“Are you?”
The pit in my stomach told me I wasn’t, but she didn’t need to know that. “Look, he deserves the benefit of the doubt,” I replied.
“So, you’re going ahead with your plan?”
I was silent for several long seconds. Owen Beck had been my dream guy for as long as I could remember, but I wasn’t so sure that was the case anymore. Spending time with Ethan had made me question everything, and my feelings were a jumbled mess. My heart didn’t race when I talked with Owen before, and my skin hadn’t tingled under his touch. If there was one thing I’d learned today, it was that Owen brought out none of the emotions I’d started to experience with Ethan.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as simple as that. Ethan was only with me to get the attention of another girl. He didn’t like me as anything more than a friend, and whatever I felt was completely one-sided. I could get hurt if I let these feelings continue developing, and I needed to snuff them out as quickly as possible.
It would probably be best if I ended the whole charade with Ethan, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I wanted Ethan to be happy, and he needed this fake relationship to get the girl of his dreams. As I thought it over, I felt my whole objective for the plan change. Our relationship was no longer about me: it was about Ethan.
“Hayley?” Madi prompted.
I gave her a tight smile, knowing what I had to do. “I’ve got this far with the plan. I owe it to myself to follow it through,” I told her.
“And what about Ethan?”
I tried to keep my face passive at the mention of his name. “What about him?”
“I saw the way your face lit up when you were talking about the song he performed for you.”
“Yeah, because it was amazing,” I replied. “And he sung Taylor for me; how could I not I like it?”
“Like it or like him?”
The bell rang suddenly, signaling the end of the lunch break, and I felt like the interruption couldn’t have come at a better time. The corridor had been relatively quiet until now, but streams of people suddenly seemed to materialize from out of nowhere.
I shook my head and started stepping away from Madi as I moved to go to class. “I don’t like Ethan Beck.”
I was such a liar.
16
Ethan
It felt like forever stretched between now and when I would see Hayley again. The final bell had just chimed, and a heavy weight had settled across my shoulders as I remembered I wouldn’t be meeting her at the car after school. I wouldn’t be driving her in the morning either, so I’d have to wait until homeroom to see her beautiful smile once more.
People were still watching me as I walked down the corridor, which I hated, and I couldn’t get out of school quick enough. My mood only soured further when I saw Laurie Wilson leaning against my locker door. Why had the ice queen of Lincoln High decided that should be her resting place today? She wasn’t with anyone, so I couldn’t for the life of me understand why she was standing there.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me approaching. “Ethan, I’ve been waiting for you.” The school’s head cheerleader had never said two words to me before, and I found it really hard to believe she wanted to talk to me now.
“You have?” I glanced around the emptying corridor to check she wasn’t speaking to someone else. It was the end of the day though, and everyone was hurrying to get home. She’d somehow gotten my name correct, but I wasn’t the only Ethan in this school, so perhaps she’d gotten me mixed up with someone else. “Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?”
She let out a small laugh. “Of course, I do, silly. Everyone knows you’re Owen’s twin.”
“Right.” Because my popular brother was my one defining attribute in life. Lucky me.
“Look, I wanted to talk to you as a friend,” she continued.
This conversation was getting stranger by the minute.
“And, I know this will be hard to hear, but you deserve to know the truth.”
“Okay…”
She took a breath in before she spoke. “You know Hayley’s only using you, right?”
I stared at her blankly in response.
“Hayley, your girlfriend,” Laurie clarified. “She’s using you.”
I finally started to frown. I was well aware Hayley was using me, but it was all part of our plan. I couldn’t figure out why Laurie would think that though or why she cared enough to tell me.
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
She rolled her eyes at me. “Are you really so naïve? She’s totally after your brother.”
Another thing I was aware of. “Why do you think that?”
“Because it’s obvious. They were all over each other at lunch.”
“They were?”
She nodded and lifted up her phone to show me the screen. “See?”
I slowly lowered my gaze and saw she’d pulled up a picture of the corridor just outside the school cafeteria. The photo had been taken at a distance, but it clearly depicted Owen with his hand caressing Hayley’s cheek. Given the angle the photo was taken at, I couldn’t see her expression. I didn’t need to see it to know how elated she would have been though.
My shoulders sunk as I failed to control the surge of disappointment that rushed through me. I’d known Owen would start paying attention to Hayley once he found out we were dating, but I hadn’t realized it would happen so fast. I wasn’t ready to let her go.
A smile pulled at Laurie’s lips, like she was thoroughly enjoying my dejection. I somehow managed to gather myself before I responded to her.
“That photo doesn’t prove anything,” I said.
“It proves that she’s the wrong girl for you.” Laurie’s voice was so confident, and I hated how easily her words chipped cracks into my heart.
She reached out a hand and lightly gripped my arm. “I saw your promposal to her,” she said. “And you deserve so much better.”
My eyes widened to the point where it felt like they might burst out of my head. The world must have completely twisted itself upside down and inside out for Laurie to be speaking to me like this. She wasn’t my friend. She wasn’t even an acquaintance. It made no sense for her to be talking with me, let alone trying to soothe me.
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you deserve to know,” she said. “And perhaps, I’m secretly hoping that you’ll notice there are other girls around here who would appreciate you more.”
There was a flirtatious look in her eyes, and it was quite apparent she was talking about herself. “Aren’t you and Hayley friends?” I cautiously asked.
“Please, don’t make me laugh,” she replied. “Just because we’re on the same cheerleading squad doesn’t mean we have to be friends.”
I guessed that explained why Laurie was so willing to throw Hayley under the bus. It didn’t explain why she was suddenly interested in me though. Laurie had never given a crap about me before. What did she have to gain from it now? I doubted she was doing this because she’d simply seen the video of my gig and liked the sound of my singing voice.
“So, do you think maybe you might be open to noticing someone else?” She blinked her long eyelashes up at me, and I moved to extricate my arm from her grip.
“Look, thanks for sharing that picture with me, but it doesn’t change anything. Hayley is still the girl for me.”
Laurie sighed and took a step back from me. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She ran a finger down my arm before she spun on her heels and walked away, leaving me even more confused than when she’d first started talking to me. Why did Laurie suddenly care about me? But more importantly, was my time with Hayley finally over?
* * *
I didn’t bring up Hayley’s meeting with Owen when I saw her next. It was only a few hours after my run-in with Laurie, but the picture swept from my mind the moment I opened my front door and found Hayley standing there. S
he was smiling at me so brightly it was easy to forget she had feelings for my brother.
It took me a moment to remember myself before I could speak. “Hayley, what are you doing here?”
Her expression dimmed a little, and she tilted her head. “What? Can’t a girl come visit her boyfriend?” she asked.
“Of course, she can. I was just wondering if there was a particular reason…”
“There might be,” she said. “But you’ll have to invite me in to find out.”
There was a playful look in her eyes, and I very much wanted to know why. I let out a chuckle and shook my head at her. “Do you want to come in?”
She grinned and nodded as I stepped back to welcome her inside. My parents weren’t home and, thankfully, neither was my brother. We had the whole place to ourselves, but it wouldn’t be for long. Mom would probably be back with the grocery shopping soon.
I led Hayley into the living room and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch. I sat down next to her, unable to resist the opportunity to be close to her. She glanced around, and I assumed she was looking for Owen.
“We’re alone,” I told her.
I noticed her visibly swallow as she turned to face me. “Your parents aren’t home?”
“No, and neither is Owen.”
She nodded though I had to wonder what she was thinking because her gaze whipped away from me all too quickly.
“How’s your car?” I asked.
Her body relaxed at the question. “All fixed,” she replied. “But my dad has been lecturing me ever since I got home. It’s part of the reason I came here. I needed to escape. I swear, he’s been repeating the same driver safety monologue for the past hour.”
I tried to stifle a smile. Hayley had started using hand gestures to emphasize her point. She was cute when she got worked up. “So, the mechanic didn’t have any luck convincing him it wasn’t your fault?”
She shook her head. “He tried his best and told him it was because some computer in the car was broken, but my dad didn’t seem to want to listen. He can be kind of stubborn sometimes.”
“Huh, that must be where you get it from.”
“Hey!” She slapped a hand against my arm, making me laugh. “I’m not stubborn.”
“Would you prefer if I called you determined?”
She thought about it for a moment before she smiled. “Yeah, that’s probably a more accurate word. And, speaking of determined, I’ve been thinking about our plan…”
“Okay?”
“And I feel like we should be doing more to get Owen and your mystery girl to notice us both. Prom is next week, and we’re running out of time.”
I wished our conversation hadn’t turned to my brother, and I felt like Hayley was mistaken in her assessment of the situation. Owen was noticing her far too quickly for my liking, and I wanted nothing more than to hide her away.
“What are you suggesting?” I asked, reluctantly.
She took in a deep breath before she continued. “Well, for starters, I think it would help if I knew more about the girl you like…”
I shook my head. “No deal.”
“Come on, Ethan. I want this plan to work for you, so you’ve got to give me something to go on here!”
Panic rushed through me, and I was at a loss for how to reply. It would look suspicious if I continued to keep this girl secret from Hayley. After spending so much time together, we’d become friends, and what kind of friend would go to such lengths to keep their crush a secret? She was only going to keep asking me about the girl, and I was terrible at lying. But, maybe, if I gave her a hint about my crush, perhaps that would be enough to placate her.
“Please, Ethan. I’m trying to help.”
I swallowed though the movement did nothing to ease the tension gripping me. It was time to give her a small thread of truth. “All I’m willing to tell you is that she’s a cheerleader.”
Hayley’s eyes widened. “She is?”
“Yep, but that’s all you’re getting, I’m not telling you who she is.”
Hayley’s brows pulled together and she glanced away from me. She went completely silent, and I had no idea what she was thinking.
“Hayley?” I asked, after a minute had passed without a word from her.
Her eyes concentrated on me again and she gave me a smile. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“And…”
“Knowing she’s a cheerleader is really helpful. I can talk you up at practice, and all the girls on the squad saw your promposal, which was obviously amazing. Without knowing the exact person though, I can’t be sure if it’s working…”
“I’m not saying who it is,” I replied.
“Yeah, I get it.” She let out a sigh before seeming to refocus. Her eyes took on a determined look, and her lips tilted upward as if she’d just had an idea. “We can still do more to get Owen and your cheerleader to notice us.”
I was quiet as I considered her. I wasn’t sure what had brought all of this on or why Hayley suddenly felt like we weren’t doing enough. I’d seen the picture on Laurie’s phone of her with Owen at lunch, and it seemed the plan was working just fine. She should be celebrating the win, not feeling like our plan was inadequate.
She seemed quite fixated on the girl I liked though. So, perhaps, that explained why she was suggesting we do more to get our relationship noticed. Maybe, she was worried the plan wasn’t working for me when it was clearly working so well for her?
I doubted I’d ever understand the inner workings of Hayley’s mind, but it didn’t hurt to hear her out. “When you say we should do more, what exactly are you thinking?” I asked.
“That we need to level up our relationship.”
“And, how do we level up?”
“Well, the hand holding at school has been great, and your two dates were amazing. But, I think that we really need to throw our relationship in their faces. Like, we should be posting cute pictures together on Instagram every day.”
“Okay…”
“And, like, take this, for example.” She waved at the space between us. “We’re meant to be in a relationship. We should be sitting closer.”
I shuffled toward her until our legs were touching and placed my arm across the back of the couch. “How’s this?” I asked.
Her breath hitched as she nodded. “Better.”
My heart was pounding quickly now, and being so close to Hayley made it far too easy to smell the sweet scent of her perfume. I couldn’t be sure why Hayley wanted to level up our relationship, but I was definitely not against the idea. If anything, I liked her suggestions far too much.
“Was there anything else?” My voice came out surprisingly rough, and I found it hard to look anywhere but directly into her hazel eyes. They were framed by her long lashes, and there were lighter flecks of green through them that I’d never noticed before.
“It would probably be good if we were seen being more intimate,” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
“Intimate?” I practically choked on the word. My heartbeat went into overdrive, and I was surprised Hayley couldn’t hear its loud pounding from where she sat.
“Like kissing,” she clarified, as a hint of nervousness flashed across her eyes. She looked embarrassed by the suggestion, but she really shouldn’t have been. It was something we’d already agreed on doing as a part of our plan, and we’d even already shared a kiss. A small part of me hoped that perhaps she was nervous because this next kiss might mean something more to her.
“I mean, I’m willing to suffer through more kisses if you are,” I said, trying to sound far cooler than I felt.
“Yes, I think I can endure it too.” Her voice was breathy, and it sounded like she actually wanted this. But, surely, that was just my love-addled heart hearing what it wanted to hear. Hayley Lawson couldn’t actually want to kiss me. Could she?
Her eyes were on my lips though, and she was now only a breath away. My hands itched to cup her face in my
palms, and my stomach was taut as I resisted the temptation to close the small gap between us. Would it really be so bad if I kissed her now?
“Ethan, you didn’t tell me you were having Hayley over!”
The sound of my mom’s voice felt like a splash of icy-cold water to the face. I jerked back from Hayley and looked to the living room door, where Mom was standing with grocery bags in her hands. I’d been so caught up with Hayley I hadn’t even heard her opening the front door of the house.
It was difficult to miss how Mom’s eyes were zoned in on the now nonexistent gap between Hayley and me on the couch. There was a knowing look in her eyes, and I knew I was in trouble. Mom had never had to tell me off for having girls over when I was home alone before, but I’d heard her have those conversations with Owen. I was pretty certain I’d be getting a similar lecture later.
“Hello, Hayley,” Mom continued, giving Hayley a genuine smile. Mom might have been annoyed, but it seemed Hayley wouldn’t be getting in trouble for being here.
“Hi, Mrs. Beck.” Hayley grinned up at her. “Do you need any help bringing your groceries in?”
Mom shook her head. “No, it’s just these few tonight.” She continued on into the kitchen, leaving the two of us alone once more.
Hayley shared a conspiratorial grin with me once Mom was out of sight. “Oh, you’re so in trouble for having me over.”
“Well, it’s not like I had it planned. You kind of showed up on my doorstep unannounced.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining.”
“That’s because I wasn’t.”
Hayley laughed, but when she looked toward the door my mom had just disappeared through, she let out a sigh. “I guess I should probably head home.”
“You don’t have to leave…”
She shook her head though. “I have a ton of homework tonight, and I think your mom wants to talk with you.”
To me, that sounded like a good reason for Hayley to stay. I would much rather hang out with her than get a lecture from my mom. I had homework of my own to start though, so I didn’t object again.
She stood up, and I followed her to the front door. It felt like she’d only just arrived, and I wasn’t ready for her to leave. She paused once she was standing on the porch and looked up at me. I forgot how tiny she was when she wasn’t wearing heels, and it felt like I towered over her as I leaned against the doorway.
The Wrong Prom Date Page 16
