“Because if they did, I’ll kill them.”
“I’m fine. A boy didn’t hurt me, Dad.”
“And I’ve spent years watching true crime shows in preparation for this moment. I know how to hide a body.”
I had to smother a smile. My Dad might have been strict on me, but he turned into an overprotective mountain lion if I was ever at risk of being hurt.
“I swear I’m fine,” I repeated. “It was more a philosophical question.”
“Then, why the gallon of ice cream? And why aren’t you home from your party ten minutes after curfew and pleading for forgiveness like normal?”
I shrugged. “The party wasn’t fun, and I didn’t feel like staying.”
He continued to stare at me, and I could practically see the cogs turning in his brain. Yeah, he was far from convinced by my lies.
The doorbell rang, thankfully interrupting Dad’s stare down. Mom went to get it, but when she came back, I kind of wished she’d ignored the bell entirely.
“Ethan Beck’s at the door,” she said. There was a knowing tone in her voice, like she knew perfectly well he was the one behind my current ice cream binge. “He wants to speak to you.”
“Is this the boy?” Dad puffed his chest out like he was preparing to do battle.
I jumped from my seat and quickly headed him off before he could storm to the front porch and make a scene. “It’s not the boy.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed.
“I swear.”
He stared at me a moment longer before he slowly started to relax. “Fine, but if I see one tear on your face, he’s a goner. Plus, it’s nearly your curfew, so you have ten minutes before I come outside and drag you back in.”
“Okay, okay.” I raced out of the room before he could change his mind and create that scene he so clearly wanted to make. Ethan was the last person I felt like seeing after tonight, but I knew this talk was going to have to happen at some point. It might as well be now.
I pushed my shoulders back as I opened the front door. Ethan sat on the porch swing waiting for me, and he jumped up as I walked toward him.
“It’s not true,” he said as he rushed toward me. “What Owen told you, it’s not true.”
I bit my lower lip as I looked into his eyes. I hadn’t thought Ethan capable of cheating, and he looked truly distraught. His skin had paled drastically since I last saw him, and his soulful eyes were filled with sadness.
“So, you didn’t kiss Laurie?”
“No. Everyone thinks I’m in a relationship with you, and even though you’re only my fake girlfriend, I would never do that to you.”
I took a deep breath in as I considered him. “I saw you two at the party. She was all over you.”
“And I pushed her away. Trust me when I say that I could never like a girl like Laurie.” My cold heart seemed to warm, and as I stared into his eyes, I believed him. Ethan was a good guy and wouldn’t do that to me. We weren’t even in a relationship, so what reason would he have to lie?
“I thought she might be your dream girl,” I murmured. “The one you’re doing all of this for.”
“She’s not the girl I like.” He glanced down at his feet, struggling to meet my gaze. He clearly wanted to avoid the subject. But then, he started speaking again. “The girl I like is smart and beautiful,” he said. “She’s funny and kind and full of life. Laurie is none of those things.”
He slowly peered up at me. His eyes were slightly nervous, like he was unsure how I’d react to his words. I was finding them hard to process, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. Hearing Ethan confess his feelings for someone else was like having my head pushed under water without warning. I desperately wanted to fight my way to the surface, but I had no idea which way was up.
He was still looking at me like he was waiting for a response, but all I wanted to do was go back inside and finish that tub of ice cream. Was it possible that ten minutes had already passed and my curfew was up? I’d give just about anything for my dad to come out here and drag me away.
I gave him a tight smile. “Well, she sounds awesome.”
“She is.” I wished he wasn’t looking at me with such a soft expression on his face. It was hard enough to hear he liked someone else, let alone while he was looking at me like that. “Hayley, this girl—”
“So, Owen asked me to prom,” I said, cutting him off before he could utter another word about his perfect girl and finally break my heart.
Ethan froze. He seemed to hold his breath for several long seconds, and his shoulders grew tense, like he was preparing to take a punch. Slowly, the expression on his face changed. The softness that had been there moments ago disappeared, and he almost looked disappointed. “He did?”
“He did.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“That I needed to think about it.”
He slowly pushed a hand through his hair. “That’s good.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” He drew in a long breath before he continued. “I don’t think you should go to the prom with my brother.”
My heart seemed to stall, and I floundered as I tried to kick-start it again. I had no idea what had changed Ethan’s mind about the plan, but every part of me was hoping that, despite everything, I still had a chance with him.
I took a deep breath before I responded. “Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t want to go to prom with you for the right reasons. You’re such a special girl, Hayley, and you deserve to go to prom with a guy who cares about you.”
It wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, and I frowned. “So, you don’t think Owen cares about me?”
“I know he doesn’t.” There was genuine concern in Ethan’s eyes, and I could tell he was finding it difficult to admit this to me. “He only wants to go with you because he thinks it will hurt me. You’re my friend, and I can’t let him do that to you.”
My frown only intensified, and it was impossible to deny the pain that lanced through me as he spoke. It wasn’t particularly nice to hear that Owen didn’t like me or that he only wanted to use me to upset Ethan. But what truly hurt was that Ethan only viewed me as a friend. A friend he was trying to look out for.
Ethan was still completely infatuated with someone else, and as I watched him, I realized my part in this was over. I’d done my best to help him gain the affections of his mystery crush, but now, it was up to him. We couldn’t keep up this relationship façade forever. At some point, I had to step back and give Ethan a chance to be with the girl he liked.
I sighed. I knew what I had to do. “I appreciate your concern,” I said. “But, I’ve wanted to go to prom with Owen for as long as I can remember. I know you’re worried about his intentions, but I’m a big girl, and I don’t need you to look out for me.”
“Hayley…”
“I can work out for myself whether Owen cares about me or not. Unless there’s another reason you don’t think I should go with him…” My words hung in the air, and I desperately hoped Ethan had a different reason. That he was so against me going to prom with Owen because he wanted to take me himself. I knew it was wishful thinking, especially after everything he’d said tonight, but a part of me held out hope that maybe I’d missed something.
Ethan stared into my eyes, and I held my breath as I waited for him to respond. I had no idea what was going on in his mind, but the longer he took to speak, the more nervous I became.
“I can’t think of one,” he finally murmured. I glanced away so he couldn’t see the disappointment in my eyes. I’d known this response was coming, but it was painful nonetheless. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
I looked back at him and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “It’s what I wanted, right?”
This time, when his shoulders slumped, I knew I wasn’t imagining it. “Then, you should go with Owen. Just be careful.”
My mouth felt suddenly dry as I nodded. “I will.”
Ethan gave a decisive nod, and I felt l
ike my heart fractured for a second time that night as he slowly turned and made his way off my porch. I wrapped my arms around my body as I watched him go, desperately wishing he’d said the words I’d wanted to hear. Ethan had a dream girl of his own though who clearly wasn’t me, and if there was one thing I was certain of, it was that Ethan deserved to be happy.
* * *
“What on Earth happened on the weekend?” Madi hissed at me on Monday morning.
“Well, hello to you too,” I said, as I glanced at her from my locker.
“I’m serious, Hayley. I’ve only been at school for five minutes, but already, I’ve heard people saying that Ethan cheated on you at Tanner’s party and then you dumped him for his brother?”
I lifted an eyebrow at her. “I haven’t spoken to Owen since the party, so I have no idea where that rumor started.”
“And the part where Ethan cheated?”
“Another rumor. At least, he told me it wasn’t true, and I believed him.” I lowered my voice before I continued. “Anyway, you can’t really cheat if you’re not actually in a relationship.”
Madi let out a relieved breath. “So, you’re still together.”
“Nope.” I closed my locker door and then leaned against it as I watched the confusion on my friend’s face grow.
“I really can’t keep up,” Madi admitted. “I saw you guys together all last week and was really starting to believe you actually liked him.”
“Maybe, I’m just really good at acting.”
“Well, we both know that’s not true. You’re terrible at acting.”
I huffed out a breath. “Then, maybe, I liked him, but he didn’t like me back.”
Madi’s face fell. “So, you did like him.”
It was hard to admit out loud, but I couldn’t lie to my best friend, especially not about this. “Yeah. I did.”
“But, I thought he liked you too.”
“I’m not the girl he wants.” I tried to play it cool, like the horrific truth didn’t ruffle me one bit, but my voice came out sad and pathetic.
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I was so certain he liked you.”
“I’m sure. He only likes me as a friend.”
Madi wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Well, then, he’s an idiot.”
I couldn’t agree with her though. After spending the last couple of weeks with Ethan, I’d gotten to know him pretty well, and he was far from an idiot. He was just already in love with someone else, and I came along too late to ever have a chance.
Madi dropped her arm from around me. “So, are you going to go to the prom with Owen? He’s telling anyone who will listen that you are.”
“Ugh, no.” I scrunched up my nose with disgust. It was crazy how I could go from loving to loathing someone so quickly. And, after Saturday night, I really did loathe him. It hadn’t taken me long to piece together the fact Owen must have lied about Ethan and Laurie kissing. Ethan had said his brother wanted to hurt him, and I was guessing the lie he told me was his way of doing it. Unfortunately, the lie had worked but not in the way Owen might have intended.
“And have you told him you’re not going to prom together? Apparently, he thinks you are…”
“I told Owen I’d think about it and haven’t spoken to him since. I think that makes my answer pretty clear.”
“So, who will you go with then?”
“Myself.” I shrugged. “I think I’m done with boys right now, and any guy I went with wouldn’t be the one I wanted, so I don’t see the point.”
Madi’s eyes became sad as I spoke. “You could come with Cole and me?” she suggested.
“Yeah, that’s definitely not going to happen,” I replied. “I’m not afraid to go solo, but you had better save me a few dances.”
Madi looked like she wanted to argue over it some more but was interrupted as Isla came flying toward us. “It’s not true! I swear. Ethan would never, in a million gazillion years, cheat on you.”
What was it with people this morning and not saying hello? “Hey, Isla, I know it’s not true.”
She looked prepared to launch into an all-out defensive assault, but she blinked and drew back. “You do?”
“Yeah, I do. Ethan’s a good guy. I might have believed it for half a second, but when I saw him later that night, I didn’t have a doubt in my mind.”
Isla’s shoulders relaxed as she let out a breath. “Oh, man, I’m so glad to hear that. Everyone was talking about it when I got to school, and I was worried you guys might break up.”
“They did,” Madi replied.
Isla’s eyes sparked as she gave me an accusatory look. “But, you just said you believed him.”
“I do, but the two of us just aren’t right together.”
“You guys are perfect together.”
I shook my head though. “He likes someone else.”
Isla was silent for several long moments. “That’s not possible,” she finally said. The bell for first period chimed, and I pulled my books in close to my chest.
“I wish things were different,” I replied, as I started to move to class. “But, the sad truth is I like Ethan, but he doesn’t like me back.”
21
Ethan
Isla had been giving me dirty looks all day. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d done to annoy her, but I was too miserable about things with Hayley to care. The whole plan had come crashing down around me on the weekend, and it felt like I’d lost my chance with her forever.
I’d been on the verge of revealing my feelings to Hayley when she’d dropped the Owen-prom bombshell on me. The moment seemed right, and I finally felt like I’d worked up the courage. But as soon as she told me my brother had asked her to prom, I knew I couldn’t express how I really felt.
I’d desperately tried to warn her it was a bad idea, but Hayley wouldn’t listen to me. Despite everything I told her about Owen, she still wanted to go to prom with him. Was she really so blind to the fact he wasn’t right for her? Did she really not care he was only using her?
I avoided my friends at lunch, instead choosing to use one of the music rooms to practice my guitar. I’d told Colin what happened on Saturday night, but I hadn’t had the guts to own up to Isla yet. She deserved to know the truth about Hayley and our fake relationship and how it had blown apart. I couldn’t face her disapproval though, so I embraced the pathetic wreck that I was and went into hiding.
“Where were you at lunch?” Colin asked, as he caught me before my next class.
“I haven’t had much time to play this week, so I went to one of the practice rooms.”
Colin looked me in the eyes for half a second before he shook his head. “You’re a terrible liar. You know that, right?”
I dug my hands into my pockets and scuffed a shoe against the floor. “Yeah, I know.”
“Still too scared to tell Isla the truth?”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
Colin chuckled. “Yeah, probably. She seems to think you and Hayley broke up because you like someone else.”
“What?” My eyes lit with genuine surprise. “But, she knows I’ve liked Hayley for years. How could she honestly think that?”
“Well, Isla talked to Hayley, and that’s what she said happened…”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I muttered. “We broke up because Hayley wanted to go to prom with Owen.”
“Or maybe, Hayley thinks you ended the fake relationship because of Owen and because of your mystery girl,” Colin replied. “Hayley is still completely oblivious to the fact she’s the one you like after all.”
He had a point, but unfortunately, it didn’t change anything. Hayley still wanted to go to the prom with my brother, and as much as I wished things were different, she’d made it clear she wanted to be with Owen.
I was distracted from Colin as a group of girls walked past me and gave me a series of scowls. I blew out a breath and tried to ignore them. They weren’t the first glares I’d received tod
ay, and they probably wouldn’t be the last. People in this school tended to believe any and all gossip they heard, and thanks to my brother, everyone in school seemed to think I’d cheated on my girlfriend.
“I’m really ready for school to be over with today,” I grumbled.
Colin gave me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t stress. Give it a couple of days, and they’ll all be either loving or hating on someone else.”
I hoped that were true. Unfortunately, the scowls were only one part of my current depressing existence. The other part was walking down the corridor toward me. Owen gave me a sneer that was filled with pure hatred as he approached, and I knew he wouldn’t be letting things go between us so easily.
“The girls don’t seem to be such big fans of you anymore,” Owen said as he approached. “I guess your fifteen minutes of fame is over.”
They were the first words he’d shared with me since Saturday night. He hadn’t sought me out at home, and he’d been making a point of avoiding family dinners, given that our parents were both still furious with him.
“Just leave him alone,” Colin growled. I placed a hand against his chest, trying to calm my friend. The last thing Colin needed was to get on Owen’s bad side too.
Owen laughed and shook his head. “You’re both pathetic. I almost feel bad for stealing your little girlfriend.” He paused as if he were thinking about it. “Actually, maybe, I don’t.”
My chest tightened, as the remaining fragments of my heart seemed to shatter. So, it was true. Hayley and he were dating. I’d heard the rumors floating around the school, but it hadn’t felt real until I’d heard it confirmed by Owen.
He smirked as he caught the expression on my face and leaned in so his mouth was close to my ear. “I hope you remember this feeling and think twice before messing with me again. And believe me when I say it’s only going to get worse when you see your precious Hayley in my arms this weekend.”
He gave me a pat on the shoulder before continuing on his way. I stared after him, at a total loss for words. I normally had no problem standing up to my brother, but right now, I wished I’d just given him the stupid money he’d asked for. I felt completely powerless and had no idea how to protect Hayley from him. He couldn’t be stopped, and she wouldn’t listen to my warnings. What was I going to do?
The Wrong Prom Date Page 20
