Because Of Cooper

by Nia Arthurs

  Kay.

  He remembered her from primary school, but the memories weren’t pleasant. Rumors of their alleged relationship had raced through the primary school halls. Worse, she seemed to encourage them.

  It was hard enough to like someone who didn’t like him back, but when the entire school assumed he was dating some other girl… it drove him crazy.

  Cooper tried every method he could back then. He ignored Kay. Insulted her. Hid from her. When that didn’t work, he told her point blank he wasn’t interested.

  Obviously, that method wasn’t effective because she was all over him the moment she saw him walking on campus.

  Cooper frowned when he thought of the way Kay had flown past Erin. He could imagine how much that must have hurt her feelings. Especially with how happily she’d been waving.

  Watching Kay diss Erin turned him off even more.

  Cooper had barely managed to give her the slip earlier. Would he have to spend the entire semester running from her?

  “What?” Vinnie crouched beside him. “Is your ex coming this way?”

  Cooper glared at the senior. “Back off, man.”

  “It was just a question.”

  Cooper clenched his jaw. Why was Vinnie acting like they were friends? Had he missed something?

  “Who is it?” Vinnie rose on his haunches to look over the table.

  Cooper rolled his eyes.

  “What are you two doing back here?” a feminine voice asked. Cooper lifted his head and fell into a pair of intense, baby blues. Peggy’s eyes. She tapped her tennis shoes. “Well?”

  Vinnie popped up. “Everything good, babe?”

  Cooper stood, his gaze lingering on Peggy’s face. He’d seen Erin’s sister around their primary school during special events and class conferences. A lot of his classmates had a crush on her.

  She was still pretty with flawless skin, big blue eyes and a small dainty mouth. Peggy was classically beautiful, but there was something about Erin that was stunning. Capturing. The two did not compare.

  Peggy’s eyes widened in recognition and she stepped closer to him. “Cooper?”

  “Hey.” Cooper offered a restrained smile.

  “Dude! Are you going to Balen?”

  Cooper nodded.

  Peggy slapped his arm. Hard. He winced but tried not to let it show too much. Peggy grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. “Look at how much you’ve grown! You’re so handsome!”

  He pressed a hand to his cheek, his gaze on his sneakers. “Thanks.”

  “Do you still have a thing for my sister?”

  Cooper stiffened. So… naked honesty ran in the family. Nice to know.

  “Well?” Vinnie arched an eyebrow, reveling in Cooper’s discomfort.

  Cooper cleared his throat. “It was great seeing you again. I should go.”

  “What’s the rush?” Peggy clamped her arm around his. “Do you still play volleyball?” She turned to her boyfriend, her cheeks reddening with excitement. “This kid was a monster on the court. They started benching him just to make the game fair.”

  “I haven’t played much since then,” Cooper said. His voice warbled. He glanced ahead and saw the moment Kay spotted him. She waved and clutched her purse beneath her armpit. A look of determination crossed her face as she ran to their desk.

  Cooper’s heart thudded. He tried to wrench his arm away from Peggy, but she held on like her life depended on it. “We have a volleyball game in ten minutes and the Green Team is missing a player.”

  “I’ll fill in for you, babe.” Vinnie raised his chin.

  “I’m on the Green Team,” Peggy snapped. “I don’t want them to lose.”

  Vinnie deflated like a kicked puppy.

  “Well?” Peggy fluttered her thick black eyelashes. “What do you say?”

  “Sorry.”

  She looked shocked and loosened her fingers. He politely threw her arm off.

  “But—”

  “I’m not interested,” Cooper said.

  He’d taken three steps away from them when Peggy said, “Erin will be watching.”

  Cooper froze.

  He could hear the smile in Peggy’s voice as she added, “The one thing she admired about you was the way you played.”

  Cooper swallowed. Turned around. Watched Peggy with narrowed eyes. “Really?”

  “Yup.”

  He considered it but, before he could agree, Cooper heard footsteps thumping toward him. A moment later, Kay appeared. She was breathing hard. Her brown eyes glittered. “I found you!”

  Cooper glanced away. Didn’t know we were playing hide and seek.

  “Who is this?” Peggy tilted her head, looking Kay up and down.

  “I’m—”

  “Nobody,” Cooper said. “Sign me up. I’ll play.”

  “Yes!” She thrust a hand in the air. Her bangles dangled down her slim arm.

  Kay pouted. “Did you just call me a nobody?”

  “Cooper,” Peggy pointed to the grassy field where a volleyball net had been mounted, “go warm up over there.”

  “Wait!” Kay screamed. “What about me?”

  “Who are you?” Peggy grabbed her clipboard and perused it. “Nobody what?” At Kay’s puzzled look, Peggy added. “What’s your last name?”

  “Hey!”

  Cooper smirked.

  Peggy caught his eye and winked. “Can you play in that outfit?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

  “My name is Kay Branon,” Kay snapped. “Cooper, who is this girl?”

  “His future sister-in-law.” Peggy threw her arm over Kay’s shoulder. “Let’s give Cooper some space so he can get in the zone.”

  Kay frowned as Peggy dragged her away. She twisted her neck to stare at him. “But I… Cooper!”

  “Wow, how many girls are chasing you, Lawson?” Vinnie asked, admiration in his gaze.

  Cooper scoffed and headed toward the lawn where he saw a handful of guys in green T-shirts. His feet crunched the grass and he stopped in front of the tallest player. He had dark brown skin, a large afro and a white smile.

  “Hey,” the guy said with a grin. “Did Peggy send you?”

  “Yeah.”

  He offered a hand. “Dennis Wade. I’m a junior in the English department.”

  Cooper accepted his hand and introduced himself.

  “What’s your position?” Dennis asked.

  Cooper blinked, taken aback by the question. He’d assumed that this was an informal game. “I’m a hitter or setter. Whichever you need.”

  “Sounds good. We’ll feed you the ball and see how you play.” Dennis tilted his head. “I’m assuming you know how to play since Peggy’s the one who recommended you.”

  “Yeah, I know how to play,” Cooper said coolly.

  “Confident.” Dennis slapped his back. “I like it. Let me introduce you to the other guys.”

  Dennis gestured for the other players to gather round. Cooper followed calmly until his eyes caught on a familiar face. A flood of memories washed over him. Most of them unpleasant.

  “Cooper Lawson.” Ryan Grinage slapped his hands together, brown eyes bugging. “That you?”

  “You two know each other?” Dennis asked, stopping mid-speech to glance between the two of them.

  “We were in the same class all through primary school.”

  Cooper bristled. What was this? A reunion? Why were all his old classmates showing up?

  “That’s cool.” A short guy with spiky black hair and tan skin grinned. “Then did you guys play together?”

  “Nope.” Ryan shook his head. “I got into volleyball in high school. By then, he’d already moved back to Texas.”

  “I knew I heard an accent in your voice,” said a tall, lanky guy with pale skin and mossy green eyes.

  “That’s Rolando—” Dennis pointed to the short, stocky guy— “And the beanpole over there is Chris.”

  “I resent that,” Chris said with a huff.

  “This,” Den
nis pointed to Cooper, “is the guy Peggy told us would guarantee the game.”

  “He any good?” Rolando asked Ryan.

  Ryan’s black eyes glimmered as they fixed on him. “He’s alright.”

  Cooper frowned. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

  “Oooh,” the guys crowed.

  Dennis laughed. “Whoa, we’re all on the same team. Remember?”

  Cooper turned and began to stretch. The others drifted away and left him in peace.

  “Here,” he heard Ryan say. When Cooper turned around, Ryan tossed a green jersey at him. “Put this on.”

  Cooper wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue and tore his shirt off. Immediately, a flutter of gasps zipped through the onlookers watching from the benches. He dressed quickly and tossed his shirt into his knapsack.

  “Must be nice,” Ryan mused from beside him.

  Cooper glanced up, his eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

  “Back then and now, girls still chase you like you’re some superstar.”

  Cooper’s jaw clenched. It didn’t matter how many girls threw themselves at him. The one person he wanted to look his way never did. He glared at Ryan. That was mostly his fault.

  “I saw Kay here too,” Ryan said, still trying to make conversation. “And Erin—”

  Cooper swooped around. “Are you just gonna run your mouth or will we practice some drills before the game?”

  “Does she know?” Ryan smirked. “About why I dropped out of the play?”

  Cooper grabbed his knapsack and sauntered closer to Ryan. “We had a deal.”

  “I guess we did.” Ryan chuckled. “But who knows. Someday, that deal might expire.”

  “Then that’s the day you die.” Cooper knocked Ryan’s shoulder and strode away.

  6 Erin

  “What did I miss?” Erin asked, finding her sister in the crowd of swooning females gathered on the stairs of the Student Center. “What’s everyone whispering about?”

  Peggy grabbed Erin’s hand and hauled her up on the railing, pushing another girl over to make room. “Cooper just took off his shirt. Everyone went wild.”

  “You should have seen it,” the girl next to Peggy yelled. Her braids flailed behind her as she turned her head to share, “He has, like, insanely hot abs.”

  “Kay?” Erin’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Erin! Girl, how are you? I haven’t seen you since forever.” Kay threw her arms around Erin’s shoulders.

  Erin remained stiff. “I passed you this morning. I even waved.”

  “You did?” Kay’s eyes slid to her manicured fingernails. “I didn’t notice.

  “Sure…”

  “Sh.” Peggy wiggled her finger. “The game’s starting.”

  “Where do I take my ID picture?” Erin whispered in Peggy’s ear as applause erupted around them. “You said it was urgent.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll escort you myself when the game is done.”

  “But I don’t want to watch Cooper play.”

  “Oh,” Kay squealed, “Ryan’s there too.”

  Erin froze. “Ryan? As in our old classmate Ryan?”

  Peggy reached over Erin’s lap to ask, “As in your old crush, Ryan?”

  “Ew, you liked Ryan? Why?”

  “She was in love with Ryan.” Peggy shared with a chortle.

  “Why don’t you just recite my diary?”

  “Could I?” Peggy leaned over and whispered to Kay. “It’s a snooze fest. This girl doesn’t get a lot of action.”

  As Kay laughed, Erin frowned. “Peggy, that’s enough.”

  “Sorry.” Her sister straightened.

  Erin held her breath as her eyes sought out the boys gathering before the net. “Which team is he on?”

  “Who? Cooper?” Kay asked.

  “Ryan.”

  Peggy tossed her head so her blonde hair slid behind her shoulder. “The Green Team. Cooper’s on it too.”

  “Cooper’s great at volleyball,” Kay said. “I’m sure this will be a walk in the park for him.”

  Erin was no longer listening. Her gaze locked on the player running to his position in front of the net. Ryan’s flawless dark skin drank in the sunlight and glowed a dark brown that was almost black.

  His muscled shoulders, exposed in the sleeveless green jersey, glistened as he rotated them to get the kinks out. His black hair was shaved in primary school, but now he wore it higher at the top and low at the sides.

  “He’s just as handsome now as he was back then,” Erin said on a sigh.

  “Who?” Peggy pulled her hair into a ponytail. “Cooper?”

  “No,” Erin snapped. “If it’s something good, assume I’m not talking about Cooper.”

  “Do you still hate him?” Kay asked, her eyes glistening.

  “Is this about that stupid play again?” Peggy sighed. “Hun, you gotta get over it.”

  “He kissed me,” Erin hissed.

  “Girl, why are you complaining. If I knew there was going to be kissing involved, I would have traded places with you in a heartbeat. Do you know how many girls would kill to taste Cooper Lawson’s lips?”

  “Not me.” Peggy raised her hand.

  “I’m talking about the girls in our class.”

  “Oh.”

  “Cooper stole my first kiss and for that I will never forgive him.” Erin folded her arms over her chest and huffed. His scent still lingered on her skin.

  Too bad she couldn’t take a bath anytime soon.

  Erin planned to return Cooper’s jacket rather than burning it like she originally planned.

  Despite her personal feelings about him, Cooper had stepped in when Vinnie was acting weird and making her uncomfortable. She would never say ‘thank you’ but she could return his belongings.

  “It’s starting!” Peggy raised her fist and cheered. “Go Green Team!”

  Erin watched the game eagerly, leaning so far forward she almost lost her balance and fell off the railing several times.

  “Aw, come on!” Peggy screamed when they reached the end of the second set. “What kind of nonsense is this? We should have creamed the yellow team in two sets.”

  Kay chewed on a fingernail. “Something’s wrong with Cooper. He probably hasn’t played in a while.”

  “He plays fine.” Erin sneered. “He’s just refusing to set the ball for Ryan.”

  “Don’t blame him for Ryan’s lack of skill,” Kay shot back. “When Cooper’s hitting, we spike the other team and rack up a bunch of points.”

  “Are you saying it’s Ryan’s fault?” Erin snapped.

  “Ladies, ladies!” Peggy threw her hands out and gave both of them a warning look. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. It’s just a game. Both Ryan and Cooper are great players.”

  “Whatever,” Erin grumbled.

  She looked at Ryan again. Sweat poured down his face. He hiked the hem of his jersey to wipe his forehead, revealing his ridged midsection with a sprinkling of fine dark hair slipping into the hem of his pants.

  Erin fanned herself. Ryan was her first love, and she’d never really gotten an opportunity to get to know him. The real him. Not the façade he wore at school.

  Her heart thumped when she thought of the opportunities she had with this handsome, grown-up version of her childhood crush.

  The game continued and the Green Team pulled ahead. They won in the fourth set—three to one.

  “Yeah!” Peggy screamed.

  “I’ve got to congratulate Cooper!” Kay hopped off the railing.

  “You better get a move on then.” Peggy jerked her chin toward the sea of females racing toward Cooper and crowding him. “It looks like you’re not the only one with that idea.”

  “Shoot!” Kay took off like a gunshot.

  From her perch on the stairs, Erin saw Kay elbowing her way through the crowd like a woman on a mission.

  Peggy smirked. “Poor Cooper. It must be tiring having all that attention all the time.”

&
nbsp; “He adores it. Don’t worry.”

  “How do you know?”

  Erin glanced at her sister. “Huh?”

  “Have you ever asked him?”

  “I don’t have to.” Erin dug her fingers into the wooden railing. “He’s cocky, arrogant and rude. Narcissists like him feed off this stuff.”

  “If you say so.”

  Erin groaned.

  Peggy widened her blue eyes innocently. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “That tone.” She mimicked Peggy’s voice. “You only talk like an old school teacher when you think I’m wrong, but you don’t want to come out and say that.”

  Peggy laughed. “Look, I know you’re still not completely over Ryan. I’m just trying to show you things from Cooper’s point of view.”

  “Whatever.” Erin leaped off the railing and joined her sister on the platform. “Do you know where I can buy drinks?”

  “What kind? We don’t serve alcohol on campus.”

  Erin snickered. “I meant water.”

  “Are you thirsty?” Peggy reached behind her for her purse. “I’ve got lime flavored water, watermelon juice, tequila—”

  “Tequila?”

  “That was a joke.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll buy it myself.”

  Peggy’s grin turned mischievous. “Are you going to talk to Ryan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Try not to flirt. You’re horrible at that.”

  “And on that note, I’m out.”

  “Wait!” Peggy yelled at her back. “Keep your phone on so I can get you when it’s time to take the photo!”

  “Yeah!” Erin offered a weak wave to let her sister know she heard and then charged down the stairs to a booth to order two bottles of water.

  After she paid, Erin looked around for Ryan. It was hard to spot him in the crowd. Eventually, she saw a glimpse of dark skin and a green jersey.

  “Excuse me.” Erin shimmied through the congested walkway. She noticed Ryan moving further away and panicked. “Ryan!”

  He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. When he spotted her, a huge grin broke free.

  Erin finally popped out of the crowd and trotted over to him. He stood on the grass, leaning into the shade cast by a raised outdoor courtyard.