The Stand-In Boyfriend

by Doherty, Emma

  She still looks confused. I don’t blame her.

  “He said we could hang out, get everyone to think we’re together, and then Abigail will back off and leave him alone and Jessie might finally notice I’m more than just his friend who does everything for him.”

  She doesn’t say anything. I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her response. It’s kind of unnerving seeing her be this quiet.

  “Soph?”

  “That is genius.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m serious—the guy’s a genius.”

  I shake my head. “No. No. Do not tell me you agree with him.”

  “He’s right. Look, Jessie has a total man crush on Chase, right? We both know that. He wants to be him or something. He sees you with Chase, maybe sees you kissing once or twice, and he’ll start to notice you in a completely different way.”

  “What? I am not going to kiss Chase Mitchell!” That thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.

  “Why the hell not? The guy’s gorgeous! Do it for all of us who have lusted after him for years.”

  My jaw falls open. “Stop.”

  “I mean, I’m crazy jealous, of course—you lucky bitch. I’m not going to pretend part of me doesn’t want to rip your hair out.”

  “What?”

  “But you should definitely do it.”

  I’m finding it hard to keep up with her. “You can’t be serious.”

  She grins. “I’m deadly serious.” She pauses and her face turns solemn. “You need this, Livs. I hate seeing you upset over Jessie. He can’t see what’s right in front of him and this will make him see you. Maybe it’ll make him jealous, maybe it won’t, but he’ll definitely notice you, and either way, maybe you can move forward.”

  She has my attention now. “You really think it could make him jealous?”

  She nods. “If seeing you with anyone can, it’ll be seeing you with Chase Mitchell.”

  I glance past her and bite my lip. I hadn’t considered that, just dismissed it when Chase said it could make him notice me. Pretending to be with Chase could mean I’m not just there for Jessie whenever he needs me, and maybe that will actually get his attention? Maybe he’ll realize how much he relies on me and how much I mean to him, and I’ve got to admit even I’m sick of my ridiculous crush. I need something to happen with it, anything, and if I’m not willing to tell Jessie how I feel, maybe doing something like this will capture his attention.

  “But…I don’t even know Chase. I’ve spoken to him, like, five times in my whole life.”

  “What’s to know? He’s got a million friends and he’s drop-dead gorgeous. You don’t get to be as popular as he is if you’re an asshole.”

  I guess she has a point.

  “He’s a good guy, Livy.”

  I nod. She knows him better than I do, mixes with that group on occasion. “But wait, don’t you mind? You were going to make a play for him.”

  She snorts. “Yeah, and look how that turned out. He laughs and jokes with me but never, ever takes it further.”

  “You’ve had a thing for him forever.”

  She laughs out loud. “I think I’ve made it clear enough to Chase Mitchell over the years that if he wants me, I’m right here. He not interested in me.” She shrugs. “You win some, you lose some.”

  “I’m not going to pretend date a guy you like.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Everyone likes him, not just me, but it’s not even like that, not in a way that’s obtainable. Besides, we both know I’m in love with someone different every month.”

  I laugh. “But Chase Mitchell is your constant, ever since we were freshmen.”

  “Mine and everyone else’s. Anyway, I care more about you than some unrequited crush.”

  I smile. “I love you too, Soph.”

  She grins. “So you’ll do it?”

  I shrug my shoulders, my thoughts drifting back to Jessie…to his broad shoulders and his quick laugh, his curly hair and easygoing smile…to how happy it made me on Saturday when he actually noticed me and then how utterly crappy I felt when he picked Courtney over me. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I can’t keep feeling like this.

  “Livy?”

  I look back at her, but I don’t have an answer. Fake dating Chase Mitchell…I just don’t think I can do it.

  I’m walking to chemistry for my final class before lunch. My head is still totally confused about Chase’s proposal this morning, and I’m trying to pretend I’m not noticing the extra looks I’m getting in the hallway.

  “Break my heart, Chapman.”

  My head snaps to the right and I see Brendon has appeared next to me. “Huh?”

  He grins. “Well you know I called dibs on you on Saturday, but then I hear Chase goes behind my back and gets there first.”

  I stop walking and face him, confused. “What?”

  He laughs at the look on my face. “I’m messing with you—although I am pissed at him. Can’t blame the guy though, not when you look like you do.”

  Oh God. Is he talking about this rumor Sophie mentioned? Evidently it’s gaining traction. “Wait, back up—what are you talking about?”

  “Saturday night—you hooked up with Mitchell.”

  My eyes widen in horror. He’s one of Chase’s best friends and he thinks this? Everyone must think it’s true. I am going to kill Chase. “No, no, that’s not what happened. Who told you that?”

  He starts to laugh. “You don’t have to deny it, Chapman. Many a woman has bowed down to Mitchell’s charms, the lucky bastard.”

  “But, honestly, that’s not what happened. Who told you that?”

  He shrugs. “Everyone’s talking about it. Didn’t you spend all day together yesterday too?” He checks his watch then sends me a wink. “I gotta go. Let me know when Abigail gets her claws back into him and you’re free.”

  The bell rings for lunch and Mr. Donaldson finally stops talking. We haven’t done a single lab all class, just took notes while he talked at the front, lecture style. I stretch out my fingers, which are stiff from the solid hour of writing I’ve just done, stand, and pack my notes into my bag. I glance over at Aaron to say bye and I’m glad to see him waiting for me at the end of our table. He slid into class just as the bell rang so we didn’t even have time to greet each other, and I definitely didn’t get a chance to interrogate him about his idiot best friend allowing rumors about the two of us to circulate. He has a shit-eating grin on his face. Two guesses as to what he finds so funny.

  I raise an eyebrow and sling my bag over my shoulder, refusing to say anything. I step out from behind my desk and promptly collide with Brett Sanderson—easily the smartest kid in our grade—sending his books to the ground. I apologize profusely and help him gather his things while Aaron just watches in amusement. I still don’t say anything as Brett disappears, and when Aaron and I leave the room together, he falls into step beside me.

  He doesn’t even last five seconds. “So…”

  I glance over at him, taking in his laughing eyes and shiny white teeth. “So?”

  He stops and looks at me. “So was he good?”

  He bursts out laughing as I bump him as hard as I can into the nearest locker.

  “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” I shake my head but can’t help a small smile. Aaron is infectious; no one can genuinely stay mad at him for long. “I just want to know one thing.”

  I sigh and stop to face him, students diverting around us on their way to the cafeteria.

  “Were you just using me to get to my best friend?”

  “Aaron!” I go to shove him again, but he manages to dart out of the way, his laughter ringing out loudly. I turn back to him, glaring hard.

  He looks like he’s going to keel over he’s laughing so hard. He must see how irritated I am because he starts to pull himself together. “Okay, I’m sorry. I promise I’ll stop now. I just couldn’t help it.”

  I sigh. “Did you know people are saying we hooked up at your party on Sa
turday? Everyone keeps looking at me!”

  “Know? At least five different people have asked me about it today.”

  Oh God. “What did you say?”

  “Duh—yes, of course.”

  “What?” My hand flies out to hit him in the stomach. “You know we didn’t, right?”

  “Oh, I know it’s not true, but everyone else thinks it is.”

  “Jesus Christ! Why does everyone think this?”

  He just starts laughing again. “Maybe because Chase told Sarah Billington you did because he knew it would get all around school.”

  I groan out loud. Sarah Billington is Grove Valley’s biggest gossip queen, not to mention one of Abigail’s best friends—no wonder the whole school knows. “Is he crazy? I’m going to kill him.” I glance over at Aaron. “Stop laughing!”

  “Oh, come on. It is funny!”

  “No, it’s not!” Chase Mitchell deciding something and then putting it into motion without my permission is not funny.

  “Yes, it is!”

  “No, it isn’t. I don’t even know the guy and now everyone thinks we’ve hooked up.” A thought occurs to me. “He did only say we kissed, right? No one thinks we went further?”

  He shrugs. “People always assume things.” I pale, and I see Aaron’s eyes widen on my face. “No, no,” he backtracks. “Everyone knows you’re not like that.”

  “Chase Mitchell is telling people I’ve slept with him?”

  He shakes his head vehemently. “No, absolutely not. He would never do that.”

  The panic in me is starting to rise and my eyes flicker around the hall. Is it just my imagination or is everyone staring at me? “But he’ll tell everyone we kissed?”

  He shrugs helplessly. I can tell he wishes he hadn’t started teasing me.

  “Oh God. This is bad. This is really bad. I don’t want people to think I hooked up with him.”

  “Hey, look, I know you don’t know him very well and barely talk to him, but Chase is a good guy. All those rumors that go around about him are hardly ever true.”

  Hardly ever true. Well that means some of them are, and that hardly fills me with confidence. When he’s not with Abigail, there are plenty of rumors about Chase that circulate the halls of this school. They’re most of the reason why he and Abigail are always breaking up. At times it seems like there’s a different rumor every week about the number of girls he’s hooked up with, older women who are after him, the places he’s partied. Chase Mitchell’s lifestyle is common knowledge, and it’s what makes him a living legend amongst all the guys (which is probably why Jessie wants to be him so badly) and makes all the girls want him.

  “Hey, Livy.” I turn back to him and his face has softened. “Chase won’t let you come out of this looking bad, I promise. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “Have you heard what he thinks we should do?”

  “Pretend to date?” I nod. “You should totally do it.”

  “No way.” I was considering it, but not anymore, not now that Chase has decided all on his own that it’s happening and has gotten the ball rolling without any agreement from me. He’ll get a piece of my mind when I see him.

  “Oh, come on! It’s perfect. It’ll get Abigail away from him and…” His voice trails off.

  “And what?” I ask sharply, my face warming. Please don’t say anything about Jessie. It’s bad enough that Sophie and Chase know and pity me; I don’t want Aaron to say it too.

  “And nothing. You should just do it.”

  “No. Besides, what’s the point in us pretending if he’s going to tell everyone it’s fake?”

  Aaron rolls his eyes. “He didn’t tell everyone, just me, and I’m a vault.”

  I can’t really say anything about that considering I told Sophie less than two hours ago, but still.

  “Whatever,” I mutter and push through the doors into the cafeteria, leaving Aaron to laugh at me in the hall. I keep my chin high, ignoring the extra glances I’m getting, no doubt a result of Chase’s lies. I wave my hand in greeting at the girls from the team who are all sitting at their usual table by the windows then head over to the table in the far corner where Jessie, Sophie, and I have eaten lunch every day since we were freshmen.

  I plop down into one of the seats and look up just as Jessie walks into the room. He glances my way and nods in greeting before heading to the line to pick up his lunch. The rule is that the first one here always holds the table, or at least it was at the start, but Sophie is forever late to lunch and I know Jessie is starving when he gets here so I always sit down and let him grab his food first. The boy gets grumpy when he’s hungry, and I’d rather not deal with that. I pull out the book we’re reading in English lit and start thumbing through it, waiting for the others, but I can’t concentrate. I’m too irritated with Chase.

  “So I heard something in math,” Jessie announces before even putting his tray down on the table.

  I swallow. It’s obvious what’s coming. He doesn’t wait for me to respond.

  “Caleb Smith said you hooked up with Chase Mitchell at the party on Saturday.” He looks at me warily. “I told him it’s wasn’t true.”

  I nod, not looking him in the face.

  “I mean, I told him that was crazy. You and Mitchell have barely even spoken before, right?”

  “Um…”

  “And I mean, you never hook up with anybody.”

  “Yeah—”

  “And you would have told me, right?” His gaze is pinned to mine, confusion clouding his eyes.

  “I couldn’t find you on Saturday,” I tell him quietly, looking at him carefully for his reaction. “I’m not saying anything happened, but even if I had wanted to tell you something on Saturday, you were gone when I got back from playing beer pong with Aaron.” His eyes dart away from my face and he sits down, rearranging the food on his tray and looking anywhere but me. “Where were you?”

  He finally looks up, and the guilt is all over his face. He doesn’t have to say it. He knows there was something different between us on Saturday night, and he knows he picked Courtney and a quick hook-up with her over me. The question is whether he’s going to admit to it or not.

  “Hey, hey!” He’s saved from answering by Sophie appearing. I send her a quick smile then escape to get my food without stopping to wait for Jessie’s response or any more questions he’s planning on sending my way. I make my way over to the food counter and ignore the curious whispers that seem to be following me. Sophie appears at my side and orders her own food. “Everyone thinks you hooked up,” she whispers to me. “People keep asking me if it’s true.”

  “What do you say?”

  She shrugs. “Nothing. I’m not going to say anything until you tell me either way.”

  I manage a small smile. It’s a shame Chase doesn’t have the same morals.

  “What has Jessie said about Saturday?”

  “Nothing. He just asked me about the rumor. He hasn’t said anything about Courtney.”

  A smirk fills Sophie’s face as she turns to me. “It’s working already.”

  I roll my eyes. I don’t care about that right now. I can’t get that guilty look that was on Jessie’s face out of my mind. Did he really think him going off with Courtney wouldn’t hurt me? Or did he just not care?

  We pay for our food and head back to our table. My stomach sinks through the floor when I see Courtney in my seat when I get back. She’s never joined us for lunch before.

  “You’re in Livy’s seat,” Sophie tells her the second she’s in earshot. She turns and looks at me then shrugs innocently before moving over to the empty seat by Jessie, sitting way closer to him than necessary.

  “Hey guys,” she says brightly, addressing both of us, but her eyes linger on me. She’s never liked me. I guess I can understand why. I probably wouldn’t like it if my boyfriend had female best friends he’s super close with, but she’s always been perfectly nice to Sophie. Maybe I’m not as subtle with my feelings as I think I am and she k
nows I’m in love with him.

  “Hey,” Sophie replies flatly, sending a dirty look toward Jessie. I know she won’t be impressed that the girl he ditched me for on Saturday is now eating lunch with us, but I can’t help thinking it’s not actually his fault. Maybe I just imagined the way he was looking at me at the party. Maybe I wanted something so badly that I thought I saw something that wasn’t there and have just blown this whole thing up in my head.

  I go to grab my pizza slice off my plate then drop my hand back down when Courtney reaches out and wraps her arm around Jessie’s shoulders. Suddenly I don’t feel hungry anymore.

  I turn my attention to Sophie and she must see how close I am to losing it because she launches into telling me all about the presentation she has to give in English, not letting Courtney or Jessie get a word in edgewise as I focus solely on her. I’m so concerned about not crying in front of them and taking tiny bites of my pizza that I almost miss Sophie’s eyes lighting up a second before a hand clamps down on my shoulder.

  “Hey.” I turn to see Chase standing over me.

  Of course. Just to make this lunch even more horrific, I now have the reason half the school has been gawping at me all morning about to add to my problems.

  “Hey,” I say back quickly. My voice isn’t exactly welcoming.

  I am not impressed with him starting those rumors without my consent. I have not agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend and he should not have gone ahead with it just because he wants Abigail Baker to back the hell off.

  “What do you want?” I ask sharply, raising an eyebrow at him, hopefully getting my feelings of disdain across with one look.

  He smirks back at me, not seeming to care one bit about what I think. “Yeah, Chase,” Sophie chimes in. “What do you want? Can’t leave her alone for two seconds, huh?”

  My jaw drops and I turn to glare at her as I hear Chase chuckle behind me. I can’t believe she’s selling me out like this. “Something like that,” he replies.

  I risk a glance at Jessie, whose eyes are suddenly fixed on my face. Courtney just looks confused; apparently the rumors haven’t reached her ears.