“You are the hit of the party, and you just got here,” Coop said.
“I think everyone’s just so shocked to see me outside of class.”
“They’re happy you’re here.” Coop studied the onlookers. He detected admiration in their gazes. Yes, this was an unusual sight, but one that they all hoped became more frequent.
They claimed a spot in front of the TV, which nobody was watching anyway. Linh returned with a refreshed glass and quickly launched into a conversation about robots. She used very long words Coop didn’t know and namechecked professors with names Coop couldn’t pronounce. Coop downed his screwdriver quickly. He enjoyed watching Matty be social. His face was full of life as he talked, eyebrows squiggling all over his forehead.
Coop shook his empty glass. “I’m going back to the bar. Can I get anyone anything?”
They shook their heads no. A relief, Coop thought. He didn’t have to try balancing multiple glasses in his hands. These weren’t plastic cups. They were the real deal.
In the kitchen, he poured himself another screwdriver, being a little more generous with the vodka than Kelvin had been. He smiled as he watched Matty chatting away. It was like there was all this conversation rumbling inside of him, ecstatic that it could finally see the light of day.
“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Kelvin joined him at the bar and grabbed two fresh glasses from the cabinet. “Matty, being a friendly, sociable person. I don’t know how you did it, but you are a miracle worker, my friend. Thanks to your work, the curve is back in play. All of our grades are up.”
“Fantastic. Let’s throw a parade.” Coop tasted his drink, then wound up drinking half of it.
“Why so glum?” Kelvin shook himself a martini. Of course he did.
“This is over. Tonight,” Coop said, making Kelvin stop mid-shake.
“But you’re doing such a great job. I mean, look at him. Did you ever think Matty would be at a party?”
“Matty is here because he wanted to come, not because I made him.” The high that Coop felt from watching Matty enjoy himself was cut by the false pretenses that brought him to this moment. “You have your curve back. My work here is done.”
A smile came over Kelvin’s face that made Coop’s skin boil. “You like him.”
“It’s none of your damn business who I like.” Coop clenched his jaw and held back from causing a scene.
“Wow. Who knew anyone could be attracted to Matty?”
Fuck causing scenes.Coop grabbed Kelvin’s shirt and slammed him against the fridge away from public view. His eyes bulged with a barely contained fury that finally registered with Kelvin. “Matty’s a good guy. A great guy. Our business is over, Kelvin. You and I don’t know each other, and we never did.”
“I get it, I get it.” Coop let go, and Kelvin straightened out his shirt, pretending to be perturbed when Coop knew the guy nearly crapped his pants. “It’s patient-client confidentiality, or something like that. Your secret’s safe with me and vice-versa.”
“Good.”
Kelvin held up his martini for a clink. “Thank you for your work. Seriously, you saved my ass and everyone else in here.”
Kelvin could go clink himself.
Coop returned to Matty and his friends, who were now talking about the more earthbound subject of weird professors.
“Do you and Kelvin already know each other?” Matty asked. “You guys seemed to be having a serious conversation.”
“No. Just met him tonight. He was just asking me about New Jersey. It seems that everybody on earth has at least one relative who’s from my state.” Coop raised his hands in awhat can I tell yagesture, but inside he felt a pang of guilt that left a mark.
“Funny.” Matty turned back to the weird professor conversation. That hurt even more, how easily Matty trusted him.
It’s over. You’re not a job anymore.
And with that, Coop was able to relax and enjoy himself. It was a new day, or night. He had Matty, and some extra cash. Life was good. He did his best to join the techie conversation of Matty and his friends. The conversation thankfully steered to terrible high school teachers, and Coop was able to join the fray.
“I had this one teacher in high school. My junior English teacher Mr. Todd Malmuth. You think English teacher, the guy can at least spell, right?” Coop shook his head no. He wrapped his arm around Matty’s waist, right where it belonged. “He had the worst grammar. The worst. He mixed up ‘they’re’ and ‘their’ all the time, which I guess anybody could do. But he spelledHamletwith two m’s,Heart of Darknessas h-a-r-t.”
Matty and his friends laughed into their drinks. Coop was back in his saddle, playing his regular party part. Coop stifled a laugh so he could give the punchline to this story.
“And on more than one occasion, he spelled his own name wrong. He would write Tudd Malmuth on the board.”
