Chapter 10 #2
“I’m not one to tell people what to do, but if you care even the smallest bit about our friendship, please, for the love of god, don’t walk this road anymore.” He’s pretty much begging me. My brows pull together, confused about why this is upsetting him so much.
“Okay.” I nod, agreeing because the idea of him worrying about me makes my stomach turn.
“I’m sorry if I’m being over the top. It’s just that a few years ago, I was driving down this road and saw a girl get hit by a car.
She was walking on the side of the road, and this guy lost control of his car.
I saw it all happen, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
The screeching of the tires, the sound she made when she hit the car, the whole accident is burned in my mind.
” His face goes white as a ghost, and I see the haunting look in his eyes as he stares out the front window.
My heart hurts for him. God, that must have been horrifying to witness.
“I won’t walk this way anymore,” I promise him.
He returns his gaze to me, a small, sad smile lifting his lips. “Thanks.”
I don’t like that smile. It’s one I don’t wanna see again.
The rest of the drive home, Cooper is back to normal, singing away to the radio.
When we pull up to my house, I’m almost disappointed. “Thanks for the ride.”
“If you ever need a ride, for any reason, just call me, okay? I’ll be there. And if I can’t, Val or one of the girls will. No more walking.”
You know how much of a loser you are when just simple acts of kindness have you wanting to cry. I’m not used to this. It feels like too much right now.
Opening the door, I mumble. “I will.”
Closing the door, I head toward the house. “Hey, Latte Boy!” Cooper calls out. “Seven tonight, be online. Show me what you got!”
Looking at him over my shoulder, I grin, shaking my head. “You got it.”
He winks, rolls up his window, and leaves.
There’s a stupid smile on my face when I walk into the house.
“What has you smiling like that?” Mom asks, her own grin on her face.
“Nothing.” My smile drops.
“You know, it’s okay to be happy.” She steps into the room. “You’ve been quite the busy bee the last few days. How’s everything going with Cooper?”
“It’s good.” I clear my throat. “He’s nice. So are his friends.”
“You met his friends?” She smiles. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Wait, are these the same friends Nina is friends with?”
“Yeah, but they’re not best friends or anything. Nina hangs out with the other cheerleaders. Ellie is on the cheer team, but she’s different.” They all are.
“Your sister has always said nice things about that boy. I’m glad you agreed to help him out.”
Me too.
“She was right.”
Sometimes, too nice when I know I don’t deserve his level of kindness. I still can’t believe he traded tutoring two times a week for hundreds of dollars' worth of work on my car. I don’t think it’s a fair trade, but knowing Cooper now, I don’t think he’d let me argue with him about it if I tried.
“Supper is soon. Go wash up.”
I head up to my room to shower and change before heading back down to eat. Nina is sitting at the table when I get there.
“Hey!” She grins. “How did everything go today?” She looks over at Mom, then me. “With, you know.”
“It was good.” I nod.
“I heard you were at football practice today.” Nina laughs. “Just a few weeks ago, you wouldn’t have been caught dead at a football game. Now not only have you gone to one, but you’re attending practice too?” She wiggles her brows.
“It was one time. It’s not like it’s going to become a thing.” I roll my eyes. “Relax.”
“What did you do after practice?” Nina presses.
“We went to grab something to eat before class. Why?”
Her eyes light up, and a smile consumes her face. “Why do you look so happy?” I narrow my eyes accusingly.
“No reason,” she says, grinning down at her food. “No reason at all.”
The rest of supper, Mom talks to Nina about school and cheer. Then she asks me about the girl I’m supposed to be tutoring tomorrow. I almost forgot about her.
Honestly, I’m not really looking forward to it. But I agreed to take her on, and I won’t let someone down like that.
When we’re done eating, I help Mom clean up before heading up to my room.
Looking at the time, I see it’s nearly seven.
I rush to my console and turn it on, putting on my headset while it loads. Once I get into the chats, I see Cooper is already on.
He sends me an invite to a party chat.
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s my main man. How was the rest of your night?”
Smiling, I shake my head. “It was good. Supper was awesome.”
“What did you eat?”
“Lasagna. My mom makes the best.”
“Fuckkkk.” He groans. “Please tell me I’m invited over to your place for supper sometime soon. I love lasagna.”
“Ah, yeah, sure,” I mumble. “I’m sure she would love that.”
“Fuck yeah.” He chuckles. “Alright. You ready to play?”
“Yeah. You joining my campaign?”
“Oh yeah. Ready to see my skills? I’m gonna blow your mind, Latte Boy.”
I roll my eyes. “We’re on the same team, you know.”
“Still doesn’t mean I can’t show you how awesome I am. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He chuckles.
“Whatever you say, Golden Boy.” I shake my head, a smile on my face I’m sure as hell not used to.
Yet somehow, this man has been able to make me smile more in the past few days than I have in years.
Cooper Novak is someone I never expected to come into my life. But now that he’s here, I don’t think I want him to leave. And that scares me more than it should.