“Oh.”
Yep. He wants to talk to me. He wants to know why I’ve been evading him and rejecting his calls. There’s no escaping now.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Is it just me or is there a little hurt in his voice?
“Avoiding you?” I squeak out. “Um, that’s not true. You just walked me to my last period class yesterday, remember?”
“Yeah. But you've been acting off. When I tried to meet you when school ended, you disappeared. Beanie, what’s going on? Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”
Yes. You fell for the wrong girl!
I avert my eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. You’re just probably imagining things.”
"I'm not dumb, Allie. Don't treat me like one."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Ugh." I walk over to the front steps and plop down. “It’s just...things have been crazy. I wasn’t going to tell you about this, but Heather confronted me in the girls’ bathroom at school. Well, her and Sydney.”
“I know. I heard about it.” Duane rubs the back of his neck. “That’s why I’ve been calling, but you wouldn’t answer.”
“What can I say? I was traumatized,” I say dryly.
“I’m sorry, Beanie. Maybe Gray was right. I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess. Shit, I didn’t even consider the possibility that Heather could go after you. Obviously, I wasn’t thinking.”
I stare at my hands on my lap. “You didn’t drag me into anything, Duane. I agreed to help you.”
“Because I was being persistent. I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
That has my eyes snapping back up. “That’s not true. You would’ve backed off if I’d truly refused. I know you would.” Which is why I find myself adding, “Maybe Heather going after me is good. It means the fake girlfriend thing is working. So, what’s the next plan?”
His eyes widen in shock. “You still want to help me?”
“What? Did you expect me to chicken out because Heather is being a bitch to me? Come on, give me a little credit.”
I made a promise, didn't I? Besides, pissing Heather Nielsen off gives me a kind of satisfaction I didn't think I could get. She got the guy I always wanted. Getting into her nerves is somewhat of a payback for that. A small payback, but a payback nonetheless.
He shakes his head. “I don’t want her to give you any more trouble.”
“You can tell her to stop when the two of you are finally back in each other’s arms,” I joke, ignoring the sharpness in my chest. "I'm sure she'll listen to you then."
“Beanie—”
“Just promise you’re going to make her sweat. That you won’t take her back right away. It’s the least she can do after dumping you heartlessly.”
He just stares at me, conflicting emotions crossing his features. I can tell he wants to end our charade—he truly doesn't want me in the middle of his mess—but his feelings for Heather are more powerful than his concern over me.
It hurts. But what can I really do?
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I rise from the steps. "I actually have a quiz to study for so, um, see you on Monday?"
Still speechless, Duane just nods.
I can still feel his eyes on me as I walk inside my house.
CHAPTER 6
"He was basically giving you an out. You should have taken it." Indie smiles at the middle-aged woman she's ringing up behind the counter and hands her a paper bag filled with a few books. "Here you go, ma'am. Have a nice day."
"You too, dear." Giving both of us a warm smile, the customer walks out of Indie Reads, Andrew Jackson's—Indie's dad—bookstore.
Andrew's out on an errand so it's just me and Indie. I went over to the store when she called an hour ago and asked me to accompany her. Since I had nothing else to do, I obliged.
Indie steps out of the counter and we sit at the nearest coffee table where we can easily see customers coming in. "It's fine. I can handle Heather."
She purses her lips into a tight line. "You know, there's a word that people use for girls like you."
"A saint?"
"A martyr."
"A martyr?" I choke out a laugh. "Isn't that a little harsh?"
"Yeah. But it's also the truth." She raises a brow, as if challenging me to argue.
"It's not like I'm being purposely pathetic. It's just that…" I bite my lip, unable to find the right words to say.
"You're still holding out hope that Duane will finally see you," she finishes for me.
I give her a wry smile. "Too obvious, huh?"
"Well, you had your hair done. That alone clued me in. Which looks gorgeous, by the way. But when was the last time you did something like that?"
"Never," I admit with a sigh. "But honestly, I mostly did it for myself. I felt like I needed a change so I went ahead and got one. But I'd be lying if I say I didn't think about what his reaction would be."
Her brows quirk up. "And what was his reaction?"
I clear my throat, biting back a grin. "He said he loved my long hair, but this short one looks better on me."
Indie breaks out in a huge grin which has me doing the same. For a moment, we just grin at each other, like typical teenage girls gushing over their crushes.
Then she turns serious once again. "Not to be a downer, but don't get your hopes up too high, okay? I mean, you have Heather as your competition. She's friends with Merritt Wayne, so it's very likely that she knows how to play dirty."
Merritt Wayne is another one of the Four Blondes. In fact, she's known as their leader. She also happens to have a thing for Grayson, and she played dirty tricks in the past to get his attention—threatening to out Indie and Gray's fake relationship, being the worst of them. Thankfully, nothing came out of that.
"Oh, I'm very aware of that. Trust me. I'm not at all confident that I'll be able to best her." I swallow hard and give my best friend a faint smile. "It's just...don't I owe myself this? A chance to see if I can get the boy I want? Maybe I'll get my heart broken in the end, or maybe I won't. But at least I can say that I tried."
That was the original plan anyway, before Duane asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend. No matter how many times I convince myself that I'm only doing him a favor as a friend, deep down I know I'm doing it for myself. Maybe it’s nothing but a pipe dream, but like I told Indie, I owe myself to give it a shot.
After a long moment, she nods. "I get it. I'm not a hundred percent into it, but I understand. So, what's your plan now?"
I open my mouth to answer her when the double door of the store swings open, which tells us a new customer just walked in.
A boy I’ve never seen before.
The first thing I notice is his bright red hair as he glances around the place.
Indie exchanges a raised-eyebrow look with me before moving from her seat and approaching him.
I find myself trailing after her.
“Hi, welcome to Indie Reads!” my best friend greets in a cheerful voice.