City Lights, Country Nights

39.Maybe she could figure Cole out.

Liora sat in the hospital room with Jackie by her side. They had just arrived, and Jackie had to call Katherine to let them in.

"It appears to be a hairline fracture, and considering your previous injury, it's not surprising that it's in the same spot. With a reinjury," the doctor said, looking at her, "we are going to have to immobilize your arm in a brace and schedule another appointment to see you in a couple of weeks. We will assess the situation further from there," he said. Liora closed her eyes, taking in the news.

"I don't understand. I have put more strain on it before without this happening," Liora said, frustrated and feeling a mix of emotions. She pulled her hand away from him rather forcefully. It was unbelievable.

"And dancing?" she asked. The doctor gave her a small smile.

"Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't be too concerned about a hairline fracture, but with two injuries to the wrist now, I mean... I would say that you're young and it could heal perfectly," he said as she looked up at him, "but with it being on the same wrist, it could weaken it further. You might not perform at 100%, but as I said, we will just have to see how it heals," he said. Liora nodded.

"Okay, thank you," Liora mumbled as she looked down.

"Okay, well, have a great rest of your day and I will see you in a couple of weeks," he said and walked out.

"Rory," Jackie said, taking a step toward her.

"I told you," Liora said, shaking her head as tears came to her eyes. "I knew it. I told you," she said, her voice cracking.

"Rory, he said it could heal fine," Jackie said as Liora wiped her tears. It would have been different if she had actually injured herself, but instead, it was because Alex and Cole wanted to one-up each other. They had no reason to be fighting or starting rumors. This shouldn't have happened.

"I just want to go," Liora said, looking at her. "How are we getting back to the house?" she asked.

"Um, well, I think," Jackie said. Liora nodded. "Katherine and George are dealing with the boys," she said as Liora slipped off the bed and walked out the door.

"Rory, I was going to see if you and I could spend the night at Grace's house," Jackie said. "I just don't want to be at the house, and I didn't know if you felt like going," she said. Liora shook her head.

"Everyone's saying you got hurt because of the fight," she said as Liora lay back in the seat. "They don't know who did it, but that's what everyone's saying," she added as she drove off. Liora didn't respond as they made it to Grace's house.

The three girls made it up to Grace's room. Jackie and Grace started to paint their fingernails and do other things, while Liora just lay in bed next to them, texting on her phone.

Danny had been nonstop texting her and telling her that they were all grounded for a month and that he wished she would have come back because they deserved to be yelled at by her. But she wasn't going to do that; there was no point. What happens, happens, and that was it.

"I just don't understand," she heard Jackie say. Liora turned over to look at them. "Like, why are they still fighting over Paige? Is he still in love with her?"

"That's what I want to know," Liora said, sitting up. "I can't seem to wrap my head around it," she said.

"It's not about Paige. I mean, it's clear that Alex likes you, Jackie," Grace said, looking at Liora. "And with Cole, Rory, I have never seen him like this with anyone, not even Erin," she said. Liora looked down.

"They always compete, even before Paige. Like, really, I think that Cole doesn't like Alex having any type of relationship with who he's 'with'; he just doesn't hided it, well, with you," she said. "To me, they want to prove who's better for who they have. Because you guys are sisters, so Jackie tells you something, and you tell Cole, or Rory, you tell Jackie something, and she tells Alex too. It's really like a one-up thing, showing who's better because—" Liora cut in.

"Because in their minds, they're going to be compared to each other because me and Jackie talk?" Liora asked, making Grace nod.

"It's really not about anyone but themselves. Like, you tell Rory a romantic thing that aelx did for you, and she could say what alex did was better than what cole did," she said, looking at both Jackie and Liora.

"And they think fighting is going to do anything," Liora said.

"Like I said, the fighting has been going on forever," Greae said.

"Over girls?" Jackie asked.

"Over anything," Grace said. "Like there was this one time in middle school, there was this egg and spoon race, they tied, and they argued about it for the rest of the year," she said. Liora shook her head.

"Okay, but physically fighting?" Jackie said. "I mean, Cole, I understand, he's so hot-headed," she said, making Liora look at her.

"But... it just doesn't feel like Alex," Jackie finished. Grace nodded. "Maybe I don't know him at all," Jackie added. Liora shook her head.

"No, Jackie, dating isn't just about being with someone; it's about getting to know them in a different way," Liora said. "It's about getting to know the highs and lows of that person's life. It's not about not knowing and thinking you never did. It's about taking what you find on the way and building up from it, not dwelling on what you didn't know before. Because the beginning of any relationship is the starting point where you start building up, and if you let it crack before it even starts, you're never going to get to redo it, because those cracks are always going to be there, no matter how many times you start over," she said.

"Wow, that was good, Rory," Grace said. Liora smiled. "Okay, it's like this with them. You know how Roman gladiators used to fight to the death for the ones they loved?" she said. Liora looked down.

"Except they didn't fight for love, and they were all dead by their mid-20s," Jackie said. Liora smiled as she rubbed her face.

"You're ruining my metaphor and dark much?" Grace said. "Plus, that's not the point. The point is Alex made a mistake when he punched Cole, but he's still the same thoughtful, sweet guy he's always been," she said, looking at Liora.

"And Cole, he, um, I don't really know. He's a hard one," she said. "But I'm sure he always has the best in mind, just shows it the wrong way," she said. Liora nodded.

Maybe she could figure Cole out.