The Stand-In Boyfriend (Greyford High Book 5) Read online

  Chapter Two

  NOAH

  “How lame do you have to be to still force yourself on your ex’s friends? For God’s sake, get a life!”

  Seriously, what is wrong with people? Jessica and Evie have been friends forever. I should know that since for a while there I had a thing for Evie, so of course, I learned a thing or two about her best friend.

  And what if she is trying to get back with her ex? It’s her life, she can do whatever the hell she pleases.

  I grit my teeth as I look over my shoulder to catch another glimpse of Jessica. The book she’s putting in her locker falls inside with a resounding thud. Her hand clenches in a fist, knuckles turning white, and her face pales, body growing stiff. There is a blank expression on her face. An expression that for some reason unnerves something inside of me. It shouldn’t, but it does.

  Let it be, I tell myself, returning my attention to my own books. It’s not your problem.

  I wish I could leave, but for some reason my feet are glued to the ground and I can’t seem to move.

  “Maybe she hopes that if she stays close, he’ll take her back,” the one with the snarky voice comments. She’s irritating as fuck. And what’s worse, she’s not even trying to be quiet.

  I can’t listen to this any longer. Closing my locker, I turn around.

  The group of girls is standing right behind me, and two lockers from Jessica’s.

  She’s still glued to the spot, her whole body tense. What must she be thinking?

  It’s not your problem, the little voice tries to reason with me, but I’m done listening. I still feel guilty for what happened with Evie this past winter. That wasn’t me, and it doesn’t matter that she said she forgave me, I can’t seem to forgive myself. Couldn’t forget the fear in her voice, in her eyes. But maybe if I can help Jessica the guilt will ease, if not go away.

  Without giving myself time to think much about it, I cross the hall with a few decisive strides, a cocky smile plastered on my lips. I’m not even sure how to make this better, but I’ve always been one to do something now and think about the consequences later.

  And look where that got you.

  “Hey, babe.” The words are out before I can blink.

  Jessy turns around, her eyes growing wide when she sees me moving closer. Those dark eyes land on mine, worry and something else, something I know all too well—embarrassment—coloring her face. The all-too-familiar ache returns in full force.

  Fuck that.

  Fuck them.

  What now? I should have seriously come up with a plan before making my move, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. Jessy hates me; I know it because she made sure I do.

  After everything with Evie played out, she cornered me and told me exactly what she thinks of me.

  Her eyes narrow as she recognizes me, mouth opening like she’s ready to put me in my place, just as she did that day, but if I let her it’ll ruin everything. We can’t have that.

  So I do the only rational thing I can think of to shut her up.

  I kiss her.

  Her eyes go round with shock as my mouth presses against hers, my hands cupping her cheeks. Her lips are soft underneath mine. Complete contrast to her sharp tongue. They aren’t coated in lip gloss like most girls wear, but a faint taste of cherries still lingers on her lips.

  The strong urge to dip my tongue inside her mouth and see if she tastes like cherries too, throws me off guard.

  What’s wrong with me?

  First I kiss her, albeit this kiss is almost like a peck on the lips. As platonic as they come. Now I want to taste her? Something is seriously wrong with me. This is Jessica Bryant we’re talking about. Jessica Bryant, Evie’s best friend. This was supposed to be just a sham to give her some space to breathe. So those girls can see she isn’t pining after her loser of an ex, Jack Morgan.

  Yeah, even I heard the gossip. I wasn’t there to see it first-hand, but most of the folks in Greyford are gossips. Something happens and in less than an hour everybody knows about it. Hell, the juicier the news, the faster it’ll spread.

  But seriously, Jack is clearly an idiot for cheating on Jessica. Yes, our previous encounters haven’t been the best, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate her protectiveness and loyalty to Evie.

  I’m also not blind. Jessica Bryant is pretty. More than pretty actually, she’s beautiful.

  I had to bend down because she’s much shorter than my six-foot-one frame. Her dark brown hair is curly today and pulled into a high ponytail, a blue and white ribbon—the school colors—holding it tied together. She’s wearing a blue tank top that’s molded to her body perfectly and a plaid black and blue skirt that shows off her tanned legs.

  Yeah, he’s most definitely an idiot.

  And I’m in trouble. The initial shock must have worn off because now Jessica’s glaring at me. Her teeth sink into my bottom lip, hard, a warning of sorts.

  The message in those dark, bottomless eyes is pretty clear. Back off or else...

  Still, I can’t resist. I give her mouth another tender swipe before breaking the kiss and pulling back.

  “You should have let me drive you to school,” I say, my tongue swiping over my lower lip. It feels tender from her vampire tendencies.

  Jessica puffs out air in frustration and I know she’ll blow up soon, demanding an explanation.

  “Gimme those.” I take the books from her hands and throw my free arm over her shoulder, guiding her away from the lockers and down the hallway.

  I can feel the girls’ gaping mouths and wide eyes monitoring our every move as I steer Jessica away from them. I give them an extra wide smile as we turn the corner. It’s only then that she explodes.

  Ducking out from underneath my arm, Jessica stops in her tracks and turns to face me.

  “What the hell was that?” she hisses at me, stabbing a finger in the middle of my chest.

  I lift my arms in the air in the universal sign of surrender. “I was just trying to help you.”

  “Help me?” she whisper-yells.

  The defeated and embarrassed girl from before is long gone. The fire burning in her eyes is so bright I’m surprised she didn’t turn me into ashes.

  “Yes, help you. You’re welcome, by the…”

  She doesn’t even let me finish. “I don’t remember asking for your help, and especially not that kind of help!”

  I cross my arms over my chest defensively. “Well it worked, didn’t it? The kiss shut their mouths pretty quickly. I bet they won’t be talking about you moping after that jackass hockey player anytime soon.”

  Her mouth hangs open, but no words come out. Good. Not that it lasts long.

  “Ugh, you’re infuriating!” Jessica stomps her feet in irritation. She actually looks quite cute doing it.

  “You aren’t any better.”

  “Whatever.” She flips her ponytail, turns on the balls of her feet and storms away.

  A sharp pain spreads through my temples. “Fuck.” So much for doing something nice. Being nice gets you nowhere.

  The bell rings.

  Sighing, I hurry down the hallway. I have to run if I don’t want to be late to class.

  My long legs cross the distance quickly, and soon I’m just behind Jessy. She must hear my footsteps because she looks over her shoulder, her eyes turning grim when she sees me.

  “Why are you following me?”

  “You’re one little ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” I ask dully. “I’m not following you, I’m going to class.”

  My answer earns me another glare. This time when she returns her gaze forward, her ponytail slaps my chest.

  We walk in silence, getting to the last classroom in the hallway, just as the warning bell rings.

  The classroom is nearly full as we slip inside. Jessica walks up and takes the first open seat, pointedly ignoring me.

  Whatever.

  My fingers clench, and only then do I realize, I’m still holding on to her books.
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br />   Walking past her, I leave them at the edge of her seat and take the last open desk two rows behind, not once letting my eyes dart toward the dark-haired girl whose kiss just rocked my world.

  Chapter Three

  JESSICA

  “Why is everybody staring at us?” Evie asks, looking around the cafeteria.

  So much for trying to convince myself it’s all in my head.

  Ducking my head, I play with my salad since I suddenly don’t feel the least bit hungry anymore. “No idea.”

  Evie hums, but I can still feel her eyes staring at me; on top of a dozen more probing my back. So much for keeping a low profile. Less than a day back in school and I’m already the center of attention. Again. I’m scared to even pull out my phone to see the extent of the damage Noah Russell caused.

  What the hell was he thinking, kissing me like that?

  I’ll tell you what—he wasn’t.

  Such typical guy behavior. They think they’re swooping in to save the day when in reality, they’re just creating an even bigger mess.

  I press my lips together, but I can still feel his mouth on mine. No matter what I did or how much I tried, there was no way to get rid of the soft, tingling sensation that the press of his lips against mine caused.

  Seriously, what is wrong with me?

  Suddenly the chatter filling the cafeteria dies, the tension filling the room growing. A shiver runs down my spine, making the fine hairs at the nape of my neck stand up.

  I don’t even have to lift my head to know who just entered the room. I already know. Yet a part of me can’t resist the pull. I lift my gaze and meet Noah’s crystal, blue eyes straight-on.

  He stops in his tracks, a blank expression on his face, as he watches me for a few long seconds.

  Evie puffs out a breath. “You’d think people would stop with the staring game. It’s been months.”

  Breaking his stare, I turn to my best friend. “Right? They really should find something better to do with their lives.”

  “You know, he isn’t such a bad guy. What happened…”

  Whatever Evie wanted to say dies with the sound of scraping chairs. In unison, we turn to find our usual table companions Liam, Mike, and fuck I should have known he’d be here. After all, this is his table, his friends, as much as mine. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it has. I thought I’d have more time before being forced to face Jack, but apparently I ran out of luck sometime last summer because since then it’s been one shitshow after another.

  Jack’s steps falter when he sees me. He, just like me, seems surprised by the turn of events. At least I’m not the only one, although to be honest there is little solace in that.

  I’m not sure what we were expecting really, but this whole thing sucks. I should have never agreed to start dating him. I should have known better, but then I wasn’t thinking. I liked him, and he seemed to like me. He was handsome and popular, and his friend was dating mine. It seemed like the most logical thing to get to know him, kiss him, agree to date him… That is, until I found him making out with one of my cheerleader friends.

  The ache in my chest that was born that night returns in full force the longer we look at each other. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that one look at him used to make my heart race and now brings me so much pain and anguish.

  He looks disheveled. His dark hair is messy and there are circles beneath his eyes that weren’t there before. A part of me feels happy that I’m not the only one feeling crappy about it all, but the girl who was falling for him feels his pain like it’s my own.

  It’s confusing as hell.

  It’s been two and a half months. I want to say I got over what happened, that I don’t feel anything for him any longer, but the sad truth is… Jackson Morgan was my first love. Just because he acted like a jackass doesn’t change that.

  “Jack, what the hell…” Liam starts, but then he sees me. I can feel his unease as he looks between the two of us, muttering a silent curse.

  Forcing myself to breathe, I plaster a smile on my lips. Not that it’s fooling anybody since it’s as fake as they come. “It’s okay.” No it’s not, but it’s my fault for not thinking this whole thing through before I agreed to meet Evie for lunch. I nod at the empty chair. “Jack, sit down.”

  Jack stands there for a moment, debating on whether to take me up on the offer, but then decides to take the chair next to Mike, which is thankfully across from me. Far from ideal, but better than having him sit right by my side. That would most definitely bring back memories that are better left in the past, and have even more mouths talking.

  “Well this isn’t awkward at all,” Mike deadpans before biting into his pizza and chewing extra loudly.

  “Fuck off, Mike,” Jack grumbles and digs into his own food, his gaze carefully remaining on his tray.

  The tension at the table is almost palpable, like a living, breathing thing. And it definitely doesn’t help that I can still feel the eyes of our fellow classmates looking in our direction, waiting to see what will happen.

  Seriously, could this day get any worse?

  I stab my fork into the lettuce more forcefully than necessary. I need to finish this meal and get out of here. Fast.

  But apparently I’m not fast enough.

  “Jessy?”

  I lift my head only to find a pair of curious eyes staring at me.

  Self-consciously I push a strand of my hair that I left to curl around my face behind my ear. “What?”

  Evie looks down at her phone, and then back at me. A frown appears between her brows. “What is this?”

  She turns the screen to face me. For a moment I just stare at it, not believing my eyes. I blink. Once. Twice. But nope, the picture is still there in full color, mocking me.

  Noah kissing me against my locker. His large hands cupping my cheeks, lips pressed against mine as we stare at each other. There is no mistaking the fire in my eyes either.

  A shiver runs through me.

  God, I was so pissed at him. Still am, but to an innocent onlooker it could easily be interpreted as the look of somebody in love.

  Fuck. My. Life.

  “Who posted this?”

  I go for the phone, but Evie pulls it out of my reach.

  “Oh no, you don’t.”

  “What are you doing?” I let my fork fall out of my hand and reach for the phone again. “Give it to me. I want to know who posted it so I can make sure that person removes it.”

  By any means necessary. Seriously, what is wrong with people? Taking that kind of photo and posting it online. My skin crawls just at the thought of somebody taking my picture when I’m vulnerable like that and not even noticing them doing it.

  A shiver runs through my body as the unease settles underneath my skin.

  Yes, I love social media like just about any person in this whole school, but I’d never do something as sneaky as that!

  “It’s Snapchat, it’ll disappear soon enough.” Evie waves me off. “Better question is, how did you end up kissing Noah?”

  “What?” This one sounds suspiciously like Jack, but I ignore it.

  “I wasn’t kissing him!” I hiss in protest, scanning the room to see if anybody is listening on our conversation. But if Evie has seen it, then probably the whole school has.

  She looks down at the screen, and then makes a point of turning it toward me once again. Like I don’t have the real deal stuck haunting me in my own head.

  “Umm, a picture tells a thousand words and all that.”

  “Stop it, Eves! And turn that thing off.”

  “What did you think would happen when I found out?” Thankfully, she does as asked, exiting the app, locking her phone and putting it on the side for good measure. Only now, all her attention is on me. I’m not sure I like that all that much.

  “You weren’t supposed to find out.”

  Nobody was, but that’s just another thing that I apparently don’t deserve to have control over.


  Evie pushes her glasses up her nose. “You can’t be serious.”

  There is hurt in her voice, and I hate that I’m the one who caused it. I am, but not enough to prevent me from saying the next words. “Well, I am.”

  Pushing back the chair, I throw my backpack over my shoulder, grab my still half-full tray and storm away for the second time in mere hours.

  Chapter Four

  NOAH

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I don’t even have to turn around to know who’s behind me. I kind of expected it after I found out that the photo of me kissing Jessica went viral. From the angle it was taken it was probably one of the girls who were gossiping about her to begin with. Fucking vultures. Because that’s exactly what those girls are. Vultures. They’d do anything to see her fail, just because they’re jealous of her for some fucked-up reason.

  “I don’t have the patience to deal with you now, Ward,” I mutter as I go to my car to pick up my gym bag for practice. Although we had practice every day for the past two weeks, today was the first official day. As quarterback and captain of the offensive team, I can’t be late or the coach is going to be pissed.

  Yeah, Greyford is best known for its hockey team, but no matter what those assholes love to think, the football team isn’t shabby either.

  “Well, that’s your problem,” Liam says as he keeps jogging after me. “Jessy? Really, Russell, Jessy?”

  “What the hell does that mean?” I turn around abruptly to face him. I don’t like the tone of his voice one bit, and I surely don’t appreciate the insinuation hidden behind that question. Like there is something wrong with Jessica.

  For some fucked-up reason I’ve become protective of little Jessica Bryant. There’s something about her that draws me in, a connection of sorts I can’t identify, but can feel pulling me to her. Much good that’ll do me, but there’s nothing I can do about it.