I was having fun with them, even though I looked like a Barbie doll and nothing like myself in my outfit. As we danced around, laughing and joking, some of the others joined in and Cooper stood with his face like thunder for most of the party. He didn’t look my way at all after David kissed me on the cheek.
As the party finally wrapped up, my mom and Shawn asked everyone to gather on the front lawn as my present arrived. It was a pink VW Bug and I wanted to roll my eyes at the color, but I had a car. My heart began to race and I jumped up and down a little as my eyes roamed over it.
He’d got me a car! A freaking car!! I wouldn’t need to rely on Cooper for lifts anymore and it meant he wasn’t obligated to drive me anywhere.
I ran over to my mom and Shawn and hugged them to thank them. They smiled at me and I went back to my friends dancing and laughing and for once in my life enjoying being the center of attention. We didn’t stop until dancing, singing, and laughing until the music stopped well after one am.
Wendy, Lish, David, and I sat outside chatting and were soon alone chatting about music and bands we liked but were interrupted by Shawn who told my friends it was time to go home. I was a little disappointed, but when I checked my cell I realized it was well after two am.
Wendy was sleeping over in my room, and we went up together. Cooper met us on the stairs and glared at me. I brushed past him, my arm touching his, making his body stiffen. Without saying anything, he pushed my hand away hard.
“Sorry,” I muttered as his eyes tightened. He stormed down the stairs ignoring me completely.
“Jeez,” Wendy whispered. “What’s his problem?” Her gaze followed him as he rounded the corner heading back towards the kitchen.
“No idea,” I muttered, “he’s hated me since I arrived.” She shrugged, and we went into my room changing for bed. We sat on my bed catching up for a while, and she told me the latest drama from her school.
“Did you hear about Lauren Lyle?” she asked in a low voice and I shook my head. I didn’t really keep up with my old school at all. Wendy was my only link to the place.
“No. What about her?” I asked and she sat up grinning at me.
“She’s knocked up!” She informed me gleefully, laughing as I sat up straighter to look at her.
“No!” My voice was high pitched and I had to try to tone it down a little.
“Yes. Harvey Kirk is the father.”
“Oh my god, seriously?” I asked in surprise.
My mouth dropped open because Lauren was head cheerleader and Harvey was the geeky mathlete who didn’t hang out with anyone outside of the Geek Squad.
“Yep. It’s a total scandal.”
Her eyes widened a little and she swallowed before turning away. I knew she was hiding something from me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was.
“What is it, Wendy?”
“Well, they gossip about you as well. There’s a rumor going around that…”
She broke off and eyed me warily, but I knew her love of gossip would win over her fear of upsetting me. I saw the moment she’d made her decision because she stopped chewing her lip and sat up a little straighter
“They’re saying that Cooper and you were together and that he got you pregnant and that’s why you moved in here. His dad apparently married your mom and they plan to take the baby from you and raise it as their own.”
She eyed me nervously as I threw my head back and burst out laughing. I’d forgotten how cathartic it was to properly laugh and after a moment she joined in.
“So, it’s true then?” she asked a few minutes later and I answered her sarcastically.
“Oh yeah, of course, it’s true. Except you’ve seen Cooper. He fucking hates me, my mom isn’t that interested in me and I haven’t ever slept with anyone. So no, not even a little bit true.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m beat, Bailey. I gotta go to sleep now.”
She sighed and leaned down, curling into the wall and falling asleep within moments, but I couldn’t sleep. Coop’s face kept invading my mind and I decided to get a drink of water. I reached down to my bedside table for the bottle I’d placed there earlier and heard a soft rattle.
I was sure I was imagining things. There was no way a rattler could get into my room. They usually didn’t come near houses and the only times I’d ever seen one was when I was out hiking with my dad and Louis when we were kids. Our dog Captain had been bitten by one in front of me when I was eight and I’d hated them ever since.
I reached down again, and the rattle got louder. I snatched my hand away and saw the snake shoot out from under my bed. I wasn’t sure screaming was a good idea, but I screamed as loud as I could, waking Wendy up, she mumbled incoherently.
Within a second my door battered off the wall and Cooper was in the room.
“Wait,” I called out, “rattler.” He froze at the door and glanced around the room, motioning for Wendy and I to go to him. The rattling started again and I flew towards him. Snakes were my biggest fear and knowing there was one in my room made me a wreck. Cooper gathered me into his arms and took us into his room sitting us on the bed. His dad met him at the door to his room.
“Coop, what’s going on, son?” he asked glancing in. His eyes widened as he saw me sitting on the bed. I was rocking back and forth, Wendy next to me trying to calm me down.
“There’s a snake in her room. Dad, it’s a rattler?”
Shawn’s eyes widened, and he glared at me. I wondered if he thought I was making it up for attention, but there was no way I’d do that.
“Are you sure, son?” Cooper nodded and his dad spoke softly to him.
“Take the girls to the guest room. Then we’ll have a talk when you get back here.” As we walked to the guest room, I realized Cooper was shaking. I reached for his hand, giving it a small squeeze, but he snatched his hand back looking scandalized and stared daggers at me.
When we reached the guest room at the opposite end of the hall, I made Cooper check out everywhere before I let him leave us alone. Wendy climbed into bed and was out as soon as her head hit the pillow, but the look on Cooper’s face as he left me haunted me because I couldn’t stop thinking about how much he seemed to hate me and how much I irritated him, but also about how scared he was. Something about his dad’s tone had set Cooper on edge and it unnerved me.
My head went around and around with these thoughts and kept me awake for hours. After a while, I heard him. He only cried out twice, but I heard the blows on his body through the open door.
When I heard Shawn retreat downstairs, I wanted to go see Cooper to make sure he was okay, but I knew that somehow what happened to him was my fault and I just couldn’t make myself go because he probably wouldn’t want me there.
I sat awake and twirled my necklace from Wendy around and around, the thoughts in my head whirring and keeping me awake. At four a.m. I tiptoed downstairs and sat outside on the deck with a bottle of water. The seats were hidden from view, and I was glad because I was considering sleeping out there.
A light touch on the back of my neck made me jump awake and I spun around in my chair ready to ninja kick someone off the decking. Coop smiled down at me, but I could see the pain cross his features as he sat down beside me.