Page 4 of Scarlett and the Fake Boyfriend (Scarlett #2)

“Well I probably do deserve detention,” Sophie said. “I was such a bad girl last week, wasn’t I?”

Mr. Halifax’s eyes grew round.

“When you caught me on your desk with...well, you know.”

“Soph,” I hissed. She wasn’t just going to get detention. She was going to get Mr. Halifax fired by talking like that. People might think she was on Mr. Halifax’s desk with him instead of with Pavel the exploder.

“What?” Sophie said to me. “Detention will be fun.”

“No it won’t!” I hissed.

“Enough,” Mr. Halifax said.

“And Scarlett needs some extra help after that terrible grade on the pop quiz. ”

Sophie!

“Very well,” Mr. Halifax said. “You both have detention then.”

I groaned. Damn it, Sophie! I did not want to spend any more time with Mr. Halifax than necessary!

“I hope you’re happy,” he said. “Now please pay attention. Both of you.”

Sophie smiled. She looked very happy indeed.

But I was hyperventilating a little. I pressed my lips together. I’d never had detention before. And my dad was going to find out because I wasn’t going to be able to ride home with him. Crap.

At least Sophie would be distracted all day now. She probably wouldn’t notice that Jacob was only my fake boyfriend.

***

I was correct. Sophie talked about how thrilled she was about getting detention in our next class. And the next. And the next. And now she was talking about it at lunch.

“I hope he spanks me with a ruler,” Sophie said.

I just shook my head.

Jacob laughed as he sat down next to me. “What are you two talking about?”

“Scarlett and I have detention after school today with Mr. Halifax.”

“Sophie, please don’t get our teacher arrested,” Jacob said.

Sophie smiled. “I would never kiss and tell. I mean. Outside of us I mean. I’ll tell you guys every sordid detail.”

Was she forgetting that I’d be there too? Hiding from Mr. Halifax?

“Speaking of sordid details. I want to hear the whole story about how you asked Scar out.”

“No thanks,” Liam said as he sat down next to Sophie.

“Excuse you,” Sophie said. “This table is all about hot goss today. So if you can’t handle it, maybe you should go sit with the children at table two.”

RJ laughed and sat down next to me. “No, we want to hear all the latest gossip. Better to blackmail you with later.”

Sophie glared at him. “I’m ignoring both of you.” She turned back to Jacob. “Now tell me everything.”

Jacob put his arm around my shoulders. “It was actually really cute. Scarlett came over last night for dinner. There was some lemonade in the fridge. And Scarlett didn’t realize it was spiked. And she had like two huge glasses of it.”

“Oh no,” Sophie said with a laugh.

What was he talking about? I hadn’t had any spiked lemonade.

“And then she confessed that she’s had a crush on me for years. And has been dying to kiss me. It was so adorable.”

What? That’s not what happened!

“And the chemistry was just...mind blowing.”

You laughed at my kiss!

“Although she had just eaten a cupcake and she smeared icing everywhere. All over my face. It was such a mess. But we both couldn’t stop laughing. I asked her to be my girlfriend while I was wiping icing off her nose. Right, love?”

I just stared at him. Did he seriously just make up this story to embarrass me? I opened my mouth and closed it again. But what was I supposed to say? “Yup, that’s what happened.”

“Your face is so red right now, Scar.” Sophie smiled. “So adorable.”

I kicked Jacob under the table, but he barely even flinched.

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “So adorable,” he agreed.

I resisted throwing a French fry at his face.

“What did I miss?” Axel asked as he plopped his tray down next to Sophie’s and kind of stumbled into his seat.

I stared at him. His eyes were bloodshot. And his tie was loose around his neck. And he was missing his blazer.

“Jacob was just telling us about how he asked Scarlett to be his girlfriend...” Sophie’s voice trailed off as she stared at him.

“Cool,” Axel said.

I’d wanted to see his reaction to the news. But now I wished I hadn’t. He was completely unaffected by the news. He even seemed a bit bored. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting though. I already knew he didn’t like me.

“Axel, are you high right now?” Sophie asked.

“Nah,” he said. “But I am hungry. Are you going to eat that?” He pointed to the sandwich on her tray. He didn’t wait for a response. He grabbed it and took a bite instead of eating the meal on his tray.

“Axel,” I said. He was definitely high. What was he doing? Trying to get expelled?

“What?” He ignored me and kept eating. “I want to hear the story. Tell me.”

“Drink this,” I said and handed him my water bottle.

“I’m good.” He pushed it out of the way. “Tell me your story, Scarlett. It’s kind of a big deal, right? You and Jacob dating?”

“I...um...” I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. What story had Jacob told? “I drank too much spiked lemonade and confessed to him that I’d had a crush on him for forever.” I grabbed my water bottle and took a huge sip, stalling for time.

“Forever, huh?” Axel said as I lowered my water bottle.

“You’re really good at keeping secrets, Scarlett.

I don’t think any of us knew about this crush.

Did any of you guys know?” He didn’t wait for a response.

“Actually, I will have some of your water.” He reached over the table and grabbed it out of my hand.

“You don’t mind if I still share stuff like this with your girlfriend, do you, Jacob?

” He took a huge swig before Jacob had a chance to respond.

“Keep going with your story,” Axel said.

“And then I kissed him,” I said. “There were...um...cupcakes involved.”

“Sounds messy.”

“Very,” I said. “And then he asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“She must be a good kisser then, huh, Jacob?”

“It was a great kiss,” Jacob said firmly.

I wouldn’t have known he was lying if I hadn’t known the truth.

“Half the team thinks so too,” Axel said with a laugh.

I could feel my face turning red. It wasn’t half the team. It was just several of his teammates. That kissing booth was going to haunt me forever .

“Cute story,” Axel said. “I can’t wait to hear what happens when you tell your dad about this.”

That was a really random thing to say. “We already did.”

Axel swallowed down his last bite of sandwich. “But you’re still dating and Jacob is still alive?”

“Of course. My dad was happy about it. I think.”

“Happy about it?” Axel laughed. “Bullshit.”

“Yeah, I can’t picture Uncle James being elated by this news,” Sophie said.

“It’s actually true,” Liam said. “We all thought he was high. Speaking of which...you are, right?”

Axel just shrugged.

“Definitely high,” RJ said.

“I’m gonna need another of these sandwiches,” Axel said. “Anyone else need anything?” He stood up and almost fell over.

“Someone should probably go help him,” Sophie said.

I grabbed the rest of my food and Sophie’s full water bottle.

“Hey, I was going to drink that...”

I ignored her and ran after Axel. I hooked my arm through his and pulled him out of the cafeteria.

“I don’t know if your boyfriend will like you touching me like this.”

“I’ve always touched you like this.”

“Not with a boyfriend you haven’t.”

I ignored him. “Where is your blazer?”

He looked down. “I thought I was wearing it.”

I’d check his locker. I pulled him to it and did the combination on his lock.

“Who gave you my combination?” he asked as I opened his locker.

“You did.” I’d known it forever. He was definitely high right now.

Luckily his blazer was hanging there. But my eyes gravitated to a picture of us in his locker.

Well, all four of us. It was from a few summers ago at my parents’ beach house.

I was wearing my glasses and a silly big hat.

I looked like the old me. Not the new better version I wanted Axel to notice.

There were more pictures than just that one.

I knew it didn’t mean anything. But for some reason it still stung.

I grabbed his blazer, slammed the locker closed, and pulled him toward the restrooms. I was about to drag him into the girls’ restroom.

But that would lead to more gossip. So I pulled him into the janitor’s closet instead.

It was my second time in here. I flicked on the lights.

It seemed much less romantic bathed in light.

“This feels very scandalous,” Axel said.

“Eat this.” I handed him my sandwich.

“Gladly.” He took a big bite. “That was a very cute story.”

He’d already said that. “I know,” I said. I placed the water bottle down on the shelf behind him and tried to get Axel’s free hand into the sleeve of his jacket.

“You’ve had a crush on him forever, huh?”

He’d already asked that. “Yes.”

“Interesting. Because the other day you said you saved your first kiss for me.”

Axel had never acknowledged that comment.

And I didn’t want to talk to him about this for the first time when he was high. “Stop talking.” I grabbed his sandwich and put it in his other hand. And then I tried to put his arm in his other sleeve.

Axel laughed.

“Put your hand through the hole.”

“So bossy.”

I grabbed his hand and forced it in. I pulled the blazer the rest of the way up and straightened his collar.

“Who did you give it to?”

“What?”

“Who did you give your first kiss to instead of me? You never told me.”

“I don’t...” I immediately stopped talking.

I’d almost told him I didn’t know. And I didn’t want Axel to know that I didn’t know.

Although I wasn’t sure he’d remember any of this.

.. No. I wasn’t going to tell him. He’d never let me live it down if he happened to remember.

“I don’t think it’s any of your business. ”

“Was it a terrible first kiss?”

“No.”

“Was it with Jacob?”

I shook my head.

“Interesting. So who was a better kisser? Your first kiss or Jacob?”

I pressed my lips together. “Jacob.”

“You hesitated.”

“I did not hesitate.”

“Did too.”

“No.”

“Yes you did.”

He was acting like a child. “I’m not discussing this with you while you’re high.”

“Did too.”

I ignored him.

He looked around the closet as I reached for his tie. “It would be fun to make out with someone in here, don’t you think?”

My hands paused on the knot on his tie. I would have thought he was saying he wanted to kiss me.

But he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking all around the closet.

And he was actually right. The kiss thief had pulled me in here and kissed me right against that shelf.

And it had been fun. Until he’d run off again.

Axel looked down at my hand on his tie and then back up at me. “I’ll have to bring one of the girls from the cheerleading squad in here.”

Him and his stupid deal that I hadn’t agreed to. “Shut up.” I pushed the knot of his tie up. Maybe a little too hard.

“Choking is not my kink, Scarlett.” He grabbed his tie and loosened it a bit again. “And I told you I’d hook up with the whole squad if you started dating someone on my team.”

“Have fun getting every STD known to man.”

“I will.”

I tightened his tie again.

“Stop doing that.” He loosened it again.

Whatever. I’d done my best. At least now he looked semi-presentable. Minus his bloodshot eyes and wobbly walk. “Drink this.” I reached around him and grabbed the water bottle.

“Yes, ma’am.” He took a huge swig.

I pulled my phone out to check the time. Lunch was going to end in a few minutes. And it was probably best to wait this out as long as possible. I folded my arms and leaned against the shelf beside Axel .

He took another sip of his water. “So your dad really didn’t freak out?”

“Nope.”

“Not even a little? I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, he did threaten to kill Jacob if he hurt me. But that was after he congratulated us a ton. He even popped some champagne.”

Axel didn’t say anything. He just took another sip of his water. “So...you and Jacob? That’s a big deal.”

“Mhm. I remember your first girlfriend.”

“I don’t.”

I stared at him. “Rebecca Waters.”

“Oh. Yeah. Becks.” He laughed. “Right.”

He always did that. Made all his hookups seem insignificant. When they’d hurt me like hell.

He pushed himself off the shelves. “Want to go for a walk?”

“We’re in the middle of the school day, Axel.”

“I feel like going to Central Park. And I thought you liked leaving school now all willy nilly.”

I shook my head. “I left once during lunch. I didn’t skip class. Besides, I already have detention today.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You? Detention? I barely recognize you.”

What did he mean by that? “It’s Sophie’s fault. She wanted to have detention because Mr. Halifax is running it today.”

“Makes sense. Well, if you’ll excuse me.” He opened the door of the closet.

“Go to class, Axel.”

“I need a sick day.”

“No.”

He laughed. “ But I’m sick.”

“You’re not sick.”

He pretended to cough into his arm. “Sick. See?” He walked out of the closet.

Crap. I grabbed my tray and water bottle and ran after him.

But the hallway was crowded. I looked around until I spotted him. I could see him clear as day walking through the front doors of the school.

I sighed. What the hell was that?