Page 36

Cooper must’ve stayed at the stadium, or maybe he went out afterward. I guess it’s not my right to know anymore. I texted Mia that I needed to get out, so she invited me over for dinner.

I’m not very hungry, though.

And Dylan’s here, which means Mia is distracted and trying to impress him, and I’d rather be curled up in my bed by myself.

“Ugh!” I grumble as I collapse on her couch after she orders the food.

“So let me get this straight,” Dylan says. “You were banging Cooper Noah and you didn’t know your dad invited him to play for the Heat?”

I blow out a breath. “He knows?” I whine to Mia.

She shrugs. “We can trust him.”

Right. Noted. Don’t tell Mia secrets anymore unless I want Dylan to know them.

“Fine. Yes, that’s the gist of it. He said he can’t be with me knowing who my dad is, so it’s over.”

“And now he’s living with you,” Dylan says.

“We literally share a wall,” I confirm.

He makes a low whistle noise. “That’s some messed up shit.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I mutter.

“How was the stadium?” Mia asks brightly. Too brightly. She’s trying to change the subject, trying to take my mind off Cooper, but nothing on God’s green Earth has the actual ability to do that.

“Fine. My dad assigned me an internship working with Cooper, naturally. He trusts Coop to mentor me,” I say, throwing air quotes around the end of my sentence.

Mia wrinkles her nose, and Dylan’s brows knit together.

“Wait a minute. Your dad assigned you an internship ?” he asks.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’ve been in the application process for an internship with the Heat for months now. It’s incredibly competitive and they’re only taking six interns this year. I’m vying for the final spot with hundreds of other applicants, and you walk in and your dad just hands it to you?” He sounds angry, and I feel bad that he sees it that way.

“I’m sure I didn’t take the final spot,” I say. “I think my dad sort of created a new position for me to slide into.” Shit. I’m not sure that makes it any better.

My phone dings with a new text. I pull it out just in case it’s Cooper.

It isn’t. Surprisingly…it’s Justin.

Justin: A couple of the other interns and I are heading out for beer. Want to join?

I stare down at the text.

“What’s that?” Mia asks me first.

I clear my throat. “One of the other interns asked if I want to join a group of them for a drink.”

“One of the other male interns?” she presses, and Dylan simply huffs.

I roll my eyes. “Yes, Justin is male, but it’s not like that.”

“Sure it isn’t,” she says, a wide grin on her lips like her teasing is going to distract me from the real issue at hand here.

“It isn’t,” I say flatly.

Mia’s brows knit together as she raises a shoulder. “Maybe it isn’t, but Cooper doesn’t have to know that.”

I flatten my lips. “You think I should use my new friend?”

“I didn’t say that, exactly,” Mia says a little defensively. “But I didn’t not say that, either.”

“I’m not going to use someone I just met to make Cooper jealous. It’s juvenile.”

Dylan is surprisingly quiet during this exchange. He always seems to have an opinion.

“You’re right. Sorry for mentioning it. I just know that if I saw Dylan hanging out with some other girl…I’d be jealous. I’d do something about it.” She settles into Dylan’s side and he draws her in a little closer.

I’ve been so wrapped up in Cooper that I didn’t even realize Mia and Dylan had gotten as serious as they have.

I suddenly feel like a third wheel here. I decide to text Justin back—not because of what Mia is suggesting, but because it can’t hurt to get to know some of the other interns.

Me: Name the time and the place.

He writes back with the details nearly immediately, and I punch in the location to maps. It’s only a ten-minute drive, and it’s on the way home to my dad’s house, which makes sense given its proximity to the ballpark. I let him know I’ll be on my way shortly.

“I’m going to meet them so you two can have your date night,” I say.

“Yeah!” Mia says, punching a fist into the air. “She’s going for it!”

“I’m not going for it.” I purse my lips together. “I’m just making friends with the other interns so I don’t feel so alone.”

“You’re not alone, Gabs. You always have me,” Mia says, and she gives me a hug.

I appreciate her words, but she’s got Dylan now, and he’s commanding her attention just as Cooper commanded mine for the few weeks I knew him. And it’s fine. It’s as it should be, so I’m just doing what I have to in order to find my place in this new routine.

And if making Cooper a little jealous is a byproduct of that…well, that’s on him.

When I get to the bar, I spot Justin right away. He’s hanging out of a booth, and he waves me over with a wide smile. I slip into the booth beside him, and he introduces me to the other interns. “This is Gabby,” he says, and then he points to his left. “This is Chase.” He points across the booth at the three on the other side. “Brian, Mackenzie, and Chloe.”

I wave as all four names go in one ear and out the other. They all have drinks in front of them at various levels, and there are a few empty glasses in the middle of the table. I wonder how long they’ve been here.

A server comes over, and I order a vodka soda—a much faster route to the tipsiness I’m currently craving.

I just really hope I don’t spill anything once the truth serum kicks in. I tend to be a loud and happy drunk, and that’s what I need right now to help fill up the hole in my chest where my heart used to be before Cooper ripped it out and took it with him.

“You go to UNLV?” the girl across from me asks.

I nod. “You?”

She nods, too, and two of the others also go to UNLV, and they look familiar, like we’ve passed each other on campus or maybe had a class together at some point. We get to chatting about all the professors we have in common, and parties and events and dorm rooms and people…and laughter, so much laughter as the vodka starts to slide down faster and faster.

I love this group of people already. They’re fun. They’re my age. They’re silly, and the boys get into a pissing match of chugging and dares while the three of us girls giggle at their antics. I find a quick bond with Chloe, though Mackenzie doesn’t seem quite as friendly, and after my first couple drinks, I feel Justin’s leg pressing against mine. During my third drink, he tosses an arm around my shoulders. It’s friendly, though. It’s non-threatening. It’s fun and light.

I stack my third empty in front of me after only an hour.

I haven’t eaten anything, but the pressure on my chest has started to ease up.

The pressure in my bladder, however, has not.

“Need to pee!” I announce, and I practically fall out of the booth before I beeline for the restroom.

I pull my phone out of my pocket.

There’s nothing there from Cooper.

I’m not drunk enough just yet to think texting him is a good idea, so I skip over that particular cliché.

I finish my business and head back to the table, where a fresh vodka drink awaits.

I’m slightly tipsy, and four will push me over the tipsy line, but I don’t care.

I force a smile as I force Cooper out of my head. I’m here to have a good time, and I focus on that thought as I pick up my drink and get started on number four.