The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden(8)

I’d rather eat dirt. “Um, sure.”

The waitress arrives with my coffee, which gives me an excuse to yank my hand back. I don’t pour in any milk or sugar. I like it bitter and black.

“We should all get together again,” Jessica says. “Your family and mine. It’s sad the boys don’t hang out much anymore. And Hannah and Emma never really got along.”

“Yes.” I absently stir my coffee with a spoon, even though I’m drinking it black. This get-together will never happen. Tyler and Liam aren’t friends anymore, and Hannah actively dislikes Jessica’s younger daughter.

“Of course…” Jessica shrugs. “Tyler spends most of his free time these days with girls. You must know how that is. I’ll bet Liam has a million girlfriends.”

My mouth feels dry. Olivia. I’ve got to find her. “Actually, he hasn’t really been dating yet.”

“No?” She raises her eyebrows. “That’s surprising. Liam is… Well, I’ve always noticed how much girls like him. I’ve even heard Emma and her friends talking about him. She had the biggest crush on him for a while.”

“Yes…” It makes me sick just to talk about it. Knowing deep down that I can’t really stop this. It’s like a freight train barreling down a track. You could throw a few big rocks on the track to possibly slow it down, but it’s going to get through eventually. I look down at my coffee, and a wave of nausea overwhelms me. “I’m sorry, Jessica, but I just realized I’ve got an appointment to get to.”

“Oh.” She blinks her pretty blue eyes. I wonder what kind of eyes Olivia has. “Well, it was good seeing you again, Erika.”

“You too.” But I’ve already gotten up from the table and I’m hurrying out the door.





Chapter 8


Olivia



I’ve never had a boyfriend.

I’ve never even kissed a boy. Well, that’s not true. During a game of Truth or Dare in middle school, I exchanged a few kisses on the cheek. But I don’t count those. They weren’t real kisses. Not like the kind Madison has had.

Madison has had two boyfriends already. Right now, she’s dating a guy named Aidan, and the two of them are always making out. It’s like I can’t do anything with Madison anymore without Aidan coming out and kissing her in this gross, slobbery way. It doesn’t even look like a good kiss. If that’s what kissing is, I can wait.

But I have a feeling Liam Cass won’t kiss like that.

I think a lot about what Liam’s kisses will be like. Not just during math class, but all the time.

Madison is prettier than me, but not by a lot. On a scale of one to ten, she’s probably a seven and I’m probably a six. My hair is mousy brown, and people tell me I have pretty eyes, but I know I have way too many freckles. I had a lot of freckles on my face when I was a kid and I read they’re supposed to fade when you get older. But my stupid freckles won’t do what they’re supposed to. Yes, they’re lighter than they were, but I still have these tiny little spots all over my face. Even though I smear sunscreen all over myself whenever I go out and I have this giant hat with a brim that my little brother makes fun of me for wearing.

That’s why I don’t have a boyfriend. All my stupid freckles.

Not that I haven’t been asked out before. This one guy asked me out earlier in the year and he was kind of a jerk about it when I said no, but I didn’t really like him. I don’t want to go out with just anyone so I can have a boyfriend. I want to go out with a guy I actually like.

“There he is.” I nudge Madison as we sit in the audience of the giant high school auditorium. I convinced her to come with me to the debate today, and she agreed only because Aidan has football practice so she has to wait around anyway. A smattering of students and parents came to watch, but the audience is pretty sparse. I’ve never seen a debate before, so today will be my first. Maybe I’ll learn something about…

Well, whatever it is they’re debating.

Madison follows my gaze to the stage, where our school debate team is assembled. And he’s up there. Liam. Oh my God, he looks so handsome in that nice blue button-down shirt. Once again, my heart does this weird thing in my chest. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I should go see a doctor.

“He is so hot,” I murmur as I lean back in my seat.

Madison crinkles her nose, which is totally free of freckles. Madison doesn’t have one freckle, but she always complains about her double chin. “I don’t know, Liv. I don’t like him.”

“You are so weird. What don’t you like about him? He’s, like, perfect and gorgeous.”

“He’s…” Madison’s gaze travels back to the stage. “I don’t know. He just seems really… Like, when he talks, he seems so fake.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It’s hard to explain. I feel like everyone else is real, like they’re really living life. But Liam is, like, this actor who is being paid to hang out with us.”

I stare at her. “What the hell are you talking about, Mad?”

“I’m just saying. I feel like I don’t trust him entirely. He’s a phony. You know?”

I’m not going to point out to her that between Aidan and Liam, it’s clear who is more trustworthy. Liam is a straight-A student, and he’s a star on both the debate team and the track team. Whereas Aidan is built like a bull, he’s failing two classes, and he almost got expelled last year for getting into a fistfight in the hallway at school. If anyone makes me uneasy, it’s Aidan.