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She laughs and looks up at me. My eyes fall to her lips. They’re so plush, the perfect shade of pink, glossy from some balm she put on after we ate, and I just want to lean forward and kiss them. Taste the happiness I can see on her. Know what it feels like to have her kiss me back. I’m lost in the daydream for a moment before I snap out of it when her phone dings. I blink, and something must be on her mind too because she looks similarly dazed before we start to slowly walk back through the booths together.
8
Beatrix
“Something wrong?” Cooper asks while I’m stuck just staring at the screen on my phone.
Everything is spinning. That’s what’s wrong. I’d been half daydreaming about what it would be like if I was really on a date with Cooper when my phone buzzed with an alert.
I’ve been tagged in a picture on my main public profile. Not the secret one Lizzy discovered first, but the one everyone knows about. I opened it, wondering if the article the PR Professionals group wrote about Madison and me was finally posted online. What I found instead is stealing my ability to think straight.
It's a photo of Cooper and me at the fair, eating together at the picnic table and laughing. I’m tagged in it, but he isn’t. There’s no caption, and the account has very little information as I scroll through, trying to make sense of why someone’s documenting our trip to the fair. There’s no photo, just a little black circle where the person’s profile picture should be.
My hand shakes as I turn to show it to Cooper. His face clouds with worry as he looks down at it, but I’m not prepared for the way his eyes darken and his brows grows heavy. There’s another ding on my phone as he looks at it, and I lean over his shoulder to see. It’s another tag. Another picture. One of us from just a few minutes ago when I was attempting to win him the lion. This time, there’s a caption and he’s tagged too.
‘What are you up to, Beatrix Xavier?’
My stomach churns, and I see Cooper’s eyes follow the line of text.
“What the fuck?” he snaps as his eyes search the crowd around us, and I do the same, as if somehow, we’ll be able to figure out who took these.
“I don’t know. It’s weird. Right?”
“Has this happened to you before?”
“No. Never.”
“This is fucked.”
“I don’t know who or why someone would take pictures of me like this. I mean… you’re in it. It could be you they’re photographing.” I stare at the screen. “Local media that likes to comment on you? A blogger or an overly enthusiastic fan?” I study Cooper’s face as I ask the questions.
Cooper is gorgeous, a phenomenal player, and has a reputation. He’s been linked to several celebrities before. It’s entirely possible he has a very big fan, maybe even someone toeing the line of being a stalker. Someone might have figured out who I am and decided they want to be the first to report us. It isn’t unheard of, and being a player’s sister doesn’t mean I’m a celebrity, but it definitely still makes the gossip rounds in the sports social media world.
“No. Not that I know of.”
“Maybe one you don’t know of?”
“That would know your name?”
“They could have seen me on the staff roster. With the Undergrove and Westfield drama. It could have come up. Maybe?”
“I doubt it. If they know your name, it’s likely you they’re after.” His eyes search the crowd again, and he looks down at me.
“What would they want from me?” I’m truly puzzled. Cooper’s a celebrity, and I’m no one in comparison. I might have famous family members, but I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes, fade-into-the-wallpaper sort of girl. The only exception being when my father ran for office and people became overly interested in his family. I can’t imagine this is any sort of paparazzi situation if it isn’t about Cooper.
“I think we should get Lizzy and get going. I don’t like that someone’s watching you like this. Or photographing us while they’re doing it.” Cooper’s hand is on my lower back as he interrupts my thoughts and hands my phone back to me. It sends tingles zipping up my spine, and I chastise myself for having them in what’s otherwise a serious moment.
“Okay,” I agree. “What if they’re following me, though, and going to find her gets her photographed? I’d hate to have her on the radar of whoever this is.” I stop dead in my tracks. I couldn’t live with myself if I somehow got her involved in whatever this is.
“I’ll keep an eye out for anyone pointing a camera our way.”
“Maybe I should stay back or find a ride to the hotel so you can get her home.” I worry about being a burden. Cooper has been so kind to me already, and I hate that this is happening when our renewed friendship is so fresh.
“No.” His answer is sharp, drawing my eyes to his in question. “I mean…” He takes a breath. “I don’t want you off on your own right now. Until we know what’s going on with whoever is doing this. It’s too strange, and they could still be here. Just stay with me, please?”
I can’t disagree with him. I don’t exactly want to be alone either. My need to be polite sometimes outweighs my need to be safe, and I feel relief that he’s insisting on keeping an eye on me too.
I nod my agreement to his plan, and we start crossing the fairgrounds. He stays at my side, never drifting far and constantly keeping watch around us until we come up on Lizzy and her group of friends. Cooper stops short when he sees her because the boy who had been the spare in their grouping before is now holding Lizzy’s hand, just like the rest of the couples.
