The genuine kindness in his eyes makes me uncomfortable, but not in a bad way. I don’t know how to explain it, but for the first time, my brain isn’t telling me to run.
“I’ll be okay.” I try my best for a smile, but it feels weird. I’m not used to it.
His eyes light up, noticing the small twitch of my lip, and I let it drop. He chuckles, shaking his head.
“You are a mystery, Blake,” he says. “One I’d like to figure out. See you at the party.”
He gives his head a nod and takes off, leaving me there, confused. What does that mean?Figure me out?
I don’t have time to think about it right now, because I’m headed for a party.
A fucking party. Davis and Rylee are going to love this.
Who the hell am I?
Chapter 5
Cooper
Nothing feels better than riding the high of a win. First game of the season, and we killed it.
Right now, I don’t think anything can bring down my mood.
After showering, I stayed back and waited for some of my buddies, catching a ride with Ruben and Zack, although catching a ride with the girls was pretty enticing.
It was exciting to see Blake in the stands. He gave off the vibe that he wasn’t much of a football fan. More like not a fan of jocks, period. I don’t blame him, though. While not all the guys I know are assholes, a good number of them are.
Like Mickey Teller. The asshole is drunk as hell, groping some of the cheerleaders. I’ve already had to tell him to fuck off more than once tonight. If he doesn’t stop, I’m going to kick his ass.
There's nothing I hate more than someone who takes advantage of another person. Emotionally, verbally, or physically.
By the looks of it, the cheerleader in question, Chelsea, seems to be preening over the attention she’s getting, though, so I leave it alone for now.
I might not be captain of the football team, but I still believe in keeping my teammates in check, which is something I wish I did more of when I first got to SVU. It might have saved Ellie some of the pain she went through. Thankfully, everything worked out for her, and her boyfriends smartened the fuck up. Mickey, on the other hand? He’s just an all-around asshole who thinks he’s invincible with daddy’s money.
After taking a swig of my beer, I head back inside. The party is at the football house, and it’s packed. Everyone is here to celebrate our win.
People greet me and congratulate me on the win as I make my way through the rooms.
When I find who I’m looking for, I grin. “Hey V.”
“Coopy!” Val flings herself at me.
I catch her with a chuckle. “I see you’re enjoying yourself.”
“I aaaamm,” she sings happily.
She seems a little more drunk than normal. “Are you okay, babe? Maybe you should slow down.”
“No.” Her nose scrunches up. “I want to drink. Drink to forget.”
“Forget what?” I pull her back to look at her.
Her lower lip wobbles as tears fill her eyes. Oh boy, I know that look. “They broke up with me.” She starts to sob. “Can you believe that? And over a text message!”
“Oh, babe.” I sigh, pulling her in for another hug.
I love Val, but the girl has horrible taste in men. She hooks up with friends, they make it seem like they want more with her, but it’s only so they can keep sleeping with her. When they get tired of her, they break up with her. I try to tell her she deserves better, but she insists on having more than one boyfriend, and this is the only way to get it. It’s not, but maybe once she’s out of college and in the real world, she’ll stop hooking up with fuckboys and find two men who want something real.
