Page 75 of Something Rad
“Well?” she pushes.
I can see the anxiety bouncing around like crazy in those big eyes of hers. The hard set of her shoulders. The way she’s clenching her fists so hard that she’s leaving nail marks in her palms. She’s really so worried about this. So worried about what people think of us. Ofher. I don’t understand the feeling. Maybe I’ve started to somewhat recently, but never to this extent. I’ve been stressed out by so few things in my life. What other people are doing intheirlives, much less what they’rethinkingabout, hasn’t even been in the realm of my concerns.Why does she do this to herself? Doesn’t she know it’s all in her head?
“Robbie, if you don’t answer me, I’m going to have to scream. And considering we’re in a library that feels extremely sacrilegious.”
“Cooper, of course she believed it.”
Her posture straightens. “What?Really?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously?”
“If I say yes, are you just going to ask me to confirm it again?”
Cooper’s lips part. “Probably,” she mumbles. There’s a moment of silence between us, then she says, “But, really. She did? You’re serious?” I just stare back at her in response. “But, why?”
I let out a breath, shaking my head. “Cooper, I told you. People will believe what you want them to believe. Just don’t ever give them the opportunity to question you.”
I think back to Denise’s split second of doubt, her mere moment of disbelief back in the hallway.
That would be the only moment I let her have.
“We all get to write our own stories, Cooper. Write a gripping enough story for yourself and everyone will be forced to read it.” Her gaze flicks up to meet mine, her brows pulling together. “And, besides, a story doesn’t have to be real for you to believe it. People believe with their emotions as much as they believe with their minds. Learn how to master people’s emotions and you can have anyone in the palm of your hand.”
Cooper blinks at me. I swear her eyes are a different shade of gray every time she opens them.How does she do that?
Her mouth slowly opens. “Oh…” she finally says. “Okay then.”
“Yeah,” I respond, not sure what else to say. A few seconds go by, and Cooper’s gaze goes out of focus, like she’s clearly thinking very hard about something.
What now?
“But, anyways,” I continue, holding my fist out, attempting to lighten the mood, “great first day performance, Cooper.”
She glances between my face and my fist a few times before returning the gesture, bumping her fist against mine. “Thanks,” she mutters. “I guess we may have actually convinced a few people that we don’t wanna rip each other’s heads off.”
“I’d venture to say they don’t even think we want to scratch each other’s eyes out,” I counter. “Good work.”
Cooper rolls her eyes, the smallest smile flashing across her face before she moves around me to head for Ms. Rose’s office, shrugging her backpack off as she does so. “Good thing we have the entire weekend apart to recover,” she says right as she makes her way through the door.
I follow after her, leaning against the doorframe. Her back is to me, and her head is down, doing something in her backpack.
“Yeah,” I reach up, rubbing the back of my neck. “About that…”
Cooper’s body shifts a quarter-turn in my direction, and I see her scribbling furiously in her little journal. She glances up at me. “What about it?”
seventeen
SARA
“Do we seriously have to go to this?” I groan.
“Yes, Cooper,” Robbie insists. “We absolutely do.”
“The whole school is going to be there though.”
“Exactly,” he says.
