Coop wasn't surprised to find himself on the receiving end of Candy's glare when he walked into class. Her friend, Cyn, sitting in her usual seat in front, shot him an empathetic smile and small shrug, but turned away just before Candy looked in her direction. He felt a grin on his own face as well as he slid into the seat behind her and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Is something wrong? You look upset."

"Class is starting," she snapped at him without turning to face him. "No talking."

"Actually," Cyn said from her two seats up, amusement in her voice, "class doesn't start for another three minutes."

"So for tutoring tonight, Spence has agreed to meet us at my house. I can take you home afterwards."

She whipped around to level him with a glare. "I agreed to meet Spence at Bananza."

"I want you to meet my mom." He thought he'd said its softly, just for her to hear, but he heard the sharp intake of breath as Cyn turned enough to look at him with widened eyes and followed the way Candy's gaze slid across the room uneasily. People were staring and whispering. He didn't care. "Please."

After some sort of internal struggle, she met his eyes with a determined light in her own. "Fair's fair, but I'm still angry."

"Would an apology fix it?"

A small smile creeped out just as the bell rang. "Class is starting."

***

He wanted her to meet his mom. Candice was riding high on an odd mix of excitement and anxiousness that only grew as the day went on. She heard the people around her whispering her name, she saw the looks of jealousy, contempt, confusion, and even interest. How had she managed to catch the interest of someone like Cooper? It wasn't their business though, and she didn't owe anyone an explanation.

Seraphina hadn't tried to confront her at all, and that was something that she found strange. Though they'd only really had those three run-ins, Candice had been going to school with the other girl since they'd both been in kindergarten. Seraphina wasn't the kind of girl to consider things even; she was the kind to keep terrorizing the world until she'd gotten whatever it was that she wanted.

"Hey Candy, hold up!" Pulled out of her thoughts, Candice turned at the sound of her name and found Matt jogging up to her with a grin. "You've got the whole school talking, you know?"

"Seems like a ridiculous thing to be whispering about," she replied with a shrug as he fell into step beside her on her way to the school's entrance. "People get into relationships all the time. Look at you and Jay."

"Oh, ouch," he feigned a wince and clutched at his heart with a wink. "What a subtle way to call us out."

She smiled softly and looked over at him thoughtfully. "You're a charismatic guy in high school, it would be odd if you didn't get into a string of relationships."

"Thanks?" he asked laughingly. "Anyway, Fay told Jay that you and Coop were coming to the party tomorrow night, right? Guess I'll see you then."

With a wave, he split off towards the football field just as Cooper appeared beside her. "What did he want?"

Candice shot him a sideways look and smiled at his tone. "For someone who didn't have any problem spending time with another guy's girlfriend, you're sounding dangerously close to jealousy."

He lifted her bag off her shoulder and slid it onto his before grabbing her hand and leading her toward the parking lot. "Because I know just how tempting it can be."

"Are you tempted?"

Cooper looked back at her as they made their way to his car. "Not even a little."

***

It had been the truth, and judging by the happiness emanating from her smile, the exact right thing to say. She didn't say anything else as they walked towards his car. Setting both of their bags in the back seat, he opened the door to the passenger's side for her before getting in behind the wheel. "He's no one to worry about you know," she told him as he started the car. He's been Jay's best friend for years. Longer than Faith and I have been friends. He's always been around."

"Jay seems very protective," he acknowledged, watching her as he waited to be able to turn out of the lot.

"He sees Hope, Cyn, and I as just a few more sisters to protect from the world," she replied dismissively.

"So you're trying to tell me he's harmless?"

She laughed a bit at that and offered a slight shake of her head. "Not to you."

That surprised a laugh out of him, "Really? You don't think I can hold my own against him?"

"I plead the fifth."

They spoke easily as he made his way home, neither of them bringing up the fact that he'd be introducing her to his mom. As he pulled his car into the drive, he took in the stiffness of Candy's spine and the calculating expression in her eyes as she no doubt mentally ran through all of the possibilities of this interaction. Putting the car in park, he unbuckled and twisted to face her with a grin, burying his discomfort so as not to make her more anxious. "Are you ready?"

***

She wanted to run. Just get out of the car, leave her things, and run. Was that cowardly? Absolutely, but it didn't make her want it any less. Candice could see through him easily enough; it wasn't difficult. Cooper didn't date, and she'd hazard a guess that Cooper didn't invite girls home to meet his mom. He didn't want her to be nervous, which gave her the confidence to smile warmly and nod as she unbuckled herself and reached for the door handle. "Ready."

Her shoes had barely touched the pavement before he was by her side, gripping her hand as though afraid she may try to make a run for it. "Let's go."

She glanced back at the car and then turned to him with a raised brow, "We have to grab our things first."

"I'll come get it all after," he assured her as he pulled her towards the front steps.

She tried to turn back with a huff, but he held tight. "Why come back when our hands are entirely empty? Let's just grab it now and we can start on our homework—"

"Isn't that what the tutoring is for when Spence gets here?"

Candice scowled, "No, tutoring is for studying and going over the material. Homework is an everyday occurrence, and we should just get it out of the way before Spencer gets here so we have more time to—"

"We've got plenty of time. Come on."

They were at the door now, and he was pulling it open and tugging her inside. "Cooper, I think−"

"Hello, who's this?"

Candice's mouth snapped shut at the sound of a woman's voice. Turning her attention away from Cooper, she found herself meeting the friendly gaze of a woman who looked to be in her late thirties. She had the same dark brown hair as her son, but her eyes were brown instead of gray and she didn't look quite as unapproachable. "Mrs. Daniels, I'm sorry, I was just—"

"Mom," Cooper interrupted easily, tugging Candice close to his side. "This is Candy, my girlfriend."

His mom's eyes widened in delight, and she shot up from her seat, shooting forward. "Really? This is exciting!" she exclaimed, grabbing Candice's free hand and pulling her forward. "Coop, go grab us something to drink, or something. Let me talk to her."

Candice shot Cooper a panicked look as his mom pulled her towards the couch, and while he looked on with an expression of annoyance, he clenched his jaw and left her to her fate. "I—"

Completely oblivious to Candice's discomfort, the older woman yanked her down onto the couch cushion beside her and leaned forward with a bright smile. "Please, call me Jackie. I'm so glad that he brought you home, my curiosity has been killing me."

"It has?" But she'd just agreed to start dating him last night. When had he had time to tell his mother? She shot a confused look towards the doorway Cooper had disappeared through.

"Yes," Jackie said, nodding emphatically. "Ever since he came home a few days ago upset that you'd...how did he phrase it? Politely declined his advances."

She felt her entire face heat up and desperately wished for some way of escape. "Well I wouldn't say−"

"Mom, don't embarrass her in the first five minutes," Cooper complained, stepping into the room and handing Candice a can of Coke. "It was hard enough to get her to come in the first place."

Oh god. She could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks. She couldn't seem to even get through a single sentence between the two of them. "I just−"

"Spence is coming over at four and she's helping us study."

Jackie beamed happily, staring at Candice as if Cooper had just announced she could walk on water. "That's very sweet of you."

"I was just trying to—"

"I figured she could stay for dinner, and then I could take her home later."

"Oh! No, that won't be—"

"Come on Candy, let's go grab our bags." Cooper grabbed her hand and started to pull her up.

"I think schoolwork can wait for a few minutes; don't you, Coop? I want to get to know the girl," Jackie said in amusement.

"Yes, I can—"

"She takes schoolwork very seriously, Mom. Don't you Candy?" Cooper grinned over at her.

Overwhelmed and extremely frustrated, Candice wrenched her hand from his and glared. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to be able to finish a sentence."

"I was trying to help you out. You were uncomfortable," he said defensively, raising both hands in a retreating gesture.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You were talking over me like I wasn't even here. And you didn't even ask me if I'd like to stay for dinner. I might have plans."

"Do you?"

She pressed her lips together. "That's not the point."

"Then why'd you bring it up?"

"Cooper," she snapped, "you wanted me to meet your mother, but you can't even let me talk long enough to do it. And if you'd listened to me when we got here, I told you to bring our stuff in when we came in, but you—"

Their argument was interrupted by an outburst of delighted laughter. "You were absolutely right, Coop. She's perfect."

That threw her off and Candice gave Cooper a wide-eyed look of surprise. "You said I was perfect?"

Cooper gave an embarrassed huff as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "It wasn't a compliment. I was calling you an organized neat freak. Don't get a big head."

"Being organized doesn't make me a freak."

"He's just trying to distract you from the fact that he's complimented you, sweetheart," Jackie broke in. "It's obvious to me that he likes you; I've never been introduced to a girl before. You can stay for dinner, and we can talk then. Go ahead and get that schoolwork done." She shooed them away with a smile and Candice found herself being pulled from the room and up the stairs.

***

They stepped into his room and Coop turned to face her almost immediately, pulling her in with his focus on her lips. "Come here."

Just before his mouth could meet hers, his lips were met by her hand and she pushed him away as she leaned back and sent him a reprimanding look. "We have schoolwork to do, and you left our bags in the car."

He snorted even as he felt his frustration build. "That won't take either of us more than an hour," he said, stepping closer.

She side-stepped and shot him a smile. "Then we'd better get started."

Rolling his eyes, he snatched her hand again and yanked her back, stealing a kiss before letting go and turning for the door. "I'll go get our bags."

Walking down the stairs, he found his mom at the bottom, and she was beaming at him. "I like her. Don't scare her away. Girls have always come easily to you. It'll be good for you to have someone to give a little bit of pushback."

Coop scowled and ducked out of the way when his mom reached up to touch his face. "Aren't you supposed to be saying you're worried she's not good enough for me?"

"I've never been much for lying," she laughed, stepping aside to let him pass. "Keep that bedroom door open, sweetheart. I wasn't born yesterday."

"It's not like she'd let me do anything anyway," he muttered under his breath. Candy was in work mode. Satan himself couldn't tempt that girl away from her textbook.

***

Candice had been sitting with Spence and Cooper for the past hour and a half and she wanted to pull her hair out. "Spence," she bit out, shooting the boy in question a disapproving look. "If you reach for that controller one more time..."

"Don't piss her off," Cooper warned with a grin. "She'll blame me."

She clenched her teeth and turned her ire on him. "I thought you said you needed help too? You haven't even opened a book."

"Coop here needs help with his chemistry homework," Spence snickered.

"He doesn't take chemistry," Candice said flatly.

"Don't be mad," Spence pouted, leaning back and craning his neck back from his spot on the floor to look up at her. "I do need your help. U. S. government is kicking my ass."

She sighed and started to slide from the edge of the bed where she was perched to sit on the floor beside him, but Cooper's arm slid around her waist and he pulled her back, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before she could lean away, her cheek heating. "Not appropriate," she snapped.

"Yeah, Coop," Spence mocked. "Not appropriate."

If this is what it meant to be friends with the male half of the population, Candice was well past her limit. Yanking away from Cooper, she stood up and leveled them both with her most disapproving stare. "Excuse me, I'm going to use the restroom. Maybe when I get back, you'll both be ready to study."

Cooper let out a frustrated breath and moved to get up as well. "I'll walk you to the bathroom."

"You could just tell me where it is."

Ignoring her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hall. Snatching her hand out of his, she followed him down the hall and towards the bathroom. Just before she could move passed him, into the bathroom, he raised his arm to block her way, "Hey."

"Move," she gritted out.

"Candy, I—"

Angry, she smacked his arm out of her way and then jabbed him hard in the chest. "You said you needed help tutoring. I came here to meet your mother and to help the two of you with tutoring."

"And you met my mom," he agreed, "and you're helping with tutoring."

Her eyes narrowed, "Spence has been playing Grand Larceny—"

He snorted, "Grand Theft Auto."

She barely kept herself from baring her teeth, "And you keep trying to touch me!"

"You're my girlfriend," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Of course I'm trying to touch you."

"Schoolwork first," she snapped.

***

            He couldn't help but stare at her as if she'd grown two additional heads. How in the hell had she been the one? Even now, while she was laying into him, he couldn't stop thinking about how adorable she looked angry. The quiet mousey brown-haired girl hiding her face in the crook of Matt Hanson's arm was gone, and in her place stood this beautiful, intelligent, stubborn-as-hell, girl who had higher priorities than just some guy. He was both attracted to and annoyed with the girl standing in front of him. "You're not human."

            She continued to glare at him. "One day, Cooper. We have been dating for one day, and I already find myself thinking about the intelligence in my decision."

            Now he found himself glaring back. "What exactly do you consider dating if the idea of my touching you is so appalling?"

            "We're in a house with your mother," she hissed. "And you're kissing my neck in front of Spence."

            Understanding seeped through him and his mouth turned up into a smug smile as he moved towards her, crowding her up against the doorway. "You don't like PDA. I'm sorry, babe."

            Her face twisted into that of contempt as she leaned away from his face when he tried to kiss her and smacked both her hands against his chest to push him away. "Don't call me babe you Neanderthal!"

            "No one else is in the hall," he assured her. "No one can see us."

            He leaned in again and she shoved him so hard that he stumbled backwards. "You. Are. An. Idiot," she ground out before stepping into the bathroom and slamming the door.

***

            "I'm so glad you decided to stay for dinner, Candy," Jackie said, smiling happily at Candice from across the table.

             "Thank you for inviting me," Candice replied with a smile. She could see Cooper scowling from the corner of her eye, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it. They hadn't spoken since she'd slammed the bathroom door in his face. Was he only in it to satisfy his urges? Neither he nor Spence had done more than thirty total minutes of studying. Spence was too infatuated with that Grand Larceny game and Cooper only seemed to want to touch and kiss her, completely undeterred by other people being around to witness his shenanigans.

            "So," Jackie said after a beat of silence, "I want to hear all about how Coop managed to convince you to go out with him. What happened?"

            "She finally had to admit that she couldn't stand to be away from me, and begged me to make it official."

            Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared, "I did not!"

            Cooper glared at her, then rolled his eyes and took an angry bite of spaghetti. "Oh, right. This is a relationship of convenience, no touching. I forgot."

            "You're acting like a child," Candice warned him. "I didn't say that; don't be dramatic."

            "Don't take it to heart, sweetheart," Jackie laughed. "Coop is just a little too used to getting his way. He'll calm down after a bit."

            Cooper snorted, "Yeah, I'm the one with a problem."

            Candice could feel her cheeks turning red and she gave Jackie an apologetic look. "Cooper, please."

            He raised a brow and gave her a disinterested smile. "Please what? Has something else I've done offended you? Am I breathing in your direction?"

            "Cooper Fitzpatrick Daniels," Jackie snapped at him, her voice suddenly cold as ice. "I am just about fed up with the attitude and severe lack of manners. You bring a girl here to meet me and you think it's acceptable to treat her like this? Candy, sweetheart, why don't you grab your things? I'm going to take you home."

            "Mom, that's−"

            Jackie shot Cooper a quelling look. "I wasn't asking you." Pushing her chair out, she got to her feet and motioned for the shell-shocked Candice to follow her out of the dining room. "I'll take you home and he won't bother you anymore tonight. If he can't treat you with respect, you don't give him the time of day; do you understand me?"

            Shooting a confused and surprised look back over her shoulder at Cooper, Candice nodded her head as Jackie shuffled her on her way. Once they were out of earshot, near the front door, she leaned into Candice's ear with a mischievous smile and whispered, "He's never tried to date before, and unfortunately for both of us, he doesn't have the manners God bestowed on a wild buffalo. We'll just let him stew over this for the night and he'll come crawling back to you tomorrow begging for forgiveness, okay? Don't answer his texts or calls for the rest of the night."

            For the first time all night, Candice began to feel a little bit of sympathy towards Cooper. "Thank you."

***

            Coop didn't hear his mom get back home as he had intentionally begun blasting his music at an annoyingly loud volume after she'd defended and then offered a ride home to the enemy. She, however, wasted no time busting into his room with a motherly look of disappointment. Striding across the room, she unplugged the speaker and turned to him with her hands on her hips.

            "Just how," she asked, "have I managed to raise such an idiot?"

            He scowled, "Seriously?"

Ignoring him, she moved to his bed and sat herself down on the edge to raise an expectant brow. "I am your mother and I love you with all my heart, but I've no idea how you've managed to win over anyone with the way you acted this evening."

            "She—"

            "Coop," she said with exaggerated patience, "the reason you like Candy is because she's not like the other girls at your school, but you're treating her just like the other girls. How do you think she must feel when all she sees is you doing to her what you've done with every other girl you've ever been involved with?"

            Coop rolled his eyes, "I don't treat her like the other girls. I never brought other girls to meet you."

            "I heard you two in the hall," she informed him flatly. "She doesn't like the idea of other people looking at her, Coop. She wants her personal life to be private. She wants to feel like she's different from other girls. Talk to her. Apologize."

            Before he could think of a reply, his mom rose to her feet and left him to stew in his thoughts. His self-righteous anger lasted about another hour before he finally broke down and called her. She sent it straight to voicemail. Waiting another five minutes, he tried again, only for it to do the same thing.

            "Candy, I'm sorry. Call me." Half an hour later, still no response. Annoyed, he tried to call for a third time, and she answered.

            "Stop," she said by way of greeting, and then the call ended.

He stared at the phone in disbelief. He sent another text, "Can you just let me talk to you for a minute?"

Her text message came back lightning quick. "No."

This damn girl...he called again, but it rang once and went straight to voicemail. "Candy," he growled into the phone, "if you don't pick up your damn phone, I'll just come over there."

Another thirty minutes go by with nothing. Gritting his teeth, he snatched his car keys off his nightstand and headed for the stairs. Before he could make it to the door, his mom's voice called from the living room, "You can take yourself right back up those stairs, dear one. Your mistreated girlfriend won't be speaking with you tonight, and you're just going to have to suffer until tomorrow."

"I wasn't—"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Cooper," she said, cutting him off. "If you want to learn how to treat a girl; you need to suffer for it."

"That's the stupidest—"

"I'm sleeping right here on the couch tonight. Don't try to sneak out. You can apologize in the morning."

Clenching his jaw, he turned back for the stairs. "I have nothing to apologize for."

He heard his mother snort from her seat on the couch. "Then I suppose it's a good thing you're not a fan of relationships because this one will be over before it even starts."

***

Candice walked right past Cooper's car the next morning on her way to the bus stop, and she didn't even bother to acknowledge him as he stepped out of the car to greet her. "Can we talk?"

"I'm running late. I don't want to miss the bus. We can talk later." She kept walking down the drive.

She heard Cooper mutter a string of aggravated curses behind her and then he was stepping around to block her path with a glare. "I can give you a ride."

She moved to step around him again, only for him to mirror her steps and block her again. "No thank you."

"I'm...sorry for the things I said and the way I acted yesterday." She froze and looked at him in surprise, but he had more to say. "You are different from other girls. I wasn't trying to make you feel like a part of the crowd. Candy...they don't compare to you, okay?"

She felt doubt warring with hope inside her, and she studied him unsurely. "I don't feel comfortable around other people. I take school seriously. You said you wanted help, and you spent the entire time avoiding the work. It's not a joke to me."

"I know." He waved back towards the car and gave her a pleading look. "Can I please give you a ride to school?"

She studied him a bit longer before giving a short nod and turning back up the drive. He was here. He was trying to apologize. He was trying to understand. Once they were both comfortably inside, she glanced at him through her peripheral contemplatively. "Maybe we can compromise?"

He raised a brow as he backed out of the driveway. "Compromise on what?"

"I was a bit harsh about the touching thing. Maybe it would be alright...holding hands or hugging sometimes, in public. Just...can we keep the kissing private for now?" She tried to ignore the feeling of her cheeks heating, and she struggled to maintain an even and matter-of-fact tone.

Cooper started laughing, and her brows furrowed as she shot him a scolding look. Before she could start to say anything else, he reached over and squeezed her hand. "If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."

"Really?"

He shot her a smirk as he drove, "Candy, whatever you want, that's what we'll do."

***

All three Fitz women looked so much alike, it was almost terrifying. Eleanor sat directly across from him, her face made up perfectly and what could only be construed as an entertained and mischievous smile planted firmly on her lips. Directly beside her, sat their mother, Mrs. Fitz. Mrs. Fitz's face was just an older version of her girls and her make-up was much more subtle than that of her oldest daughters. She wore a friendly smile, but Coop could feel her studying him closely as if waiting to pass final judgment.

"I hope you like baked chicken," Ms. Fitz said to him with a smile once they'd all been served.

He nodded, "I do. Thanks so much for inviting me."

"You normally work so late," Candy said, frowning down at her plate. "You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble, Mom. We could've ordered something."

"Don't be silly," Mrs. Fitz laughed. "The first time you bring a boy home to meet me, and you don't think I'm going to put a little effort into it?"

"Our mom's food is a wonder," Eleanor said, still smiling at him. "You should count yourself lucky."

Feeling like he was the butt end of some kind of joke, Coop cut into his chicken and took a bite. He nearly choked. He didn't know what would kill him faster; the amount of salt or the amount of spice. Forcing down the bite, and mentally applauding himself for not immediately drowning it in the glass of milk in front of him. "This is amazing."

Candy watched him looking as though she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. She ate her chicken in slow, deliberate bites. Aside from the momentary look she'd given him, she kept her expression carefully neutral. "Thank you for dinner."

"So, Cooper," Mrs. Fitz said, watching him with a smile. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? How old are you? Are you a junior as well? How long have you and my daughter been dating? She's never mentioned you."

God, his mouth was both dry and on fire. Taking his first drink, he allowed himself a few moments to savor the cooling feeling on his tongue before swallowing to answer. "Yes, I'm a junior and I'm seventeen. Candy just recently agreed to go out with me."

"How interesting," Eleanor said as she leaned forward, her smile widening. "My sister isn't very social; how'd you meet?"

"We're both juniors," Candy clipped out, her eyes narrowed dangerously on her sister. "We have a few classes together. And we've been going to the same school since grade school."

Eleanor only continued to smile and leaned back in her chair, slipping some chicken off her plate and into her lap while her mother's focus was elsewhere. "Who talked to who first?"

"I helped Candy to class the day she broke her glasses," Coop answered simply, shooting Candy a grin. "It was almost comical how blind she was without them. I kept her from running into lockers and rampant trash cans, she thanked me, and I decided I wanted to get to know her more."

Mrs. Fitz looked between him and Candy as if trying to glean the truth from the lies, but then gave a slight nod and smiled. "What do you like about her?"

***

"Mom," Candice moaned quietly, stabbing at the food on her plate and turning red. "Please."

"Everything," Coop replied, reaching out to squeeze Candy's leg under the table reassuringly. "At first she seemed like just some quiet girl who never spoke or drew attention to herself, but then...I caught a glimpse of a spine. There's nothing that she can't figure out, and no one she treats worse than anyone else. There's no one else like her."

Eleanor stared at the boy across the table from her open-mouthed before snapping it closed and shooting a look over at her sister to assess. Candice looked just as taken aback as her, and Eleanor felt as though her own opinion of Coop had quintupled in an instant. He wasn't faking it, not that she thought he had been in the first place. He'd been trying too hard for it to have all been a game, but for Eleanor, this eradicated any further doubt from her mind.

"Well..." her mom seemed to be at a loss for how to respond as she took in the boy sitting at their table. "Yes," she said at last, putting her knife and fork down and finally offering a true smile. "Candice is very special. Both my girls are."

Candice looked to have recovered from her shock because she was suddenly turning red and staring hard at her plate as she carefully cut more of her chicken. Deciding, probably for the first time in her life, to take pity on the awkward couple across from her, Eleanor turned to look at her mom. "I think it's safe to say that he passed, isn't it Mom?"

Her mom's gaze flickered just as mischievously as her own and she nodded. "Go ahead and grab the pizza from the oven. Cooper, please don't eat another bite of that. My daughters have dutifully never spoken aloud about how awful I am as a cook, but I think you've suffered enough."

Candice's gaze shot up from her plate and her eyes flew from Eleanor to their mom. "This was a test?"

Eleanor snorted as she pushed out of her chair and headed for the kitchen. "Of course it was, and your boyfriend there passed with flying colors."