Page 160 of Something Rad
“There you two are!” she squeaks. Denise grabs my hand in hers at the same moment Paul grabs Cooper’s and, before I even realize what’s happening, the two of us are being dragged back to the living room and straight into the game circle from hell. “We just have one final round to play,” Denise says, pulling me through the crowd against my will.
“I don’t want–” Cooper’s voice sounds from just behind me.
“Denise, we’re done playing for tonight,” I say, finishing her thought for her.
“Oh c’mon, I promise you’ll like it,” Denise insists. “It’ll give us all the closure we need.”
“What is that supposed to mean–”
I don’t get my full sentence out before Cooper and I are shoved into the middle of the circle together. We both push off of each other as our bodies get tangled, irritation still spilling over from our closet interaction.
“Ready, kids?” Denise calls.
I blow out a breath, taking a step closer to Cooper and keeping my voice low. “Cooper, you don’t have to–”
“I want this over,” she interrupts me, her voice at a volume only I can hear.
“Hellooo?” Denise’s voice sounds again, a clear smile in it.
“Let her finish her fun already so we can leave,” Cooper says. “You know she’s not gonna let it go.”
We stare at each other for a long moment, frustration clear in both of our stances. As much as I hate to admit it, I know she’s right. “Fine.”
Cooper turns away from me, looking at Denise, who is standing just inside the circle with Paul, her arms crossed and a huge smile on her face. “Where’s the bottle?” Cooper asks her.
Denise lets out a pixie-like laugh. “Oh, no bottle for this round,” she says.
I run a hand through my hair, exasperated. “So what are we supposed to–”
“Kiss and make up.”
Cooper and I both stutter in place before saying in unison, “What?”
Denise waves a hand in our direction, coming closer, Paul for some reason hot on her trail. “You’ve been through the ringer,” she says. “It was just supposed to be a fun game. The last thing we would want is to drive a wedge between you two. So kisseach other. You’ve earned it. Then we’ll call the game done and all go get another round of drinks.” Denise claps her hands and grins like this is totally the most obvious and reasonable resolution to this whole event.
My feet feel frozen to the ground, my jaw tight and fists clenched at my sides. I steal a glance in Cooper’s direction and find her the exact same way, her eyes widening like a deer in headlights when I meet them.
Shit.
We can’t stay like this. We have to do something. Say something.
Dammit, say something, Robbie.
“I–”
“What’s the matter?” Denise cuts me off, tilting her head in a patronizing sort of way. “It’s just a kiss. I mean, just what you guys do all the time.”
Neither Cooper or me make any sort of move. My throat goes tight as I become aware of all of the eyes on us right now. The eyes of the circle were enough, but now there’s an entire crowd formingaroundthe circle anxious to observe the scene.Ourscene.
I’ve never been intimidated by the spotlight. In fact, typically there’s nothing that could get me going like a room full of people’s attention on nothing but me. A room full of people expecting a show out of me.
But this is different. This isn’t just me. This doesn’t affectjustme. They aren’t expecting something fromjustme.
It’sus.
Her.
Cooper.
