in a song or a scar

by extinctionisforever

Summary:

After some trouble with his family, Cooper ends up on Zoey's doorstep, looking for a bit of an escape. Nothing extreme, or anything - just a few hours to crash and catch his breath.

Finding Cooper there was about the last thing Zoey had expected that night, but she wasn't one to turn a friend away, either. Even if it was a little weird, and awkward, and they didn't know each other all too well. That didn't matter. When it came to protecting the people she cared for, she never went less than all the way.

Chapter 1

With her bedroom windows open, Zoey sometimes felt like she could hear everything going on in the city. Normally, that was pretty annoying. 

Tonight was different. For once she almost felt… peaceful, and the cool, quiet-for-a-city air was actually doing her some favours. It put her off a little, knowing passerbys might catch snippets of her strumming idly on her guitar, but she was almost in too good a mood to care. 

So of course she heard it right away when there was a knock at the door. 

“Oh, hello there.” Her aunt’s voice drifted up a few moments later. “Oh! You must be one of Zoey’s friends.”

Not her dad, then, Zoey mused as she put her guitar to the side. Things were actually going pretty well between them, but she wasn't sure she’d be totally keen on surprise visits yet. 

The knock was for her, though. Odd. Her friends usually went to sleep pretty early. 

When she didn't catch the next response, she wandered over to the window, peering down. A shock of red and blonde stood against the dark concrete, talking to her aunt. 

Zoey blinked. Not what she was expecting. 

“Zoey!” Aunt Jenny called up the stairs. Zoey ducked out of sight of the window, just in case. “You have a visitor!”

Still perplexed, Zoey turned and headed for the stairs. Maybe something was wrong with the others. 

“Hey, Zoey.” Cooper smiled at her pleasantly, like nothing was wrong in the world. And like it was normal to show up here unannounced at ten o'clock at night. 

Zoey eyed him skeptically. “Hey?”

“Is it cool if I come in?” Cooper thumbed his backpack straps. “Just for a bit. I know it's late.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow, glancing at her aunt. 

“If he's your friend, Zoey, he can come right on in.” Jenny gestured at him, stifling a yawn. “I just wanted your input. Don't think I've heard about this one before.”

“Oh. Well, this is Cooper.” She nodded him inside. “We're friends, I guess.”

“It's nice to meet you, um, Zoey's aunt.” Cooper offered her a hand once she'd closed the door. She waved it off. 

“Oh, please, just call me Jenny.” She smiled. “Glad to meet you, too, Cooper. Come around any time you like.”

Zoey started back towards the stairs while Cooper fumbled over himself, gesturing for him to follow. “Night again, Aunt Jenny.”

“Goodnight, Zoey.” Jenny smiled at her. “Don't stay up too late, kids. School night and everything. Cooper, will you need a walk home?”

“I-I'm okay. I've got it.” He smiled at her, retreating after Zoey. “Thank you.”

Jenny offered a little wave as they disappeared up the stairs and into Zoey's bedroom. 

“Okay, why are you here?” Zoey crossed her arms, leaning against the inside of the door. “Is there trouble?”

“Um.” Cooper rubbed the back of his head. She almost wasn't sure why she asked. “Define trouble?”

Yeah, that couldn't be anything good. Zoey tensed, steeling herself. “Are the others okay?”

“Oh, yep.” Cooper relaxed, offering a placatingly friendly smile. “Nothing to do with them.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow, hesitant to let her guard drop. “Something wrong in the dream world?”

“Nope.” Cooper looked just past her face, studying the door. “Uh, no trouble, I guess.”

“Then why are you here?” Zoey frowned slightly. “Just to say hi?”

Cooper ducked his head, shifting the weight of his backpack on his shoulders. “Okay, I guess there's a little trouble. Nothing to do with any of that, though.”

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. Just a fight with my family.” Cooper looked back up, smiling apologetically. “Sorry. Normally I'd go to Teo and Izzie’s place, but I wanted to lay low.”

“Oh.” Zoey shifted to her other foot, still leaning against the door. “I see.”

“It's cool if you'd rather I left.” Cooper shrugged a little. He was still smiling, but she caught the look in his eyes. “I'd understand.”

“No, it's fine. I'm just surprised.” They almost never hung out without the others around. Honestly, Zoey couldn't imagine this was anything less than a last resort. She hesitated. 

“You okay?”

“Well, uh,” Cooper slid his backpack off. “I'm starting to have regrets. But it's cool to see your room for the first time.”

He looked around. “Very purple.”

“Yeah, well, I like what I like.” She took his backpack before he wore the strap off with his fiddling, setting it by the wall. 

Cooper watched, standing awkwardly in the middle of her room. The feeling was kind of mutual.

“Alright, look,” Zoey glanced at him, idling over to sit on her bed. “I don't exactly get a lot of visitors in here. Just don't touch anything that looks like it shouldn't be touched.” 

Not that she thought he would. It wasn't like she had to wrangle him like Logan or Izzie. 

“Got it.” Cooper folded his hands in front of him. 

“You can sit, if you want.” She gestured to the spot beside her. “Just watch out for Pyewacket.”

Cooper lit up slightly, sitting on the very edge of her bed and gingerly touching the sleeping cat. “Heyy, Pyewacket. Good to see you.”

Pyewacket woke up, blinking. He looked between Zoey and Cooper with a mrrow.

“I know, I know.” Zoey scratched him on the head. “But come say hi to Cooper.”

Pyewacket got up and stretched, yawning. He rubbed his head against Cooper's arm, then climbed into his lap, curling up to go back to sleep. 

“Not exactly what I meant.” Zoey muttered. “But alright. I can move him, if you want.”

Cooper blinked, startled, and glanced between them. “No, uh, it's okay. Sorry for waking him up.” 

“I don't think he minds.” Zoey smiled slightly, eyes still on Pyewacket. He was back to sleep already. Lazy cat.

Cooper watched him for a moment, too, before carefully pulling his phone out of his pocket. Some sort of alarm flashed through his face along with the light of the screen. 

“What's up?” Zoey offered casually, tone neutral, although it wasn't the most difficult to guess. 

Cooper ran a hand through his hair, chewing his lip like he was thinking really hard about his answer. “Um. Nothing.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Zoey gave him a look. “But you don't have to lie, either.”

“Okay, yeah, I didn't think you'd buy that.” Cooper laughed a little, continuing the assault on his hair. “I-I just… I've kind of made a mess of things. I'll figure it out, though.”

“I'm not the best for this,” Zoey moved closer to the precarious edge he was still sitting on. “But I don't mind if you talk about it. Whatever went down, I mean.”

“No, no, I'm not gonna get you involved in my stupid family drama.” Cooper smiled at her, still apologetic. “I just needed somewhere to, uh. Decompress.”

“Look, Cooper, everyone's involved in my stupid family drama.” Zoey gave him a look. “Pour your heart out. It's fine.”

Cooper gave his phone screen a long look. “Everything's been okay with your dad, right?”

“Dude, you can't change the subject that obviously.” Zoey rolled her eyes. “But… yeah. It has been. It's been… nice.”

“Good.” Cooper hummed slightly. “You've seemed like it's been nice. You seem… happier, I mean.”

“Uh, thanks.” Zoey narrowed her eyes. “But I told you, I know what you're trying to do. This isn't about me. It's about you.”

“What if I actually just wanted to know?” Cooper checked his notifications again. “I did, for the record.”

“Fine. Now you know.” She eyed his phone - not the screen, out of courtesy. “Really blowing up your phone, huh?”

“Something like that.” Cooper grazed one of Pyewacket’s twitching paws with a finger. 

“You're not a very open book.”

Cooper smiled wryly. “Yeah, says you. I thought going it alone was the best?”

“Coop, come on.” Zoey sighed. “I'm trying here.”

“Sorry.” Cooper's smile fell away. He checked his phone again. “I- I know you are.”

“So you wanna tell me what's going on already?” She probed. 

To her surprise, he wordlessly handed her his phone, unlocked and everything. 

Zoey skimmed through the notifications list, feeling kind of awkward about it on principle. It seemed like the only notifications were from his family, though. And they were… interesting. 

She winced, reading them here and there. “Oh. Hm.”

Cooper looked smaller than he had a minute ago. “Yeah.”

She paused for a second, eyeing his backpack in the corner of her room. “Are they just being dramatic, about…?”

Cooper stayed quiet. 

“So that's why you're here.” She looked at him. “They don't know we're friends.”

Cooper shook his head. 

“So nobody knows to look for you here.”

Cooper nodded. Zoey frowned slightly. 

“Are you okay?” She hesitated, then awkwardly nudged his shoulder a little. 

“Y-yeah.” Cooper's voice broke, but he cleared his throat to cover it up.

Zoey huffed a little. “Convincing.”

Cooper cracked a smile. “I've been told I'm a great liar.”

“You can stay here, you know.” Zoey offered, handing his phone back. “Even if it's just the night.”

“I- I don't want to intrude.” Cooper shook his head. “And I already told your aunt-”

“Aunt Jenny doesn't care.” Zoey scoffed. “If she knew you’re literally running away, she'd probably never let you leave.”

Cooper blinked, picking at his sleeve.  

Zoey sighed. “But I can ask. If it makes you feel better.”

“Just for tonight?” Cooper worried at a loose thread. 

“If that's what you want.” Zoey pushed herself up from the bed. “You're okay to wait here?”

Cooper nodded. She eyed him for a moment, then slipped out of her bedroom. 

“Aunt Jenny?” Zoey not-quite-whispered, cracking her aunt’s bedroom door open. “You awake?”

The lamp came on, and Zoey blinked away the sudden light. 

“Did your friend need a walk home, after all?” Jenny sat up, resting her ereader to the side. “I thought I'd stay up a little longer, just in case.”

“Yeah, about that.” Zoey opened the door more. She wasn't sure how much information she was supposed to divulge. “Is it cool if he stays the night?”

“Did something change?” Jenny studied her curiously. 

Zoey hesitated. There weren't a lot of times she was able to tell her aunt the truth. Truth be told, there weren't a lot of times she wanted to. 

“Sorta.” Zoey crossed her arms. Maybe she should take the opportunity. Hopefully Cooper wouldn't be mad. 

“He… sorta ran away from home.” Zoey shrugged a little. “I told him he could stick around for tonight.”

Aunt Jenny’s face turned sympathetic. “I knew there was something up with that kid.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow. She hadn't really gotten runaway vibes, personally. “But he can stay, yeah?”

“Oh, yes, of course he can.” Her aunt nodded distractedly. “He'll be alright for tonight?”

“I think so.” Zoey shrugged again. “He seems okay enough to me.”

“Alright.” Jenny reached for her ereader, still looking troubled. “Let me know if there's anything I can do, will you?”

“Yeah, I will.” Zoey promised, although she had a nagging feeling he wouldn't be having any of that. “Night. Again.”

“Goodnight, Zoey.”

Zoey shut the door, turning back towards her room. Easy enough.

“And you can probably stay as long as you want.” Zoey finished off. “I seriously doubt my aunt would care.”

“Thank you.” Cooper ran a hand through his hair. “Um, can we maybe not tell the others about this, by the way? Not- not tonight.”

“Why not?”

“I don't want them to freak out.” Cooper pulled his hair a little, then caught himself, patting it down. “And, um. I never end up committing to these things.”

He laughed a little. “So it'd be really embarrassing if I went home tomorrow. After all that.”

“So is this, like, a frequent thing?” Zoey raised an eyebrow. 

“Sort of.” Cooper smiled sheepishly. “I mean, it used to be. I've gotten a lot better about it.”

“Huh. Actually, that explains a few things.” Zoey tipped her head slightly to the side. “I never took you for a runaway, though.”

“Uh, explains what, exactly?” Cooper frowned, looking slightly flustered. 

“Well, you're pretty calm about this whole thing.” Zoey shrugged. “I guess you know what you're doing.”

“Not really.” Cooper muttered. “But thanks for thinking so.”

“Well, I guess you need a bed or something.” Zoey stood up, scanning her room and sparing him from the conversation. There wasn't much room for a whole second person. Maybe she could banish him to the couch. 

“I don't mind the floor.” Cooper moved Pyewacket from his lap back to the bed, mumbling apologies. “Maybe if you have, like, a spare blanket.”

“I can do that.” Zoey disappeared into the hall for a moment, returning with a big old blanket nobody ever used. She handed it off to Cooper, who smiled at her gratefully. 

“Thanks.” He dragged it off to the corner where she'd put his backpack, sitting down on the floor. 

“We do have a couch, you know.” She gave him a look, getting into her own bed. 

“That's okay.” He smiled at her. “Uh, unless you don't want me in here. Then I'll go.”

“I don't care.” Zoey shrugged a shoulder. “Night, Coop.”

“Night, Zoey.” He laid on the floor, away from all of her stuff, then pulled the blanket over himself. 

Zoey eyed him for a moment. At least he looked semi-comfortable, she supposed. 

She shut off the light. The cool air from her still open windows wrapped around her, and she pulled her own blanket over herself, staving it off. 

Maybe not the most peaceful night, she thought, eyeing the shadowy lump in the corner. Still. She was glad he'd come here. Some things were more important than one peaceful night.

Chapter 2

Notes:

desire to write vs emotional instability (winner may surprise you)

I have a bunch more written after this tho.. worry not

Apparently, Cooper was more skilled at putting up a front than Zoey had given him credit for. The whole night, he goofed around with the others, and none of them ever suspected a thing. When she woke, she'd half expected not to find him in her room at all, like she'd made the whole thing up somehow. 

But there he was, waking up at the same time as her in the corner of her room. Maybe she ought to keep a closer eye on him. 

“Morning, Zoey.” Cooper smiled at her, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “Uh, I guess I'll get out of your hair now.”

“What?” Zoey mumbled tiredly, stretching and giving Pyewacket a good morning chin scratch. “You literally just woke up.”

“I don't want to overstay my welcome.” Cooper laughed a little, folding up the blanket nicely. “Um, thanks for everything, by the way.”

“Dude, we're both going to school.” Zoey climbed reluctantly out of bed. “Assuming you're not skipping out.”

“I dunno.” Cooper wrung his hands. “I haven't made up my mind yet.”

“Well, make it up quick. You only have an hour.” Zoey shrugged past him, opening her bedroom door. “And if you're not skipping, stick around. We can walk together or whatever.”

She slipped out before he could protest or agree, heading for the bathroom. Normally she left early, so she could pop by Mrs. Castillo's truck, but she'd wait for Cooper if he was coming. And she figured he was probably coming. 

As she suspected, Cooper was by the door before she was, ready to go. 

“You work quick.” Zoey shouldered her backpack. 

“Yeah, well, I was already all packed.” Cooper shrugged. “You ready?”

Zoey slipped her phone out to check the time. Still early. 

“Mind if we stop by Mrs. Castillo's quick?” Zoey pocketed her phone. “I usually check in for any early orders.”

“Oh, um,” Cooper ran a hand through his hair. “If she's not parked outside my place.”

Shoot, she usually was close by. “Right. That's cool, I'll just explain after school.”

Cooper watched her quizzically as she grabbed an apple and headed to the door, opening it up. 

“We're going to school!” She yelled back to her aunt. She waited for the usual ‘have a good day’ before stepping outside. Cooper followed her. 

“You can go see her, y'know.” He fiddled with his backpack straps. “I can walk on my own.”

“Eh, well,” She gave him a little smile. “Maybe it's my turn to try new things.”

Cooper smiled, and this one seemed genuine. “Alright, well, c'mon then. Bet we can beat everybody there.”

They did, of course, since the others usually got breakfast and loitered around before school. 

“Maybe I'll just go back tonight.” Cooper muttered, probably to himself, head deep in his locker. “I don't know.”

Zoey glanced at him from the corner of her eye, leaning on whoever’s locker was next to his. “If that's what you want.”

“It's not.” Cooper stuffed all his belongings into his locker haphazardly, shutting it before they could topple out. The school books went into his backpack more nicely.

“Then don't.”

“I can't live with you forever.” Cooper swung his bag over his shoulder. “Don't look at me like that, you know I can't.”

“I wasn't looking at you like anything.” Zoey crossed her arms. Maybe she'd been thinking it over, but that was none of his business if it hadn't left her head. 

Cooper shook his own head. “Well, I'm probably not even staying another night, whatever you were thinking.”

“Just letting you know it's on the table.” Zoey shrugged nonchalantly. “And I never said forever.”

Her eyes flicked over Cooper's shoulder while he muttered some noncommittal nothingness. Oz had spotted them down the hall. 

“Mornin’, kids.” He greeted them as he approached, arms haphazardly full of books and binders. Cooper yelped, whipping around to face him. 

“M-morning, Mr. Oz.” He laughed awkwardly, shooting Zoey a look. “Didn't see you there.”

“Ah, sorry, Coop.” Oz squinted slightly, studying both of them. Zoey stared back levelly. It was suspicious of them to be here, sure, but she wasn't exactly a stranger to coming in early. She liked volunteering in the library once in a while, when business was slow at Mrs. C’s. And it couldn't be that hard to swallow that golden boy Cooper would show early, either. 

“You two are up early today.” Oz shifted the weight of the junk in his arms. Zoey could almost hear the gears turning in his head. “Special occasion?”

“Nope, uh,” Cooper thumbed his backpack straps, smiling just a bit too wide. “Just wanted to get a headstart today, I guess. I feel like I've been falling behind lately.”

“If you are, I haven't noticed.” Oz shook his head. “I’m sure you're doing just fine, Cooper.”

“Thank you.” Cooper smiled, although if she didn't know better it could've passed as a wince. 

Oz turned to her next, looking expectant. Zoey blinked. She supposed he actually bought all that, then. 

“No deliveries at Mrs. C’s.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I was already out, anyway. Ran into Cooper on the way.”

“Hm.” Now he looked unconvinced. “Well, if you two are up to somethin’, I won't keep you. But you know where to find me if you need anything.”

“Yep.” Cooper smiled more cheerfully, probably because he was leaving. “Thanks, Mr. Oz. See you in class.”

“See you, kids.” He gave them each a final scrutinizing glance before hurrying off, stuff already threatening to slip from his arms. 

When Zoey turned back to Cooper, after trailing Oz’s race around the corner with her eyes, he looked just about the opposite of cheerful. He still offered a little smile when she caught his eye, though. 

“Dude,” She started past him down the hall, expecting him to follow. “You literally ran away to my house. You can cut the act around me.”

“It's not an act.” Cooper did follow, eyes trained firmly on the shiny floor passing beneath their shoes. “I don't even know what you're talking about.”

“Yes, you do.” Zoey rounded the corner opposite to Oz, stopping abruptly by her locker. Cooper continued a few steps before noticing, turning back to blink at her. 

“Look, Coop, I don't really play these games.” She swung her locker open, giving the inside a glance over. It was mostly empty, of course, but she just wanted to keep her hands busy. “If you want to get all fake and smiley with me, I'm not gonna chase you down and make you talk.”

“I wasn't-” Cooper fumbled for a moment, so she threw a couple notebooks in her locker. “I was just being friendly.”

Zoey turned to argue that to his face - because it was stupid - but the words died off on her tongue. Their eyes met, and his were wide and calculating. His fingers picked at his sleeve. Otherwise, he just looked mildly perplexed, but the little stuff was about all she needed at this point. She scowled, slamming her locker closed. 

“Uh,” Cooper raised an eyebrow, running a hand through his hair. “I should probably get to class.”

“Half an hour early?” Zoey gave him a withering look. 

“I- I'm gonna work on homework.” He shrugged, glancing at the ceiling. “Quiet place for it.”

“Oz is gonna interrogate you.”

“And you're not?” Cooper bit back, running his hand through his hair a couple more times. “At least he won't get mad at me for smiling. ”

“I'm not mad at you.” Zoey crossed her arms, leaning against her locker uncomfortably. She hadn't meant it like that. He probably should've known by now that delicate wasn't exactly her forte. 

“You glared at me and slammed your locker!” Cooper threw his arms out. “How else am I supposed to interpret that?”

“It wasn't directed at you.” Zoey uncrossed her arms, stuffing one hand in her jacket pocket. She let the other one fidget with a bit of her hair. Hopefully this was still salvageable. “You weren't listening to me, though.”

“I was listening.” Cooper shook his head. “And I'm not- I just- I just don't want you all feeling bad for me, or whatever. I don't want you acting like this. ”

“I don't feel bad for you.” Zoey retorted, which came out kind of colder than she’d intended, but she wasn't sure how else to make him chill out. “I want to help, I mean. But I'm not pitying you.”

“I don't know why else you would…” He muttered, cutting himself off with a sigh. “Alright, I guess. I can live with that.”

Zoey narrowed her eyes. That felt too easy. 

But Cooper just seemed kind of annoyed, slipping his phone out of his pocket to check the time. She decided to let it slide. It wasn't like she wanted to be having this conversation any more than he did. 

“Okay, I really am gonna go work on stuff.” He jabbed his thumb down the hall. “I wasn't lying when I said I was behind.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow. Maybe it wasn’t too late to lighten the mood. “You? I almost don’t believe it.”

“I was a little preoccupied last night, okay?” Cooper rolled his eyes. “Anyway. See you at lunch.”

“Mm. See you.”

She watched as he turned sharply, disappearing to go study, or fake study, or whatever he was actually running off to do. 

By the time lunch rolled around, she hadn't seen him since that morning. Zoey couldn't help the small scowl that crept onto her face when she spotted him across the cafeteria. Same as last night, he was smiling and chatting away, like he didn't have a care in the world. There was no way that was real. 

“Hey, Zoey.” Mateo turned to smile at her when she all but slammed her tray down on the table. It quickly fell away when he saw the look on her face. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” The word dropped like a stone, and Cooper flinched like it'd hit him in the head. “Great.”

Logan whistled, scarfing down a couple bites of pizza while she gave Zoey a glance over. “Don't seem so great to me, Zo.”

“I didn't ask.” Zoey muttered, settling a hard look on Cooper and electing to ignore the worried ones everyone else was giving her. 

“... Anyway,” Mateo gave her one more probing frown before turning back to the others and quirking a smile. “It should be done by the end of the week at the most, if you guys, uh… if you all want to read it.”

“Of course we want to read it, broseph!” Izzie grinned, slapping him giddily on the shoulder. “Well, I've already been reading it, but-”

Her grin widened, and she shook him this time, hard enough that Zoey could feel the seat beneath her tremble with a creeping annoyance. “Ohhh, I just can't believe you're finally sharing your art with everyone!”

Mateo shook his head a little, brushing her off affectionately. “As long as you guys actually take it seriously.” He shot a hard look across the table, to where Logan had completely stopped listening in favour of absently scrolling her phone. 

“Logan.”

“What? Me?” She scoffed, pocketing her phone and tipping her chair back in one fluid motion. “Why would I make fun of your comic, dude? I'm in it!”

Zoey blinked, eyes flicking between the two. Maybe she had been listening, then. 

“Guys, guys, relax.” Cooper gave each of them a borderline glare, tapping the table a couple times. “Teo, we've been over this a hundred times. Logan's not going to say anything. Right, Logan?”

“Dude!” Logan shot a bewildered look right back. “Don't say it like I'm gonna.”

“Well, maybe we just expect it out of you, at this point.” Mateo muttered. But he seemed to think better of arguing for once, turning to Cooper before Logan could shoot back a snippy rebuttal. 

“And what's up with you?” He tipped his head slightly, in that way he insisted wasn't identical to Z-Blob. “It wasn't that big a deal. Nobody's even mad.”

Cooper's gaze settled on Zoey, guarded but not particularly subtle. “Yeah. Nobody at all.”

“Well-” Mateo’s eyes followed his, and he scratched at his wrist a little. “Well, okay, but I don't know what her deal is right now.”

“I can hear you guys, you know.” Zoey let a bit of venom drip into her tone, taking a long sip of water before continuing. “And I'm not mad.”

“You seem pretty ticked to me.” Izzie shrugged, slipping a carrot into Mateo's backpack. It shook slightly in response, and Z-Blob poked out a moment later, glancing around for more. 

“Yeah, bro.” Logan tossed a pepperoni his way like a frisbee. He managed to catch it, making a weird, gurgly purring sound of what was probably delight. “What'd Coop even do?”

Zoey stiffened slightly, but she made sure her expression was cool when her eyes flicked to Logan. She was gazing back lazily, like she was fifty percent listening and a hundred percent disinterested. But she was paying a lot more attention than it seemed, apparently. 

“Why don't you ask him?” Zoey shrugged a shoulder like it didn't matter, looking down at her tray instead. 

Cooper sat up like she'd electrocuted him, which she felt through the entire table’s jolt. 

When she looked back up, everyone was staring at him, and he was gripping the table like it was the only thing keeping him in his seat. A small part of her was satisfied to watch his charade crumble, but with a pang she realized she felt sort of guilty, too. He looked a little… freaked.

Zoey stifled a sigh. Of course he did. When was the last time he didn't?

“I didn't do anything.” He snapped, glaring hard at her. “You're the one who came in and brought the mood down.”

“At least I'm not afraid to.” Zoey bit back, trying to keep her voice level. Still, she was aware of her hand stiffly gripping her flimsy paper cup, hard enough that the water inside threatened to slosh out. "At least I don't pretend everything's fine.”

Izzie, Mateo and Logan exchanged a look, the latter two's spat apparently forgotten. 

“...Coop?” Mateo broke the fragile silence, hesitantly rubbing the back of his head. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It's fine.” It came out clipped, and not at all convincing, but he stood abruptly before anyone could call him out on it. “I'll see you guys later.”

“Dude, what happened?” Logan raised an eyebrow, rocking her tilted chair back and forth quizzically. Cooper ignored her, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. 

“Yeah, did you guys have a fight, or…?” Izzie frowned, turning to Zoey instead. Zoey just shrugged a shoulder. This wasn't on her. Maybe the stress was getting to him. 

Cooper gave her a seething glance, running a hand through his hair and storming off without another word. The cafeteria doors shut loudly behind him. 

Logan let her chair drop back to the ground with a huff, scraping it against the floor as she pushed it back from the table. “Well, guess I'll go see what's-”

“I'll do it.” Zoey cut her off bluntly, packing her things away with a careful lack of urgency. 

The others exchanged another look. Zoey rolled her eyes, pushing her chair back with a less obnoxious sound. 

“What? You think I can't?”

“It's just-” Mateo folded his hands on the table, glancing nervously at Z-Blob this time. “You seem a little…”

“There's some totally weird tension going on between you guys.” Izzie interrupted, leaning around her brother. “So maybe you wouldn't be the best person to go chill him out.”

“It'll be fine.” Zoey got to her feet, casually shouldering her backpack. “Don't follow us, though.”

“Um, Zoey-” Mateo started, sounding less than happy about this turn of events, but she turned and headed to the doors without hearing him out. If anyone could get Cooper to crack, she was sure it was her. She knew what was going on, after all. At least... she mostly did. 

“Why won't you just leave me alone?” Cooper glared at her, hand tangled in his hair and shoes squeaking as he paced in sharp turns along the hallway. 

“If you're coming back to my place,” Zoey leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Then we might as well clear this up now.”

“Clear what up, exactly?” Cooper turned sharply towards her, feet rooting to the ground. “And I don't- I don't know if I'm going back. I haven't decided.”

“What you're so mad about.” Zoey gestured in his general direction. A mixture of frustration and anxiety bubbled up on his face, and the pacing resumed. 

“...Sorry.” A few more paces. “Sorry, it's- it's not you.”

“I figured.” Zoey shrugged her free shoulder, ignoring the subtle loosening in her chest. She reached up to fiddle a bit of hair between her fingers, watching him thoughtfully. 

“You alright?”

“I'm fine. I am.” Cooper buried his head in his hands, brushing his bangs up out of face. “I just don't know what to do.”

He glanced at her hastily. “I'll- I'll figure it out, though.”

“Invitation’s always open.” Zoey pushed off from the wall, speaking slightly louder over the sound of the bell and Cooper's subsequent groan. “Just let me know what you're doing, after school.”

“Okay.” Cooper muttered, voice more tired than irritated. It was still there, though, beneath the anxious pacing and hair pulling. “I will.”

A pause.

“...And, uh… thank you.”

“Don't mention it.” Zoey turned to head to class, casting one last look over her shoulder as he headed in the opposite direction. She sighed, turning forward again once he'd disappeared from view. 

As if he'd ever mention this to anyone but her. So much for trying to help. 

Zoey scowled slightly, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach as she turned around her own corner. Whatever. There was no way she was giving up that easy. 

Chapter 3

Notes:

guess who's back.. B)

“Made up your mind?” Zoey kept her eyes on her hands as she slipped out a piece of gum, trying to keep it casual. Detached. But that was a little difficult when she had a stake in this, so she let her eyes flick up when she popped it in her mouth. 

Yeah, okay. He definitely hadn't. 

“I don't know.” Cooper blurted in tune with her thoughts. Even with her eyes back on the gum wrapper, pinched between her fingers, Zoey could picture the exact face he was making. Frankly, she could probably guess everything he was about to say, too. How he hid anything from anyone for any length of time was beyond her. She wasn't even much of a people person. 

“My brother's outside to pick me up.” Cooper continued, probably destroying his hair in the process. “Nobody ever picks me up! It's like they're not even trying to be subtle.”

Zoey frowned slightly. Admittedly, she hadn't guessed that one. 

“If I go outside he's gonna see me, and I'm going to have to go with him, obviously, and then that'll be that.” Cooper groaned, leaning hard against the lockers and rattling them beneath them both. “So I guess there's your answer.”

Zoey pretended not to be annoyed about the locker banging, chewing her gum thoughtfully instead. “Can't you just wait it out? He won't stay there forever.”

“I have practice. I- I sort of skipped it.” Cooper slid dramatically to the floor. “But he'll be here until that's over, at least.”

“That's very patient of him.” Zoey glanced out the nearest window. There were a few kids still loitering around outside, but she vaguely recognized all of them. 

“It's not him. It's my parents. They're probably making him-” Cooper cut himself off, suddenly, and was quiet long enough that Zoey warily looked at him. 

“They're so pissed.” Cooper hissed through his teeth, arms on his knees and head in his hands. Fleetingly, Zoey wondered why this was happening with her standing here instead of Logan or Mateo. They had to be better cut out for this. 

But she supposed she'd already made her choice.

“Then come back to my place.” She offered easily, voice cool. “I've snuck Zian past hordes of grimspawn. Can't be that hard to sneak you past one guy.”

“Zoey, you make it sound so suspicious.” Cooper groaned, cutting out the middle and dropping his face into his knees. “I'm not- I can't do that.”

“Why not?” Zoey stared down the back of his head. “You're the one who-”

“I know, I know, don't even say it.” Cooper pulled at his hair a little. “I did this to myself.”

“Not really what I was going for.” Zoey muttered, loud enough that she could be sure he'd heard it. But as much as she'd been ready to argue, Cooper didn't say anything at all. She turned back towards the window when the silence got too heavy. 

But that didn't really solve anything, when neither of them would speak and she was trapped in school hallway limbo. There was no way she was staying here until Cooper's practice or whatever was done. One of them had to take the initiative here. 

Tentatively, Zoey nudged him with her foot. He flinched, tipping his head back to glance at her. Before he could ask, she handed him a little wrapped gum. 

Cooper blinked, glancing between her and the gum a couple times before accepting it. “Uh, thanks.” He unwrapped it, squinting slightly. “What flavour?”

“Flavourless. Helps me think.”

“Ah.” Cooper hesitantly put it in his mouth and chewed it a few times. “Oh, uh… kind of gross.”

“I didn't make you take it.” She shrugged a shoulder. “You can spit it out.”

“No, uh, it's fine.” Cooper shook his head, still chewing away at the gum. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Are you ready to get off the floor now?” Zoey waited a couple beats too long before offering him a hand. Still, she kept her face carefully neutral. He probably hadn't noticed. 

“I don't see what's wrong with sitting on the floor.” He rolled his eyes, but with a little smile that said he wasn't about to freak out again, which was kind of a relief. 

Of course, she wasn't shoving everything under the rug just like that, either. “And you're coming back to my place?”

Cooper's smile faltered. “I never said that.”

“Just a hunch.” Zoey stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets, eyeing him much more comfortably now that he wasn't half her height. “You seem a little stressed about your parents, so.”

“Oh,” He laughed, suddenly, and Zoey raised an eyebrow. “Sorry. They're not- I made that sound worse than it is.”

Zoey stared at him, tipping her head slightly. 

“I mean, I'm sure they're mad, yeah, I showed you all those texts yesterday.” He waved his hand dismissively, a few times too many. “But not like- he just startled me, is all. My brother, I mean. But it's- I'm cool.”

Zoey bit back the first remark that came to mind, in case it came off snarky and made this even more weird and difficult. “Like I said. You seem stressed.”

“I'm not, was what I was getting at.”

“Yeah.” Zoey agreed flatly. “Anyway, I wasn't looking for an explanation. I just want to know where you're going so I can get out of here.”

“Right, right.” Cooper blinked. Then he paced back and forth a few steps. “...Maybe I will wait it out, actually. You can go now, though, and I'll-”

“Look.” She cut him off sharply, and he shut up. “Would you feel better if I got us a ride or something? Leave out a side entrance, get right in the car and go home?”

Cooper made a face like he had several problems with this plan. Mercifully, he didn't pick at them all at once. “A ride from who?”

“Mrs. Castillo or my dad, probably.” She shrugged, as if the latter wouldn't be at least a little awkward even if Cooper wasn't with her. She wasn't even sure her dad actually had a car, now that she was thinking about it.

“Your dad? ” Cooper looked at her incredulously. “Listen, I'm glad stuff’s been going well between you guys, but I'd almost rather just go home.”

“Well, it's fifty-fifty on Mrs. C actually answering her phone.” Zoey crossed the hall to spit her gum in the trash, slipping her phone out of her pocket. “Your call.” 

“Okay, well… call her.” He crossed his arms. “If you don't mind. And I'll think about it.”

Zoey dialed up Mrs. Castillo, sliding the phone up to her ear and expecting something much lower than fifty-fifty, really. Sometimes she wondered if that phone ever left the woman's house. Or had any charge on it on any given day. Or, occasionally, if she even remembered it existed. 

After a few rings, she hung up. She made a mental note to pop by quickly if Cooper ever stopped dragging his feet about leaving the school, since she'd skipped out this morning. 

“Sorry, Coop.”

“Oh, great.” Cooper started pacing again, looking pretty displeased about the prospect of sitting in an enclosed space with her dad. She couldn't blame him for that. 

“We can walk, too.” Zoey closed the hall gap in a few paces, leaning back against the lockers. “I only offered for you. I just want to leave, mostly.”

“Sorry.” Cooper looked over guiltily, still pacing back and forth. “I like the idea, but…”

“But it's my dad.” Zoey twisted a bit of hair around her finger. Nobody understood that feeling better than her. 

“Yeah. Sorry.” Cooper stopped abruptly. “But if you don't think it would be weird…”

“No, I do.” Zoey shook her head. “It would be weird.”

Cooper frowned at her, and his hands found his hair again. “What? Then, well… then no, I don't want to.”

“Clearly.” Zoey lightly pushed herself up from the lockers, heading down the hall without waiting. She'd waited plenty already. “Let's get walking, then.”

Cooper actually did follow, apparently trusting her on this. She wasn't sure why that felt strange, when he'd probably trusted her dozens of times before in the dream world. Maybe that was just more her element. 

Fortunately, she had a pretty good handle on where to go. She'd sleuthed out most of the school layout the first week she'd been here, when she'd had no friends and a lot more time to kill. Just in case she ever needed a quick escape. She wouldn't have guessed it back then, but until now, she never really had. 

“Isn't this a fire exit?” Cooper watched skeptically as she reached the end of another hall, opening the set of doors wide. 

“Not exclusively.” Zoey stepped outside, holding it open for him to follow. “Are you coming?”

“You're sure we're allowed to-”

“Yes.” Zoey rolled her eyes. “It's just out of the way, not illegal. Hurry up.”

Cooper made a face, but reluctantly followed her through outside. It was emptier back here than it was out front, although her last glimpse out the front window hadn't looked particularly busy. Everyone reasonable was probably home by now. 

Despite that, Cooper looked even antsier now, glancing around like someone was waiting for him in the shadows. She bit her tongue against any comments. It wasn't like her family had never lurked around following her through shadows. If only she could call that ridiculous. 

“Come on, then.” She glanced down the street before crossing, keeping her pace casual as she started down the sidewalk. Even less than casual, really, since she usually liked to walk faster than this. Whatever made Cooper freak out the least. 

Not that it seemed to help any. He caught up with her quickly, but he was still looking at alleys like they were going to bite him and flinching at cars like he was a fugitive. 

“Dude,” She looked at him, finally, eyebrows furrowed. “You good?”

“I feel like that's a rhetorical question.” He looked back at her, offering a lopsided smile. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“No.” Zoey scrutinized him for a few seconds, but it didn't wipe the smile off his face. “Unless your family's working with nightmares, too, I think you're probably fine, Cooper.”

Cooper laughed a little, eyes searching her face like it was hiding a fox trap. “Wow. Not a joke I would've expected from you.”

“Don't make it weird.” Zoey rolled her eyes. “The important part was that you're fine.”

“I dunno about that.” Cooper broke off to squint down an alleyway. “You'd understand, if you met them.”

“Pass.” Zoey rounded the next corner while he hesitated, hovering around the alley a moment longer before following. “I don't see why I'd ever-”

“Coop!” 

Zoey blinked, looking up ahead to see some blonde guy she'd vaguely noticed a second ago. She slowed to a stop, glancing behind her. Cooper had frozen back at the corner. 

“Man, we've been lookin’ everywhere for you.” The guy -  who was probably one of his brothers, now that she thought about it - seemed eager to close the gap, approaching them quickly. Instinctively, Zoey stepped directly into his path. 

“...Hey.” She crossed her arms, not entirely sure what her plan here was. What was she gonna do, fist fight his brother? He didn't even look particularly mad or anything. Mostly relieved. Kind of annoyed.

“Hi?” He stopped in front of her, seeming perplexed. Obviously. He didn't even know who she was. What the hell was she doing? 

Neither of them said anything. Zoey wished she'd had more time to cook up some cool lines. Everything she had on tab was a little too dream bandit coded. Too bad she'd spit out her gum. 

“Alright, I'm just gonna cut to the chase.” She steeled her gaze, glaring at him just a bit. “Cooper's not going with you, so you might as well turn around now and go home.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Cooper's brother put a hand on his hip, eyebrow raised. He still didn't look particularly offended. Maybe this would’ve hit harder if she was Mateo. 

“H-hey! Hey. This is Zoey.” Cooper was at her side, all of a sudden, grinning and jerking around slightly like he'd had a shot of caffeine while she'd been trying to save his butt. “She's a- she's a friend from school. Don't mind her, she can be kind of-” 

“Was she walkin’ you home?” His brother asked, and Zoey thought that was a stupid thing to say. Now she almost did want to fight him, but that would one hundred percent make this worse. 

She also kind of wanted to pull Cooper off her arm, because he was clinging to it like a weird cat, but she let it go for now. He probably didn't even realize, honestly. 

“N- no.” Cooper buckled, dropping the grin. She almost thought he was going to topple her over. “I don't- I'm not-”

“Cooper.” His brother sighed. Zoey watched him carefully. “Just come home, alright? I don't wanna fight about it.”

So fighting was probably off the table. Zoey looked at Cooper, because there wasn't really anything for her to say, anymore, but he was about as quiet as he'd been at school earlier. Not entirely helpful.

His brother glanced between them, each of them receiving a long look. She couldn't tell if it was sympathetic or just resigned. “Look, Coop, I really dunno why you do this to yourself. But I can get you out a lil’ easier, if you come right now. Deal?”

“Why can't you ever be on my side?” Cooper snapped instead of answering, like some kind of cornered animal. “Why- why can't you just look the other way? Like I was never here? Nobody would even know.”

“I don't want my little brother runnin’ around the streets by himself every night?” Cooper's brother gave him a look. “It's not safe, y'know. I know it sucks, but-”

“You don't know!” Cooper bristled, bunching up Zoey's sleeve. She tried not to be annoyed about it. “Or you'd leave us alone!”

“You don't know what's good for you.” His brother crossed his arms, mirroring Zoey closely enough that she stuffed her hands in her pockets uncomfortably. Cooper released her arm, stepping slightly ahead of her. 

“I'm thirteen, not four.” Cooper glared at his brother. “I know what isn't good for me, and I'm- I'm not going home.”

They stared each other down for a solid few seconds. Zoey felt, not for the first time, like she shouldn't have been there at all. 

Finally, Cooper's brother sighed, stretching each of his arms. “Don't make me do this the hard way, Coop.”

Cooper tensed. “I'm not making you do anything.”

“If you're gonna play around,” He put his hands on his hips. “I can give you a headstart.”

Cooper jumped back slightly, glancing at Zoey frantically. Zoey blinked back at him. She wasn't sure what they were getting at, exactly, but she stepped in front of him a bit, anyway. 

“Alright, then.” His brother tipped his head to the side, looking a little irritated that this was how this was all going. “Three…”

Zoey barely had time to process what was happening at all before Cooper was dragging her back around the corner by the arm, looking a little something like a spooked deer. 

“Dude?” She yanked her arm away, but kept running in pace with him. A real pain in jeans, but whatever. At least it was cool and cloudy. The sun might've been the end of her. 

“Sorry, sorry.” Cooper still glanced both ways before bolting across the street. “Sorry, I guess- I guess you didn't have to come. I just-”

“I'm coming now.” She interrupted, mostly so he'd shut up and just run. Not that she was entirely clear on why they were literally running away now. It wasn't like this dude was a grimwolf, or something. 

She looked over her shoulder. And apparently he really was chasing them. He was fast, too. Faster than they were going. Okay, things were starting to clear up. 

Zoey skidded to a stop, turning to get in his way. A little self-sacrifice, although she didn't really have a stake in this. Distraction fodder didn't generally entail a lot of sacrifice. 

“This is kind of fucked up, y'know that?” She called when he seemed within earshot. Not that she had siblings, but she couldn't imagine Mateo chasing Izzie down like a bloodhound. Aunt Jenny and her dad… a little more up in the air, but this still seemed weird. 

To Zoey's surprise, he actually stopped in front of her, instead of going around her or into the street, or something. “Listen, kid, I dunno what he told you, but I'm just tryin’ to keep him safe.”

“By scaring him half to death?” Zoey tried to give him a look, but it was a little hard to muster something with this guy. “Not ideal, is it?”

“He doesn't have to like it.” Cooper's brother shrugged. “Better this than out there dead for real.”

He went around her, and she didn't stop him.