Page 12 of Scarlett and the Fake Boyfriend (Scarlett #2)

Wednesday

I thought it was the kiss thief creating some kind of distraction with the crashing noise. I looked over to the lingerie section where I’d heard it. But all I saw was Sophie flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water. She’d knocked over a huge rack of lingerie.

“Oh my,” my mom said. “We should probably go help that woman.”

Crap! “Nah, she’s fine.”

“Sweetie, she’s rolling around. She can’t get up.”

“Maybe she wants to be on the floor.”

“Covered in bras? I don’t think so.”

“She just seems like a floor person to me.”

“Scarlett, don’t be rude.” My mom started to walk toward her.

“RJ, go help her!” Liam said. “You’re the closest one.”

“Oh sorry,” RJ said. “I was helping a very top heavy woman with a teensy little bikini.” He giggled. “I gave her a few sizes too small. Everyone should wear them this way.”

“RJ!” Liam yelled. “My mom is going to see Soph.”

“Right. On it.” RJ came sprinting out of the dressing room to assist Soph. “Clean up on aisle two,” he said in his flamboyant voice. “Madame, you divine beast. Here, let me help you up.” RJ somehow managed to help Sophie to her feet. “What’s your name, you scrumptious morsel?”

“I am...Gog,” Sophie said. She made a face, probably realizing that Gog was the most ridiculous name ever. And then she knocked over another rack to distract everyone from her announcing that her name was Gog. “Gog go smash.”

“Gog?” Liam said in my earpiece. “Really?”

I threw my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh.

I knew where Sophie had gotten Gog from.

When we were little and playing Barbies, sometimes Liam would run over with this monster toy and knock everything over.

He always yelled: “Gog go smash!” Or other short broken English sentences because he was just a toddler at the time.

My mom turned around. “Yeah, let’s let the professionals handle that one.” She gave me a look that said she thought Gog was an insane woman.

Agreed. Luckily my mom didn’t seem to remember Gog the monster toy. But I’d always thought Liam did it when she wasn’t looking.

“Now where were we? Right. Homecoming dresses.” My mom walked off toward the dresses. She seemed relieved that it was on the other side of the store.

I hurried after her.

“What color do you think you want to wear?” She stopped at the first rack and started looking through the dresses.

“Mom, we weren’t done talking. Do you not like Jacob?”

She sighed and let the dresses fall back in place. “Of course I like Jacob.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“At the beginning of the month you were wearing Axel’s varsity jacket to school.”

I pressed my lips together.

“You came home crying after the first party of the year. And you never told me who your first kiss was with.”

Well I don’t know either!

“All you said was that you’d wanted it to be with him and...” her voice trailed off again. “And then you start dating Jacob several days later? I don’t understand why when you’ve been in love with Axel your whole life.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m not in love with Axel.”

“It’s always been you and Axel. Ever since you learned how to speak.”

“I was just a dumb kid.”

“You were crying over him just a week ago, Scarlett.”

“Well, I’ve matured a lot this week. And actually it’s been almost two weeks. So...moot point, Mom.”

My mom sighed. “Scarlett, you never gave him his jacket back.” As if that was the only proof she needed.

“I tried to. He refused to take it.”

“If you say so.”

“I literally just said so, Mom.”

“And your dad caught the two of you in bed together...”

“Studying!” I didn’t want to keep fighting about this.

My relationship with Jacob wasn’t real. And I was worried I’d say something that made her realize it.

I couldn’t tell her the truth. Because then she’d tell my dad.

And then everyone would find out. I wanted Operation Too Hot to Handle to work.

Because the sad part was that my mom was right. I was still in love with Axel.

My mom sighed. “I love Jacob. You know that. And I can tell he likes you. I see the way he looks at you. I’m just worried that maybe you don’t feel as strongly for him as he feels for you.”

“I’m telling you that I like Jacob. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because you’re acting awfully defensive about the whole thing...”

“Because you keep saying I don’t like my boyfriend, when I do.”

“I never said you didn’t like him. I just don’t think you’re in love with him.”

“That happens gradually for some people, Mom! I really really like Jacob. I didn’t realize it before because Axel was always on my mind.

But I’m old enough to know that Axel and I will never happen.

And I’m finally opening up my eyes to what’s been in front of me the whole time.

Jacob is sweet and kind. And I’m always laughing when we’re together.

We have so much fun. And he’s handsome. And intelligent.

And he always puts me first. I always smile when he walks into the room.

It’s easier to breathe when I’m around him,” I added, remembering what my dad had told me.

“The only thing I’m upset about is that I didn’t realize my feelings for him sooner.

I can’t believe how much time I wasted on Axel.

It’s Jacob. It’s always been Jacob. He makes me feel so. ..safe.”

“Aw,” Sophie said in my ear. “You make Gog cry.”

I knew my face was turning red. I’d forgotten that all of them could hear what I was saying. Including the mime outside. “So please just stop judging my relationship and acting like you’re an expert on love.”

“I am an expert on love. I write romance novels for a living.”

I scoffed. “Romance novels I’m not allowed to read.”

“Well, yes. They’re a little steamy.”

“Gross.”

She sighed. “I just don’t want you to make a mistake. I know when I met your father I wished I’d had someone to talk to. But we were dating in secret and...” She pressed her lips together. “I just want you to know that I’m here.”

Dating in secret wasn’t the same as fake dating. I exhaled slowly. I wished I could talk to her about all this. I really did. But my life was a mess and I didn’t want to pull anyone else into it. “I know.”

“I just always thought you and Axel would end up together.”

“I think we were always just meant to be friends.” I hated saying it out loud. Because it sounded true. It sounded real. And I was worried it might be.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. I know how much that must have hurt to find out.”

“Like my heart being pulled out and thrown into oncoming traffic.”

She pulled me into a hug. “I just want you to be happy.”

“Jacob makes me happy.” It wasn’t a lie. He did. I loved wearing his jacket to school. And holding his hand between classes. And him calling me love. But it was fake.

RJ sighed in my earpiece. “Well, that was cute. Does that mean you’re real dating Jacob now?”

For some reason I waited for Jacob to respond. But then I remembered that he was a mime. And I didn’t need Jacob to respond because I already knew what he’d say. He’d made his lack of feelings for me very clear the other day.

“No,” I said. Jacob didn’t like me anymore. I kissed too weird. Gah, why could I kiss my kiss thief normally and not Jacob?

“What?” My mom pulled back from our hug. “Did you not mean what you said about Jacob?”

Ah! What was the last thing I’d said to her? Oh, right. I’d said ‘Jacob makes me happy.’ And then I’d said ‘no,’ to RJ. But of course she didn’t know I had an earpiece. I cleared my throat. “I meant every word.”

“So adorable,” Sophie said. “I want out of this Gog costume. Where is the kiss thief? Has anyone seen anything suspicious?”

“Negative,” RJ said. “But I love helping women try on bikinis. Yes!” he yelled. “Darling, you look fabulous. But let’s get you into a pair of matching heels.”

I rolled my eyes.

“How about you give Jacob a call, sweetie,” my mom said. “To see what color you’d like to wear to homecoming? I need to go pick up a few things real quick from another section.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said.

My mom wandered off.

I turned toward the rack of dresses. “What color were you thinking, Jacob?”

He didn’t respond.

“Mr. Mime?”

Jacob chuckled. “You love the color that the secret lair was painted, right?”

I looked down at the green bracelet that his little sister Chloe had made for me. It had some teal beads on it too. “Yeah. It’s my favorite.”

“Then let’s do that. It looks really good with your hair.”

I smiled. “Okay.”

“I’ll have my abuelo find me a matching bowtie.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Are you guys seriously not going to talk about all the cute things Scarlett just said about you, Jacob?” Sophie asked. “God this fat suit is so hot. I’m sweating balls. I hate being Gog. Gog want free.”

I laughed. I waited a beat for Jacob to say something. But he was probably back to miming. I grabbed one of the dresses they had in teal and headed toward the dressing room.

“Uh...guys?” Sophie said.

I stopped. “Do you see the kiss thief?”

“No. But your mom is in the lingerie section. I think she’s picking up some things to wear for Uncle James. Gross.”

Ew. I didn’t need to hear about that.

“I can’t wait to see her in that,” RJ said.

“Don’t talk about my mom like that,” Liam said. And then he cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he said in his southern accent. “Can you tell me where...”

I ignored the voices in my ear and kept walking toward the dressing room. But before I reached it, all the lights in the store cut off .

“Ah! Damn it!” Sophie yelled and there was a crashing noise. She’d definitely just knocked into another rack.

I started to laugh, but a hand clamped around my mouth. I tried to scream as the guy behind me pulled me into a dark room. The door slammed behind us as he spun me around.

I couldn’t see anything. But I knew it was my kiss thief even before his lips pressed against mine.

He groaned into my mouth and stepped forward, making my back collide with the table behind me.