Falling Like Leaves (Bramble Falls, #1)(25)

“She seems nice. You two are cute together.”

“Oh yeah?” He chews the inside of his cheek and says nothing else as an announcement is made, reminding people about the raffle. People swarm the table, and Cooper and I are busy for the next twenty minutes, falling into an easy flow, working seamlessly together.

Once the rush clears, Cooper says, “Chloe and I aren’t together.”

“Really? Are you sure?” I ask.

“I think I’d know,” he says.

“Does Chloe?”

He draws his eyebrows together, in either confusion or annoyance—hard to say. “Yes, she’s aware. Why are you asking?”

I shrug. “Was thinking I might become one of the Gossip Girls.”

But my joke doesn’t land. Cooper only continues staring at me, waiting for a real answer.

“You’re going to homecoming together, and she definitely seems into you. I was just curious,” I say. “I’m only here a couple of months, but I’d still like to know what’s going on around me. That’s all.”

“Right,” he says. But he’s looking at me like I just admitted to being into him. Like I just asked him out. A combination of panic and embarrassment sends me into fight-or-flight mode.

“What about Jake?” I blurt, as if I care in the slightest whether Jake is single. And I think it’s safe to assume I’d know by now if he weren’t.

Cooper looks away. “Jake’s single.” He taps his thumb on the table a few times before adding, “And so is Slug, in case you were wondering.”

We both know I wasn’t.

“Okay, and what about Sloane and Asher?” Now, that is something I actually am curious about.

Cooper cracks a smile and turns my way again. “I mean, they say they’re only friends, but…”

“I know, right?”

He laughs and all the tension between us seems to dissipate.

A few minutes later, Aunt Naomi tells us we don’t need to sit at the table anymore. So Cooper heads over to where Chloe is hanging out, and I join Sloane, Preeti, and Asher at their table.

But no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop glancing at him.

And even if they’re not together, I can’t stop being jealous of whatever it is between him and Chloe.





Chapter Ten




“Ellis, I’m so sorry,” Sloane says breathlessly as she jogs to the flagpole after school on Tuesday. “I forgot drama club starts today.” She hands her keys to me. “You can take the car—shit, no you can’t. Girl, we have to get you your license.”

“I don’t need a license in the city. It’s okay. I’ll just do my homework while I wait.”

“Are you sure? I feel bad that you’re stuck at school,” she says.

“I’d be doing the same thing at home. It’s fine.” I really don’t mind, but I was looking forward to kicking off my boots and lying in bed with my work.

“Okay. I’ll meet you in the commons in an hour and a half, then,” she says. She dashes away, and I head back inside.

Inside, a few stragglers stand around talking. Jake, Cooper, and Slug are hanging with some friends at a table, so I head over there.

“Hey, new girl. What are you still doing here?” Jake asks.

I set my backpack on the table. “Do you still call me new girl because you can’t remember my name?”

“Of course not, Ella,” he says. I punch him in the arm, and he laughs. “I’m kidding! Jeez. It’s Ellis from here on out. But seriously, what are you still doing here?”

I sigh. “Sloane has drama club, so I’m stuck here.” Then an idea occurs to me: “Unless you can give me a ride home?”

Jake frowns. “I have football practice in five minutes. But I could skip.”

“Won’t you be benched for your next game if you skip?” Cooper says.

Jake shoots him a glare that clearly says, Shut the hell up, man, then turns to me. “It’ll be fine. I’ll take you.”

“No, I’ll just wait. It’s not a big deal,” I tell him. I appreciate that he’s willing to miss practice to give me a ride, but it’s really not that important.

“Coop could probably take you,” he says with a shrug. He turns to Cooper. “You’re heading out, right?”

“No,” I say quickly. “I’ll just wait for Sloane.” Things with Cooper are still confusing. It’s like we’ve left something unresolved and are dancing around it whenever we talk—even though I don’t know what it is. I never know where we stand, and, honestly, I really don’t feel like getting emotional whiplash today.

“Nope, let’s go, Mitchell,” Cooper says, slinging my backpack over his shoulder with his own. “I’ll drop you off.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I know.” He makes his way toward the door. I hesitate for a minute before I sigh and head after him, grateful that my ankle is completely healed as I jog to keep up with his long strides.

“Bye, Ellis!” Jake calls from behind me. I wave and follow Cooper through the double doors outside.

In the parking lot, I hop into his rusty burgundy truck, and he puts our backpacks in the small space between us. He pulls out, and we drive the next few minutes in silence.