Page 48 of Something Rad
Still, I find it so hard to believe that there’s a deeper side to Robbie Summers. I’ve always been so positive that what you see is what you get with him. But, then again, maybe that makes me a hypocrite. He clearly couldn’t have had me more wrong.
And I still don’t regret letting him know it. It was a split second decision, and I was afraid I might gag, forcing myself that close to him, but it turns out I’m a better actress than I thought. What I didn’t expect, however, was the reaction my little skit seemed to get out of Robbie. I had pulled back from him and turned away so fast, but I swear I could sense him slightly leaning into me and hear a new harshness to his breathing just before I did.
I didn’t think anything of it, and I still don’t.Boys will be boys, I could hear my mom’s voice saying in my head. But I won’t say it didn’t give me a renewed sense of power.
I turn down the main hallway of the school, my feet automatically slowing as I approach a very specific bulletin board. I blow out a breath as I come to a stop in front of the class elections sign-up sheet, still pinned in the same spot and seemingly untouched since the last time I stood in this spot.
I blink hard, suddenly taken back to another part of our conversation from yesterday.
That’s why you were looking at the sign-up sheet that day.
That day. Hewaslooking at me. He was…smilingat me.
Why?
“Be careful there, you might short circuit.”
I startle, my hand flying to rest on my pounding chest. I spin to face the voice at my back, my heartbeat now audible within my ears. I realize chugging an entire Jolt minutes before this encounter was poor timing on my part, but it doesn’t help my pulse whatsoever when I find Robbie standing right behind me.
“What?” I question him.
He slips his headphones off his ears, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets. I register that it’s ablueMembers Only jacket today.
How many of those things does he have?
“You looked like you were about to blow a gasket,” Robbie says, bringing my gaze back to his face.
“Do you talk to all the ladies like this?” I ask. “No wonder they’re all falling at your feet.”
Robbie rolls his eyes, ignoring my comment. “What were you thinking so hard about, Cooper?” When I don’t respond, I see his eyes drift over my shoulder and narrow, I assume at the clipboard on the wall.
“Nothing. Great chat. See ya later,” I say, bolting away in his distraction. I can sense his presence trailing after me just moments later.
“Cooper, would you wait–”
“I’m starting to think you really are stalking me,” I say, turning around to face him.
He stops in his tracks, raising his brows and flicking his eyes down to where my hand rests on the door handle. I follow his gaze, registering that I am, in fact, opening the door on the way to Ms. Cage’s class.
Where he is also going.
Stupid.
He slips on his Ray Bans, never breaking my eye contact. “Yeah, hate to break it to you, but you’re not special this time, Cooper.”
“Does that mean I was special before?” I ask, raising my voice an octave and batting my eyelashes in feigned flirtation.
Robbie rolls his eyes, motioning outside. “Would you just go?”
“Gladly,” I say, pushing open the door and heading outside.
Robbie and I don’t say anything else to each other all the way to Ms. Cage’s classroom. Though I try my best to walk fast and put some distance between the two of us, his insanely long legs betray me, causing us to walk into the door one right after the other. It’s not until every set of eyes in the room shoots to us like magnets that I realize this would be the third day in a row that Robbie and I have shown up to class together.
Only the first day we walked through the door not biting each other's heads off, though.
Time slows down for a moment as I become aware of everyone staring at us. I notice Ginger Matthews blowing an extra aggressive bubble from her chewing gum as she looks us up and down from the first row. Then my eyes shift to the back of the classroom, seeing Kate Andrews leaning over and covering her mouth as she whispers something to Lisa McDaniel, their eyes never leaving us, even as Kate pulls away and they both start giggling. Lastly, I find my gaze resting on Jesse Lamonte and Paul Strothers. Jesse is staring at the two of us with the oddest look on his face. It’s like his brows are pinched in confusion but, at the same time, he’s smirking at us with an air of…awe? Or relief? I can’t place it, but am distracted anyways by Paul leaning forward in his seat and clapping his hands over both of Jesse’s shoulders, shaking them in a friendly reassuring sort of way.
What in the hell is going on in this classroom?
