The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(18)

“I’ve got a meeting with Coach,” he tells me conversationally, like it’s the most natural thing in the world for us to be having this conversation…in front of the entire damn school. He turns toward his table, which already has its eyes on us. That whole table is heaving with the most popular kids at school, and every single one of them has their gaze trained on us in interest. “Yo! Aaron, Brendon! We gotta go,” he shouts. I flinch at the unexpected volume and sure enough, anyone that wasn’t already looking at us is now. I glare at Chase and the smirk on his face tells me he knows exactly what he’s doing. I just don’t know why he wants everyone looking at this exact moment.

Until he does it.

Without warning, he quickly reaches forward, wraps his arm around my waist, pulls me against him, and plants a firm kiss directly on my mouth.

It’s over before I even have time to react and the shocked gasp that leaves my mouth echoes the gasps of surprise I hear around me. Chase just winks at me like he doesn’t have a care in the world then struts past me out of the cafeteria, leaving me with what feels like a billion eyes on me and wondering exactly when it was that I entered the twilight zone.





“SO YOU KNOW PEOPLE ARE saying we’re not really dating?”

I glance to my right, past my open locker, and find Chase leaning up against the locker next to me. I dump my history textbook inside before closing it and facing him. It’s been close to two weeks since he kissed me in the cafeteria, and I’ve been avoiding him like the plague ever since. “That’s because we’re not really dating.”

“Yes, Chapman, we know that, but nobody else is supposed to.”

“You know I never agreed to this, right?” I give him my hardest look. “It’s just something you decided all by yourself.”

He shrugs. “I knew you’d wimp out.”

My jaw drops. “That’s not your decision to make.”

“Well you running away every time you see me for the last week means no one believes it now anyway.”

“I haven’t been running away,” I mutter, turning back to my locker.

He scoffs. “And I’m a shitty soccer player.”

I roll my eyes but when I turn to him, he’s not smirking in arrogance. His eyes are gleaming mischievously—he’s teasing me.

“I can’t believe you kissed me!” I hiss at him, my eyes scanning around to make sure no one’s listening to us. “What the hell, Chase? Do you know how many people have asked me about you lately?”

He chuckles. “You call that a kiss, Chapman?”

I blink at him. “Yes! I call that a kiss.”

He shakes his head, his eyes still teasing. “If you call that a kiss, you’re in bigger need of help than I originally thought.”

I stare at him for a minute, slightly unnerved by his eye contact. His whole face is lit up, and when he’s totally focused on me like this, I can see why he’s so popular. Charisma oozes out of him. He quirks an eyebrow and a small laugh escapes me as I shake my head. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

He shrugs. “It’s been said.”

“Go away,” I tell him. “Before I get mad at you again.”

“So do you know why people think we’re not together?” he continues, like I haven’t even spoken.

I sigh and turn back to him. He’s clearly not going anywhere, so I shrug. “People are smart. I guess they’ve figured it out.”

“But do you know how they’ve come to this conclusion?”

I shrug. “They have eyes?”

He laughs quickly. “Because they never see us together. In fact, I’d go so far as to say you’ve been avoiding me.”

Well, no shit. “I haven’t,” I lie. “I just haven’t seen you around.”

“That’s a shame, because I’ve been waiting all week for my new fake girlfriend to let me carry her books to class,” he tells me with a smirk on his handsome face.

I chuckle. “Shut up.”

He grins. “You’ve been ignoring me.”

I sigh. “Look, Chase, this was not a good idea to start with.”

“Yes, it is.”

“You know I never actually agreed to it. You just kissed me and kinda assumed—”

“It’s a great idea. We just have to commit to it. Today at lunch, Abigail started creeping around. You need to up your game.”

My jaw falls open again. “Chase—”

“Today, after school, we’re going to Ferguson’s.”

“What? No, no, I can’t.” This guy is impossible.

“Yes, you can. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” He turns and walks away without bothering to look back.

“What? Wait!” I call after him.

He doesn’t even pause. “Can’t hear you, Chapman.”

I watch him disappear around the corner as I sink back against my locker. His entire group and all their tagalongs will be at Ferguson’s on a Friday afternoon. There’s no way I’m showing my face there.



I glance up at the neon flashing light of Ferguson’s as I step out of Chase’s car. I studied in the library for an hour after school, ignoring texts from Sophie and Aaron, but Chase was still there waiting for me by my car. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, wouldn’t even let me drive my own car in case I bailed, which is how I’ve ended up exactly where I don’t want to be on a Friday afternoon.