Being Shot

P h o t o #12 - The Boldness Of A Nervous Girl

P h o t o #12 - The Boldness Of A Nervous Girl

~Emma's POV~

The rusty bells that sat atop the door jingled as Cooper made his way outside. I stared at the glass doorway not too long after the door had shut, taking in the faint smell of coffee mixed with a cold breeze that wafted up into my nostrils. I thought for a moment, 'Maybe he caught a cold. It is pretty frigid outside for the middle of September.'

Thinking back on what just happened made a small smile appear on my lips. It was weird how just ten minutes ago I was dejected, feeling like dumbbells were weighing on my shoulders, but then just some words from Cooper, all flustered and trying his best to tell me what I needed to know, brought my spirits up just a bit. I was touched. It was like his outburst had finally pushed some sense into my brain. So, I couldn't help but laugh at our switched behavior.

Laughter. Who would've thought I would laugh like that again. A defense mechanism I hadn't used in a long time seemed to surface in me. Even though this time, I'm not too sure I was using it for defense.

'Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have run away in tears like that while making assumptions. How embarrassing. I didn't even let myself hear them out.' I took a sip of my coffee and nodded to myself, reevaluating some more, noticing how long it's been since I've dealt with a situation like this and wondering how I could forget the most basic rules of socialization after all these years. But after thinking a bit, my thoughts began to take a toll on me. I looked down at my lap.'What if she's mad? I mean, what if this is her way to tell me that she dosn't want me doing this?'

I shook my head as the thought passed, not wanting to have another mental conflict with myself all over again. I had already taken my fourth blue pill of the day, doing this to myself would only make it worse. Actually I was quite thankful Cooper had bought me coffee. It took away some of the nauseating pins and needles feeling.

I stood up from my chair, a squeaking noise coming from the friction of the floor. Cooper's coffee felt like a warm candle flame in my hand as I grabbed it, glancing at the spot where he had left it steaming on the table across from me. Grasping two warm coffees in my hand, feeling the warmth seep threw the cup touch my fingers, I threw a small smile at the baristas as an apology for Cooper's actions and with that made my way out of the coffee shop.

I was hit with a big pocket of chilly wind, making me shiver and grip the coffees a bit tighter. I opened my eyes after involuntarily closing them when the wind struck me. Once my brown eyes focused behind my glasses, I saw Cooper pacing around his car, muttering to himself.

'He must not know where he can go to buy cold medicine or something.' I thought, thinking that could be the only reason why he seemed so jittery. He must not know that I pretty much have our town mapped out to a tee after the embarrassment of not knowing the directions to my house the day I met the four guys.

I walked up to him, seeming to interrupt his debate with himself. "Uh, Cooper?" I looked up at the boy.

He almost jumped two feet into the air. "Emmy! What are you doing out here?!"

I gave him a questioned look. "You brought me here. Look," I said, chuckling under my breath. "If you needed help trying to figure out how to get cold medicine you could have asked me. There's a drug store by my house."

It was his turn to give me a questioned look, but he quickly masked it with his usual smile and put a hand behind his neck. "Ah, no. I'm fine now. Don't worry."

"Hmm." My look turned pointed, but I just decided not to ask any further questions as I stuffed my chilled hands in my pockets. "Alright. Well, if we don't have to go to the drug store, do you mind taking me to see Elliot?"