Kisses of Fire (boyxboy)

Chapter 24 - Trick and Treat

Please read the last paragraph of the authors note at the end of the chapter. It's for science.

Question: What do you call the cafeteria? I'm genuinely curious.
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Cooper stayed quiet the rest of the time, not only because he wasn't interested in what River's friends were talking about, but also because he wondered what Will's deal was. Was he even friends with them, or was he one of those people that River complained about? The ones who were friends with him because of his money.

They were there for about 20 more minutes until River said he had to get going. After throwing away their trash, he told Cooper to wait in the car while he talked to his friends about something. Henry agreed to take the dog, so it was just Cooper alone in the car. He wanted to go home, it had been a long day, and he was tired and frustrated.

Looking over, he saw River speaking to his friends through the window of their jeep. They had serious looks on their faces, but at times, would crack a smile or laugh. River waved his hand, signaling goodbye, and they drove off before he made it to the car.

"You ready?" He said, getting in and putting on his seatbelt. "Am I taking you home or to the skatepark?"

Not knowing why his comment made Cooper smile a tiny bit at the mention of him remembering his Sunday schedule. The smile was gone faster than it appeared, and he shook his head. "Nah, I'm not allowed to skate until I get my cast off."

Backing out of the parking lot, they drove off. "I wouldn't let you either. I've come to realize you're quite clumsy."

Cooper scoffed, "No, I'm not." Sure he'd fallen a couple of times, but it was usually because he'd get distracted. He wasn't a natural clutz.

"I saw you bump into the trash can inside Whataburger." Again, he was distracted by Riley, so his point was invalid.

"No you didn't," Cooper replied quickly, making River laugh.

They spent the rest of the drive talking about nothing and making fun of each other. Parking a couple of houses away so his parents wouldn't see, Cooper thanked River for the ride and said he'll see him whenever. When he walked inside, he heard his parents talking about something but stopped when they saw him.

"Hi, hunny. We were just talking about your birthday," His mom said, looking up from her computer.

Going to the fridge, he looked at them, confused. "Why?" He never made a big thing about his birthday; he was just there for the cake.

His mom took off her glasses and folded her hands. "Well, we were thinking about taking a trip up to New York to see your grandparents since we won't see them for thanksgiving."

Noticing the unsure look on Cooper's face, his mom reassured him. "Only if you want to, though."

This time his dad spoke while writing something down in a notebook. "Yeah, we'll go for the weekend. Spend time with them on Saturday and then go into New York on Sunday for your birthday; come back Monday."

He did like New York, and he would miss a day of school. "Yeah, that sounds okay."

Before he could walk off, his mom stopped him again. "You need to start telling us what you want for your birthday, and please don't say, I don't know."

Cooper smirked and looked at his dad. "You can teach me how to drive," He'd been bothering his parents to let him get his permit, and they always said when he turned 15. His mom agreed, but only if his dad taught him.

His dad rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'll think about it."

This made Cooper let out a long groan. "No, you always say that but never do it."