Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“I’m sorry Cooper is upset.”


“Are you?” Bailey said, eyeballing me. “What’s your problem anyway? Don’t you want nice things? Are you stupid? Cooper has money and one day he’ll take over for my pop and have more money. He’s hot and smart and the responsible one. Hell, if he wasn’t my brother, I’d date Crapface in a minute. Every girl in school would like him to go all hearts and flowers over them, but not you. You think you’re too good. Like you could do better. Is that what you think, Farah? That you can win over someone better than Coop when you dress like a trailer trash reject?”

Glancing down at my clothes, I thought they looked just like everyone else’s. Jeans and a tee, nothing special, but not trashy.

“Let’s be honest, bitch,” Bailey said, really hitting her groove. “The only reason any guy likes you is cause of those lips. You have dead eyes, shitty hair, a weird round head, and small tits. You’re nothing special except that they look at you and think of blowjobs. You might want to keep that in mind when you think of discarding my brother.”

“I make Cooper mad a lot,” I said, hoping to give her an excuse that wouldn’t lead to her punching me in the face. “I thought he’d be happier if I gave him space.”

“You’re so dense. So stupid and poor. You have a rich guy interested and you want away from him. Look at Maddy. You think she couldn’t tell the difference between her birth control pills and fucking Tic Tacs? She figured out what Fuckwad was up to and saw a lifetime of money and security. She let him knock her up because even if they break up, their kid will tie Maddy to Tuck forever. His kid won’t want for nothing so neither will she. Maddy might be a poor turd like you, but she’s not stupid. Maybe you need to pull your head out of your ass and start thinking about how to make things right with Cooper? Like how many blowjobs will make him forgive you for being such a bitch?”

“Okay,” I said quietly.

“Okay,” Bailey mocked before walking away.

Skye watched her go then sighed loudly. “I guess you need to get back together with Cooper.”

“I don’t think he wants to get back together,” I said quietly, walking with my head down and hoping people weren’t staring now that Bailey was gone and it was safe to stare.

“If Bailey says you need to make things right, Coop wants you back. Explains why he trashed that frat house with Tucker last night. He’s pissed and probably horny. You fuck him a few times and it’ll be fine. Coop’s not that complicated.”

I wasn’t explaining how the fucking was what made Cooper dislike me. Skye was great at many things and fun to be around, but insightful she was not.

By the time I started my shift at work, the little lump on the back of my head throbbed. I was also thinking about whether to call Tawny that night when Cooper walked into the restaurant. Even after skipping his classes, Cooper came into Denny’s and walked to his spot in the corner. He hooked up his laptop, pulled out papers, books, and pens, and waited with his hands clasped.

Walking to his table, I saw how Bailey wasn’t kidding about him shaving off his hair. With it buzzed short against his head, Cooper looked edgier. Okay, he looked scary. His intense gaze was no longer softened by his blond hair. Now, when he stared at me, I only saw those eyes swirling with anger, resentment, and maybe a little longing.

“What would you like tonight?” I asked.

“No, hello?” he muttered. “We’re just strangers now?”

“Sorry,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Hi, Cooper. How are you tonight?”

“Didn’t you hear, random Denny’s waitress? My girlfriend dumped me because I love her too much. Real shame too because we had a great thing going until she blew a gasket over nothing.”

“Girls can be such bitches that way. Would you like to order a burger to help deal with the pain of being screwed over by some psycho?”

Cooper didn’t smile. Well, his lips didn’t, but I saw a gleam of humor in his eyes.

“Unless I can fuck the burger, it won’t help much, but pigging out might soothe my broken heart.”

“Seasoned fries?”

“Yeah, and bring me the appetizer thing with chicken strips. I’m really going to pig out so when I get wasted tonight, my stomach won’t care.”

“I’ll get this in for you.”

When I turned away, Cooper reached for me. “Don’t you miss me at all?” he whispered roughly. “You said you loved me and yet you look at me like I’m nothing. How cold are you?”

My eyes burned. “I miss you.”

“Bullshit.”

“You and I don’t work. I make you angry.”

“Everything makes me angry. When my team doesn’t win a ballgame, I get pissed, but I don’t stop watching football. Why would you walk away if you really loved me?”