Which means if I want to take a dip into the lake, I'll have to do it by myself.
"Fine," I grumble under my breath. Then with a deep breath and shaking fingers, I grip the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head.
Hoots and whistles ring out as I make my way toward the water, blushing hard from the attention I’m suddenly getting. I resist the urge to cover my chest, holding on to the confidence that I don’t have and mentally talking myself out of running back to where I came from.
It’s okay. You can do this.
“Looking good, Turner,” one of the guys by the dock hollers at me.
Cheeks reddening even more, I shoot a faint smile their way and wade into the water until it almost reaches my chest.
Now, what?
“Thought you’d never leave the lovebirds alone,” an amused voice says behind me.
I swing around to see Duane smirking at me. “Well, I thought they had plans to swim.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
I don’t respond to that. Instead, my eyes track the water dripping from his dark blonde mop of hair to his face and down to his bare shoulders and chest.
Duane is an athlete. Which means his body is toned and filled in all the right places. Which means I always try not to drool every time he sheds his clothes—despite the fact that most of his body is currently submerged in water.
It's his fault for looking so good.
Pink staining my cheeks, I clear my throat. "I know. That's why I'm here now."
"I'd ask if you want to try the rope swing, Beanie, but I don't think you're dressed up for it." His eyes flicker down to my chest for a split second before shifting them back to my face.
"I'll have you know," I huff, "I'm always up for the rope swing no matter what I wear."
Duane smirks. "Prove it then." Then he’s wading toward the rope swing at the dock, shooting a shit-eating grin over his shoulder at me.
I just shake my head and laugh, following after him. I still have a huge smile on my face when my eyes suddenly land on Heather Nielsen.
She's with her clique, but her eyes are on me. And she doesn't seem to look happy that I'm trailing after Duane.
In fact, she's glaring. Hard.
CHAPTER 2
I have to pee. I've been holding it in for the last hour. Mr. Radford, my AP History teacher, loves pop quizzes and his test questions are always based on his lecture, rarely relying on the book. Which means I can't afford to miss even a minute of it.
Thankfully, the stalls are all empty when I reach the girls' bathroom—I'm pretty sure I was the first one to get out of a classroom when the bell rang—so I quickly slip into one.
I just finished flushing and about to step out when a conversation starts outside. I'm not an eavesdropper, but the next words I hear stop me.
"Did you hear? Heather Nielsen just dumped Duane Hollis," the first female voice says.
My eyes pop wide. Did I hear it right? Heather has broken up with Duane? Heart thumping wildly in my chest, I press my ear to the stall door to listen closely.
"No way," a second voice gasps in disbelief. "I thought they were already getting serious."
That's what I thought, too. So why did Heather dump him? They were just together at the lake party last weekend, and they looked so sweet together. What changed?
“Maybe she caught him cheating.”
“Or she’s grown bored. Isn’t that the reason why she broke up with Mike Tanner?”
The girls continue to speculate and come up with other possible reasons while I impatiently eavesdrop. I want to get to the bottom of the whole thing, and listening to mere gossip won’t get me the answers I want. I need to get to the source.
Which means I need to find Duane and ask him myself.
Wait. Doesn’t he have lacrosse practice today? Guess I’ll have to wait for him to finish.
So that’s exactly what I do when the last period ends. I sit in my car in the parking lot for an hour, listening to The Runaways while I think about the conversation I’ve overheard.
Duane is officially single.
Heather is no longer in the picture.
All these years, I’ve always been on the sidelines, content with being his friend and keeping my feelings for him all to myself.
See, I've always been cautious and levelheaded. I'm known as the girl who doesn't take risks, preferring to stay on the safe side.
Well, I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ve wasted enough time living a safe and boring life. It’s time I take risks and get into crazy adventures.
Like letting Duane Hollis know how I feel, for starters.
And today’s a good day as any to tell him that. Maybe I'm being selfish and impulsive, but the last thing I want is for him to get into another "relationship" without knowing about my feelings. Besides, I have to seize the moment before I decide to chicken out.
Yeah, I can't give myself that chance.
Another hour later, I watch as Gray and Indie walk toward Gray's Jeep, holding hands and laughing about something. My best friend has been making a point to watch Gray practice—as if it's not enough that she's religiously present at the games.
Ugh. They look so cute together, it's not fair.
I'm thankful that my car is still sandwiched between two other cars so they don't notice me as they stroll past. Well, that, or they're too focused on each other to pay attention to their surroundings.
Still, I thank my lucky stars when Gray finally pulls out of the parking lot. And when I spot Duane coming out soon after, I hurriedly step out of my car with my bag slung over my shoulder.
He's staring down at his phone so he still hasn't noticed me.
Here goes nothing. "Hey, Duane."
He looks up from his phone with a slight frown. But the crease on his forehead disappears and a small smile forms on his lips when he sees me. "Beanie, hey. What are you still doing here?"
I shrug my shoulders casually. "I had to stay a little late in the library. Homework stuff." Liar. You're such a liar.
“Oh.”
“So, um, I heard something.” Way to start the conversation, Allie.
His smile disappears as he stiffens, an unreadable mask sliding in place. “What did you hear?”
His body language tells me his breakup with Heather is the last thing he wants to talk about. And something tells me he would be less thrilled to hear me blurting my feelings for him.
Forcing a smile, I say, “I just want to say that if you need to talk to someone, I’m just here.”
He stares at me for a long moment that it makes me want to squirm.
"Um, Duane?"
He lets out an audible breath. "Actually, Beanie, I need a favor."
I blink and push my glasses up my nose. "Um, sure. What can I do for you?"
"I want you to be my fake girlfriend."
*******
"Duane asked you to do what?" Indie's hazel eyes are flared wide as she gapes at me, almost dropping the baby pink nail polish onto the rug.
It reminds me of the reaction I had when she announced that her ex-boyfriend, Brad McNeely, had dumped her. Which only happened, I don't know, over a month ago? Crazy that it feels like it's been longer.