Page 44 of Coping Skills

Coop let out a chuckle. “Did you really delete her number, dude?” He waited for an answer, but Daniel said nothing. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Call her. Hear her out. If you still feel the same as you do now, then go ahead and follow my advice. Delete her number, and move on.”

They got to the car, and Coop pulled out his keys, hitting the button to open the trunk. Putting their bags in the trunk before getting into the car, Daniel let out a sigh.

“Drop me off at home, dude. I’m not in the mood for a party right now.”

“Nope.”

“What?” Daniel’s voice was loud in the small confines of the car. “Take me home, asshole.”

Coop ignored him while he backed out of the parking spot. “You gonna call her?”

Taking a breath to answer, Daniel paused. “I don’t know.”

“Then to the party we go.”

“I thought you wanted me to call her.”

Coop nodded. “I do. If you’re going to call her, I’ll take you home. Otherwise, you’re coming to the party.”

“Dude, I don’t wanna hook up with some chick.”

Coop gave him a sardonic look out of the corner of his eye. “I know you well enough to know that. But today was our last game, this is our last party as a team. You need to go, have a drink or two, hang out. Say goodbye.”

“You act like I won’t see any of these guys ever again.”

“Maybe you will. But it won’t be the same, and you know it. I’ll give you the keys, and you can leave whenever you want. I’ll figure out some other way to get home if you bail early. But you’re going.”

“Fine.”

“And you can call Elena after.”

Daniel shook his head, but didn’t answer otherwise. Coop had made him curious about what Elena might have to say, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea. No, Coop had been right with his initial judgment. He needed to stay away from her. Not call her and find out what she wanted. He didn’t need to be a math major to know that that was a formula for disaster.

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