The Stand-In Boyfriend (Greyford High Book 5) Page 4

  “I’m not pining after anybody,” she grits. Her voice is low and composed, but I can see her fingers clenching into fists by her sides, indicating she’s anything but. “As a matter of fact, I decided to give up on boys completely.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re switching to girls?”

  “Ha-ha. Funny. No, you dumbass. I’m giving up on relationships.”

  “Even fake ones? Because that’s exactly what this would be. We both know people will start to talk. Hell, most likely they’re already spinning ten different stories as we speak. By saying we’re dating, we control what they’ll say about us.”

  “We?” She narrows her eyes at me. Her distrust is not only annoying but also offensive. Then again, it’s not like we know each other all that well. “And what do you get out of this, anyway?”

  Oh, I should have known she’d ask that, it was just a matter of time. Jessy is too smart for her own good not to.

  “I’m just helping a girl out.” I shrug, playing nonchalant. “Think about it. What do you have to lose?”

  “What little is left of my dignity?” She lets the question hang for just a moment before continuing. “Let’s say we do this, then what? How long will this scheme go on for? What happens when we ‘break up’? Because as you say, people will talk, and I’ll once again be the center of attention, left to pick up the pieces.”

  Her voice quivers at that last part, if only slightly.

  “You can be the one to break up with me. Hell, make it as messy and as public as you want, I don’t care.”

  If possible, this only makes her even more suspicious. “Why are you doing this?”

  I look away. “I told you, I just wanna help a girl out.”

  “Why me?” Her finger slides under my chin, beckoning me to turn around and look at her. Those brown eyes are watchful, as if she’s trying to figure me out, put the pieces in place. The tip of her tongue slides out, swiping over her lower lip. “Does this have anything to do with Evie? ‘Cause I’m her friend? If so, I don’t…”

  I stop her before she can finish. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Evie, this is all me, trust me.”

  The last thing I need is to think, talk, about Evie. Especially with her best friend.

  “I can’t trust you. I don’t even know you.”

  “Get to know me.” I wrap my fingers around hers. Her skin feels soft underneath my touch, warm. A zap of… something goes through my arm from the touch. Her eyes seem to grow soft, but it’s gone in a second, exchanged for a skeptical expression as her walls come back in place.

  I make sure to school my expression too. “Or don’t. Whatever you want. But think about it. And think fast, because people are already talking. Be my girlfriend from now until homecoming, then we can break it off. It’s just a few weeks, how bad could it be?”

  “Noah, I’m so happy to have caught you! I wanted to talk to you about something.” Lisa Gatwitch, the new head cheerleader now that Diamond Morgan has graduated, loops her arm through mine, forcing me to slow my steps to match hers.

  Inwardly, I groan. I’m so not in the mood to deal with this now, but it’s not like I can shoo her away like I’d want to.

  “What is it, Lisa?” I ask with as much patience as I can muster. “I’m hungry so I want to get to the cafeteria before all the good food is gone.”

  Lisa smiles, her perfectly straight white teeth blinding me. “This won’t take long, I promise.”

  Yeah, I can already see that.

  I should have seen that one coming, but my mind was all over the place. Thinking more about a certain brunette than what was happening around me.

  “So, what’s up?” I ask, trying to move this conversation along as fast as possible.

  Her smile widens, if that’s even possible, and is she batting her eyelashes or did something fall into her eyes? I’m not sure, but her lashes are fluttering extra hard, so it could be either one of those.

  “The first football game is next week and I was thinking…”

  I tune her out. As the head cheerleader, she, along with her coach, is in charge of organizing dance routines and whatnot. Sometimes they like to include the team as well, usually for big games like the first game of the season, the homecoming game, and such. They always make a point to reach out to me. I learned early on to just nod and agree with whatever they say because that’s the way the coach would want it. I, for my part, don’t care one bit what kind of routine the girls will do. I’m there to play the game, not mess around.

  “What do you think?” Lisa finally asks. I look down at her, and sure enough, her lashes are still batting.

  I try to tug my arm out of hers, but she’s holding onto it like a little monkey.

  “It all sounds good. I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

  “You’ll ask the guys to go over it with us on Wednesday evening?”

  I want to roll my eyes but somehow manage to hold it in. What does she think? That we’re unable to run onto the field without a bunch of girls waving their pom-poms? Seriously, give me a break.

  “Sure, Lisa.”

  Just then I can see the door to the cafeteria.

  An escape.

  “If that’s all…”

  “Well, not exactly.” Completely oblivious to my exasperation, she continues talking as we enter the already packed cafeteria. Fucking Lisa. I knew I should have hurried up. “Now that Andrew Hill graduated, we need to find a new place to party. Mia talked to Chad about it the other day, and he said his family is cool if we want to use his place. His family owns a barn of some kind that’s separated from their main house so there wouldn’t be anybody around. We could make a bonfire, blast some music, chill…”

  Her fingers slide over my forearm, long nails grazing my skin. Icy chills run up my arm, making me shiver. There is nothing pleasant about it.

  “That’s amazing, Lisa. I’m sure the team will want to come.” I tug once more, trying to get out of her grasp. I’m so done with this conversation. But she still isn’t letting go. Seriously, how much strength can such a tiny thing have? This isn’t normal.

  “And I was thinking,” she blabs on, “that we should go together. You know, as the team captain and quarterback, and me as the head cheerleader, we should present a united front…”

  No way in hell, is my knee jerk reaction, but I don’t get to say anything because an overly sweet voice stops her. A hand lands over hers that’s on my arm, and shoves it away effectively, but is soon replaced by a new one.

  “That’s so sweet of you, but Noah won’t be able to take you,” Jessica says, her hand sliding down my forearm until our fingers interlock.

  The overly exaggerated batting of eyelashes is finally done. Instead, Lisa’s sharp eyes turn to Jessy. “And why would that be, Jessy?”

  “Because he’ll be taking me. His girlfriend.”

  Chapter Seven

  JESSICA

  “Jessy, over here!” Evie waves as soon as I enter the door. The students are already mingling around the classroom, chatting while we wait for the bell to ring. Chemistry is the only class Evie and I have together this year.

  Saying hi to a few people, I walk toward her. “No Liam today?”

  “Nope, he had this one last year.” She pulls out the chair next to her for me to sit. “Besides, even if he did, us girls gotta stick together.”

  “You say that now.” I stick my tongue out at her playfully. “I’m sure you sing a completely different tune when you’re with the lover boy.”

  “I do no such thing!” She pushes her hair behind her ears.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

  I slide into the chair and pull out the books I’ll need while Evie tells me everything that happened on her vacation, since we didn’t get much chance to do so with everything that’s been going on.

  The last bell rings shortly after, making Mrs. Ryan’s scowl deepen as she watches students hurry inside. She’s known as one of those hard-ass teachers that expects n
othing but perfection.

  “Settle down,” she barks, her voice deep and raspy, a smoker’s voice. She’s older, probably in her mid-fifties, and her dark hair is chopped in a bob. Clever, bright blue eyes take in the full classroom, making sure to meet every student straight on.

  “I don’t tolerate tardiness and noisiness. You’re here to learn, not mess around. If you can’t do that for the next forty-five minutes, you better leave right now.”

  The quiet that settles over the classroom is almost deafening. Evie and I exchange a look, but say nothing.

  “Now that that’s settled…”

  Just then the door to the classroom opens and we all turn toward it as one.

  “Who is that?” I ask in a whisper.

  I’ve never seen this girl before. Greyford is a relatively small town and everybody knows everybody. Besides, she—whoever she might be—is the kind of girl you don’t forget that easily.

  She’s around five foot six, and really thin. Her bright pink hair is covered with a beanie and she’s dressed all in black—from her leather jacket all the way to the tips of her military boots. Dark purple lipstick covers her lips, which are tipped in a mocking half-smile.

  Leaving a hall pass on the teacher’s desk, she goes to the first available spot and sits down.

  We all follow her with our gazes, trying not to be too obvious and failing miserably.

  I look at Evie and she just shrugs, her eyes looking even bigger behind her frames than usual. “I have no idea.”

  “So, listen to this.” Evie loops her arm through mine as soon as we meet in the hallway later that day.

  “Evie, are you about to tell me some gossip?” I cover my mouth, feigning a gasp.

  She, in return, slaps me playfully on my shoulder. “Shush! This is really interesting— besides, it’s not gossip if it really happened.”

  “Depends who did the telling. But fine, I’ll play. Spill. What did you find out that made you turn to the dark side?”

  Evie doesn’t gossip, so this should be good.

  After chemistry we each had to go in our different directions; she had math while I had my world history class. Now it’s finally lunch break, which is good because I’m starving.

  “The new girl? The one with the pink hair?” Like we get new people often enough for there to be any clarification necessary. The last time somebody new moved to Greyford was over a year ago. “Apparently, she was caught stealing at the gas station, but Mr. Lopez and Mr. Callahan caught her. They called the police since they didn’t know who she was. Turns out, it’s good that they did because she’s a teenage runaway.”

  My mouth falls open. “What?”

  Evie nods solemnly. “Yup, that was my reaction too. There are stories, but nobody knows the real reason she ran away.”

  An uncomfortable shiver shakes my body. “She must have had it pretty bad to do that.”

  “I guess so.”

  “So, what is she doing here?”

  If you’re running away, why would you run to a small, gossipy town like Greyford? It makes no sense. It’s way easier to get lost in a big city.

  “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Callahan said they could take her in until this whole situation settles down.”

  My brows shoot up. I don’t know much about the Callahans except that their daughter Willow is in our year. “That’s nice of them.”

  “I think so too. They’re nice peo— Uh-hu…” Evie stops in her tracks, pulling me to a stop too. She gives me a quick glance before her eyes turn forward.

  “What now?”

  She nibbles at her lip nervously. “What is Noah doing with her?”

  My whole body turns still, and as if in slow motion, I lift my gaze. My heart sinks when I see them. Noah and Lisa. I should have known she’d make her move soon. She is a carbon copy of Diamond Morgan. Petite, blond and green-eyed, she was the logical next Queen Bitch and head cheerleader.

  This can’t be happening. Not again.

  But it is.

  “Jessy…” Evie’s hand grabs mine, giving it a squeeze. I should turn around and flee, but I can’t move my eyes from them.

  The bile at seeing them rises in my throat, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Seriously, how unlucky can one person be? Can’t life or destiny or whoever is responsible for all this shit give me a break already?

  Lisa leans closer, her extra-long eyelashes, which I bet are fake, working their magic.

  Seeing her like this makes something inside of me snap.

  Oh, no you don’t.

  I pull my hand out of Evie’s grasp. “I have something to take care of.”

  Evie is saying something, but I don’t linger to listen. I march toward where the two of them are standing just to hear the last part of whatever she was saying.

  “We should go together.” Lisa bites into her lower lip for extra effect, but I can see right through her bullshit. “You know, as the team captain and quarterback, and me as the head cheerleader, we should present a united front…”

  Like hell.

  Done listening to her sugary-sweet voice, I interject, making sure to plaster an extra big, extra fake-ass smile on my lips. “That’s so sweet of you, but Noah won’t be able to take you.”

  I take her in, my eyes zeroing in on Lisa’s hand on Noah. Putting my hand on his, I shove hers away, and slide my fingers down to interlock with his. His hand is big and warm, enveloping mine completely.

  For a split second, I wonder if he’ll leave me hanging. He would have a right to. I wasn’t the kindest person yesterday, and I didn’t give him an answer earlier today. He could have changed his mind about that crazy-ass plan of his.

  God, I really hope he hasn’t changed his mind. If he has, this will be really, really embarrassing.

  Am I really going to do this? Just the idea that I’m considering—well, not considering, but doing this—makes me nauseous, because if anybody finds out I won’t be able to set foot within these walls ever again.

  Lisa’s eyes narrow at me, her smile falling. “And why would that be, Jessy?” She’s trying to act aloof, but I can clearly hear the razor sharpness in her tone.

  It’s now or never.

  I turn to the side, my eye meeting Noah’s for the first time since this morning. Standing so close to him, I have to tip my head back to be able to look at his face. His hair is still looking as perfect as it did this morning, styled in that messy way that works for guys but would look awful on a girl. His face is serious, but there is something in those crystal eyes.

  Are we really going to do this? I ask silently.

  One brow quirks just a tiny bit, as if challenging me.

  If you say so…

  With eyes still locked on Noah’s, I say with more confidence than I feel, “Because he’ll be taking me. His girlfriend.”

  Chapter Eight

  JESSICA

  Girlfriend.

  My heart is racing, the beat in perfect synchrony with the word I just uttered.

  Girl-friend.

  Ta-thump.

  Girl-friend.

  Ta-thump.

  Girl-friend.

  Ta-thump.

  The same word echoing in my head over and over again, like some kind of curse. But there’s no going back now.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Evie asks. Her hands are propped on her hips and she’s panting since she ran after me.

  “Evie…”

  I can hear Lisa snort behind us, but thankfully she doesn’t stay to listen. She rarely does when she isn’t the center of attention. Letting go of Noah’s hand, I go to my best friend.

  “I’ll tell you everything later,” I promise in a hushed tone. Her gaze goes over my shoulder where I can feel Noah looming behind me. I shake her a little, to get her attention, only then saying, “It’s not how it looks.”

  She looks at me for a long moment before poking me in the shoulder. “Oh, you better be prepared to give me some answers, missy!”

  I sigh in relie
f. The last thing I need right now is to fight with my friend over my fake relationship I didn’t tell her about.

  It sounds even more stupid when I say it like that.

  “I guess I’ll let you guys be. See you later?”

  “Sure.”

  She waves goodbye. I watch her go toward our table—a table I apparently won’t be sitting at today. Our friends are still staring in my direction. Three grim pairs of eyes observing my every movement, just like the rest of the cafeteria.

  “Are you planning to grab something to eat?”

  I guess I’m done stalling. Slowly, I turn around to Noah, my new boyfriend. At least for the time being. He has a smug, knowing smile on his lips. A smile that earns him a glare. Which thankfully nobody can see because my back is turned toward the cafeteria.

  “We’ll need to set some rules,” I say quietly as we start to grab our food. I can feel the weight of hundreds of eyes on me. Watching. Observing. Listening.

  “Like what?”

  “Like how to make this seem real. I don’t need anybody finding out the truth.” An icy shiver runs through my body just at the thought.

  If anybody were to find out, I’d never hear the end of it.

  “Might start by smiling and acting like you actually like me.” Noah throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me closer, balancing his tray with one hand. “Besides, didn’t you hear that rules are meant to be broken?”

  “Not these rules,” I grit out, irritated with him. How can he take this lightly? Oh right, it’s not his ass on the line. I’ll be the one who’ll be considered desperate, and he’ll be the knight in shining armor who swooped in to save me. Seriously, guys have it so easy.

  “Fine, you can set your rules.”

  “It wasn’t even up for discussion.” I look down at our food. “Let’s take this to go.”

  “Bleachers, really?”

  I let my backpack slip down my shoulder as I take my seat, giving him a stern look. “I don’t need anybody overhearing us. Besides, if we’d really just started dating it’s natural we’d want some time alone.”