“Of course, you’re getting it back,” Madi said, as we walked out of class together. I was worrying about my car for what felt like the millionth time, but it was already Friday, and it was clear I wasn’t going to be driving it again this week.
“Mom told me she’d text me the moment she got good news from the mechanic,” I replied. “She was going to call him this morning, but since there’s no text, I’m guessing that means no good news.”
Madi gave me a reassuring smile. “Well, at least, it’s not all bad. You’ve solved the problem of having to drive to school with your sister.”
“Yeah, Ethan’s been a godsend this week,” I agreed. “I don’t know what I would have done without him.”
My stomach did a strange flip at the words, and the level of gratitude I felt toward him surprised me. Before this week, Ethan had been like a stranger to me, but our car rides were always fun, and I was beginning to look forward to them. He was easy to hang out with during lunch, and holding hands between classes was feeling more and more natural.
“He’s going to a lot of effort to help you,” Madi said.
“Yeah, he’s really sweet. I feel pretty bad about how much it’s messing his life up though. He’s been ditching his friends all week to hang in the cafeteria with me, so I told him we’d have lunch with them today.”
Madi rearranged the books in her arms. “And you guys have your first date tonight, right?”
I nodded. “I have no idea what we’re doing though. All I know is that I need to wear comfortable clothing and that he’s arranged something his brother would notice—whatever that means.”
I was completely clueless about the date, but I found I was actually looking forward to it. Our relationship might be pretend, but spending time with Ethan was real, and I liked it a whole lot more than I probably should.
Madi frowned. “I still don’t like this,” she said. “Are you really sure you want to go to all this effort just so you can go to prom with Owen?”
I stopped in my tracks to look at her. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m sure.”
She bit her lip as she tucked a stray hair behind one ear. “It’s just that he seems so different to how I remember him.”
“Yeah, he’s gotten even hotter…”
“I’m not talking about his looks,” she replied. “I don’t know. He was always very confident, but it seems to have intensified or something…” Madi was looking deep into my eyes, as if she were searching for some kind of agreement. When she didn’t seem to find it, she frowned slightly and continued. “And he used to be so funny, but he’s become so serious. I guess I feel like he’s changed a lot, and he might not be the guy you fell for anymore.”
I paused as I considered what she’d said. Owen hadn’t seemed overly serious when I’d spoken to him on Saturday. Then again, it hadn’t exactly been a proper conversation, and Ethan had interrupted us before we’d really gotten to talk. I trusted Madi’s opinion more than anyone’s, but I also knew Owen had never been someone to take at face value.
When I looked at him, I still saw the same scared kid who had stumbled over his words as he read out his poem in class. He had stolen my heart when he’d spoken of how he hid his beautiful soul behind thick walls. Perhaps, those walls had hardened over the years, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still the same guy underneath it all.
“Look, he’s probably got a lot going on right now with his return to school. Maybe, he’s acting differently because he’s nervous?”
“If you say so,” Madi said though her frown didn’t ease. I really wished she wasn’t being so negative about all of this, but it had always been in Madi’s nature to worry. It was usually a good thing, because then at least one person in our little duo had some sense. I needed her to take a risk with me right now though.
“I better go meet Ethan. He said he’d be waiting for me by my locker.”
Madi nodded and forced a smile. “Have fun. I’ll see you later,” she said before disappearing down the corridor.
I couldn’t get Madi’s concern out of my head as I went to meet Ethan. She had pretty good instincts about these things, and I didn’t want to completely ignore what she’d said, but I felt she was wrong about Owen. He was still the same vulnerable guy who’d written that poem and bared his soul. Wasn’t he?
10
Ethan
“Can’t you give me some sort of clue about where you’re taking me on our faux date tonight?” Hayley asked.
I smiled and shook my head. “Nope. And before you ask me, no, it’s not a dive bar.”
Hayley tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she assessed my response. “You promise it’s not a dive bar?”
I laughed. “I don’t even think there are any dive bars in Lincoln. I’m pretty sure you’re safe.”
“Good. Now, on to the more pressing issue; where on Earth are we going for lunch?”
We’d met by her locker, but I had guided her outside, and we were en route to where I usually ate lunch with my friends. When I caught sight of them, I stopped and pointed at Colin and Isla, who were sitting toward the top of the bleachers.
“You eat lunch on the bleachers?” Hayley asked, her forehead scrunching with confusion. “I mean, I know I never see you guys in the cafeteria. But I didn’t think you’d be out here.”
I grinned at how much the concept seemed to puzzle her. “Do you have a better alternative?”
“Well, no,” she replied. “But why not just eat inside like everyone else?”
“Because I like the fresh air. Come on.” I started to lead her up the stairs toward Colin and Isla. Hayley didn’t ask me any more questions about our lunch arrangement, so I guessed that meant she was cool with it.
Eating outside wasn’t just about the fresh air to me though. It was more than that. I enjoyed the freedom that came with sitting out near the football field, and I hated being cooped up indoors. The cafeteria always felt so forced and loud. There were too many people, and I found it overwhelming. The top of the bleachers was my little oasis away from all the chaos.
I stopped when I reached my friends and smiled down at Hayley. “Hayley, you know Colin and Isla,” I said, introducing them.
Hayley pushed past me and grinned. “Duh,” she said before sitting next to them. “It’s like he’s forgotten we’ve been in school together forever,” she said to Isla, who laughed.
“He can be a little dense sometimes,” Isla agreed. She was trying to keep her composure, but I could see she was practically bursting at the seams with excitement. Finally seeing me together with Hayley seemed like a dream come true for her.
“Definitely,” Hayley said. She turned to give Colin a smile. “What’s up, Colin?”
He uttered what sounded like a mix between a small whimper and a soft choking noise in response, and his cheeks flamed bright red. This was hardly the first time I’d seen him get flustered when talking to a girl. It would have been easy to joke about it with him, but I knew how much it embarrassed him.
Hayley barely seemed to notice Colin was acting awkwardly though and kept on chatting. “I saw those pictures you took for the last school newspaper. They were amazing.”
His face somehow managed to grow even redder.
“You should see his Instagram,” Isla said. “This boy has some serious talent.”
Hayley whipped out her phone and asked for Colin’s username. Isla answered for him, because it seemed like Colin was still struggling to find his voice.
Hayley’s eyes widened as his account appeared on screen. She spent several long moments looking through his pictures before she turned to him. “These are incredible. You know that, right?”
My heart warmed at her compliment. Colin loved playing in the band, but he was also incredibly passionate about photography. His Instagram was mostly a gallery of his images. They were all amazing, but there was a series of pictures of parts of town that had been damaged in the wildfires last year that were particularly stunning. They alw
ays took my breath away when I looked at them.
“Thanks,” Colin finally managed to reply.
Hayley kept looking through the pictures, and I could see she was liking them and commenting on them with lots of emojis. That was one thing I really loved about Hayley; she always made time to listen to people and take an interest in what they were doing or what they were talking about.
Hayley was only drawn away from her phone when Isla caught sight of her shoes and demanded to know where she got them. Hayley grinned as she launched into her explanation.
It was strange to watch Isla hit it off so well with Hayley. I could barely keep up as they talked in detail about shoes and then clothes, and I was jealous at how quickly Hayley seemed at ease among my friends. That was just the way she was though. She wasn’t overwhelmed or nervous around new people like I was.
Colin seemed to relax now that Hayley wasn’t focused entirely on him, and he glanced up at me. “You going to sit down?” he asked. His voice was steady, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Now, I was the one who started blushing. I’d been so engrossed in watching Hayley talk to my friends that I’d been standing over them like an idiot for the last several minutes. I quickly dropped down on the bench in front of Colin.
“It’s good to have you back with us,” he continued. “I’m not sure I could spend another lunch listening to Isla gush about Dex.”
I chuckled. “She spends every lunch gushing about him.”
“Yeah, but usually I have a buffer.” He gave me a critical look, but I knew he was only joking. Colin was almost as close with Isla as he was with me, and it wasn’t like he’d never spent any time alone with her.
I focused back on the girls and found the topic of conversation had now moved on to hairstyles.
“My mom would kill me if I tried to dye mine,” Hayley was saying, as she eyed the blue tips of Isla’s dark hair with envy. “But yours looks so cool. I wish I could try it.”
“Well, maybe you can’t dye your hair, but you could clip in some colored hair extensions,” Isla suggested.
Hayley’s face lit up. “That would work?”
“Totally. Then you can have a bit of fun with your hair, and you won’t have to get in trouble.”
“Do you think you could help me with it?”
“Sure.” Isla smiled. “Are you coming to Ethan’s gig this weekend? I could come to your house beforehand and help you with your hair…”
Hayley hesitated and shot me an uncertain look. It would look strange if my girlfriend didn’t want to come to my performance. But I also wasn’t sure if it would be something Hayley would enjoy.
“Would you like to come?” I asked her. My voice was soft and a little nervous. “It’s on Saturday night. I know we already have a date planned for tonight, but there’s no rule against two dates on a weekend…”
A small smile lifted Hayley’s lips, and for a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of excitement in her expression. Her eyes started to darken though, and I wondered if it was because she was suddenly remembering I was only inviting her as her fake boyfriend. I wished I could tell her I meant it for real. I wanted to do everything with her.
“That sounds great,” she said.
Isla let out an excited squeal. “Okay, I’ll come to your house on Saturday afternoon with some extensions. This is going to be so much fun.” She clapped her hands, and the two girls dived right back into their hair discussion.
I shook my head in disbelief. It was great that Isla and Hayley got on so well, but a part of me felt like it was the beginning of a friendship the world wasn’t ready for.
I’d felt nervous when lunch first started, but I began to relax when it became clear that Hayley was fitting in just fine with my friends. In fact, it was almost like she’d been hanging out with them for as long as I had.
It seemed I’d calmed down prematurely though, because Isla’s next question to Hayley sent my heartbeat skyrocketing.
“So, Ethan was pretty light on the details. I want to hear more about how you guys got together…” she said.
Hayley glanced at me, her eyes full of uncertainty about what to say. We’d already agreed ambiguity was our best friend, but I hoped she’d be able to ad-lib a few extra details without any problems. I gave a slight shrug, hoping she could see I trusted her to say what she wanted. Hayley smiled in response, so I guessed the message was received.
“Well, I’m not exactly sure what Ethan’s told you, but it started last weekend,” she said, focusing back on Isla once more. “I’d just bought my prom dress, and I was thinking about who I should go with. It seemed like fate that Ethan was standing on the front lawn of his house when I arrived home.”
I smirked at her mention of fate. I was pretty sure Hayley felt my presence in that moment was the opposite of fate at the time. Not that you’d know it now. She told the story with a big smile on her face like she actually enjoyed recounting the incident that had brought us together.
“He saw me struggling with my dress bag and came over to help,” she continued. “I couldn’t believe he was actually talking to me. I mean, I’d been noticing him across the fence for years. I guess Ethan had been noticing me too because he asked me out, and I didn’t hesitate to say yes.”
Isla was captivated as Hayley spoke, and she was beaming by the time the story was finished. “Well, it’s about time you guys got together,” she said.
A flutter of panic shot through me at Isla’s words. She wasn’t aware that Hayley’s story was all made up, and by insinuating our relationship was a long time coming, she’d made it sound like she knew I’d been into Hayley for years. I was far from ready to admit to Hayley that the cover story for our relationship was completely true on my end.
I prayed that Hayley hadn’t noticed the slip, but of course, she started to frown and then glanced in my direction like she was searching for an explanation. I had no intention of clearing up her confusion, and I quickly started talking before she could ask any questions. “Isla, are you still giving Dex a ride to the gig on Saturday night?”
Isla didn’t seem to notice Hayley’s questioning gaze and happily replied. My whole body stayed tense as I tried to drive the conversation as far away from my secret unrequited love as possible. I somehow managed to keep everyone on other topics, and once the girls started talking about some new show on Netflix, Isla’s comment about me seemed to be long forgotten.
The rest of our lunch went by without incident, and Hayley was genuinely smiling when she said goodbye to Colin and Isla and we separated to go to class.
“That was fun,” Hayley said, as soon as the two of them had disappeared from view. “Colin is so sweet, and I’m officially in love with Isla.”
I laughed. “I swear you could make friends with anyone.”
She scrunched up her nose though. “Not anyone. I have high standards.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I only make friends with cool people.”
“So, you’re saying Isla and Colin are cool?”
“Definitely,” she replied. “Isla has so much great energy and the best sense of style, and Colin’s such a sweetheart you can’t help but like him.”
Colin hadn’t done much more than blush anytime Hayley asked him a question during lunch, but I was just glad she liked my friends.
“What about me? Am I cool?” I asked. I found myself wanting to know the answer to that more than anything.
She tilted her head as she stared at me. “Not sure yet.”
“So, my friends are cool, but I’m not?”
She grinned. “Like I said, I have high standards.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop myself from grinning along with her. Before I knew it, we’d reached the doors that led back inside school. Neither of us moved to open them though, and while Hayley wavered, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at me.
“How is our fake relationship going for you so far?” she aske
d.
I swallowed and tried to think of how I was supposed to respond. It would be weird if I told her it was the best thing that had ever happened to me, right? “It’s good?” I said, sounding completely uncertain. I couldn’t think of what else to say.
She laughed. “No, I meant how is it going with the girl you like?”
“Oh, her.” Crap. “I’m not certain.” I wanted to punch myself in the throat for telling Hayley that I had agreed to the fake relationship to catch the eye of another girl. I’d had no idea what reason to give her at the time though, and this was all I’d managed to come up with. I was really regretting it right now.
“Really?” Hayley frowned a little. “If you told me who she was, then perhaps, I could help you figure out if it’s working. I could do a little recon or something. I’m very subtle.”
“I’m sure you are,” I replied with a smile. “But I’m not ready to say who she is.”
Hayley nodded with understanding. I had a bad feeling she was going to keep asking me about the girl though, so I quickly continued. “I mean, I definitely think she’s starting to notice me. It will probably take more time before she realizes what a catch I am though.”
Hayley grinned. “A catch, huh?”
“Yeah, a total catch.”
“Well, if you need me to do anything to help speed things along for you, just let me know.”
“I will.” I gave her a quick smile before checking the time on my watch. “Shoot, I’m due in P.E. in five minutes and still have to get changed. Meet you at the car after school?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you there,” Hayley said.
I turned and rushed to class, an uneasy feeling swirling in my gut. Hayley’s questions had taken me by surprise, and now, I was practically running away from her. I didn’t like lying to her about the girl I had a crush on, but I could hardly admit to Hayley that she was the girl in question.
Hopefully, there would come a time when I could be totally honest with her. For now though, I just had to stick with my current plan and keep showing Hayley how great we were together—starting with our first date tonight.
The Wrong Prom Date Page 10