The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(8)

Just before we’re about to finally step into the kitchen, someone blocks our path, someone who smells like a meadow and looks like a dream.

Abigail Baker.

“Not like you to show up, Livy,” she says, looking me up and down and smiling sweetly. “Strange to see you looking like a girl for a change.” And there it is, one of the subtle digs Abigail is famous for, the ones that ensure I’ve avoided her ever since we were freshmen and she told me her twelve-year-old sister had bigger boobs than me.

Sophie stiffens at my side. “Looking like the best-looking girl at the party,” she says, instantly defending me, her fierce sense of loyalty overlooking the fact that it’s a total lie. She steps in closer to me. “Everyone’s said so.”

Abigail looks down her nose. She’s not as tall as me, but she still has a couple of inches on Sophie.

“Is that so?”

“Hell yes.” Sophie throws her arm around me. “I mean, can you blame them?”

Abigail narrows her eyes.

“Brendon, Chase, and Jackson couldn’t get enough.” I roll my eyes at this. She’s just exaggerating for effect now, but the use of Chase’s name has certainly gotten Abigail’s attention, just like Sophie knew it would.

Abigail turns to face her fully, all but dismissing me. “Nice skirt, Sophie,” she tells her. “It’s a little obvious for my taste, but you really pull it off.”

Sophie narrows her eyes. “Stop being a jealous douche and go away.”

Abigail’s mouth falls open, all pretense of nicety gone, and she steps in even closer to Sophie. “Stay away from Chase. I know what you’re doing.”

Sophie starts laughing at this and raises her eyebrows tauntingly. There really is no love lost between these two. They may have mutual friends, but Sophie refuses to worship Abigail like the rest of the school, and Abigail doesn’t like it—not at all. “Worried, are we?”

I’ve had enough of this and I need to find Jessie—the sole reason I’m here. “Let’s go,” I tell Sophie, tugging on her hand, and she eventually lets me pulls her away. “Did you have to wind her up like that?” I ask.

Sophie just smirks. “She was being a bitch. I can’t believe she’s still jealous of you.” I shake my head. Sophie thinks the reason Abigail is always a bitch to me is because she’s jealous. It makes no sense, but I’ve never been able to change her mind on it, so there’s no point in trying now. Sophie suddenly nudges me in the side, nodding her head in the opposite direction, and that’s when I finally spot him—all five foot eleven of him, drinking a beer, talking to one of the guys he knows from debate team and looking like all I’ve ever wanted.

I suddenly feel shy, but I try to ignore the butterflies and follow Sophie as she struts over to him. He looks up as she approaches and grins before he looks past her and sees me. His eyes widen so much it’s almost comical, and he goes to open his mouth to say something but the words seem stuck in his throat.

I kinda stand there awkwardly, waiting for him to snap out of it while Sophie hunts around for a couple of drinks for us.

“Hey,” he eventually manages to choke out. “You look…” The sentence hangs in midair.

“Hot?” Sophie supplies, turning back to us and handing me a drink, something that smells so strong I know I’ll only take a couple of sips of it. “Beautiful?” she continues. “Like she’s so far out of your league you’re lucky she’s even talking to you?”

“Soph,” I hiss. She’s taking it a bit far.

Jessie just laughs. “You look awesome,” he tells me. “Really, really awesome.”

I can’t hold back my smile. “Thanks.”

His friend tells him he’s going to go enter the beer pong tournament and asks if he wants to join. Jessie hesitates, looks back at me for a second, then tells his friend to go ahead and he’ll see him later. The feeling it gives me is better than scoring a goal. He’s picked me over a beer pong tournament with this guy and Aaron and all the others he’s always eager to be around. He’d rather spend time with me.

“Well, I have to go make Mark insanely jealous while simultaneously making Chase Mitchell fall in love with me,” Sophie announces, backing away from us. She waits until Jessie has turned away before sending me an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up then disappears into the crowd, leaving the two of us alone.

“You really do look great, you know,” Jessie tells me again, surprise in his voice and maybe a hint of confusion.

It’s happening—he’s finally starting to see me in a different way. “So do you.”

Our eyes meet and the butterflies in my stomach have never been so intense. He grins and looks down at the cup in my hand. “Want me to get you a drink that won’t give you alcohol poisoning?”



The next hour passes in a whirl and I swear it feels like he’s seeing me for the first time. I try not to get carried away, but I am not imagining the fact that our eyes are lingering on each other’s more than ever, he’s standing closer to me than is strictly necessary, and he’s finding excuses to touch me—resting his hand on my arm for a second more than is needed and being extra attentive about everything. It’s like it’s just the two of us in the room, like no one else exists, and when people do come talk to us, try to join our conversation, we quietly dismiss them, preferring to just stick to the two of us.