The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(4)
I bristle in my seat and Sophie lets out a not-so-subtle cough. I refuse to look at her; I know she’ll only look self-righteous. She’s always nagging at me for helping Jessie with his homework, but I’m not about to let him fall behind in class. The only ones who know about that are me, Jessie, and Sophie. Chase Mitchell certainly doesn’t know I do Jessie’s homework for him, so he can stop looking so judgmental.
I glance at Jessie, but it’s gone completely over his head. He’s just nodding in agreement and grinning at them. I hate it when he does this. Jessie has plenty of friends, but Sophie and I have always been enough for him. Recently, though…recently I think he wants to hang out with other people, and I hate, hate, hate that he wants to hang with the popular kids. It’s so cliché.
“So, Ferguson’s?” Jessie asks again.
Aaron nods. “Yeah. You guys wanna—”
“No.” Chase cuts in before Aaron can finish his sentence. “I think we’re gonna pass this week.”
There’s an awkward silence. That whole crowd goes to Ferguson’s every single Friday straight from school and everyone knows it. Chase clearly just doesn’t want us there. I don’t care, but one glance at Jessie tells me he does. This is what I don’t get about Chase: he seems so carefree and fun when you see him around school—hell, he was even a few minutes ago when he was joking around with Sophie—but whenever I interact with him, he’s just cold and aloof. I have a feeling he doesn’t like me, and he definitely doesn’t like Jessie judging by all the times he’s blown off Jessie’s invites; I just don’t know why.
“Um…so…we better go then,” Aaron says eventually, shooting a confused glance at Chase. Chase nods, not even bothering to look at us, and starts walking toward his friends. Aaron follows him but then stops a few feet away. “I’m having a party at my house tomorrow night,” he says. His eyes flash to each of us and he smiles warmly. “You guys should come.” I actually see Chase stiffen next to him, but I’m distracted by Jessie and Sophie.
“Sure!”
“Sounds great. What time?”
My jaw drops open involuntarily. We just planned for them to come to my house.
“You down, Chapman?” Aaron asks.
I glance back at him and see his and Chase’s gaze fixed on me, waiting for my answer.
“Uh, I dunno, probably not,” I tell them. “It’s not really my thing.”
Sophie rolls her eyes across from me. “She’ll be there,” she says matter-of-factly. Aaron smiles at me, offers us one last wave, and then turns to greet his friends; Chase is right beside him, in his ear, probably irritated that Aaron invited us. I don’t know what his problem is, but I agree with him—I also wish Aaron hadn’t invited us.
Jessie turns around, grinning, clearly excited at the prospect of hanging out with all those guys tomorrow night, and Sophie isn’t exactly hiding her enthusiasm either, even though I’d put money on her having already known about the party. I frown as Chase’s car peels out of the parking lot. I don’t have a good feeling about this.
I KNOCK QUICKLY ON SOPHIE’S door before pushing it open. Predictably, it’s like stepping into a war zone. Clothes are strewn all over the place, makeup is scattered all over the floor, and music is blasting from her speakers. I gingerly step forward, glancing around for her amongst the chaos as I make my way over to her window seat, plonking myself down in my usual spot just as she emerges from the closet.
My jaw falls open at the sight of her.
Sophie doesn’t just look good, she looks amazing—as in, she’s taken it to a different level tonight. She’s wearing a skin-tight miniskirt (so mini it should probably be illegal) that hugs her hips and a sheer fitted tank top that’s low enough to hint at her incredible chest, showing just a glimmer of her bra underneath. She’s paired it with stilettos that easily add five inches to her frame, her dark brown hair is slicked back into a ponytail, and the smoky eye thing she has going on adds to the effect. She strikes a pose when she sees me.
“You look insane,” I tell her.
She grins. “Good.”
“No, I mean, seriously,” I reiterate. “As in, you’re gonna give the guys at the party heart attacks.”
She laughs at me, walking over to her dresser and spraying herself with some perfume. “That’s the plan.”
I let out a yawn as I watch her. I forget how beautiful she is sometimes. She’s the complete opposite of me. 5’3 to my 5’8, her hair is dark and long while mine is a light blonde that falls just above my shoulders. Her eyes are warm and brown, mine are a clear blue, and she has curves to die for while I resemble an ironing board. It’s not just in looks that we differ; we could not be more different in our personalities either. She’s loud, popular, outgoing, and sociable. I’m quiet, shy, nervous, and an insane worrier, but despite all our differences, she has my back like no one else, makes me laugh until I cry, and is the sister I never had. I know I couldn’t live without her.
“You ready to—” She stops abruptly and narrows her eyes at me. “You’re not going like that!”
I glance down at my faded jeans and loose fitting t-shirt then look back at her, confused. “What? I wear this all the time.”