When former beauty pageant queen, Ellie Wilde, hears of her grandmother's sickness, she's the first to offer to drive her to her chemotherapy. What she didn't know she was agreeing to was an obnoxiously cheerful blond boy somehow nudging his way int...
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"Oh my God. I'm so nervous. What if she hates me? What if she thinks I'm weird in person? She's only ever met me over the internet. It's easy to look cool on the internet."
Ellie's leg bounces up and down as she stares ahead at the house in front of them—the house that supposedly belongs to her longtime internet friend, Ali. It looks like any other house. Except it's Ali's house. And it's in the middle of Las Vegas, a long way away from Seattle.
"El, you worry too much," Cooper says with a laugh. When she doesn't say anything, he reaches over, placing a gentle hand on her knee to stop it from bouncing. His touch alone is enough to send her entire body into a frenzy. "You'll be fine. Let's go."
Ellie nods but still hesitates in opening the car door. Finally, she's out and her feet are carrying her towards the front porch of the house. She takes a moment to observe the architecture, fascinated by the way the warm colors of the house seem to mirror their surroundings. It's something she's often noticed while travelling, the way things seem to all fit together as if they've agreed to some particular theme.
"You plan on knocking any time soon?"
She glances away from the red-toned dirt that lays scattered across the yard and directs a glare at her travelling companion. "I'm preparing myself."
"Prepare yourself a bit quicker. I'm ready to hit The Strip."
"You are the most impatient fuc—"
"I can tell that was going to be a great insult, but let me stop you right there," he says, leaning forward and knocking on the front door before she can protest. "I've only got so long, El. You know? The cancer and all."
The door swings open a moment later and a pair of thin dark arms are thrown around Ellie's shoulders in an instant. She stumbles back at the impact but is quick to regain her balance and wrap her own arms around her friend in a tight embrace. When they pull back from the hug, Ellie has to blink multiple times to remind herself it's real.
"Oh my God," Ali says, her hands on Ellie's shoulders as she stares intently at her face.
Ellie brings a hand up to her cheek and a laugh leaves Ali's lips before she's pulling Ellie in for another hug. As her chin rests on Ali's shoulder, her eyes catch Cooper's. He's smiling down at the pair, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he watches the moment play out.
"Ali," Ellie finally says, inching back slightly to break off the hug. "This is Cooper."
She turns her back to Ellie, and then her arms are being thrown over Cooper's shoulders. He looks taken aback by the sudden contact, unsure what to do with his arms as they dangle lifelessly by his sides. Eventually, he brings them up to complete the hug.
When Ali turns back to Ellie, she raises her eyebrows suggestively. "Thank you for bringing her here, Cooper. You're a good boyfriend."
