Page 90 of Something Rad
And instantly make eye contact with Robbie as he’s putting his headphones on his head.
“Shit,” I mutter, spinning back around. I force myself through the very slowly moving crowd as quickly as possible, nearly out of breath as I make my way into the foyer of the school.
I rest my hands on my knees for a moment, shaking my head and getting my breathing under control for a few seconds before standing back up straight. I push my hair out of my face, raising my head and planning to bolt for the library.
But my gaze instantly hits twenty feet in front of me. Right where Alice is standing with a giant smile on her face, throwing her arms out to the side.
“Alice!” I squeal.
“I’mbaaack!” she sings.
I take a step in her direction. “It feels like forever–”
But I’m quickly cut off by a hand on my shoulder, spinning me around.
“Cooper, what gives?” Robbie asks, shoving his headphones off his head.
“Wha–what?” I stutter.
“Why didn’t you let me take you to school?” he demands.
“I…Well, I–”
“You clearly didn’t have a dentist appointment. So, what gives?”
I don’t say anything for a few seconds, my brain firing at a million miles an hour.
Robbie shakes his head. “Well, while you’re learning to speak again, come here at least.” He pulls me in, wrapping me in a tight hug, threading his fingers through the back of my hair and pressing his cheek against the top of my head. “Can’t let the kids see us fighting,” he whispers. He pulls back, looking down at me. “I’ve missed you so much since Saturday, baby,” he says far louder than necessary to make sure the people around us here.
The people around us.
I go pale as I slowly turn my head, seeing Alice frozen in place, a look of pure shock on her face.
I shake my head, opening and closing my mouth several times as Alice’s eyes flick between me and Robbie. I suddenly register that his hand is still resting on my hip, and it feels like a hot iron.
“Hello, Earth to Cooper?” Robbie says. When I don’t respond for a few more seconds, Robbie grabs both of my shoulders, spinning me towards him. “Cooper, what’s going on?”
I continue to shake my head, but start flicking it backwards in Alice’s direction.
“What?” Robbie questions, still not getting it.
“Alice,” I finally manage to spit out.
Robbie’s eyes narrow, shifting over my shoulder. When I assume he spots Alice, he stands up straight. I hold my breath, not sure what he’s about to do. Hesmiles, nodding in her direction.
“Stop it!” I whisper-shout at him.
He blinks, looking back down at me. “Stopwhat?”
“Don’tsmileat her!”
“Okay, Cooper,” he snorts. “I didn’t peg you for the jealous type–”
“I’m notjealous!” I say, swatting at his chest. “But I can’t have her thinking that we like each other.”
“Um, isn’t that exactly what we’retryingto do, Cooper?”
I run my hands down my face. “Yes,” I groan. “But not with her. It can’t be with her.” I start to turn away, but Robbie pulls me back.
