The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(38)
We fall into an easy routine, walking together in between classes, hanging out after school at Ferguson’s, and just lounging around on the school benches after class. I even let him drive me to school when my car needs to go into the shop, and when I stop to think about it, I’m actually amazed at how easily I’ve adapted to having him in my life. It usually takes me a long time to get to know someone and to trust them, but it just feels different with Chase. It’s easy—so, so easy. He’s my friend. Yes, he’ll say the odd flirty comment to me—which never fails to make me blush—but he never pushes me to do anything I don’t want to, and since I jumped out of my skin in the hallway one day when he tried to hold my hand, he’s cut out anything physical. It helps that Sophie and Aaron are with us a lot too. It definitely made it easier for me to start out, made me more comfortable, and by the end of our first few weeks as a “couple”, I stop caring if they’re there or not.
Jessie is another issue. We still eat lunch together every day, but we haven’t really had a conversation in weeks. Every time I try to catch him, he just looks at me like I’m inconveniencing him, and whatever man crush he had on Chase is long gone. If Chase comes anywhere near me when Jessie is around, he can’t wipe the look of irritation off his face. I had hoped my relationship with Chase would make a difference in our friendship and might actually open up some sort of conversation about our own relationship, but it hasn’t. It hasn’t because Courtney is a constant at his side. She’s even started eating lunch with us every day, and if I even so much glance at Jessie, she jumps in before I’m able to say anything.
She’s constantly touching him, hanging all over him, kissing him. It honestly hurts my heart every time I see them together, and even though Sophie keeps reassuring me that Jessie is definitely noticing me now that Chase is in the picture, from what I can tell, it’s only pushed him closer to Courtney. When I first mentioned this to Chase and Sophie, I told them maybe Chase and I should stop pretending since it didn’t seem like our plan was working, but they both dismissed it immediately. As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t a complete loss—I’d gained a new friend out of it—but they were both adamant that I needed to give it some more time, and it turns out Chase is just as hard to argue with as Sophie. Still…I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like it’s all for nothing because now Jessie will barely talk to me.
Courtney is also constantly plastering pictures of the two of them all over social media, and it makes me want to throw up. It’s such a slap in the face, because while they’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend again, they’re not far from it; that much is obvious. This whole time I’d been hoping he was feeling jealous, wishing it was him with me, but those pictures are evidence he isn’t sitting at home pining for me. Those pictures prove he’s getting closer to Courtney with every passing minute. As a result, I again told Chase that our agreement was pointless since Jessie wasn’t even looking at me. Jessie shutting me out is the exact opposite of what someone who’s jealous would do. Even so, Chase convinced me it wasn’t a lost cause and said the fact that Jessie has stopped speaking to him and trying to engage him in conversation definitely shows he’s not happy. Chase told me we just needed to up our game and smiled all mysteriously. I don’t know though; everything suddenly seems very complicated, and all I want is Jessie back in my life the way he used to be, even if just as a friend.
The Saturday after Chase’s team makes it to the finals of the soccer state championships, Sophie shows up on my doorstep armed with her vanity case full of makeup and several outfits draped over her arm. I look at the stack of clothing suspiciously before looking back to her face.
“What are you up to?”
“What?” she asks, feigning innocence. “Can’t a girl just pop over to see her best friend?”
I narrow my eyes. “I thought you were shopping.”
“I was. Now I thought we could get ready for Jackson’s party together.”
I sigh. I tried to get out of going, but Sophie and Chase weren’t having any of it. Now I have two of them riding my unsocial ass, but I have been spending a lot more time with Chase’s friends recently and I actually think Jackson is awesome. He’s secretly a total nerd and has an encyclopedic knowledge of European soccer. We’ve geeked out over the best teams at least four times this week alone.
“That doesn’t start for like three hours.”
“I know, but it’s fun to get ready and listen to music together, right?”
I nod my head. I guess she’s right. “Do you know if Jessie’s going tonight? I texted him to ask but he didn’t get back to me. He’s been ignoring me more and more.”
She rolls her eyes. “He’ll be there. Now come on, let’s start getting ready.”
“Really? Already?”
“Yes. Let’s do this.”
I shrug my shoulders and follow her up to my room. Sophie can spend hours getting ready to go out, but it won’t take me more than twenty minutes. She definitely knows this, but it’s always fun to hang out so if she wants to do it while applying her makeup, who am I to argue?
Two hours later, Sophie’s worked her magic on me while not touching her appearance in the slightest. She started out subtly, filling me in on gossip I’ve missed (and had no interest in) and talking about her morning helping at a local dance school. Then she started talking about Mark and how she knows she made a mistake and he’s finally started talking to her again (after she promised him she wasn’t going to get bored again—I’m interested to see how long that lasts) before she practically shoved me into my bathroom and told me to wash my hair. When I came out, she had her hairdryer and straightener ready, and once she was finished with that, she moved on to my face, applying my various products with all the ease of a professional makeup artist. She did listen to me slightly and hasn’t applied as much as she’d like, but even with my orders and reluctance to let her do exactly what she wants, she’s somehow managed to make me feel really, really pretty.