Page 58 of Boots & Scars

Cooper opened one eye and looked at me.

"Can I make you coffee?" I asked, tilting my head to the side so my messy hair spilled over my shoulder.

"Do you know how?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

My mouth dropped open in mock offense. "Cooper Sinclaire! I'll have you know I make the best coffee. Please?"

He stayed silent for a moment, just staring at my face. Then he sighed, pretending to be put out.

"Fine," he said.

A grin spread across my face. "Thank you," I said, leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before sliding out of bed.

Today was going to be a good day.

18

Cooper

Ifollowed Everly down the stairs, my footsteps heavy and uncertain. She moved with purpose, pulling out coffee grounds and filters, her hands steady and sure. I stood by the doorway, my heart hammering in my chest, unable to tear my eyes away from her. Why was she being so nice to me?

When I saw her in the shower earlier, she had looked so small, so helpless. The need to touch her, to comfort her, had been overwhelming. Now, though, she seemed ready to take on the world.

And what she said to me?

I couldn't believe she meant it. She probably didn't even know what she was saying. I couldn’t blame her for that; after what happened to her… I refused to think about it because the anger that followed was too much to bear.

"Cooper," she said, breaking my thoughts as she turned to face me. "I want to report what happened to me."

"What?" My voice came out harsher than I intended.

She continued pouring the ground coffee into the filter with a calm that unnerved me. "I don't want anyone to go through what I went through."

My fists clenched at my sides. "You sure about this?"

She nodded, meeting my gaze with a determination that made something inside me ache. "It's the right thing to do."

I crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her hand before I could think better of it. "Killer," I started but didn't know how to finish.

She looked down at our joined hands then back up at me. Her eyes softened slightly. "Cooper, it's okay. I'm not doing this for revenge or attention. I'm doing it because it's right."

"Fuck what's right," I said, my voice low and rough. "What happened to you wasn't right, and you reporting this is going to mean you'll have to relive it. They'll poke and prod at you?—"

"I know," she interrupted, pouring water into the coffee machine without looking at me.

"And you're just going to be fine with it?"

"It's my responsibility," she replied, her tone steady but soft. "Zach… Zach implied he's done this before. How could I live with myself knowing someone else got hurt because of me?"

"Zach will get his," I growled, anger surging through me. "I'll make damn sure of that."

"Cooper," she said, turning to face me. Her eyes were resolute, filled with a determination that made my chest tighten. "I have to do this. I have to, okay? I need… I need something good to come from this."

"You were raped, Everly," I said, the word tasting like poison in my mouth. "Raped. Nothing good comes from that."

I hated that she flinched, that I made her flinch, but I had to make her understand.

"I can't… I can't see it that way," she said, pressing a button on the machine. "Something good has to come from this, even if… even if it's just you."

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