The Boyfriend Deal

by Charity West

  The bell rang, dismissing us to an early lunch, and I immediately went to Hadley’s last class, only to find her missing. I moved along to Hadley’s locker. I knew she usually sat with the band geeks on the far side of the cafeteria, but that was about to change today. Either that, or I’d have to sit with the band geeks. Talk about social suicide! Of course, dating Hadley was going to screw up my image anyway. The guys would probably think I was attempting to go where no boy had been before, and the girls would wonder what sort of blackmail she had over me.

  Little did they all realize I would do anything to be allowed the pleasure of worshipping at the feet of Hadley Ryan. Her hair, a beautiful red, shined like a new copper penny when the sun hit it just right. The green of her eyes reminded me of a smooth piece of jade. While she didn’t have the curves of most of the girls I had dated, I thought her petite, willowy frame was far sexier. She fit perfectly in my arms, and I couldn’t wait to hold her again.

  Hadley wasn’t at her locker, and I cursed myself for not pressing her harder to wait for me. Of course, there was no guarantee she’d have listened even if I’d been firmer. Just because I’d told her we should make a deal, I now realized she hadn’t exactly agreed to it. Here I was fantasizing about what the upcoming weeks would be like, and our possible distant future, and for all I knew, she was hiding from me and had no interest in claiming me as her pretend boyfriend.

  The cafeteria was crowded, but I easily spotted her in line. The guy standing behind her was checking her out a little more than I liked and I shoved him aside, moving into his spot. Hadley jumped and squeaked as my arms snaked around her waist, and I pulled her back against me.

  “It doesn’t sound like you’re too excited to see me,” I whispered in her ear. “Whatever will people think?”

  She scowled up at me. “That we aren’t together. That’s what they’ll think.”

  “Come on, Red. You know you’re intrigued. What could you possibly have to lose?”

  Her cheeks flushed a rather charming shade of pink, and I wondered just what naughty idea had crossed her mind. With a smirk, I placed my lips by her ear again.

  “Careful there, Red. I might get the idea you like me far more than you’re letting on. It’s looking to me like you’re far more interested in my offer than your lips are saying.”

  She huffed and elbowed me in the ribs. All I did was laugh, give her a squeeze, and then I let her go so she could get her food. When we reached the register, I stuck my hand over her shoulder and paid for her meal and mine, earning me another glare. When I’d come up with this plan, I hadn’t realized how much fun it would be. She prickled so easily around me, and I couldn’t wait to tear down those walls and show her what she’d been missing all these years.

  When she took her usual seat with the other geeks, I slid into the spot next to her, making sure our arms brushed. The look she cast my way was confused, irritated, and hopeful all at the same time. That one look told me a lot. It seemed she wasn’t as unaffected by my charm as I had thought, which was good if this plan was going to work, but the irritation told me I would have to work for it. I had a feeling that nothing about Hadley was easy. By her own admission, the rumors that she’d never let Hunter get past first base were true. That actually pleased me … a lot. It meant she could experience those firsts with me, when she was ready of course. I might chase anything in a skirt, but I’d never taken what wasn’t offered freely.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked through clenched teeth.

  I smiled the kind of smile that had made girls melt at my feet since I was big enough to walk. If anything, she scowled even more, but the pulse in her neck, which was beating wildly out of control, told me she liked me more than she was admitting.

  “Where else would I sit? I mean, you are my girlfriend.”

  She gasped and opened and shut her mouth several times, her eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe I’d just said that, especially in front of her friends. The girls around us giggled and watched the show with avid interest. At least someone was eating out of the palm of my hand, even if it wasn’t my supposed girlfriend. I’d take what I could get. If I won over her friends, then it wouldn’t be long before those walls she’d put up started to crumble.

  “I’m not your girlfriend,” she hissed.

  I reached out, wrapped a long lock of her hair around my finger and gave it a gentle tug. The move seemed to freeze her in place, and I watched her chest rise and fall rapidly. She wanted to be my girlfriend, even if she didn’t admit it. This wasn’t as easy as I had thought it would be. With stalker-boy dogging her every step, I’d thought it would be a piece of cake to get her to agree. Why was she being so stubborn?

  “I thought we discussed this, Red. I asked you out, and while I’m still waiting on your reply, I’m fairly certain it’s going to be yes. We can start simple. Ice cream after school. You know you’re tempted.”

  Hadley opened her mouth to respond, probably to put me in my place, but she yelped and glared at her friend across the table.

  “She’d be happy to go with you,” the friend said.

  I should have known her name. It wasn’t like our school was very big, but I had to admit that I didn’t keep up with the geeks. Not unless they were named Hadley Ryan. I still flashed her a smile of appreciation, since it seemed she was on my side.

  “Thanks, Jenny,” Hadley hissed.

  “Oh, please,” Jenny scoffed. “Like you weren’t eventually going to say yes. I know you like to torture boys before you agree to go out with them, but Tyler seems like a nice guy. I think you should give him a chance.”

  I tipped my head toward Jenny as I smiled at Hadley. “What she said.”

  Hadley folded her arms over her chest. “Fine. One date.”

  “One date is all it will take for you to fall completely under my spell.”

  She rolled her eyes and focused on her lunch, but I caught the side-eye from her several times and knew she was thinking it over. Now that I’d won my first date with her, I had to find a way to get her to agree to a second one. For some reason, my charm and stellar personality didn’t seem to be working on Hadley. Which meant I needed to up my game. She’d liked that kiss in the hall. Maybe if I found another reason to kiss her, then I’d get her to agree to date number two.

  Before she could disappear at the end of lunch, I wrapped an arm around her waist, hauled her against me, and kissed her cheek. She seemed flustered and her cheeks flushed a beautiful pink. I liked that look on her, and it just became my mission to do it again and again. After all, a flushing, babbling, blushing Hadley couldn’t keep shooting me down.

  Chapter Three

  Hadley

  How did I end up at the ice cream shop with Tyler? I lapped my tongue against my double scoop of Very Berry Strawberry and watched Tyler like a hawk. I didn’t trust him, especially with that easy, flirtatious smile on his face. If he thought for one moment I was going to fall for the same lines he fed every other girl, he’d better think again. I wasn’t one of those cheerleaders who hung on his every word, or any of the girls on the swim team who giggled every time he was near.

  Oh, who was I kidding? The boy could recite words out of the dictionary, and I’d think it was sexy. I had it bad, and no matter how much I pushed him away, that wouldn’t change the way my heart thumped wildly in my chest every time he was near. And I had to admit, the way his eyes smoldered at me, as he licked that vanilla cone, made me shiver in the best of ways.

  “You know, if you’re cold, Red, we could go sit outside.”

  The smirk on his lips told me he knew exactly why I’d shivered, and it had nothing to do with the air conditioning being cranked to fifty below, and everything to do with his sexy self. Gah! The guy was good; I’d give him that. Here I was, ready to resist, and all I could do was stare like some lovesick calf, no better than any other girl he’d ever dated.

  Not that we were dating!

  “I’m fine,” I lied.

  His
lips twitched and he went back to molesting his ice cream cone. Some juniors walked in and noticed us sitting together. I felt like I should get up and move before I ruined his reputation. He seemed to read my mind though, reached across the table, and locked our fingers together. A gentle tug proved he wasn’t letting go and I narrowed my eyes.

  The girls paused by our table, giggling like crazy, and I focused on them for a moment. Brittany? Bridget? Heck, I couldn’t even remember the blonde’s name, but I knew it was something with a B. She hadn’t even looked my way, her eyes fastened solely on Tyler. And could I blame her? Mr. Sexy was eating ice cream in a way that was guaranteed to fuel the dreams of every female under the age of fifty.

  “Becca, right?” Tyler asked, finally looking up at her.

  She giggled again. “I can’t believe you remembered my name.”

  Gag!

  “You’re on the cheer squad with Bethany, right?”

  She nodded eagerly, obviously thinking she was getting somewhere with him. If she’d noticed he was holding hands with me, she didn’t let on. Or maybe she only saw and heard what she wanted to see and hear. Becca had been standing by our table for at least two minutes now, and she still hadn’t even acknowledged my presence. Talk about rude!

  “I can’t wait for Friday’s game,” she gushed. “I bet you score the winning touchdown.”

  “If I do, it will be because my good luck charm is sitting in the stands.” He fastened that molten gaze on me again. “You will be there, won’t you, baby?”

  Baby?

  “I’m sorry. Are you two…” Becca trailed off, her eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

  Something inside of me snapped. I was tired of being seen as inferior, of lacking the female wiles to attract a guy like Tyler. Sure, I was a band geek, but I was every bit as pretty as Becca and her gang of giggling idiots, wasn’t I? If anything Tyler had said or done today was to be believed, then I was attractive to the male population.

  “You know I wouldn’t miss it.” I smiled at him, leaning across the table a bit. “You are going to win the game for me, aren’t you?”

  The laughter in his eyes was enough reward, but the steam coming out of Becca’s ears was way better. She didn’t even bother saying bye. She just stomped her foot like some irritated horse, made this weird huffing sound, then stormed off in the opposite direction, apparently forgetting the ice cream they’d come in for to begin with.

  “That was pretty good, Red. I almost believed you.”

  “What makes you think I didn’t mean it? Because if I have to sit on those hard ass bleachers, you’d better win the game. I’m not sitting there, letting my butt go numb, just to watch the team lose and hear the fans boo and hiss you off the field.”

  “You come to the game, and I promise to do everything I can to win it for you.”

  I eyed him over my ice cream as I took another lick. “Why do you want this so badly? I mean, you could ask any girl in the high school to go out with you. Why would you pick me? It isn’t like we were childhood playmates, or middle school sweethearts that went wrong. You’ve barely spoken to me since our first day of school when we were four.”

  “Just because we never talked, doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware you were there,” he said softly. “Just give this a chance, Red. It’s a win-win situation. You get Hunter off your trail, and I get Mom off my back.”

  “Like you could be celibate for two weeks.”

  “I need you longer than that. Mom isn’t going to believe I’m walking the straight and narrow after only two weeks.”

  My nose scrunched. “You really think we could pull something off longer than that?”

  His fingers tightened on mine, reminding me that he was closer than was healthy for me. I tugged on my hand, but he refused to let it go.

  “Is this really so bad?” he asked. The smirk was back in place, as if he knew my answer already.

  Bad? No, not exactly. I mean, it was bad for my heart, a heart I knew was going to get smashed to bits when he no longer needed me, but I had to admit the hand holding and pet names were nice. I’d missed being part of a couple, even if Hunter wasn’t ideal.

  I stared at him as I ate my ice cream, watching as that sinful smile flirted around the corners of his lips, and I knew I was in a world of trouble. Because no matter how many times I told myself it was all an act, the more he sent those heated looks my way, the more I wanted them to be true. The moment I’d played along, acting like the girlfriend who was going to cheer her boyfriend on, I had made my decision and sealed my fate.

  “So, when do I get to meet the parents?” he asked, humor glinting in his eyes. “Parents love me.”

  I couldn’t hold back my snort. “Yeah, right. I’m sure they lock their daughters away after hearing who’s at the door. What parents in their right mind would be okay with you dating their daughter?”

  “Ouch! That hurt, Red.”

  “You can’t deny your reputation, not when your Mom is even complaining about it. Face it, Tyler. You’re a womanizer.”

  “Is that even a thing anymore?” he asked, but there was laughter in his voice. Fine, if he wanted to play, I could play.

  “Skirt chaser? Libertine? Casanova? Oh! How about ladies’ man? Any of those work for you?”

  He schooled his features and acted as if he were seriously considering the question. With a shrug and a shot straight to my heart, he asked, “How about we just call me yours?”

  And the score was Tyler – 1, Hadley – 0.

  Finished with my ice cream, I pulled my hand away from his, wiped my mouth, then stood to throw away my napkin. I felt Tyler’s presence behind me. Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do with him. He had a point about meeting my parents. If Mom or Dad caught wind of my dating someone they hadn’t met, it would get ugly fast. They gave me plenty of space to be my own person, but after the Hunter fiasco, they were a little more selective about the boys I dated.

  An arm curled around my waist and I was tugged against Tyler’s side as he caught up with me. Even when I’d had a real boyfriend, I hadn’t had this much attention. Hunter had stolen kisses here and there, but he hadn’t been big on touching or holding hands in public. For that matter, I’d never seen Tyler act this way before either. If he wanted people to think this was a real relationship, he was laying it on kind of thick. I’m sure people were already questioning why he would pick someone like me. We didn’t need them digging any deeper, not if we wanted this to work.

  “You should at least let me take you home,” Tyler said. “You shouldn’t walk from here, and you’ll ruin my reputation if word gets out I made my girl walk.”

  “You really want to take me home?”

  “Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” He squeezed my waist. “Besides, it’s an ideal time for me to meet your mom. That way she doesn’t freak when I show up in the morning to pick you up for school.”

  Pick me up?

  “Since when do I ride to school with you? I’ve gone to school with my friends every day since school started last month.”

  “Look, Red. I know you don’t really like me, probably can’t stand being near me, but can we at least try to pretend to be a happy couple?” he asked softly so no one walking by would hear. “Is it really so horrible pretending to be my girlfriend?”

  “Not so far. But then, Alicia hasn’t tried to rearrange my face yet. By the time word spreads through the school, I’m sure she’ll pay me a visit, and I doubt it will be a pleasant one.”

  He winced.

  “You had to go out with a psycho, didn’t you?” I asked. “Couldn’t go for some nice, normal girl?”

  The smile was back. “I’m trying the nice and normal thing now, aren’t I?”

  “Fine. You can give me a ride home, and if Mom agrees, then you can take me to school in the morning. But I have to warn you, after Hunter, she’s leery of the boys I bring home. I had a friend over for a study session, and I thought she was go
ing to have a stroke.”

  “Noted. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  “Then get me out of here before someone else notices us. I’m not the best actress, and I’m not sure I can pull off two shows in one day.”

  Tyler winked at me, opened the passenger side door, and then walked around the front of the car. As he slid behind the wheel, he reached over and laced our fingers together again. I thought it was a little odd since no one could see us, but I had to admit I liked it so much I didn’t really resist. Being alone with him should have been uncomfortable, or at least a little bit weird, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t like we were best friends or anything, but being with him was … nice. If the charismatic boy I’d spent time with today was the real Tyler Robbins, I was in so much more trouble than I’d thought. He wasn’t just sexy and funny. He was sweet, endearing, and judging by his class schedule, he was pretty smart. Would the real Tyler Robbins please stand up? Because if all of this was just for show, I didn’t think I’d survive the break-up.

  I gave him my address, but he gave me one of those smirks of his and it made me wonder if he already knew where I lived. He pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, parking behind my mother’s car, and we walked hand-in-hand up to the front door. Before I could get my key in the lock, the door swung open and my rather frantic mother pulled me into the house.

  “I’ve been worried sick about you!” Her hands coasted over my hair, shoulders, and down my arms, stopping at the hand that was still linked with Tyler’s.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I should have called or something. We decided to grab some ice cream on the way home.”

  Mom was eyeing Tyler with narrowed eyes. “And just who are you?” she demanded, making me wince.

  He held out the hand I wasn’t gripping like a lifeline. “I’m Tyler. I’m sorry if I had Hadley out too late. It’s my fault. She said she needed to get home, but I talked her into ice cream. Not as an official date or anything, but just to spend some more time with her.”