up.
D: "Lili hunny, even I've noticed it. On movie night the moving closer till your laying on him or the flirty inside jokes." He says smiling. Lili sighs.
L: "dad!" She says annoyed. He smiles and Amy and Dan stand up.
A: "we're giving you 20 minutes, figure out if your going to stop this flirting and actually date or just quit the flirting and say friends." They say before walking out. I sigh.
C: "cool." I say sighing. Lili nods.
L: "can we at least agree that we both have feelings?" She asks me nervously. I nod.
C: "yah we can." I say smiling. She sighs.
L: "whats the worst that could happen? If we break up we can just be friends and move on right?" She asks biting her lip. I nod.
C: "right." I say nodding. She sighs.
L: "what do you think." She asks looking me dead in the eye. I nod.
C: "I think, well I don't really know, I've never been in this situation before." I say shrugging. She nods.
L: "but you like me right? Like not just as a friend." She asks confused. I nod.
C: "no I definitely have romantic feelings." I say smiling. She nods.
L: "will we make it official then?" She asks. I nod.
C: "let's make it official." I say before kissing her.
Lili's POV
From that day one we both knew we were always met to be
More Than Friends.

(This one is my longest story yet! It was 10404 words not including this! Thank you for reading! -G 🖤🖤)

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