Damaged and the Beas(7)

"He is scary, but he's just giving me a ride home."

"So you two aren't dating?"

"If I was on a date, would I be dressed like this?"

Studying my clothes, his gaze stopped at my shoes. Finally, he laughed. "No, probably not. Your hair looks pretty, though."

Starting to thank Nick, I noticed Cooper out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at Nick and me in the dark overly focused way he sometimes watched me at the restaurant. The predator stalking his prey look was mostly focused on Nick.

Men like Cooper viewed girls as conquests, and I was the newest one. Other males knew this and stayed out of the way. Nick hadn't, therefore he was a threat to be squashed.

"Cooper is watching us, and he's acting weird," I said, without looking up. "I'll talk to you in class next week."

Nodding, Nick stood up and gave me a smile. "Nice to meet you, Farah."

Even with Cooper watching, I couldn't help grinning at Nick as he returned to his friends who looked ready to piss themselves.

Walking to Cooper, I asked, "Are you taking me home now?"

Cooper took the beer from my hand. "There's pizza in the kitchen. Are you hungry?"

"I'd like to go home."

"Maybe your boyfriend can take you," he said, glaring at Nick, who ignored him.

"Is that your way of saying you won't take me?"



       
         
       
        

Cooper finally pulled his gaze away from Nick and focused it on me. "Who gave you this drink?"

"I don't know. Some guy."

"Your boyfriend?"

"No, some guy."

"Did you drink it?"

"I'm eighteen, and it's illegal for me to drink alcohol."

Cooper laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," I said, crossing my arms. "I take the law very seriously."

"Nerd."

Laughing, I tightened my arms and studied him. "Did someone mess with the drink? Like a roofie?"

"Maybe. These guys are idiots. Always fucking with stupid freshmen girls because you bitches don't know any better," Cooper said, his gaze locking onto someone behind me. I turned to find the guy who handed me the beer now standing near the door with his friends. "Should I drink this shit?" Cooper hollered at the guy. "Huh, asshole? What happens if I drink it?"

When Cooper lifted the beer to his lips, the guy looked ready to run. Only a second passed before the beer went flying and smashed against the guy's head. As he crumbled to the ground, the party fell silent except for the music.

"My sister is at this fucking party!" Cooper yelled, running at the guy's friends who ditched him and fled outside.

Standing very still, I wasn't sure what to do. I glanced around and noticed Nick watching me like he knew I was scared shitless. He gave me a tight sympathetic smile and then his gaze flickered away. By the sound of fists against flesh, Cooper was beating the crap out of someone.

"You the Denny's chick?" Fuckwad asked, now standing next to me.

Glancing down at my uniform, I wondered if Fuckwad was drunk or simply stupid. "Yeah."

"He's going to fuck you. Try not to cry when he forgets your name afterward."

With that comment, Fuckwad ran outside. Soon, the sounds of a fight intensified. Inside the house, everything returned to normal except for the guy puking on the ground from his head wound. As I walked past the asshole who tried to roofie me, I kicked him in the balls. Outside, Cooper stood next to his brother as they loomed over three bloodied guys.

"Denny's chick is getting restless," Fuckwad said.

"Shut up, Tucker," Cooper muttered while gesturing for me to follow him. "Watch Bailey and make sure these assholes didn't roofie her."

Arriving at his motorcycle, I avoided Cooper's angry glare.

"You need to be more careful," he said, studying me. "College is full of perverted shits."

"I was never going to drink it. You didn't save me from anything." 

Cooper glared at me and then snorted. "Denny's chick," he said, climbing on his bike. "My brother's a turd."

"No comment."

Glancing back at me as I settled on the Harley, Cooper sighed. "My sister dresses like a slut, but most of the girls at school dress that way. They act like whores, but they're not. They just like dressing up and playing sexy. These guys are losers, and they come here with these ideas about the country girls being easy. When they aren't easy, they make them easy. They look down at local girls and poor chicks like you. Now that they know where you work, they'll come hanging around to make you dance like a monkey. If that happens, you tell me, and I'll hunt them down and make them dance. Do you understand?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist. "We're going to my place now, right? I'm seriously tired and need to go home."

"When your makeup gets all wiped off, it's real obvious you're exhausted."

Unsure how to respond, I nodded. "Do you really know where I live?"

"I know everything. Hold on because it's getting windy."

Once the bike roared down the road, I hid my face against his back as my hands again felt his beating heart. It had been such a long week, and I needed to take a shower and veg out. In fact, I didn't even want to do schoolwork. TV time and sleep were all I craved. Maybe a little candy too.

Arriving at my apartment, Cooper not only parked, but turned off his bike. "Invite me in," he murmured while glancing around as if the place was beneath him.

"I'm not having sex with you," I said, getting off of the Harley.

"Tonight? Oh, yeah, I know," he said, giving nearby voices a dark glare. "If you meant ever, we're not on the same page."

Sighing, I glanced at the walkway leading to my apartment. "My mom is probably home."

Cooper stood next to me and cracked his neck back and forth. "Don't let the tats fool you. I can do the choirboy routine. Real chivalrous crap moms love. Now invite me in."

"How come?"

"Because I want to talk to you outside of school and Denny's."

"No sex."

Rolling his eyes, Cooper sighed. "You're so frigid. That's not healthy, you know?"

"Says who?" I asked, hitching my backpack tighter before walking towards my apartment.

"A very important doctor somewhere," Cooper said, following me. "Hell, scientific studies even say fucking is good for your heart."

"Laughing is good for your heart too, and there are no downsides to it. I think I'd rather watch a comedy."

"Fair enough, but you're missing out."

"Uh-huh. If you think you can get more attention from another girl, feel free to take off. Night's still young."

"No, I like where I'm at."

Certain he was checking out my butt, I spun around and glared at him. Cooper only smiled.

"Like I could see anything with those pants on," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not kidding either. Your ass could have fallen off on the ride over, and I wouldn't be able to tell."

Staring up at Cooper, I soothed out the grumpy from my face and gave him my best Thumper eyes.

"You're so charming, Coop the Poop," I said in my sexy voice.

"I like when you do that with your eyes," he said, ignoring the rest. "The voice is hot too."

Turning around, I continued towards the apartment.

"You're welcome for the compliments, Farah. Please, stop thanking me. You're embarrassing yourself."



       
         
       
        

Sighing loudly, I realized I was screwed. Possibly in the literal sense because the lights were off in the apartment. Amy wasn't home, and there would be no parental referee to keep Cooper from taking his charming compliments to fucking me in my brand new used bed.

"I don't think your mom is home," Cooper said as I unlocked the door.

"She likes to sleep in absolute darkness and silence. You should go."

"Bullshit," he said, pushing past me and finding a light. Once he lit up the room, Cooper flopped on the ugly brown couch. "Let's order a pizza."

"You just ate."

"I burned a lot of calories beating the shit out of those guys."

Standing over him, I crossed my arms and frowned. I couldn't think of a gentle way to tell him to eat pizza at his place.

"I don't have money for pizza. I don't know the number of a place. I need to take a shower."

Cooper glanced up at me and scowled. "Like I was going to make you pay. Take your shower and I'll get the pizza. Anything you don't like on it?"

"No."

"Anything you do like on it?"

"No."

Cooper sighed loudly as if I was pissing him off. Taking my backpack into my room, I imagined him on the couch when Amy came home. I had no idea how that would play out.

After collecting suitable clothes for after my shower, I stopped in the living room and found Cooper watching bowling.

"You have shit for cable," he said, without looking at me.

"Could I please have ham on the pizza?"

Cooper glanced up at me with a soft expression. "You really like the other white meat, don't you, baby?"

Smiling, I nodded. "I'm going to clean up. If my mom comes home, please be gentle with her. She gets jumpy around new people."