The Devil Inside

3: Unwanted Questions

"We're going to be late," Cooper insisted, embarrassed—but pleased.

His embarrassment faded as Venus leaned forward, half-sitting on his lap in the driver's seat of his car. He brushed aside her blonde sheet of hair, his eyes quickly darting to the windshield. The highschool parking lot still had a few stragglers. Not exactly an audience, but still...

"Who cares?" she mumbled, pressing a kiss to his neck.

Certainly not me.

His thoughts were a jumble of hormonal confusion. He tried to reorient himself. School. Cooper. Must go. "Um...Venus..."

"Hmm?" Another kiss—this one just under his jaw. "What is it?" she asked, her voice low and sultry. His stomach did a strange little flip at the sound.

"Nothing." He shook his head, which brought their lips together. Hers were insistent. Demanding. Cooper felt himself relax into her touch, her fingers brushing the side of his face—

A loud knock on the passenger window forced them apart.

Vincent grinned through the glass and lifted a hand in greeting. "You crazy kids."

"Vincent," Venus demurred, smoothing her already quite-smooth hair. A pink flush had crept across her face.

Cooper flipped Vincent off as he crawled out of the car, backpack in hand. He then proceeded to shove his oversized friend aside so that he could open the door for Venus. She beamed at him.

"I hate you," he mouthed to Vincent, who cackled with glee.

The Greenwitch Grizzlies quarterback wore his usual summer attire: gym shorts, a tank top, and his letterman jacket. The jacket was laughable, considering the heat. And still, Vincent managed to pull it off. He slung his arm across Cooper's shoulders; Venus, who hung onto Cooper's other arm, frowned at the intrusion.

"Where's Calla?" Cooper asked pointedly.

Venus made a noise in the back of her throat that they both ignored.

"Bonding," Vincent said simply, nodding to the entrance of the school. And there she was—his psychopathic next door neighbor. A predator disguised in jeans, a white tee, and a bright smile.

Stephanie stood at her elbow, her dark, curly hair barely brushing Calla's chin as the two wrapped their arms around each other. As head of the yearbook committee for three years running—and soon-to-be reelected class president—Stephanie was a force to be reckoned with. Especially when she got wind of a juicy story.

Thank God I'm on her good side.

A pair of long arms wrapped around both girls, momentarily lifting them from the ground. Stephanie let out a squeal of delight. Mike grinned and set them back down, his booming laugh echoing across the parking lot.

His far more reserved twin was nowhere to be found.

"Wonder where Blake's gone off to," Vincent mused, echoing Cooper's thoughts.

"Sulking, probably," Venus supplied, indifferent.

Cooper shot Vincent a look—the look. The one he'd perfected over the summer. The look that said, I am no longer single. A moment, please?

Vincent shrugged and lumbered away, fighting back a smile.

Once he was out of earshot, Venus entwined her arms around Cooper's waist and whispered in his ear, "Wanna pick up where we left off after school?"

Her body was warm and soft against his. He struggled to form a coherent sentence. "Um. Yes. Definitely yes."

She laughed, low and sweet. He couldn't help but smile—a ridiculous smile that Vincent would probably grill him for later. But that was just the effect she had on him.