I sit back down and take a sip of my water as my father continues. “Make sure, really sure, that this is what you want. Then we can make a decision.”
The waiter picks that moment to give my father his card back and a pile of fancy chocolates wrapped in gold. Cooper grabs a handful and gets a glare from my father. He drops chocolate in front of me, and I glare at him and mumble traitor.
“This conversation is to be continued. I have a meeting at the complex that I need to get to.” He picks up my hand and squeezes.
“I love you kids and want you to live extraordinary and fulfilling lives. You may not always like what I have to say, but trust me when I tell you I’m on your side.”
Giving my father a nod of the head, I sit while he stands up, kisses my cheek, and then turns to Cooper. “Make sure your sister gets home safe. See you tomorrow.”
I wait until my father walks away before turning on Cooper, nailing him to his seat with my glare, and the smile on his face vanishes. “You suck!”
7
Natalie
Thank God we took two cars to the restaurant tonight, because I think that I would rather walk home than spend any more time with my father right now. I'm not thrilled with my brother either, but he is by far the lesser of two evils at the moment.
Slamming the door of the Jeep, I sit with my arms crossed over my chest and my face turned to the window.
Coop gets in but makes no move to start the car. "Nattie."
His voice sounds pained. Good.
Turning my face toward him, the tears I've been holding in for the last thirty minutes finally flow freely down my face. My traitor brother looks at me like I’m a ticking time bomb that he doesn't know how to defuse.
"You were supposed to be on my side. We are always on each other's side, Coop. What the hell was that back there?"
Coop's eyes are the size of small dinner plates as he reaches for me, but I pull my body closer to the door. "Just take me home. Please." I lean my head back and close my eyes.
"You blindsided me in there. I didn't know you were done with dance. If you want me on your side, give me a damn heads-up next time.”
I hate it when he's right.
"Dad loves you. He just wants what's best. If you don't think that's dancing anymore, we'll make him understand. I promise. Please don't cry."
Wiping my eyes, I look up at my brother. He used to look like a kid, but now he seems so much older than eighteen. I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes again. "I love you, Cooper. I will cheer you on at every game you ever play in. I will always be your number one fan, but I just don't want to be the one on stage anymore. I'm done, Coop, and I'm not going to change my mind. I’m not just quitting. I've been thinking about this since before the summer intensive. Dance just doesn't make me happy anymore. You guys just haven't been around enough to notice."
Placing his arm around my shoulders, Cooper pulls me into him. "Why didn't you tell me? We've always told each other everything. I might not have been around, but I was only a phone call away. I will always be on your side."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Always." He leans over and wraps me up in a big hug. For the first time all night, I feel like things might just work out okay.
I can't stop the tears now. I think I've danced for as long as I have because I didn't want to let anyone down. We are overachievers in our family, and ballet was my achievement. Now, what am I going to do? I start to get myself under control and realize that I've left tear stains on Coop's shirt, and when he looks down, he sees it too.
We both start to laugh, and the sound echoes around inside the Jeep.
"Okay. If you are done with the pity party, can we head to a real party? I told the guys we'd meet them tonight. Brady's sister, Chloe, might be there. She is going to be a junior. Murphy's sister, Carys, is younger. A sophomore, I think, so I'm not sure if she'll be there. I thought it would be a good chance for you to meet some people."
I look at myself in the passenger mirror and wipe my face. "Hey, this was not a pity party. I'm good. I just needed a minute. I guess a real party doesn't sound bad. Do I need to go home and get changed first?"
"Nope. These girls dress up for everything. Plus, you're my sister, so they have to love you." He winks at me, and I groan.
"Oh, God, Cooper. Have you slept with them all already?" He looks at me and laughs hard.
Okay, so Cooper wasn't kidding when he said these girls dress up. We are in a beautiful backyard a few streets away from our house. There are Edison bulb lights strung from the columns that surround the patio and swimming pool. The outdoor furniture is pretty teak wood, with oversized, overstuffed cushions that look incredibly comfortable. The backyard is big, bigger than ours, I think, with lush, tall evergreen trees surrounding the fence around the pool. With the number of people here, it should feel crowded, but it doesn't.
Is this the whole school?
I think I may actually be underdressed compared to half the girls here and overdressed compared to the other half. I am pretty sure I am not meeting the high end, name brand requirement that must have been sent out for this party. I've never been much of a label whore, but you can't be the daughter of a retired model and not know high-end fashion.
These girls are in slinky dresses. More than one has got to cost over a thousand dollars. And who wears Louboutin's at a pool party?
The other half of the girls here are in tiny bikinis, which wouldn't be out of place if they weren't wearing heels. It's a combination you don't see often, and it seems like it would be less unexpected at a rock star's blow out than a high school party.
Of course, the guys are all in the standard guy unform, cargo shorts and t-shirts or short sleeve button-ups. There's a few in board shorts and even fewer in jeans. Guys have it so easy. If it doesn't smell, they wear it. It doesn't matter if it was hanging up, in a drawer, on the floor, or in the laundry basket.
I will always be jealous of how simple it is for them to get ready.
A beautiful girl with white-blonde hair, wearing an electric blue bodycon dress and silver gladiator sandals, makes a beeline for Cooper as soon as she sees him. Her voice is high pitched and a touch whiney. "Cooper! I've been waiting for you all night. The guys said you were coming, but I was starting to think you were blowing me off." That's when she looks at me, and I think if looks could kill, I'd be dying a slow, fiery death. "Who is this?"
Oh yeah, this girl is ready to show her claws and lay her claim. I guess she doesn't know that Cooper doesn't let anyone claim him.
"Tiffany, this is my sister Natalie. She just got into town yesterday." Of course, now her face changes, and I am pretty sure she is quickly trying to assess how she can use me to get closer to my brother. This isn't the first time a girl has tried to befriend me to get closer to Cooper or even Declan.
Her voice changes as much as her approach to me. She seems more relaxed but still a little too excited for my taste. "Natalie. Oh, my God. You and Cooper look exactly alike. I don't know how I missed it. We should hang out. I can give you the low down on everything. I want to hear all about you and your school in California. And you have to tell me all of Cooper's dirty secrets."
Turning my head to Cooper, I lift the corner of my mouth. Really? This is who he's seeing? Thank God Cooper can read my face because I need to get away from this girl, like now. "Tiff, I'm going to take Natalie to get a drink and find the guys. I'll find you later."
"Promise, Coop?" Pushing her bottom lip out, she pouts and rubs her hands up his chest.
"Yup. Be back soon, Babe." Coop gives her a quick kiss on the lips, and I want to gag.
Cooper grabs my arm, and we head toward the back of the property. Shaking my head at my brother, I ask, "Babe? Really, Coop?"
"Shut it, troublemaker."
He maneuvers us through the back yard. A few girls are dancing next to the pool, sounds of Dua Lipa blasting through the outdoor speakers. A few guys stop Coop to talk about the fight today at pr
actice, but he blows them off. As we walk away from the last guy, I give him the side-eye, and he shakes his head. “I’ll tell you later. We've already hit our drama quota for the night."
With his hand on the middle of my back, we come up to the pool house. It looks like a smaller replica of the main house, with white shaker shingles with a black roof and matching flower boxes with red, white, and dark purple flowers flowing down.
I can already see Sebastian lifting a beer to his lips. He looks calm and laid back in well-worn jeans and a white Kroydon Prep t-shirt with navy blue lettering. His dark hair looks messy, like he's run his fingers through it a few too many times. He's definitely giving off a “too cool for this kind of party” vibe.
As we get closer, I spot Murphy off to the side with a blonde on one arm and a brunette on the other. His emerald green baseball hat is on backward, making his eyes pop even greener than they did yesterday. A big blonde guy who makes these two look tiny stands off to the side, with an easy-going smile.
"Little Sinclair!" Murphy's voice booms as he moves toward me. Bear hugging me, he picks me up off the ground.
"Dude. Put my sister down."
Murphy's squeezes me tighter. "How about you cool off in the pool, Little Sinclair."
"Murphy! Don't you dare." I pinch his sides, and he laughs as he places me back on my feet more gently than I thought he was capable of. "Seriously, Murphy. Do you ever use an inside voice?" Seeing that I am now the center of attention, I cringe.
I wave my hand toward Sebastian and the blonde giant. "Hi, guys."
"Nope. The louder, the better, in my house. Little Sinclair, meet Holly and Heather." He gestures to the girls on either side of him.
Holly glares at him.
"It's Molly, Aiden." She pouts up at Murphy, and he graces her with a sexy smile. There is an awful lot of pouting going on at this party.
"That's what I said. Molly." He lightly smacks her ass, causing Molly to smile and Heather to look disappointed, "I will catch you guys later." Murphy leans down and kisses Heather, with his hand still planted firmly on Molly's butt. And just like that, he walks away with two girls.
Huh. Okay then. The more, the merrier, I guess.
Cooper comes back over with a beer and a spiked lemonade. "Want one, Nat?"
I chose the lemonade. "Thanks, Coop. So, big brother. Tell me something." I walk over to Sebastian and lean against the pool house next to him. "Have you screwed Tiffany yet, or is she your next conquest?"
Sebastian laughs so hard he spits his beer out, then grabs Coop's shoulder. "Dude. She's got you. That one is a serious clinger, and she is going to get nasty when you drop her. Natalie, stay clear of her and her group of friends. You don't want their brand of drama."
"Shut up, Bash. When was the last time you got your dick sucked?" Cooper looks smug as he asks this.
Rolling my eyes, I turn my head and see Brady heading our way. He has a beautiful girl walking next to him. He's not touching her, but they are both laughing. They look comfortable together, and I hope she is his sister and not a girlfriend. She's not as short as I am, but Brady still towers over her. I'd guess she's at least 5'6. She is wearing boyfriend jeans rolled up at her ankles, with holes in the knees, bright purple converse, and a white, wife-beater tank top. Her warm brown hair is parted down the middle and braided on either side with purple ribbons tied around the ends. I immediately love her. She's giving off a great vibe. God, she had better be his sister.
Brady's in camo cargo shorts and a soft-looking light blue, V-neck t-shirt stretched tight across his chest and around his biceps, with a pair of leather flip flops on his feet. He looks casual and so freaking good.
"Hey, guys." Brady and the guys do that weird half hug, half handshake thing. Then he walks over to me. "Natalie, this is my sister Chloe." I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
"Ahh. So, this is Natalie." She looks up at Brady and smiles, then looks at me, winks, and links her arm through mine. "Come on, Nat. Let's get me a drink and get you out of here. Tiffany is coming our way and eyeing Cooper like he's a lollipop, and she knows exactly how many licks it will take to get to the gooey center." She raises her eyebrows at me, and I burst out laughing.
"Oh my God, I think I love you."
As the two of us start to walk away, Chloe turns around and looks at Cooper. "Have fun, Cooper. Don't forget, babies grow up in 18 years, but herpes lasts forever!"
Yup. I found my first friend in this town.
Chloe and I have been sharing one of the oversized lounge chairs with a big fat, red cushion and an overabundance of pillows. At the same time, we drink spiked lemonades and compare having overprotective, alpha brothers, our hatred of the dreaded Mean Girls, and what to expect at Kroydon Hills Prep in a week.
It sounds like my new school is like every other one I've attended through the years. The girls are mostly catty, the guys are overgrown toddlers, and the football team are gods. Brady, Sebastian, and even Murphy, this time without two girls, check in on us throughout the night. There hasn't been any sign of Cooper for a while, and I'm mildly grossed out even thinking of why because I haven't seen Tiffany either.
A few guys from the football team have stopped by to talk to Chloe and introduce themselves to me. One guy seems nice, Darby, our team's left tackle. He sits down for a few minutes while Chloe is getting us drinks. He seems nice and is a definite hottie.
When Chloe gets back with our lemonades, Darby stands to leave. He grabs my phone from the cushion next to me and holds it out, with a hopeful smile on his lips. "Wanna give me your number? Maybe we could grab a movie or a pizza sometime."
Sitting up straighter, I unlock my phone and hand it back to him. "Sure. Text yourself from my phone, so we have each other's numbers." I'm rewarded with another smile. This one makes the dimples in his cheeks pop. I am a sucker for dimples.
Darby types into my phone, and I hear the ping of the text going through to his. "I'll text you this week. See ya later, Natalie. Night Chloe." He walks off toward a group of guys I haven't met and grabs a beer.
Chloe makes herself comfy on the chair. "Watch out for Darby. He's a bit of a player."
"Huh. He seemed cool."
"Just telling you what I've heard."
"Thanks."
"So, tell me about you, Nat. What do you do for fun?"
"Well, when I'm not dancing, I like to listen to music and sketch."
"Oh, sketch what?"
"All sorts of things. I like to sketch fashion, people, different images. Like the way you're dressed right now would be a perfect pic. The purple ribbons in your hair would pop. I'd put you right on this chair so the red would offset the purple. The colors would jump off the page. I've been accumulating these Copic makers over the last few months, and I love them."
"That sounds cool. You'll have to sketch me something. A Natalie Sinclair original."
"Ha. I wish. I'm not that good. It's just something I do for fun. What about you? Please tell me there is something more to do in this town besides football."
"If Texas is the high school football capital of the country, Pennsylvania is the next biggest. It is huge here, but there are other things to do. We have an old school movie theater in town that only shows black and white classics. I love to go there and catch Casablanca or Rear Window, something old and amazing. I'm boring. I love to read."
"Me too! What do you read?" I may be a little too excited to hear this.
"Romance."
"So do I! We can have a book club." Really cool, Natalie. A book club. That's gonna win you friends.
"We totally should. We can read the same thing, and then have a girl's night to talk about our new book boyfriends. My bestie Sabrina will definitely want in on this, too."
We talk more about the school, the different cliques I can expect to see. Chloe and Brady have only gone to the Prep, so she is a walking encyclopedia of everything to know and expect. Who to stay away from and who some of the genuinely nice people a
re.
It's getting late, I've had a few drinks, and I'm starting to get tired. I tell myself that I am just going to close my eyes for a second. At least I thought it was only a second. The next thing I know, I hear Brady and Chloe talking.
"She fell asleep a few minutes ago. Where's Cooper? Nat needs to go home."
I open my eyes and see Brady squatting down at the side of the chair. God, he is a sight. The light is framing his face, making his whiskey-colored eyes brighter than before. His smile makes my insides flutter, and I want to kick myself for even thinking that.
"I'm awake, guys. Jet lag is still kicking my ass. I guess it's going to take a few days."
"How about I get you home, Nat? It's only a few streets over from here. I can walk you home. Chloe, I'll come back and get you after. Okay?"
Chloe gets up. "Don't worry about me. Sebastian said he was leaving soon. I'll have him drop me off. Nat, I'll call you tomorrow. We can go shopping for your school uniforms and figure out what day next week you want to come down to the beach with me, too."
Murphy and Sebastian walk over to us, catching the last part of Chloe's statement.
Murphy's smile grows twice as big. "Party at the beach house? Count us in." Murphy looks to Bash, who nods then continues, "You've got to do it after Thursday's scrimmage is over. Coach is giving us a four-day weekend for Labor Day."
"Why yes, Murphy, let us plan our girl's beach day around your football schedule."
Chloe is throwing down the sarcasm, but Murphy isn't picking it up. I might love her even more.
"Perfect." Murphy kisses Chloe on the top of the head and walks away.
"Do you think the sky is blue in the world that Murphy lives in?" Chloe smirks at her own joke.
"Come on, Chloe. Do you need a ride? I'm heading out." Sebastian reaches down, pulling on one of Chloe's braids. Hmm. I can't help but wonder if there is more to that right there.
All In (The Kings of Kroydon Hills Book 1) Page 4