Cooper: Text me when you’re done.(kissing face)
A small smile tugs at my mouth as I climb out of my car. The campus is already buzzing around me.
As I head toward the lecture hall, I glance at my phone one more time before sliding it into my pocket.
Part of me wants to be annoyed that he went to Dave about the cameras. The other part of me wants to know who was behind what happened, and why anyone would want me out of town.
I cross the parking lot with my bag over my shoulder. The morning air is still cool enough that I’m glad I grabbed a sweater.
Campus looks the same as it always does. There are clusters of students moving around. Someone takes off in a jog past me with earbuds in.
I walk toward the building, and it creeps back in. I don’t have a better way to explain it, but it’s like someone’s watching me.
Scanning the area, I take in the people milling around and the cars pulling into the lot. Nothing appears unusual, although I have noticed a few people staring at me longer.
I keep walking. I tell myself it’s nothing, and maybe it’s just people recognizing me from the articles being written about my father.
I adjust the strap on my bag again and head up the sidewalk. My phone buzzes against my leg, and my heart jumps before I realize it’s probably just a notification. Which reminds me, I still need to call my mom back.
I’ll wait until later when I have a break between class and my shift at Broken Saddle.
By the time I reach my classroom, I’m annoyed with myself. This is what happens when I let stuff like this take up too muchspace in my mind. I start freaking myself out and making up stories in my head.
I slip into a seat near the back and set my bag down. As I pull out my notebook, I glance toward the door again.
Everything looks normal—no one is out of place. Still, I can’t shake this feeling.
I rest my chin on my hand and stare at the front of the room as the professor begins setting up for class.
Maybe Cooper isn’t being dramatic. Maybe I’m the one who’s brushing something off because I don’t want to admit the truth.
The thought sits on my mind throughout class.
I don’t text him, though. I don’t say anything.
But when I shift in my seat, I find myself glancing toward the window near the door one more time. Just to be sure.
Chapter Thirty
Cooper
The locker room feels off today.
The news about Coach having a secret daughter on campus hit last night, and he’s been acting like it’s just another game day.
Gear clanks in the stalls and hits the floor as guys suit up. Sticks tap against the ground, tape ripping in quick pulls. Nobody’s blasting music yet, though a few guys have headphones on, already locked in.
He walked in, handed out the lineup, and went over matchups and zones like there aren’t rumors swirling around him. Like none of this is touching him.
Like my name—and the girl I’m falling for—aren’t tied up in it too.
I sit on the bench, rewrapping tape around my stick even though it doesn’t need it.
Across from me, Kade leans against his stall, keeping his voice low. “You read any of the comments online?”
“Don’t,” Talon mutters, lacing his skates. “Not right now.”
“They’re already speculating,” Kade says anyway. “Saying it explains why Coach has been sitting you out. People are starting to piece it together, insinuating you leaked it and he’s paying you back for it.”
