Page 11 of Coping Skills

Coop’s voice floated in from the living room. “Well, this is awkward.” Fucking Coop.

Daniel leaned back in his chair so he could see his roommate from where he sat. “Only ‘cause you’re here, asshole.”

“Ouch, man. That hurts. I have feelings too, y’know.”

“Uh-huh.”

Elena chuckled. “He can join us. It’s okay.”

“No it’s not.” Daniel gave a firm shake of his head. “You made this pie for me, not him. He can stay in there and drink his beer and shut the fuck up.” He said the last part a little louder and looked back at Coop, who flipped him off in response.

Elena looked at him like she wanted to say something, so he waited, eating his pie. It tasted just like his mom’s.

Finally, “How’s your first week of classes going?”

He nodded, forking up another bite. “Good. It’s going to be a tough semester. Fall semester’s always rough. I usually try to go for easier classes, but Abnormal Psych’s only offered in the fall, so I have that, plus some upper level math classes that’ll be tough given how often I miss classes for away games. I got away with just twelve credits this semester, but I’ll pay for that with a heavier load next semester so I can graduate on time.”

She wrinkled her brows and cocked her head to the side. “I thought you told me you weren’t graduating until December.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but I’ll be student teaching next fall. So I have to get all my classes in before that.”

“So this is your last season playing football?”

“Yup.”

Scraping up some of the custard filling with the edge of her fork, she kept her eyes on her plate. “Does that make it harder? Knowing you won’t play anymore after this semester?”

He sat back, waiting for her to look up before he answered. Coop, of course, wasn’t content to be patient. “He could always do like Watkins did and go to the Regional Combines, maybe get drafted. Coach even said that some scouts might come to some of our games, so that’s a possibility too.”

Elena’s head snapped up at that, examining him. “Watkins? That’s Chris, right? Megan’s boyfriend?”

Daniel nodded slowly. Coop got off the couch and came to lean against the wall next to Daniel, his arms crossed over his chest. “You know him?”

Elena tilted her head to one side. “Not well. We’ve met. He’s friends with one of my roommates.”

Coop’s head jerked back in surprise, his eyebrows coming down. “Who?”

“Matt Schwartz.”

“You live with Matt Schwartz.” Coop’s voice came out flat, making it a statement instead of a question.

She nodded, looking confused at Coop’s reaction, her eyes flicking to Daniel. “Yeah. He’s dating my best friend, Hannah. They wanted to move in together, so Hannah and I moved into the house he used to share with Megan and Chris.”

“Huh, okay.”

Daniel glared at Coop, who finally got the message that he was unwelcome in their conversation. With a roll of his eyes, he filled a glass of water from the sink, then returned to the living room, where Daniel heard the opening soundtrack toCall of Duty.

“What about you?”

Elena set her fork down, finished with her pie. “What about me?”

“You’re graduating in May, right? What are your plans after that? Keep working with your dad?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m planning on going to law school. I take the LSAT in October. And I’ll be applying to law schools soon.”

“That’s cool. Where are you applying?”

“Marycliff for sure. They have a good program. Um, UW, probably. I dunno. I haven’t decided on any others yet.”

---