Page 22 of My Fake Date With My Childhood Friend (Port Lane Romances #3)

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I splashed some cold water on my face as if that was going to wake me up from the dream I had been living in for the past week.

I couldn’t wrap my brain around anything that had been happening since Alexander, and I started fake dating.

It was like a switch had flipped, and I was back in everyone’s good graces.

Of course, there were two people determined to ruin my good mood, and those were the two that I, unfortunately, kept running into.

I barely reacted when the bathroom door swung open. It was between classes, so it wasn’t surprising that I wouldn’t be the only one there. I didn’t even take note of the person who came in until she sauntered up right next to me, invading my personal space and leaving me no doubt of who she was.

“Penny,” she said coldly.

“We need to stop meeting like this,” I said flatly. Was she watching me and following me when I was alone in the bathroom? Because honestly, what were the chances of this happening twice in as many weeks?

“Is Alexander taking you to the dance?” Nikki asked. She tilted her head, letting her ponytail swing to the side.

“I don’t know many girls who go to the dance with a boy that’s not their boyfriend,” I said. “Then again, I guess you wouldn’t know anything about that, seeing as how you made out with mine.”

I pushed past her and ripped a long piece of paper towel out from the machine before aggressively drying my hands. The paper was rough against my skin, but I ignored the pain in my rush to get out of there as soon as possible.

My phone kept buzzing in my pocket and driving me insane. I finally dropped the paper towel in the garbage can and ripped my phone out of my pocket, half expecting to see some sort of emergency. Instead, all the messages were from Joseph:

Hey

Hi

Please answer my call.

Why aren’t you answering my calls?

Please pick it up.

Check your voicemail.

Penny, why are you like this? Just hear me out.

Penny, please call me back.

Hi.

This was getting pathetic. He needed to take a hint. I was actually close to blocking his number. I never called him back since the day he called, and ever since then, he has been bombarding me with texts, iMessages, and voice notes.

I spun around.

“You know, if I was you, I would worry more about your own relationship instead of mine,” I said, “because your boyfriend is blowing up my phone non-stop.”

“He is not!” Nikki snapped, crossing her arms.

“Except he is.” I turned the phone screen towards her so she could see the influx of messages. “So, if you don't want to end up in the same situation as I did, you better talk to him because he didn't exactly become loyal overnight.”

Nikki stared at me silently for a minute. I would have thought she was about to cry if I didn't know better.

“You're lying,” she said in a shaky voice. “You're just trying to get us to break up!”

“You can believe what you want, but I am not invested enough in your relationship to lie about something like this.” I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “I have my own relationship going on, you know. And I'm very happy.”

I stormed past her and went to walk out.

“He doesn’t even like you, you know!” She called after me.

I paused with my hand on the door. I wanted to leave, but I also didn’t want her to yell after me down the hallway.

I was finally starting to feel like I could show my face in school again, and I didn’t need her to ruin that for me a second time.

“Oh, really?” Obviously, I knew that Alexander didn’t like me — this whole thing was fake. But Nikki didn’t know that. I crossed my arms. “And how exactly do you know that?”

“He told me himself,” she said simply.

“He wouldn’t do that.” It was against our deal, and he very well knew it.

“He said he’s not interested in you,” Nikki repeated. “That you’re just a friend. Probably better for you to break it off sooner rather than later. You know, spare yourself the embarrassment and all that.”

The pressure inside my chest was unbearable.

I couldn’t breathe. Who was she to say all of this to me?

Where did she get off on this? I knew Alexander hadn’t said anything — had no reason to say anything — so she had to be saying this just out of the viciousness of her own heart.

No matter how low I thought Nikki could sink, she kept finding a way to go lower.

I didn’t know what to think or say or do.

All I wanted to do was run away, but I didn’t even have the energy or willpower to walk away from her.

“You’re lying,” I finally managed to say. It was a stupid comeback. Of course, she was lying. We both knew it. The real question was what drove her to do it.

“Why would I lie?” She asked innocently. She tilted her head and looked at me with big eyes.

“Because you refuse to let me be happy!” I snapped. My hand curled into a fist, and it took everything in me to keep it clenched at my side. “Because you can’t stand that I found a new boyfriend and new friends and… and a new life without you!”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I didn’t even stick around long enough to see her reaction. I slammed the door open so hard that it actually hurt my hands a little and stormed down the hallway, smirking to myself a little when she didn’t follow.