Page 99 of Something Rad
“Alittle?”
“Okay, Cooper, okay,” I chuckle. “She might not be perfect…on the inside, at least.”
“On the inside,” Cooper says, her voice dry. “Right.”
Because her outside is obviously perfect, I know she wants to add, but doesn’t.
I can’t even say I’d disagree with her. Denise is stunning. She’s completely perfect on paper. Shiny blonde hair, bright blue eyes, perfectly symmetrical face, smooth skin, full lips, fit body. There’s not a thing you could physically point to that needs changing. She really isperfect. But…the more I think about it, the more I start to question what that really means. I look at Denise’s eyes, I’ve looked at them a million times, and I know they’re beautiful. But, if I really think about it, I don’t know that I’ve ever really lookedintothem. You know? Don’t know that I’ve just sat there thinking about them. Don’t know if they’ve popped into my head when I’m trying to sleep, questioning exactly what shade they are or what they resemble and why it’s making me want to crawl out of my skin not knowing.
Denise’s hair is always polished and smooth and,God, so pretty. But, it’s almost too pretty to touch. I have always just grazed my hand over top of it, not wanting to force a single strand out of place. That would be wrong.No, I’ve never just looked at her hair and had the desire to thread my fingers through it and just pull. Never wanted to test it just to see what would happen. It never reminded me of anything like fire. Something eye catching and inviting, but also wild and dangerous. Something that feels electric to the touch. Like a good kind of sizzling pain that you don’t necessarily want but just can’t seem to pull away from.
No…nothing like that.
But,yeah. Denise, she’s beautiful.Yeah.Perfect.
I hear Cooper clear her throat, snapping me back to reality. “But?” she prompts me.
“But…” I trail off, my head falling back. “She’s mine, you know? Or…shewas. And…I don’t know. I just want her back.”
Cooper seems to think for a few moments before speaking again. “What exactly is it that you want from her?”
“What do you mean?” I question her.
“What does she do for you?”
“Well,” I say, letting out a whistle. “There was this one Saturday night back in July in the back of her dad’s Cadillac where she did this thing with her tongue–”
“Ew, stop,” Cooper cuts me off. “Not what I meant.” She sighs. “I mean…what do you love about her?”
My brows pull together. “What?”
“How does she make you feel?” Cooper asks. “What do you like about being around her? How do you think she makes you better?”
My lips part.
It’s just been a whole new world since I’ve been with Robbie.I guess you could say he’s making me a better me.
I shake my head, Cooper’s words from out in the living room a few minutes ago bouncing around in my brain.
So, that wasn’t just some bullshit she made up on the fly? She actually believes in something like that?
“I…” I chuckle, breaking off. “Shit, is this an interrogation or something, Cooper?”
“Just making conversation,” she says.
“Well most people when making conversation ask about a person’s favorite color or their zodiac sign or shit like that.”
She actually laughs. And it occurs to me that I’m not sure I’ve heard her really laugh before. It makes my chest feel kinda weird. I rub at it with my hand, and the tightness settles as quickly as it came. “Well, now you may as well tell me,” she says.
“Red. And Leo.”
“Right,” she says.
Right?“What about you?” I ask.
“Don’t have one. And I don’t know.”
“Of course you’d be the person to not have a favorite color,” I say.
