Flashed

Chapter 8

Tennis the next morning was hell. I had no energy or concentration and I lost. Not badly but I still lost so Dad and I were in a bad mood and I was grateful for the escape to come this afternoon with Cooper.

I dress in a t-shirt with a red outlined cat on, black leggings and a black crew jumper. It's a men's jumper but they're so comfy!

Dad drops me off at the entrance and says he'll pick me up at five.

I walk in and am instantly overwhelmed by the amount of people crammed into the space to queue and line up to enter. There's no way I'm ever going to find Cooper in here. Worse, there are a lot of people I can see that I know or will know Cooper and that isn't good. I didn't exactly account for this many people being here and I didn't want to be seen with him.

"Riley!"

I turn my head and see Jenna with a group of people from our school that I'm not close to but can have at least a decent conversation with.

"Hey Jenna," I smile politely, walking over to her and the rest of them.

"Hey what're doing here? Did I invite you?" she asks.

I laugh a little and say, "No you didn't I'm watching something with someone else."

"Oh ok. Who are you seeing it with? Alice?"

"No an old friend," I smile.

At that moment Cooper had to come up behind me and place his hand on my lower back to contradict everything I just said.

Jenna looks kind of shocked for a minute then gathers herself up and says, "Hi. I'm Jenna."

"Cooper. How you doing?" he doesn't give her a chance to reply before turning to me, "I just went to get tickets and they're sold out. Is there anything else you want to see?"

"How about you go check out what's showing and come back and tell me?" I say, smiling at him and waiting for him to go before turning to Jenna.

"What the fuck Riley? What are you doing with a prick like him?" she says, not one to have a filter in her brain.

"It's not what it looks like! After the party I..." I was going to say that I stayed the night at his house but then I realised that it wouldn't sound that great, "I helped him with something. He's going through a rough patch and he asked me to go with him today. Just promise you won't say anything Jenna. He's just an old friend, like I said."

She narrows her eyes and stays suspicious but agrees not to mention it to anyone.

Cooper returns and I say goodbye before taking his hand and pulling him to the side.

"Ok so there was Inside Out-"

"Hang on wait I need to talk to you first."

"What is it?" he asks, hands in his pockets and slouching, looking like a slice of heaven. Why did he have to do this?

"We shouldn't be seen here. This was a bad idea. People are going to talk," I  whisper with my arms barred across my chest.

"Why do you care what people say?" he asks amused.

"Well, I don't usually but this is different. I...I just can't Cooper."

"Ok fine. We'll go somewhere else. Somewhere quiet."

He takes my hand and starts to drag me away but I dig my heels in.

"What are you doing Cooper? I can't, I told Dad he could pick me up at five," I say, standing my ground.

"Call him. Tell him you'll get dropped home. Later though, about nine."

"Nine! Call him and tell him your bloody self! He won't be happy," I say, already imagining the argument we'll have on the phone, "Besides I still have a lot of homework to do and there's no way I'll be getting any of it done if I don't get home until nine."