Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
FRANKIE
“ A re you seriously doing this right now?” I hissed the demand while Mathieu spoke to his math instructor. Currently, I only had one class with Mathieu, advanced French.
Which was fantastic, because it was highly unlikely any of the guys would be in it. That said, I wished I had more classes with Mathieu but we would make it work.
“What am I doing?” Coop asked, his innocence utterly belied by the little horns holding up his supposed halo. He barely glanced at me though, he had his phone in hand and his gaze fixed on Mathieu.
I pinched the back of Coop’s biceps just behind his elbow and he jerked his arm away.
“Ow.”
“You know what you’re doing. Stop glaring at him.”
While Coop was still glaring, he’d at least transferred his attention to me. Over the past couple of years, he’d gained a few inches on me in height. Not that it mattered. We’d known each other for way too long for him to intimidate me.
Not that being my best friend since kindergarten did me any favors with the crap he and the others pulled. Just that reminder was enough to stiffen my spine.
“I don’t know him,” Coop countered, anger threading through his voice. “He’s a stranger and you’re dating him.” Distaste curled his lip and I snorted.
“What bothers you more? That you don’t know him or that I’m dating him?”
“Yes,” he countered. “What’s wrong with you? You vanished on us all summer—for him ?” The accusation carried elements of hurt and irritation. Worse, he glared at me like I’d done this to hurt him on purpose.
I stared at him. “You are one to talk,” I said. “Do I need to remind you of your girlfriends—plural, not singular, over the years? Not to mention the only person or persons you have to blame for where I was this summer is yourselves.”
Mathieu was done and I abandoned the argument with Coop to hold out a hand to my boyfriend. Although Mathieu gave me a searching look before he glanced at Coop, when I squeezed his hand he just said, “One more class?”
“Absolutely.” Agitation surged under my skin. I couldn’t believe Coop. Then again, of course I could. They were the ones who made all the calls and decisions. But not anymore.
I took my dating life out of their hands.
And I was happy about it.
I wanted to stomp my foot at the end of that thought, but instead, I just smiled at Mathieu.
“You two are arguing?” He lowered his voice even if he switched to French.
“It’s fine,” I lied to him. It wasn’t fine. But it would be. “We argue. He’s an idiot. I’m stubborn. We’ll work it out.”
Mathieu wore a skeptical look, but he let it go. Rachel Manning sailed past us in the hall and she shot me a grin. “Looking good there, Curtis. Like the new accessory.” Her smile dimmed a notch when she glanced past us. “You really shouldn’t keep pulling out last year’s colors.”
I snorted and shook my head. The humor that flashed in her eyes softened the snark.
But Rachel confused me. She could be funny, then biting in her commentary.
We had this love-hate relationship, like she seemed to live to irk me, while I wasn’t sure if I hated that I adored her or loved to hate on her.
Maybe both?
Then again, I owed her.
“Hey, Manning,” I called, twisting to catch her eye. She paused. “What French class did you get?”
“Third.”
“Then we’re together for that.”
“Excellent. You’re my study buddy.” She waved and I shook my head.
“Good friend?” Mathieu asked and I laughed.
“Honestly? I don’t know. But she’s got her charms.”
Coop followed us as we stopped at Mathieu’s last class. I’d located all of mine, but I wanted him to know his way. It was going to be tough since other than third period—where he was the teacher’s assistant—we had no classes together and our classes were all over the place.
Then it was time to head to the caf.
“Fucking finally,” Coop muttered as he strode ahead. His bad mood descended into worse with each classroom stop. A part of me just wanted to drag my feet.
If he was this pissed off about Mathieu, I wasn’t sure I wanted Archie, Jake, or Bubba to meet him. Not with Coop in this mood. Would it be worse if they all hated him?
My mood plummeted, then Mathieu took my hand. The ease in his casual affection helped. “Brace yourself,” I warned him. “I’m sure Coop’s already told them.”
Very little doubt existed in me on that subject. Coop’s gradually worsening mood wore at me all the way through our tour. My stomach kept bottoming out and nerves prickled over my skin.
I flushed hot and cold. The sound inside the cafeteria swelled out and washed over us as Coop pushed in the doors. Girls laughing. Guys talking. Whistles. Whoops. Music. It was the sound of high school, and I’d known most of these people for years.
All at once, my fear evaporated. I knew these people. I knew my so-called best friends every single person they’d ever dated. I also knew the secret they’d been keeping from me.
I didn’t need to be afraid. They weren’t going to like me dating. If Coop’s reaction was an indicator. They were going to hate it.
Well, that was too damn bad.
“Ready?” I asked Mathieu and his smile grew as he glanced down at me. He gave me a subtle wink.
“ Oui, mon chou . You?”
“ Oui .” His confidence bolstered mine and I let it filter into my walk as I raised my chin. Coop shifted as he reached the table where the guys were waiting
Jake Benton, Archie Standish, and Bubba—well his real name was Ian—Rhys all stared. Their gazes were on Coop, but I damn near felt the physical force of their attention when they shifted their gazes to me.
The last time I’d seen all four of them had been at Bubba’s birthday party. They’d been partying hard, drinking, and hanging out with their girlfriends. It was a good reminder that life went on, whether we liked it or not.
“Here we go…” I said under my breath. “Hey guys…”