Page 1 of My Fake Date With My Childhood Friend (Port Lane Romances #3)

one

The freezing air bit into my cheeks, my breath came in pieces, and I felt like my braces were frozen to my teeth.

The weather had been cold for weeks, but it had gotten much worse today and I regretted turning down my mother’s offer to drive me to school, even if it meant I would have been here a half hour early.

Shivers wracked through my body, even with my two layers of clothes, giant white coat, mittens, and earmuffs.

The snow was getting heavier on my walk, as if it was going to storm soon. I hoped tomorrow would be a snow day. Or maybe we would get snowed in and go on Christmas Break early. That was how awful school had been lately — I would rather stay at home with my siblings than come here.

My phone dinged with a text message, which had become rare lately since I had no friends left. But when I pulled it out, I realized it was just a text from my mom:

Remember to pick up Benjamin from daycare after school.

Oh, great. My first text in three weeks, and it was just that I needed to pick up my four-year-old brother.

As I walked the path up to the school’s front doors and heard music drifting out the doors, I started to drag my feet.

The student council had been playing holiday music over the PA system every morning of December.

I clenched my hands in tight fists in my pockets, trying not to let the annoyance show on my face.

I was getting sick of hearing Jingle Bells every stupid morning, but I’d learned not to dare to let other people know that — the cheerleaders that stood by each school entrance ringing bells and asking for Christmas donations kept calling me the Grinch or Scrooge if I did, and that was not a good start to my morning.

Who were they to call me that, anyway? I’d like to see them be happy about the Christmas holidays while going through a break-up.

There was a cheerleader couple sitting on the steps, getting in everyone’s way.

They seemed to be in their own little world as they held hands and whispered to each other.

Couples were always together in this chilly weather.

It was like they thought cuddling was the only way to keep themselves warm.

I scowled, hating to see the PDA. Why did they have to act like that? Did they have to remind the rest of us how single we were? Not to mention, they were ignoring their duties as school cheerleaders right then — they were outside to raise money for charity, not to make everyone miserable.

My anger was coming from a place of jealousy and I felt bad for letting it get to me, but I also had trouble not doing so.

I guess it wasn't their fault for being so in love. I once was in love like that. Not long ago, I was the one staring into my boyfriend’s eyes and giggling like an idiot.

And now I was like my neighbour, Mrs. Pandowski, who chased away any boys who dared to come near my house because she wanted me to be single forever like her.

I tilted my head away from the other cheerleaders who were actually paying attention, ignoring it when I thought I heard one of them call my name.

As I entered the school, the heated air blasted on me and I felt like my body was thawing from frozen.

I glanced at the time on the main clock and cursed under my breath.

I was running late and still had to get my books from my locker.

The entire school was decorated for Christmas to a nauseating degree.

Garland, tinsel and paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, bright red and green tulle covered every classroom's window, and there was even a giant fake tree in the foyer.

As I walked towards my locker, I got a strong whiff of hot chocolate mixed with cinnamon and peppermint.

Once again, the result of the Christmas-obsessed student council.

When they celebrated a holiday, they went all out. I shuddered to remember Halloween.

There was a dull roar of chatter as I walked through the hall, but everyone went silent as I walked past them.

Their eyes were on me, assessing my every move.

I was used to the stares now, but the loneliness was still there.

I could remember walking to my locker and finding Joseph there waiting for me with a cup of coffee in hand.

We would laugh and kiss and gossip about the latest drama in school.

On days she could drag herself out of bed early enough, Nikki would join us too.

We were the perfect little trio. Now that was a distant memory.

It wasn’t long before I heard my name getting thrown around. I couldn’t quite make out what they were talking about, but it didn’t take a genius to guess. Honestly, didn’t they have anything else to talk about? Why were they so invested in my love life?

While I’d had various friends throughout the years, Joseph and Nikki had always been my best friends.

It seemed like a dream come true when Joseph asked me.

Little did I know that dating him would bring out a side of him I’d never seen before and ruin our friendship.

I desperately wanted to go back to the way things were, but it could never happen; not after what he did.

And to make it worse, all my other friends disappeared along with him after the break-up, leaving me completely alone.

In a just world, Joseph that would be the one getting treated like this.

After all, he was the one who made out with his girlfriend’s best friend under the bleachers.

I was just the poor sap who had somehow fallen for his tricks.

But no — because I was less popular than him, I got all the funny looks and whispering.

I pushed away a stray sparkly red balloon that was floating in front of my locker door, then stuffed my jacket into my locker and looked at the small mirror someone had glued to the inside of the door.

I thought I looked fine when I left the house, but now my wet hair was falling flat around my shoulders, making me look like a cat that had fallen in the bath.

With a groan, I tied it up in a messy bun.

It didn’t look much better, but who was I trying to impress, anyway?

At least now, it wasn’t dripping down my back.

I slammed my locker shut again and headed off to class.

I stared at the ground as I walked to avoid looking at everyone else.

It seemed like a good idea until I collided with a girl going the other way.

The pencil case she’d been carrying in her hand flew open and pens fell all over the floor.

She gasped in surprise and dropped down to get them before they all rolled away.

“Sorry,” I said. I put down my backpack and crouched down to help her pick them up. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It was my fault.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her flip her blonde hair as she reached for a highlighter. The movement was so familiar that it made me freeze in place. I took a deep breath and looked at her. As if she sensed my hesitation, she turned towards me as well, showing me her entire face.

Staring back at me was the girl I had been avoiding for weeks.

Memories flashed through my mind like a slideshow, bringing me back to a better time in my life: flashbacks of us watching romantic movies in my house, staying up late talking, her giving me advice on any problems I was facing, the two of us being joking around, and playing songs and dancing in her bedroom, us going to amusement parks together and screaming at the top of our lungs on the scary rides.

It was like a distant memory now… A version of ourselves from another dimension.

“Penny,” Nikki said. She cleared her throat and looked around nervously.

Nikki had always been pretty, but it was like she ramped it up about ten notches ever since she started dating Joseph.

She always wore nice clothes, the closest things she could wear to heels without breaking the dress code, and had started using a purse instead of a backpack.

Today, she was wearing a grey sweater dress and boots, with a red bow tied into her long blonde hair.

She looked like she had pulled the outfit straight from an Instagram post. “Hey. It’s… been a while.”

“Yeah.” I tried not to sound too bitter. I dropped the pen I’d been gripping and stood up. She followed suit, leaving her stuff on the ground. I took a step back and pressed my lips together. I didn’t have it in me to talk to her today.

“Running late this morning?” She asked. I stared at her, not knowing what she meant, but also not wanting to ask and dignify her with a response. “Your hair’s soaked. It looks like you jumped out of the shower and came straight here.”

“It’s from the snow.”

“Oh.” Her lip curled. “You should try to dry it with the hand dryer in the bathroom. Looks a little embarrassing.”

“You would know what embarrassment looks like. Personally, I think there’s nothing more mortifying than being the rebound girl for my best friend’s ex-boyfriend, but maybe that’s just me.”

Nikki stared at me with her mouth hanging open. I couldn’t blame her. It had been an unspeakable topic since I found out about them. Granted, Nikki and I had barely spoken since the incident, but every time we did, we kept it light and breezy. Small talk only.

“Penny—”

“I have to get to class,” I interrupted. I couldn’t do this today; couldn’t face her after what she did. “Bye.”

“Penny,” she repeated. She put her hand on my forearm. “Wait.”

“For what? You to betray me again?”

I tried to pass her, but she stepped in front of me again. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Do you really want to give up our friendship over a guy?” She asked desperately. It was pathetic, honestly. She already got what she wanted — she got Joseph. Why was she so insistent that I still be friends with her? “I mean?—”

I shook my head. “Don’t talk to me.”