Chapter Twenty ~ Return of the Raccoon Eyes
High school has taken a toll on me.
I also didn't know when to end this chapter, so I just kept going and going... Oh Well!
Last time on TDIMG: Coach has been caught by the police and now is suffering with charges, Grace Ava's best friend is pregnant with Braxton's baby (Cooper's best friend) but Braxton doesn't know it. Now Cooper has just arrived on his motorcycle during Ava's gym class as a spontaneous act of love and wants her to get on the motorcycle with him- BUT WILL SHE? That's what you missed on TDIMG.
Ava Chance
I stared at him in shock.
Not only did shock overcome me but as well as pure happiness as I stared forward at Cooper.
"Come on beautiful, take a chance." The phrase kept replaying, over and over in my head.
There's nothing more I'd rather do than take a chance with you Cooper, I thought.
Everything didn't matter at this point. In this little moment, I could care less about Coach, Grace's pregnancy, or even all the missing people flyers I'd have to make for my gym class. Nothing mattered.
"Did you plan all this?" I yelled over his engine.
He nodded his head while he squinted at the sun behind me. Cooper had just admitted his feelings for me; the amount of bravery that would've taken me was unimaginable.
If he was going to be brave for me, the least I could do was return the favor.
Trusting my gut feeling inside of me, I decided to push through all the nerves.
"Let's ride." And nobody could've missed the smile flash across Coopers face.
☯
The motorcycle ride was a good ten minutes long to our apparent destination but as he started to slow down by a nearby park, it got me thinking.
Thinking about how fall was clear in the air with different colored leaves dancing with the wind on the ground. Thinking about how cheesy I felt and Imagining Cooper getting this Idea straight from a book.
It got me thinking about how I could feel Coopers heart beating a fast beat while our bodies were pressed together or how my heart was going just as fast.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when the engine of the motorbike ended and Cooper began to take his helmet off.
Following his suit, I took off the helmet that was occupying my head and slowly slipped of the bike without falling.
When Cooper stepped off his bike I took in his outfit, a black button up elbow length t-shirt, Blue jeans and black combat boots with his hair devilishly styled up while wind blew through several loose pieces.
"Ready?" He asked, holding his hand out as he turned towards the park.
"Ready." I nodded, grabbing his hand and swallowed down the butterflies.
I knew I wasn't dreaming but it felt like it by the way I was feeling. I pinched myself just to be sure.
And what I was feeling was Pure Bliss.
The park wasn't like a children's playground but more of a calm walking area filled with trees and a fountain.
But I didn't know exactly what was going on with Cooper and me, were we still friends, more, or were we going to go back to nothing at all after today?
The latter option scared me.
Cooper began to lead me off the path towards a few trees that blocked my view any further. The ground wasn't wet or muddy, it was dry and grass was wilting from weeks without rain.
Cooper was slowly leading me around the trees when I heard a familiar bark of a dog behind the trees.
"Ah, Fuck." He swore. "Hiccup!" He let go of my hand and walked around the trees where Hiccup and a blanket sat with a picnic. "You ruined the surprise."
I laughed, looking at what Cooper had created in front of me. A thin black and white plaid blanket sat on the dead grass with a picnic basket and a bottle of wine. Hiccup happily ran across the blanket knocking down everything.
"Hiccup." Cooper whined trying to push Hiccup off the blanket but only making him lie down instead.
Cooper sat down despite how much room Hiccup had taken up, and pulled out two wine glasses.
"Come sit." He said while patting beside him, making Hiccup come to him. "Not you, you fool." He laughed pushing Hiccup to his previous spot.
I sat down beside Cooper once Hiccup had gotten out of the way, Watching as Cooper played with Hiccup.
"So." Cooper sighed, stopping his playing with the dog. "Wine?"
I nodded my head and Cooper began to pour wine into two small plastic glasses that you can get from the gas station. "This is really nice." I finally said, referring to the picnic.
"Trust me; this isn't even the half of it."
"Really?" I smiled, excited for the rest of the day.
"Really." He said while dipping his head down in a daring way as he looked into my eyes.
"So what's next on the list then?" I asked, while he handed me my glass of wine.
"A trip to Paris, Five star meal, and then passionate sex." He said without batting a lash, making my eyes fall out. "Kidding."
"Why would you say that?" I laughed, ignoring my blush.
"Because why would I tell you my plans for a surprise date?" I shrugged. "That's like Rumpelstiltskin telling the princess his name." He yelled while showing his love for a good bedtime story.
We both bursted out laughing for a good few minutes but soon we fell into a comfortable silence and laid back on the blanket while occupied our laps.
"Are you up for a little question-air?" Cooper challenged.
"Of course."
"Favorite Color?"
"Red."
"Why?"
"It was my mother's favorite, she loved rubies."
"Hm." He thought. "First kiss?"
"No results found." I said in a monotone voice.
"Really?" He asked seriously, propping himself on his elbows to get a better look at me. I nodded. "Holy-" He stopped and looked at me. "Poo."
"Next question please." I sighed and again ignored my blush.
"Man Crush Monday?"
"No question about it- Ashton Irwin."
"Who?" He asked baffled.
"A famous band member."
"Right in the feels ruby, Right in the feels.
☯
"Where to next?" I asked as we began to leave.
"What part of surprise don't you understand?" He laughed, showing the crinkle beside his eyes while pushing his fingers between my fingers.
"I understand it, but it doesn't mean I need to obey it." I laughed, beginning to walk towards diablo.
Yes, I named the motorcycle Diablo.
When Cooper tugged my arm back away from Diablo and began walking the other way, I'll admit it, I was a little confused.
"Uhm-"
"Oh come on Ava, A little exercise won't hurt." He winked.
"Even though that's not what I was going to say, Exercise is satins creation" Reluctantly began to follow Cooper the other way.
"So you're saying God didn't want this?" He asked, pulling up his shirt to a well-defined six pack.
"Technically sex before marriage is bad, and abs are a bit of a tiebreaker so yes, God does not apprentice your abs, Cooper."
"But you do right?"
"Honestly there not that comfortable to lie on." I thought back to the night he had snuck in and accidently spent the night. "But there not bad on the eye either."
"Where's all this confidence suddenly coming from?" He laughed, Making me blush while hiding under my head of hair. "Too cute." I heard him whisper.
Soon we were approaching the year around carnival at the pier, another stereo-typical cheesy romance but I was beginning to become okay with it.
"A carnival." I stated as we approached the bright lights.
The sun was already beginning to set, making all the carnival lights stand out even more under the few early stars.
"A carnival." He confirmed. "But were only going to need one ride ticket."
"Only one ride?"
"Night is catching up with us." He said simply as he quickly bought only two tickets from the ticket booth.
"I don't care if morning comes; I'm not leaving without cotton candy." I told him with every bit of seriousness in my eyes.
"Anything for you, Pineapple."
"Pineapple?" I laughed.
"I-I panicked!" He laughed with me. "It's not easy coming up with nicknames all the time, okay?"
"Anything's better then Pineapple!" I kept laughing when he stopped. "That's like saying I'm a prickly monster on the outside and a sour delight on the inside!" I kept talking even though he was clearly unamused as we walked deeper into the carnival.
"I happen to quite like pineapples, thank you very much."
"And I like relish on my hotdogs but that doesn't mean I'm going to call you that."
"Could you just shut up and get in line?" He asked, making me realize he had stopped and gathered in line of a certain ride.
A Ferris wheel to be exact.
Glaring at him playfully, I stood in line with him at the Ferris wheel.
The ride operator was a typical pervert carnie, the gross beard, long hair, and obvious lack of days shower.
And I don't think I was the only one noticing the stare he had on my body because the glare Cooper was giving him was becoming frightening.
"Does this little lassie need some help on the ride?" The carnie asked with a clear southern accent while showing his poor teeth.
Cooper began to open his mouth but I beat him to it.
"I can manage." I smiled sourly, Pulling Cooper on with me.
"He was obviously talking to me." Cooper said sarcastically as we got on.
Slowly the Ferris wheel began to fill with people and the ride was starting.
We were sat in the purple cart; each cart had several lights on with a few flickering on and off. The sound of carnival music was clearly heard in the air, as well with children's screams and laughs.
"Ava, there's only a few people I actually like in this beat up town." Cooper spoke forward as his arm was draped behind my seat. "And you defiantly make the top ten."
"And why is that?"
Cooper turned his head and looked me in the eyes. "You don't see it?" He asked baffled. "You're the most down to earth girl I know, you're humble, A bit of a smart ass, but god- you're beautiful."
I hid under my hair, trying to ignore the blush coming on but then Cooper continued.
"And when you blush- God that gets me going." He smiled, showing some of his teeth. "I know you get you're crazy from your Grams but I don't know how you are always so incredibly sweet and just a laugh to be around."
"You're perfect and that's why I don't understand why I could possibly deserve you."
I smile, snapping out of the moment I nodded my head forward. "Do you see that?"
"See what?" Cooper snapped out of the moment too and looked forward at the sky.
"The stars Cooper." I laughed. "Just like the both of us, the darker it gets, the brighter we shine."
"I'll shine forever if that means I can be with you."
☯
"Run!" I screamed with my cotton candy at Cooper as he began to slow down in front of me.
"I would if I wanted to die today!" He turned around while pointing at the traffic.
"Cooper" I whined. "I'm going to get sick."
Wearing only a t-shirt and leggings in the pouring rain, Both Cooper and I were trying to find a warm place for coverage.
"This way." Cooper yelled and we ran hand in hand down the sidewalk.
The rain was probably the hardest it had been all year, and both Cooper and I were stuck in it with only t-shirts.
At the end of the street was a small 50's diner, the classic red and white color scheme and waitress dressed in poodle skirts and rollerblades.
"I think I should've checked the weather today." Cooper admitted once we got into the dry coffee shop, looking like we decided to go surfing dressed.
"Who are you, my grandma?" I laughed. "Nobody checks the weather, that'd be stupid." I said sarcastically.
"Says the raccoon." He snickered.
"Shut up." Wiping my eyes with my sleeve, I feared I only made it worse.
"Here." Cooper stepped forward using the pad of his thumb he gently wiped under my eyes. "Return of the Raccoon eyes brings back memories." He whispered.
"Table for two?" A cheery red head interrupted.
"Yes please." I nodded, pulling Coopers hand with me.
Once both Cooper and I settled in the booth, we both ordered a hot chocolate and the waitress was off.
"My dad used to take me and my brother, Jack, here." Cooper said, playing with the salt at the end of the table.
"We need to visit Jack again soon." I thought out loud.
"Ava." Cooper said calmly. "I'm trying to tell you about my past."
"Oh." I said embarrassed. "Please continue."
"I think my dad always brought us here, so he could buy a coffee to settle his hangover and still spend time with his boys." Cooper smiled. "Mom never came though because she hated the fact that it was really the only time he did spend with us sober."
"But that didn't change the fact that she still loved him." He ran his hand through his wet hair. "But my Dad had a drinking problem." Using quotation marks around drinking problem.
The waitress gave us our hot chocolate, and after asking if we wanted to eat she quickly left us to our private conversation.
It took a few minutes of Cooper playing with his wiped cream to talk again but eventually he started again.
"My Dad could be a drunk asshole. Not to his family but to random people." He sighed. "He got in bar fights all the time, and was always pissing somebody off, but he was still my Dad. He drank a lot but never touched anyone in the family, never swore at anyone in the family, he wasn't a monster to us."
"But other people could say differently." Cooper chuckled. "Dad owed people money, Beat people up, and didn't mind his own business when he drank."
"My dad was an alcoholic, he spent more time drinking with his buddies then he did with his family-Sure, when he was with us he made it count but Mom hated sitting around and watching him destroy friendships or make everyone think of our family as assholes."
"Sometimes when Dad's drinking was under control he'd let Jack and I in the garage to looks at his cars and sit on his lap while he played poker or drank." He sniffled while he tried to push back the emotions. "Sometimes it got so bad he wouldn't be sober for a week." At this point there was nobody left in the Diner. "But he was still my dad; I would never stop loving him."
"This went on for years, Mom tried to get him help, and sometimes it would help." Cooper clenched his eyes shut for a moment. "And one night I asked him-" Coopers voice broke. "One night I asked him, why don't you just stop?" Coopers voice broke in emotions again while his eyes turned glassy. "And he said, Old habits die hard."
"And one night he decided to go drinking with his buddies on a boat." Cooper took a shaky breathe controlling his tears. "My dad drowned that night."
"Cooper-"
"I need to keep going or I'll never be able to say it." Cooper wiped tears from his eyes. "He was under for longer than ten minutes, when the police finally arrived and got him out."
"But it was too late."
"And the worst part is, when we went to say our goodbyes at that hospital, he still looked alive to me- Like in a second he'd jump up and say 'Gotcha!'. The Doctor explained it by saying he was brain dead, His brain died but everything else in his body was still preserved and with the help of machines was able to keep functioning."
"I thought maybe that'd mean he could get better but the doctor quickly crushed that hope, when he said it was impossible to recover but somebody else could use his organs." Cooper laughed. "Like using my dad for recycling" Making me gulp hard.
"Grieving was too hard for my mom so she turned to drugs." Cooper tried to make the tears stop but they kept coming. "My Mom lives in a rehabilitation centre in Toronto now."
"And my brother is worse- He's my legal guardian at 25, has too much responsibility for a young adult to handle, and is turning into my drunk father."
"You're the only one keeping me sane, Ava."
☯
Neither of us talked, but we held each other's hands for comfort.
Cooper was lost in thought and so was I, but I was lost in thoughts about how Cooper was lost in thought- If that made sense.
The rain had stopped completely and left us with the damp smell of the aftermath of rain as we both walked to my house.
Everything Cooper had said today had been wonderful but had we been moving too fast?
And I wasn't the only one worrying about where Hiccup went, Right? Because Cooper told me he had someone, who I was suspecting was Braxton, pick up Hiccup and Diablo after we left.
Hiccup the dog, and Diablo the motorbike.
Both Cooper and I snapped out of our thoughts when my phone began to ring when we were only halfway home.
And the caller I.D. was the hospital.
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Hey Guise!
^^ I will forever do that, especially since of all the haters who think it affects me when they comment. I have far too much love in this world to focus on your poop.
Anyways I used the Nickname pineapple because someone when I first made this book said I should use that nickname and I will never forget that comment because Pineapple is such a bizarre nickname in my opinion.
If you want weekly/daily updates about myself you should follow me on twitter ;) -Brech33se
And this chapter took a long time but High school is a lot more effort than middle school, and not to mention I now have volleyball to add to it. (But we did win gold for our province so that's good)
Anyways You have no idea how much I love you guys and this book, Some of you have been asking me if I'm going to finish that and I promise you- I will never give up on this story until it's over. Even then I still will not give up on it because I have a sequel even though it won't be out right after the book I'll never give up.
Anyways you dudes are perfects little dudes and I am forever grateful to you guys for sticking with me.
Cooper's past was revealed in this chapter- How did you guys feel about that?
And also I'm going to be combining my description with the help of one of my watt pad friends so yeah look forward to that.
VOTE&COMMENT&FOLLOW
LALALOVEYEW&BUHBYE