It caught Coop’s reflection and the white line of his mouth where his lips compressed. “It’s not horrible,” he told me. It wasn’t. There was a red mark and there was no mistaking it was a hand.
Fuck.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back as I slapped the visor shut. I didn’t have cosmetics in my bag, I just didn’t carry them. I could not go around school all day with a handprint. It would fade, but the fact I still had it said she’d definitely hit me as hard as it seemed.
The school was in sight, and I sat forward and dragged my phone out. Messages from Archie and Ian, general good mornings and both worried. The last one from Archie said Coop had already ratted out the slap.
Yeah. He was definitely not letting it go.
I both adored and despised him a little for being so stubborn about it. There was a reason I didn’t talk about Mom. I never wanted them to look at me the way they were right now.
Scrolling past those messages, I found the one Rachel had sent to me and sent:
Me:Weird question, do you have some base and powder I could borrow?
Rachel:I even have concealer. What’s up?
Me:Look like crap and need some help.
Rachel:Impossible, but I’ll help. I’m at school, where are you?
Me:Pulling in the parking lot with Jake.
Rachel:Meet me in the girl’s bathroom, theatre hall. It will be empty.
Me:Thank you.
Rachel:See you soon.
Jake parkedand glanced from my phone to me. “You good?”
“I’m gonna meet Rachel and fix this.” I motioned to my cheek. “I’ll meet you guys in the cafeteria afterward, okay?”
“No,” Jake said in the same breath as Coop did before Jake continued. “We’ll walk you, then wait.”
“Someone needs to tell the guys. And I won’t be long.” I was dying for coffee.
“It’ll be cool,” Coop said. “Guys are right there.”
And sure enough, there was Ian and Archie, coffee cups in hand and both wearing worried expressions. Archie’s turned far darker the moment he got a good look at me.
“She really fucking hit you?” It was such an echo of what Jake had said right down to the tone, I almost laughed.
Almost.
“I’m okay,” I told him as he gave me the coffee. He started forward like he planned to hug me then drew back.
Fuck that.
I hugged him, and then his arms came around me and he hugged me close. “You are telling me what happened,” he said against my ear. “Not here is fine, but after school andbeforedinner.”
“Your dad is apparently buying me a dress,” I answered him in the same low voice.
Archie snorted.
“I’m not wearing it,” I warned him. “Like ever.”
“I have no problems with that,” he said, then pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. “That right there I have a problem with.” He loosened his hold, and then Ian was there he scooped me close.