RISKY BUSINESS

Chapter 13

APRIL,
LAVEROUNE STREET, THE COOPER RESIDNECE
b r o o k l y n l e s l i e c o o p e r
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I woke up with a headache, and sore feet.

After Calum left me on the trampoline, I didn't know what to do, or how to react. So I just sat there, looking around at the people outside— hoping they wouldn't notice me. I even pulled out my phone, and replied to the few texts I had; all from Morgan. She was asking how I was, if Calum had ditched me or not, and if I was drunk. I replied back, assuring here I was sober, and that I was fine. I didn't tell her that Calum had run out on me, because then I'd have to explain why, and I didn't know why.

After what felt like hours, but was really twenty minutes, I left the trampoline and ventured inside to find the boy I'd come here with, hoping he hadn't left me here all alone. But the house seemed to have gained more body count, so it was harder to spot him, especially with the amount of boys that wore similar clothing to him, or had the same hairstyle. So I stalked over to a random group of girls, asking if they knew who he was and if they had seen him. They knew who he was, of course. But they hadn't seen him yet.

"Rumour is, he's here with some girl," one of the girls said. She had dirt-blonde hair and wore a dress similar to mine, but it was plain blue.

"I'd kill to be that girl. She's so lucky. Calum Hood never has plus one's." Another said, she wore a very revealing outfit, it made me wonder if she had any self-respect.

I distanced myself from the group after that. I didn't want them to find out. If they knew that Calum's plus one was me, I had a feeling I wouldn't leave here alive. Especially after the judging looks they gave me when I asked about him.

A good fifteen minutes later, I had travelled upstairs and found Calum in Owen's room. He was standing on the balcony connected, and was looking out at the night sky. I had cleared my throat to announce my presence, and he turned around to look at me, and sighed, apologising for running off on me before.

We spent a good hour up in Owen's room after that, sitting on the chairs on the balcony, and staring at the night sky as we made conversation. We spoke about many things; like school and teachers, like our friends, even our families. He let me complain about my mother until I decided I should stop before I got mad, and then he asked if I ever heard back from RIOT!. I told him —quite excitedly— that I got the job, and he went on to tell me about what I should expect while working there. He told me I'd love it, maybe even more than his sister Mali.

Then we left the party, and he guided me through the crowd with his hand on the small of my back again. We walked past that group of girls, and they all stared at me in shock. I tried not to look at them for too long, and when I looked away, Calum asked if I knew them. I said no.

Then he drove us home, and parked in his driveway. He didn't walk me to my door; he didn't want to face my mother. That's what I thought, at least. He walked me to the fence that separated our driveways and I thanked him for inviting me, to which he replied with "it's nothing", then he said "sweet dreams" to me and I walked up my driveway and to my front door. When the door opened to reveal my father, I snuck a quick glance at Calum. He was watching me. And when the door closed, I went up to my room, and fell asleep, thinking of him. Thinking about my night. Thinking about the moon and the stars. And our kiss. My first kiss. I could still feel his lips on mine. And his hand on the small of my back.

I lay in bed, reminiscing last nights events until I couldn't remember what happened next. Though I knew that next was now. It was me waking up the next day, and longing to relive last night again. Just to feel how I felt with Calum. To feel alive again.

When I was getting ready for church, I decided that it'd been a while since I last recorded for my media project. So I set my phone up in it's usual position on my bed, and I sat on the floor and pressed play.

"Um hi," I started, looking down and furrowing my eyebrows as I thought of what to say. But all I could think off was the kiss. "What the hell?" I muttered under my breath.

Then I looked back up at my phone with wide eyes. "What the hell? Oh my god . . . I'm a changed woman. I'm no longer the same Brooklyn, I'm an upgraded version."

"So that boy? Yeah, well, he kissed me last night? I'm still trying to decipher it, but it's hard. My first kiss. Wow. And with him? Wow. Sure, he's kissed a lot of girls, but for him to kiss me, surely he feels something, right? I mean, it was sudden. I did't see it coming. But maybe it was just in the moment, and the moon and the stars that we sat under tempted him to do it. God, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe I'm over-reacting." I spoke with such a messy tone. One second I'd sound excited and amazed, then the next my voice would drop with confusion and doubt. I could only imagine how I looked, too. I probably looked pained; like I was really tripping over last nights events. And I was. I really was.

So I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Yeah, maybe."

Then I leant forward and ended the recording.

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After church, my family of three sat around our dining table, eating pasta and discussing the email I'd received from RIOT!

My mother gushed about how amazingly Joy had described working there, and how much Mali loved it. She then went on to tell me Mali's shifts. I sat back and listened, wondering when she'd finally focus on the fact that I'd be working there too, not just Mali.

I think my father noticed, because he cleared his throat and my mother stopped to look at him. "What is it, Daniel?"

His eyebrows raised at her tone, but then he motioned over to me. "You are aware that Mali-Koa is a Hood and not a Cooper, right? I think we should discuss the fact that Brooklyn got accepted to work at riot."

He looked over at me, and I sent him a thankful smile, and even mouthed "thank you". He nodded and winked, then the two of us looked over at my mother, who's face had gone red. She hated when dad called her out, and made her out to be the bad guy. Sure, in this case she wasn't exactly doing anything wrong; aside from making me feel like I wasn't special.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, Daniel. Thank you," she said. She didn't even try to hide the annoyance in her tone. And when she turned towards me, she put on the most convincing smile she could. "Tell me all about the email. Shall we call the centre after lunch?"

We did end up calling riot after lunch. My mother spoke to the manager and organised a meeting. She wanted to meet everyone and hear about every single detail of the place before allowing me to work there. I wanted to argue and say that she probably knew everything thanks to her new bestie Joy Hood, but decided against it. I didn't want to make things worse, she was already tense, and a single word would push her over the line edge then she'd blow.

That night, I sat at my window and drew. But I wasn't fully focused on what I was doing, because my thoughts overtook me. I drew until my hand hurt and my legs went numb, and until the breeze flowing through my window became too chilly to stand.

Then I lay in bed without the blankets on, not even the sheets, and I thought— or, more like wondered, what would happen next for me. Would life become more eventful? Would it be boring? Would I be able to focus on school work that isn't my media project?

But most of all . . . Would I be seeing Calum more?