The Stand-In Boyfriend

by Doherty, Emma

  Chase and Aaron say goodbye to us at the front door and I’m on my way down the drive to Sophie’s car when she realizes she’s forgotten her phone. She jogs back up and passes Rosie, who’s on her way out. I smile at her as she makes her way over to her car and glances my way. She pauses as though she’s got something to say then unlocks the driver’s door, throws a hand out in my direction, puts the car in gear, and inches her way down the drive. She pauses next to me and the driver’s window rolls down.

  “Good to meet you,” I tell her.

  She nods. “Livy, Chase is…he’s not… All those rumors…” She pauses, considering her words. “He’s not the player everyone thinks he is. He’s a good guy.”

  My eyes widen. “I don’t think he’s not.” I do think Chase is a good guy—this afternoon alone confirmed that. He didn’t make me feel like a weirdo for my anxiety, instead finding a way to get around it, and somewhere along the way he’s figured out that Sophie is my security blanket and keeps inviting her around so I’m comfortable.

  She sighs. “Just don’t hurt my brother, okay?”

  She rolls the window up without another word and continues down the drive before turning right and leaving me staring after her. Don’t hurt my brother. She obviously thinks this is real, but I can’t help feeling a little indignant at her accusatory tone. Chase Mitchell has girls lining up for him and is a million times more experienced than me—how on earth could I hurt him?

  I HAVEN’T EVEN BEEN HOME for an hour before the doorbell rings.

  “So you and Chase Mitchell?”

  Jessie looks pissed—really pissed.

  “Um, well…”

  “’Cause you told me there was nothing going on there.”

  “Well, yeah, there wasn’t, but then—”

  “You don’t even know each other.”

  “We do.” He raises an eyebrow in disbelief and it pisses me off. “You know, you don’t know everything about me, Jessie. Maybe Chase and I have been friends for years.”

  He scoffs. “Right, that’s why whenever I suggest going to one of their parties or hanging out with them you always look like I’ve told you to take up ballet or something.”

  I resist the urge to tell him Chase never invites Jessie to do anything, that it’s always Jessie following him around. “Okay, so if you want to hang out with them sometimes then you must like Chase. What’s the problem?”

  A muscle in his jaw ticks. He’s trying to control his temper. He’s not happy, and it’s plain to see—he doesn’t like that I’m with Chase. Please tell me that means he’s jealous.

  He shakes his head and looks past me. I’m expecting him to barge through and set up camp in my kitchen, helping himself to the fridge like he usually does, but he doesn’t move from the doorstep. Eventually, his gaze returns to me.

  “And really? You’re ditching now?”

  “Jessie—”

  “That’s not you, Liv. You know that.”

  He’s not wrong. I’m in no rush to ditch again any time soon. I’ve been stressing about what I missed and of course imagining there will be a pop quiz based on today’s lesson. Seriously, my paranoia is ridiculous.

  “He’s a bad influence already.”

  I almost start laughing right then and there. He’s really grasping at straws now. Jessie ditches all the time. I have to constantly pester him to make sure he’s going to his classes, and Chase? Chase is the first person who’s managed to make me stray from my routine in years, made me do something without Sophie or Jessie being present. He witnessed one of my anxiety attacks and helped me deal with it, and he doesn’t even know me. He should get a medal as far as I’m concerned.

  “Sollomon gave me detention. I didn’t know what he was talking about in class and when he questioned me, the crap I made up didn’t fly.”

  Guilt washes over me. I did say I’d help him with that. “I’m sorry I—”

  “I just never pegged you as one of those girls who picks her boyfriend over her friends.”

  “Jessie!” This time my voice is sharp, and he finally looks me in the eye, his brown eyes flashing irritably. “Picking my boyfriend over a friend?” I shake my head in annoyance. He let Courtney tell me I looked washed out and didn’t say a word in my defense. “Look, you don’t always—”

  “Here are the notes you missed.” He thrusts a notebook into my hand, one I hadn’t even noticed he was holding. He sighs, and I can tell he almost doesn’t want to give them to me. “I know you’re freaking out about what you missed.”

  My gaze finds his and though his jaw is hard, his eyes have softened. He does know me. I smile and he rolls his eyes. He’s mad at me but still took notes for me, and as I flip through the notebook, I see that they’re thorough—way more than he usually writes in class. He hates taking notes, which is part of the reason he ends up flunking the classes we’re not in together because he can never remember what the teacher has said. But, he still took notes for me. He might be pissed at me about Chase, but he’s still my friend, one of my two best friends—my Jessie. “Thanks, Jess.”

  “Whatever,” he mutters then turns and walks away without another word. I don’t even care that he didn’t come in. I’m grinning from ear to ear—absolutely beaming—because Jessie Stephenson actually thought about me for a change and did something for me completely on his own, and if the look on his face is anything to go by, he really is jealous.

  “SPILL IT.”

  I glance to the side and see Tia and Hallie beside me. We’re in the girls’ locker room, changing before practice starts.

  “What?” I feign ignorance though I’m pretty sure I know what they’re about to say.

  Tia rolls her eyes and flips her hair over her shoulder. Tia is the most unlikely soccer player imaginable. She has a weekly manicure and pedicure, struts around school in heels because she’s only 5’1 and says she needs the extra help, and never has a hair out of place. She also has the meanest tackle on the team, has been sent off the pitch at least four times for being too aggressive, and is the most underestimated player in most games. The opposition used to smile when they saw her lining up, but they soon changed their mind once she started playing. “Quit the bullshit. You know what we’re talking about.”

  “Yeah.” Hallie grins at me. Her eyes almost disappear when she smiles, which is all the time. Hallie is our captain and one of the central defenders. She’s a fearsome opponent, and with her broad build and height, she’s the strongest player we have, rarely letting anyone past her at goal. In my opinion, she’s better than half the players on the boys’ team. “I thought you said there was nothing going on with you and Chase Mitchell.”

  I shrug and feel myself blush. They all quizzed me about Chase after the rumors following Aaron’s party and that small kiss in the cafeteria. I told them it wasn’t true and because they didn’t see us together again, they accepted it. I definitely blew that yesterday. “We’re just hanging out,” I tell them. “Seeing how it goes.”

  “Are you guys official? Is he your boyfriend?” Hallie inquires.

  I force myself to nod my head. It feels weird doing this, but I’ve committed. I just need to remember it’s a means to an end, and my end is Jessie.

  “Nice! You lucky bitch,” Tia exclaims. She reaches out and bumps my shoulder with her fist, her way of showing respect. Hugs are forbidden for Tia. “That boy is fine. I didn’t know he went for soccer players or I would have gotten on that.”

  “Didn’t he hook up with Brittany and Mel last year?” I ask, listing two of the girls on our team. For someone who’s had an on-again, off-again girlfriend for the last three years, he’s certainly gotten around. Hopefully they’re not pissed I’m with Chase—well, pretending to be with Chase, but they don’t know that.

  “Please. He hooked up with them for like two minutes at a party before forgetting them and crawling back to Abigail.”

  “Yeah, has he ever actually had an official girlfriend other than Abigail?” Hallie asks, looking
between us like we should know. I shrug my shoulders. I’m no expert on Chase’s love life. “This is big,” she confirms.

  I laugh nervously. This is so unrealistic that I don’t understand how anyone’s buying it. Chase Mitchell and I just don’t make sense on any level, and why is he so desperate to put Abigail off? The truth is, they’ve been on and off for three years, so he must have feelings for her—you can’t just switch that off.

  “Hey guys.” An arm is slung around my shoulders and I turn to see Sophie at my side. “You talking about the hottest couple in school?”

  I snort and bump my hip into hers. “Shut up.”

  “They’re like this hot, sexy, soccer-playing power couple.”

  I burst out laughing and shove her again. “You’re so full of it.” I smile as she winks back at me then turns back to the girls, who are smiling at her.

  “No cheerleaders allowed in here,” Tia teases her. She doesn’t mean it; she might think the rest of the cheerleaders are airheads, but everyone likes Sophie—everyone.

  “Bite me, Ramirez,” Sophie replies instantly. Tia laughs and drifts away. Hallie looks at her walking away and something like panic crosses her face, and I notice she’s blushing a little.

  “Uh, see you out there,” she tells me before turning to Sophie and turning a darker shade of pink. “See you later, Sophie.”

  She darts away from us, leaving me looking after her. I’m pretty sure Hallie has a crush on Sophie, and that exchange only confirmed it further. Whenever Sophie’s around, Hallie gets all bashful and tongue-tied. Sophie doesn’t notice, and I’m not about to bring it up. Hallie will come to terms with her sexuality in her own time; I just hope she’s not tying herself in knots about it the way I do with Jessie.

  “Do you need something?” I ask her, pulling my cleats out of my gym bag.

  “Can you come over later? I want to binge on Dawson’s.”

  I nod my head. We recently discovered Dawson’s Creek and have been doing multiple-hour binges on it. We’ve both agreed it would be sacrilege to watch an episode without the other. I glance down at her cheer uniform. “Do you have practice?”

  She nods. “But I should still be able to catch the end of yours.” I smile. She’s so supportive. Despite the fact that she has her own practice, she usually hangs back for an extra half an hour so she can see the end of soccer practice, and she’s the only one who does. Anyone else who watches the sports team practices is always watching the boys.

  She steps in closer to me, her eyes darting around the room to make sure no one’s looking. “Abigail is pissed,” she whispers, a grin on her face. “She just screamed at Sasha for no reason, and when Sarah mentioned Chase’s name in passing, Abigail nearly ripped her hair out.”

  I sigh uneasily. Abigail makes me nervous—seriously nervous. It is not a good idea to get on her bad side. When I mentioned this to Chase, he just dismissed it and said she wouldn’t say anything, but I’m not so sure now.

  “Have people been asking you about it?”

  I nod. “Yeah, all day.”

  “What has Jessie said?”

  I shrug. “Not much. He was pissed yesterday but I think he’s ignoring me today.”

  Her face lights up. “He’s jealous.”

  I shrug. I hope so, but I still don’t like that he didn’t show up to lunch today and hasn’t answered my texts.

  “People have been asking me about you guys too.”

  “What have you said?”

  “That you’re together and you can’t keep your hands off each other.”

  I snort and shake my head in disbelief. She’s enjoying this a lot more than she should be—definitely a lot more than I am. “I can’t believe everyone’s buying it. I mean, no one would ever put us together in a million years.”

  She winks at me. “It’s because we all saw that kiss in the cafeteria—you can’t argue with chemistry like that.”

  Practice is brutal today. The temperature is higher than it’s been in weeks, and Coach makes us run suicides for a solid 30 minutes until I feel like my legs are going to give out. He finally lets us stop for a water break, and it was only me, Hallie, and Maria still running at the end. Everyone else had given up and collapsed in exhaustion, which worries me. If we’re going to get to the state finals, we need everyone unwilling to give up.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Chapman.”

  “What?” I ask Tia. She’s standing next to me by the water stand and watching me gulp down my bottle.

  “Like you’re disappointed I didn’t finish it. We’re not all machines like you.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not a machine, but if we want to get to state, we have to be the fittest we can possibly be.”

  She rolls her eyes.

  “I’m being serious,” I tell her earnestly. “Do you think people would come if I set up an extra practice before school a couple of days a week?”

  She snorts and Hallie bumps her with her hip. Tia turns back to me and must see how serious I am.

  “Think about the finals,” I tell her. “Don’t you want to know we did everything we could to get there?”

  She sighs, but a smile plays on her lips. “Okay, Chapman. You got me. I’ll rally the troops.”

  I grin in triumph. I swear half the girls on the team are scared of Tia. If she says they have to do something, they’ll do it.

  A loud wolf whistle rips out and I glance over to see Maria with her fingers to her lips and a couple of the other senior players standing around her. They’re all grinning and have their eyes trained on something behind me. I spin around and see Chase, Aaron, and what looks like the rest of the soccer team heading toward us. Their coach is to the side of them and breaks off to talk to our coach near the goal.

  “Day-um,” Tia says, her eyes fixed on the boys. I know she’s hooked up with quite a few of the team members over the last couple of years, but she just told me last week she was dating a friend of her cousin. She glances at me and grins. “A girl can look.”

  “Hey.” Chase stops in front of me, a cocky smirk planted on his face.

  I glance between him and Aaron, confused, before turning to look at their coach, who is chatting with Coach Simpson. “Hi,” I reply cautiously.

  “What’s up?” Tia asks.

  “We’re training with you today.”

  “What?” My voice is probably sharper than it needs to be.

  Aaron shrugs. “Coach needs to leave early so he said he was gonna check to see if Coach Simpson could run some practice games with both squads.”

  “Whose idea was that?” Hallie asks incredulously. This has never happened before. They’d usually just cut practice short.

  “Coach’s.” Chase smirks while Aaron snorts next to him. Somehow I don’t believe them.

  I look around. “Is the JV squad coming too?”

  Chase doesn’t hide his irritation. “No, they’re not.”

  I inwardly wince. Me hoping Jessie was going to practice with us too isn’t exactly helping my feelings stay hidden and convince people I’m into Chase.

  Brendon steps forward. “You think you can handle it?” he asks Tia with raised eyebrows. Honestly, the boy will flirt with anyone.

  Hallie steps forward, her captain instincts taking over. “We got this.”

  I sigh and gulp another couple of mouthfuls of water. It’s not that I don’t want to train with the boys; it’s just that we need to focus and I don’t need these guys distracting the team. Already the rest of the girls have appeared around us, chatting and flirting. We don’t have as much interaction with the male soccer team as you’d think. They’re the popular guys in school and usually stick to the cheerleaders and girly girls—not exactly in our social circles.

  “What’s wrong, Chapman?” Aaron grins over at me. “Scared?”

  I roll my eyes at him. “We’re wasting time.”

  A playful smile crosses Chase’s face. “She’s scared.” Everyone falls silent. When Chase Mitchell speaks, eve
ryone listens. “Don’t worry, Livy, we’ll teach you how it’s done.”

  My competitive nature kicks in and my jaw sets. “You can try.”

  He grins at me and I start to laugh. Chase is really intuitive or I’m an open book; either way, he seems to know exactly how to get to me. Make something a competition or mention Jessie and I’m hooked—it’s how he keeps convincing me to do things.

  Coach Simpson blows his whistle and I turn to see him approaching us while the boys’ coach vacates the field. He quickly confirms what the boys have already told us and splits us in half. His assistant—who is just out of college and more interested in gawking at the cheerleaders and texting on his phone than actually coaching—stays with us while he disappears to the other training pitch with the less experienced players. I assume it will be teams of boy versus girls, but Coach’s assistant explains that he wants it mixed. He picks Aaron and Hallie as captains and tells them they have to pick teams in a boy-girl order then runs back to the benches to check something or another on his phone. I sigh and try not to be irritated about how much time this is all taking.

  “Chapman,” Aaron picks me first.

  Hallie slides me a look and must decide Chase and I would want to be on the same team because she picks Brendon as I go to stand beside Aaron.