No, it made me laugh. “Stop that.”
He furrowed his brows intently and took a step toward me. “How about now?”
I pushed him away, still laughing. “You look more brooding than threatening.” I ought to know since I’d just ogled a bunch of brooding male models.
He relaxed into his normal stance and checked the hallway to see who was around. “The peonies aren’t going to work. What’s your second choice for a grand gesture?” He held up a hand to stop my response and added, “When I say second choice, I actually mean do you want roses or an assorted bouquet, because that’s all the grocery stores carry. No one has peonies. One store didn’t even know what they were.”
“You planned to hand-deliver the flowers? I figured you’d order them from a floral delivery place. They know what peonies are.”
He arched his eyebrows at me. “Do you have any idea how expensive sending flowers is?”
“Fine. I’ll pay for them and send them to myself. You’ll just have to mention to your mother that you did it. That’s the main point.” And my father would certainly mention them to Ms. Nash once they came.
Cooper rubbed the back of his neck like he was having second thoughts. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I’ve never bought a girl flowers before, and now I’m giving them to one I got together with last Monday just because I talked to another girl? To put this in drama terms, it would be out of character.”
I twisted my locker combination. “It doesn’t have to be flowers. What do you usually do when you apologize? Whatisin character?”
He shrugged and leaned on the locker next to mine. “I say I’m sorry.”
“That’s it?”
“I think that’s what most people do.” He folded his arms, and his tone turned challenging. “I bet you’ve never done a grand gesture for a boyfriend over something as insignificant as talking to another guy.”
I began putting books into my backpack. “Oh, I’ve apologized plenty. One time, a boyfriend got mad because I ignored too many of his texts, so I baked him cookies.” That fight had also been the first sign that the guy was too needy. “Once, I had to miss a boyfriend’s birthday party, so I surprised him with tickets to see his favorite band. That wouldn’t have been so bad if he had good taste in music.” Mr. Self-Destructive had a thing for indie bands with lots of screaming electric guitar solos. “And once an ex got bent out of shape because I had to repeatedly kiss another guy during a drama production. I sent him DoorDash of his favorite meal and then put chocolate in his locker. And then later broke up with him because he wouldn’t let it go.”
Cooper surveyed me with still folded arms. “The guys you date are wusses. Although I do see the last guy’s point. I mean, making out with another guy in front of everybody? Harsh, Maddy.”
I shut my locker door. “That reminds me, no one has called me Maddy since I was six, so don’t use the nickname around my father.”
“Fine. And no one calls me Coop unless they want to pick a fight.”
Noted. “Just two more mistakes we made ...”
“Back to apologies,” he said without any sign of discouragement. “Can we plan out our next argument, and you can be the one to tell me you’re sorry? Cookies, concert tickets, and DoorDash are better than flowers, and apparently you give them at the drop of a hat.”
He wasn’t taking this seriously. “We’re not supposed to have more apologies. We still have to figure out this one. A grand gesture doesn’t have to include flowers. How are you at composing poems?”
He blew out a breath. “Flowers it is then.”
“Don’t worry about paying extra for peonies.” I was about to reiterate that I would send them to myself when Selena strode up to the locker, her gaze bouncing between Cooper and me.
“Hey.” Her gaze made one last ricochet at Cooper before landing on me. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We’re just working out some details.”
Without missing a beat, Cooper said, “She’s sending me DoorDash, so I’ll let her make out with guys in her play. I like Mexican food. Don’t forget the extra guac.”
I zipped up my backpack. “My character doesn’t kiss anyone inHello, Dolly!I just scheme, matchmake, and sing loudly.”
“Do you flirt with anyone?” Cooper asked, refusing to let it go.
“Yes,” I admitted.
Cooper nodded, blue eyes amused. “That ought to at least rate some cookies. I like chocolate chip.”
“Speaking of matchmaking,” Selena inserted herself back into the conversation, “Boden talked to me in class today, and I’m a little confused.”
“Oh.” My hand flew to my mouth. I’d forgotten about Boden again. “What did he say?” And why had the boy chosen this moment to abandon his shyness?
