The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(70)

“Well how would you know? We weren’t exactly friends.”

He shifts again and doesn’t look at me. “I don’t know…these things just come out.”

I turn my gaze back up to the sky. This wasn’t a conversation I was expecting to have. I watch as a plane flies overhead, leaving a trail behind it, and try to focus on that. This isn’t something I’ve ever talked about. The only person I’ve told is Sophie, and only the once. It wasn’t something I was expecting to have to think about, but for whatever reason, I trust Chase. “That wasn’t my first kiss.”

It takes me another couple of minutes before I have the courage to turn and face him. He doesn’t say anything when I do. He just waits for me, just like he keeps doing—not rushing me, just waiting, just waiting for me to share with him, if and when I want to.

I take a breath, sit up, and cross my legs. He matches my stance, and I look down at my hands. They automatically start twisting together. I glance at him and his eyes are focused on my fingers. I get the idea he’s figured out that’s my nervous habit. “Jessie was my first kiss,” I eventually manage to spit out.

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. “What happened?”

I think back to sophomore year, the night of that party Sophie dragged me to, the way I only stayed because Jessie was there and how we found ourselves together and alone in a corner of the garden.

“What happened?” Chase asks again, gently.

I shake my head and force a smile. “I woke up the next day really excited. I stupidly thought we’d be together, but he didn’t even remember it. He was drunk, had no recollection.” I shrug like it doesn’t bother me, like Jessie didn’t shatter my heart that day. “And that was that.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shrug again and try to push away the feeling of rejection that has come rushing back. I still remember that day. I didn’t stop crying for hours. “S’okay.”

Chase reaches out and rests his hand on top of mine, stopping my hands from fidgeting—which I hadn’t even realized I was still doing. “And I’m sorry our kiss in the cafeteria was our first kiss. You deserved better.”

I smile. “You’re not what I was expecting, Chase Mitchell.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “What were you expecting?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, some hotshot player who thinks he knows everything.”

His eyes are trained on me. “And what did you get?”

What did I get? I got a friend. I got someone I’ve come to rely on, someone who is there for me and seems to understand me, someone I can be completely myself with.

I’m about to open my mouth to tell him this but I stop as another thought springs to my mind. “Why did you never date Sophie?”

He scrunches up his face, confused.

“I’m being serious. She had a thing for you for years, and she’s not exactly subtle. You’ve dated tons of other girls at school, and she’s gorgeous, popular…why never her?”

“Truth?” he asks, his green gaze holding mine.

I nod.

“Because she’s your best friend.” My heart thuds in my chest. “And I knew you’d never look twice at someone who had dated your friend.”





SOPHIE AND I ARE WALKING down the hallway just after lunch, and she has to stop by her locker before we each head to our next class. She’s talking non-stop about Mark, absolutely back in the throes of young love, and I can’t help but laugh—the way she’s talking, you’d think she’d never broken his heart. There was never any doubt they’d get back together eventually, and after I lectured her sufficiently about not taking his feelings for granted, she’s managed to convince me it’s the real deal for them this time.

She stops at her locker and pulls out a couple of books, shoving them into my hands while she dumps the ones she doesn’t need. I glance up and see Aaron, Jackson, and Brendon walking down the hallway. Aaron spots me, smiles in greeting, and swerves over to us.

“You guys want to come to my house after school?” he asks. “Thinking of ordering a bunch of food and chilling by the pool.”

“Is Mark going?” Sophie asks.

Aaron smirks. “I’ll ask him.”

Sophie grins at me. “Then definitely count me in.”

“We said we’d go for food with Jessie,” I remind her.

Her face falls. “Oh yeah.” She turns to look at Aaron, a plea in her eyes.

Aaron looks uncomfortable, and I know why. He probably doesn’t care if Jessie is there or not, but Chase will, and Aaron won’t go against Chase.

Chase. Chase who hinted that he’d watched me play soccer from Ms. Fountain’s classroom. Chase who rejected a hot college girl because he said he already had an awesome girlfriend. Chase who told me he wouldn’t date Sophie because of me. Chase who told me that with so much meaning in his eyes, nearly causing me to stop breathing. Chase who told me that and then acted like it was cool that I immediately froze up and made my excuses and left a few minutes later. Chase who I haven’t spoken to all day.

“It’s fine,” I jump in. “You go, Soph. I’ll go for food with Jessie on my own.”

Sophie looks at me like I’m crazy, and Aaron snorts while Jackson and Brendon look on skeptically (which worries me considering they’re not supposed to know anything about my feelings for Jessie and Chase and I are boyfriend and girlfriend as far as they’re concerned). Well, yeah, okay…Chase will like that idea even less than Jessie hanging out at Aaron’s house, but to be honest, I don’t really care. Things are finally somewhat back to normal with Jessie. He hasn’t mentioned breaking up with Courtney again—much to my frustration—but he’s the one who suggested getting food, and I’m not about to bail on him.