Page 192 of Something Rad
There she is.
Cooper’s sitting at a table with Alice and Daniel, a textbook open in front of her next to her brown lunch bag and can of Jolt. She hasn’t spotted me yet. I see her talking to Alice, taking a sip from her soda, and then, as if she can sense me calling out to her, she stands up from the table. She has the Jolt can in one hand and grabs the brown bag with the other as she finishes her thought to Alice. And then she steps out of her seat, headed for the trash can.
The trash can that is right in the middle of the courtyard.
Go time.
I bend down, hitting the play button on the boombox and turning the volume up to the max before I can give it another thought.
Saraby Starship starts blasting at full volume.
Every head in the courtyard immediately snaps in my direction, but the one I care about seems to take her time, apparently not phased by the initial piano intro. When she finally glances up, it’s right on cue for me to spin around to the electronic whistle sound that really begins the song. Applause and cheers sound out from the surrounding tables as I begin dancing and singing along to the music, completely letting go and giving it my all.
I watch as the levels of realization dawn on Cooper’s face.
When she realizes the music is coming from inside the courtyard.
When she meets my eyes and discovers that I’m the person responsible.
When it registers in her head what song this is.
When her lunch bag and soda can fall from her hands.
When I really play it up to the line, “I’ll never find another girl like you,” and she’s forced to understand what I’m trying to do here.
When I stare right at her with a massive smirk on my face every time the song says, “Storms are brewing in your eyes,” pointing right at her so that sheknowsthat’s her. Thatshe’sSara.Literally.
When she notices every single person around once again has their eyes on us. And that theyloveus. That they’re cheering for us.
And when the song dwindles down to the end, and she realizes I’m hopping down from the table and heading straight for her with every intention of making her forget that kiss with Denise ever happened.
I approach Cooper halfway through the chorus, her shoulders relaxed and eyes wider and grayer than ever as they look up at me. Her expression is soft and not totally readable, her brows pulled slightly together and her lips half parted. I grin at her, mouthingSaraalong to the song.
I slowly reach for her face. She doesn’t stop me, frozen in place. The approving cheers around us only grow louder as I lean in towards her, letting my eyes fall shut.
I’m just inches away from her, anticipating the feel of her soft lips on mine and the coming hours together where everything will just be back to whatever crazy version of normal Cooper and I have created together.
And then the entire image shatters as a loud sound cracks out.
And it takes a moment before I realize, slowly registering the ache in my jaw, the fogginess in my brain, and the loud simultaneous gasps of the crowd around us, that the sound was from Cooper slapping me across the face.
I rear back, reaching for my hot and sore cheek, my eyes snapping open. When I see Cooper this time, her expression has totally changed, her skin flushed and facial features sharp as she stares back at me with a searing gaze.
“What the hell?” I murmur.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Cooper questions me.
I shake my head immediately, so confused how this went so wrong. I try to respond to her, but no words come out when I open my mouth.
“Let me save you the time,” Cooper says, her voice husky, taking a step towards me. She’s so close now that I can see the glossy sheen in her eyes, making my brows knit together. “I’m not Denise. And this does nothing for me.”
I stare back at her, my eyes narrowing.
When did words become so hard?
I guess it doesn’t matter. Because Cooper never gives me a chance to try any, storming off and around the side of the school building.
She gets ten paces away before my brain starts functioning again, my eyes blinking fast and my heartbeat sounding in my ears. My back straightens slowly as I replay everything that just happened, everything that was said, and it only takes Cooper walking five more steps for my reaction to all of it to form.
