The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(11)
I force a smile and look up, but it wobbles as fresh tears tumble down my cheeks at the memory of Courtney looking at me. She must have been at the party all along and seen me with Jessie in the kitchen. She clearly took my absence as her opportunity, and Jessie certainly didn’t look like he had any objections.
“Honestly, I’m fine. Something happened earlier at home and I was just thinking about it,” I lie.
Chase doesn’t look away from me. “I saw Stephenson go into that bedroom with Courtney,” he tells me.
And there it is. My humiliation is complete. Chase Mitchell is witnessing my meltdown after watching my best friend hook up with his ex.
I look away, swiping my hand across my face. God knows what I look like right now. My makeup is probably running everywhere. I let out a sigh and feel my shoulders sag even farther.
“He doesn’t see you, Livy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whisper. “I told you, I was just thinking about something that happened earlier.”
“Liv—”
“Chase, please,” I plead, another errant tear streaking down my face. “Just leave me alone, okay? I can’t deal with anyone seeing me like this.”
He doesn’t reply as I squeeze my hands and try to focus on pulling myself together, but after what feels like an eternity, I hear the door open then click shut behind him. I burst into tears all over again because not only is Jessie back with Courtney, now everyone in school will know what a pathetic loser I am.
I PULL INTO THE SCHOOL parking lot on Monday morning and still feel like utter crap. Jessie texted me a couple of times yesterday to see if I wanted to hang out, but I just couldn’t do it. I replied telling him I was feeling like trash (not a lie) and that I’d see him today. Sophie kept me company all day. She was upbeat, loud, and entertaining the whole time, but I still couldn’t crack a smile. After Chase disappeared on Saturday night, Sophie was by my side within minutes; he clearly went and told her. I tried to keep it together and act like it was no big deal, but she took one look at me and I fell apart all over again. I think maybe, deep down, I did think this would be it with Jessie—thought actually, finally something was about to happen, and seeing Courtney wrapped around him and then them disappearing into that empty bedroom together…well, every time I think about it, I feel like my heart is breaking all over again.
I pull down the visor and stare at my reflection. I look as bad as I feel. I reach into my bag and grab a hair tie, pulling my hair back off my face into a high ponytail. Some of the back falls down and I don’t bother to fix it—caring about my appearance certainly didn’t do any good on Saturday night. I dig around in my bag for any makeup that might make me look more human, perhaps cover my swollen eyes and give me some color in my cheeks, but the only thing I can find is some concealer. I rub a bit into the skin below my eyes, but it does little to make me look more presentable. I sigh and climb out of my car, pulling out my bag then locking it behind me. I turn to head inside but then come to an abrupt halt.
Chase Mitchell is leaning against his car, right opposite mine, with his legs and arms crossed in front of him, gaze pinned on me.
I look behind me uneasily, hoping one of his friends is around and that’s who he’s waiting on, but there’s no one in my general vicinity.
“Uh, hey.”
He stands up straight and walks forward until he’s stopped right in front of me. “Hey. How you feeling?”
Mortification runs through me. I can’t believe the state he saw me in on Saturday. It’s so embarrassing. It’s bad enough Sophie did, but at least she knows me. Chase doesn’t know me at all and witnessed my complete meltdown. He must think I’m crazy.
“I’m good.” I force myself to answer brightly. “Really good.”
He rolls his eyes. Clearly he’s not ready to let me act like Saturday night never happened.
I sigh. His eyes, which for the first time I notice are a bright green, look concerned, and despite me desperately trying to look like I’m fine and not a total wreck today, I find that I can’t focus on his face. My eyes keep darting around behind him. “I’m, uh…” My voice trails off; I have no idea what to say to him that will make this any less awkward.
“It’s okay to be upset if the guy you like is with someone else,” Chase tells me.
Oh Jesus.
“I don’t, I mean…” I stop. What’s the point in denying it? He clearly knows. “How did you know?”
He shrugs. “I’m pretty observant, and, well…” He doesn’t continue. I guess my meltdown on Saturday night was pretty self-explanatory.
I sigh. “Yeah, um…I’m pretty embarrassed about how I acted at the party.”
He nods. “I haven’t told anyone. I won’t tell anyone.”
My eyes find his. My initial thought on Saturday was that the whole school would know by now, but actually when I was thinking about it yesterday, I realized Chase actually seems like a decent guy, and it would be pretty shitty to broadcast something like that just for gossip’s sake.
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
He shrugs. “No worries.”
I stand there awkwardly for a couple of seconds, wondering what to say next before realizing the conversation is over. This is Chase Mitchell—we don’t have anything to say to each other.