Page 63 of Something Rad
Cooper pulls out from under my grasp, turning to face me. She looks at me with thoughtful gray eyes for several seconds.
“And…that’s it?” she finally asks.
“That’s it,” I nod.
“One month?”
“One month,” I confirm. “I get the girl of my dreams and every adult in this town off my back, and you get the presidency, yearbook editor, and the future you’ve always wanted.”
Cooper’s gaze focuses over my shoulder, and I can tell she’s picturing it all over again. Her teeth push into her bottom lip, stifling what I know is a smile starting to come to her face. Suddenly, it’s like she comes back to reality, and she refocuses on me standing in front of her. Her face slowly falls, a crease forming between her brows.
“Well?” I ask her.
“I… I don’t know,” she says. “I need to think about it.”
“C’mon, Cooper,” I groan, placing my hands on her shoulders. “Take the highway to the danger zone with me?” I nod towards the poster on the door next to us, a smile pulling at my lips.
Cooper eyes flick between Tom Cruise and me for a few seconds.
“Negative, ghost rider.”
My smile falls.
“I said I need to think about it,” she says, attempting a firm tone.
I let my hands fall back to my sides. “What is there to think about?” I ask her.
“Everything,” she says.
“Like what?”
She goes quiet, looking down and wringing her hands in front of her.
“Hey,” I say softly, taking a step forward and gently lifting her chin with my thumb and forefinger so she’ll look at me. “Talk to me, Goose.”
The corners of her mouth pull up involuntarily, light flashing in her eyes. She quickly catches herself though, shaking her head and stepping back just out of my grasp. “I don’t know,” she says. “This just feels…”
“What?” I question.
She blows out a breath, looking up at me. “Icky.”
“Icky?” I repeat. “Can’t say I’ve ever had a girl describe me inthatway.”
“It’s notyou,” Cooper assures me. “Well…not entirely–”
“I’m notentirelyicky? Gee, thanks, Cooper.”
She groans, running her hands over her face. “It’s just…not honest. It doesn’t feel right. And I don’t know if anyone will buy it. I’m not sure I can be as good of an actress as you think I can.” She crosses her arms. “And I’m not sure I even want to try.”
“Cooper…”
“Robbie,” Cooper cuts me off, holding up her hands. “Please. It’s been a very long day, and now you’ve shown up here and made my brain hurt even more than it already did. And I need to start getting ready for work now. So, please, just go home.”
I shake my head and start to argue with her, but stop myself.
“Fine,” I nod, slipping out of her bedroom door and heading towards her front door. I hear her footsteps following after me as I slide my sunglasses on. I pull open the door and take a step out of it, but then stop in place.
I blow a breath out of my nose, turning my head to look behind me. Cooper is standing just inside the entryway, her arms crossed. “Cooper–”
