Damaged and the Beast(12)
Crossing my arms, I glared at Cooper. “I’ll wait outside.”
“Hell no. It’s not safe,” he said, completely full of shit. “Especially not with you dressed like you are. Too provocative. You’ll need to stay close to me so I can protect you.”
Ignoring his grin, I shrugged. “Whatever. I’m waiting here.”
Cooper kept smiling like my embarrassment was the funniest shit ever. Then, he stepped closer and leaned over my shoulder to look at my hair. When I felt him messing with my ponytail, I considered complaining, but thought better of it. He pulled my ponytail loose then handed me the band.
“Much better. Shake it out and you’ll look sexy as hell. That is unless anyone looks from the neck down.”
“I’m waiting here.”
“Don’t be grouchy. It’s not an attractive look on you,” he said, stepping behind me and bumping me forward until we reached the front door.
Running my fingers through my hair, I tried to look my best as I entered my first college party.
“Much better,” Cooper whispered in my ear as he passed me. “I’ve got to deal with Crazy Fuck Tuck. Don’t wander off.”
Standing in the packed living room, I watched Cooper join a blond guy who was pounding on a bathroom door and screaming for someone named Maddy. The man turned to Cooper and made his case in a very dramatic, slightly maudlin way.
“My brothers are idiots,” a voice said from behind me.
Turning, I found Bailey Johansson from my Algebra class. The blonde, blue-eyed beauty wore a skimpy tank top and short shorts. Showing a lot of skin, Bailey had the lean tanned body to pull it off without looking desperate.
“Cooper is your brother?”
“I call him Crapface and the other one Fuckwad. They’ll come to those names too, so feel free to give them a whirl,” she said, laughing in a way that announced she was drunk. “Oh, no,” she added, grabbing me. “Don’t call them that. They’ll freak out and you’ll end up in a shallow grave and I’ll feel guilty. I already feel bad enough for running over that possum yesterday.”
“I won’t say anything.”
“Awesome. Hey, since you’re cool and fucking my brother and everything, let’s hang out after class on Monday, kay? I’m going to find me a cute boy and hump his leg before my brothers cock-block me. Distract Coop, will ya? He’s a boob man so flash the girls to give me a head start.”
Before I could respond, Bailey hurried off even though Cooper and Fuckwad weren’t aware of her presence. They were busy talking heatedly, though mostly Fuckwad talked. Finally, Cooper opened the door to the bathroom and a blonde girl raced past them and out the front door. When Fuckwad yelled her name, Cooper pulled his brother into another room.
“Hey,” a guy said, handing me a beer. When his friend whispered to him, the first guy shrugged. “Have a good night.”
Suddenly, I enjoyed a wide berth as I took the beer to a couch and watched a football game with the sound down. My dad loved sports, mostly gambling on them. Tawny, Dad, and I would spend our Sundays watching games and cheering for whoever he bet on. If he lost too many games, he left and we wondered if he’d ever come back? If he won a lot of games, we went to dinner at Burger King.
“I’m Nick,” said the guy taking up the spot next to me on the couch. “We have a few classes together.”
Sweetie Pie had a name and a great smile he was focusing on me. I tried not to show how excited I was by this turn of events or how much I wished I was dressed better.#p#分页标题#e#
“Farah. We’re in Spanish, English Lit, and Algebra together,” I said, pretty much giving away how I was hot for him. Clearly, I was in one of my more brilliant moods.
Nick gave me a big ass smile announcing he was hot for me too so we were even.
“Are you from this area originally?” he asked.
“No.”
“Me either. I grew up the state over, but my grandfather came here. Since he’s the only one in my family to go to college, I figured I’d follow in his footsteps.”
“I came here because my mom lives in town. I’m planning to be a teacher.”
Nick’s big green eyes lit up. “No way. Me too. Primary?”
“Yeah, I’d like the younger ones, but no kindergarten. They cry too easily. Or I might try high school math because they make better money. I haven’t really decided.”
Nick grinned. “I like fourth and fifth graders. You know, when the BO kicks in.”
Laughing now, I realized this was what casual flirting felt like. I’d never really flirted, always shutting things down with guys out of fear and convenience. The thing I did with Cooper was about lust and paranoia. While I liked looking at him, I was also terrified he would get me fired if I didn’t play nice.