Page 41 of Scarlett and the Fake Boyfriend (Scarlett #2)

Tuesday

“I’m thinking of staying for breakfast,” Axel said as I came back into my bedroom.

“Absolutely not.” I started packing up my backpack.

Axel usually snuck out when I was still asleep. But he was lingering this morning. He was leaning back against my headboard staring at me like we had all the time in the world. Which we absolutely did not. We had school.

I pulled on my blazer. I’d had to change into the rest of my uniform in the bathroom so Axel wouldn’t stare. I pulled down my skirt a bit. The longer the better this morning. Anything that would put my dad in a better mood.

“What’s Ellen making for us?” Axel asked.

“Us? No.” I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

He smiled.

“Axel, I don’t have time to play mind games right now. My dad still hasn’t returned my phone. He said it would be a few hours and it’s been all night.” I shoved my last book into my backpack and pulled the zipper so hard that the tab fell off. Crap.

Axel chuckled.

“It’s not funny. I’m going to be grounded. ”

“I don’t see why. You said you weren’t sexting the boyfriend.”

“Stop calling Jacob ‘the boyfriend.’ You’re driving me nuts.”

“And yet you snuggled with me all night.”

I turned toward him with a heavy sigh.

He smiled. “It’s going to be fine. I’m sure it just took longer for your dad to fix it than he anticipated. Come back to bed. Let’s take the day off.”

“Get out.”

He laughed. “Come on, let’s skip.”

“My dad has my phone which is full of...”

Axel raised his eyebrow. “Full of what?”

“Nothing. I just...I don’t want him to see my private texts. If he’s hacked it I’m dead. And on top of that you want me to skip school?”

“If you’re already in trouble...”

“You said you thought it was going to be fine!”

“You should really keep your voice down, Scarlett. The last thing you need is for your dad to know you have people coming and going through your secret lair.”

“ Our secret lair! Why does everyone keep calling it mine?” I picked up Axel’s sneakers and handed them to him. “Get dressed. Now.”

Axel stretched instead of taking his shoes.

I did my best not to stare at where his t-shirt trailed up his abs. But I was only so strong.

He shifted forward, grabbed his shoes, and started putting them on. “You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“It’s better if you don’t see this.”

He stood up and stretched again.

And again my eyes fell to his exposed skin.

“It really is going to be fine,” he said. “Hunter Tech phones are meant to be super secure.”

“So you don’t think he can hack it?”

“I mean...he helped create it, right? If he really wants to hack it I’m sure he can...”

“Not helping.” I lifted up the trapdoor. “If you don’t see me at school, you can assume I’m locked in a tower somewhere.”

“I’ll make sure to find you and save you,” he said.

My heart skipped a beat.

Axel gave me one last smile, walked down the stairs, and closed the trapdoor behind him.

I took a deep breath. It was time to face my dad. I grabbed my backpack and left the safety of my room behind.

I thought my dad would be in the kitchen with his arms folded across his chest glaring at me.

But...it was only my mom, Liam, and Ellen.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked. Even though I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know. He was probably at Empire High beating the shit out of Mr. Halifax or something.

“Good morning to you too,” my mom said.

I didn’t have time for niceties when my life was on the line. “Where is he?” I whispered to Liam.

Liam shrugged. “No idea. But I got a text from RJ. Apparently he’s picking us up for school today.”

“Did you just say RJ is picking you up?” my mom asked.

“Obviously Soph will be driving,” Liam said.

I stared at him. We both knew that wasn’t true.

“Good,” my mom said.

Ellen placed an omelet down in front of me.

“Ellen, do you know where my dad is? ”

“He left early this morning, dear. He was in quite a hurry.”

I looked at my mom.

“Apparently there was some emergency at Hunter Tech,” my mom finally said.

An emergency? At Hunter Tech? Did that somehow involve my Hunter Tech phone?

“Nothing to do with any Hunter Tech cameras put up illegally or anything, right?” Liam asked.

Liam!

My mom gave him a weird look. “Your father didn’t say.”

Well, crap. Now I was also worried about the cameras in the men’s locker room and my phone full of illicit pictures and texts. I cleared my throat. “Did Dad happen to leave my phone here, perchance?” All the words out of my mouth had just sounded so strange.

And my mom thought so too. “I don’t know, sweetie. Hopefully if he makes it to school today he can give it to you.”

If he makes it? I looked at Liam.

He just shrugged, like my life wasn’t on the precipice of unravelling.

“So...” my mom said as she stared at me. She looked concerned.

And that really concerned me. Had my dad already hacked my phone and told her everything?

“Is everything with Jacob okay?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Okay,” she said, but it didn’t sound like she believed me. “You know, if you liked someone else...anyone else...you can talk to me about it. I’ve been in your shoes, Scarlett.”

Ah! Was she talking about Mr. Halifax?! And she’d been in my shoes because she’d hooked up with a professor?

Liam’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out. “Our ride is here.”

Thank God. RJ wasn’t known to be early. But I was happy they were here. I needed Soph to distract me from my life ending. I took a quick bite of omelet, thanked Ellen, and hurried out the door. “Do you think Dad hacked into my phone this morning and is actually somewhere murdering my kiss thief?”

“Who’s your kiss thief in this situation?” Liam asked. “Zach the Shy Spy?”

“No. Mr. Halifax.”

Liam laughed.

“It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny that you might be hooking up with your teacher. Is that why Mom was saying she’d been in your shoes before?” He scrunched up his nose.

“I don’t know.” I just wanted to melt into the floor. “Dad could have hacked my phone and told her something. Or he just told her that Mr. Halifax winked at me in class the other day.”

“Why did Mr. Halifax wink at you?”

“I don’t know. He’s being so weird. He keeps giving me special attention in class.”

“Sounds like someone who wants in your pants.”

“Gross. Stop.”

Liam laughed. “Well, I don’t see how Dad would be able to figure out who your kiss thief is if we couldn’t.”

“Right.” That was a good point. We walked outside and Sophie popped her head out of the passenger’s side window .

I hoped my mom wasn’t looking.

“Why did you guys need a ride this morning?” Soph asked. “And why haven’t you returned any of my texts? And why are you wearing your glasses?”

That was too many questions for this early in the morning. I climbed into the back seat. “The screen on my phone cracked. My dad said he was going to fix it...”

“You gave your dad your phone?! Good Lord, Scar. Why?!”

“I didn’t have a choice. He said he wanted to fix it instead of giving me a new one.”

“That was weirdly cheap of him,” RJ said as he pulled away from the curb. He turned to look at me over his shoulder. “And the glasses?”

“Eyes on the road, RJ!”

He turned around and the car veered a little left, almost swiping someone in the other lane.

“And the glasses?” Sophie pressed.

“My eyes were dry.”

“Mhm.” She stared at me. “And why did you need a ride? My dad just said we had to pick you up as he high-tailed it over to Hunter Tech.”

“Did he mention a Hunter Tech emergency?”

“No, he didn’t say anything else. But he seemed like he was in a hurry.”

I groaned. “It’s probably about my phone.”

“Or the cameras we put up in the locker room,” Liam said.

The car fell silent for a few seconds.

“Don’t turn here,” Sophie said to RJ. “We need to go pick up Jacob. ”

“What?” RJ said.

She grabbed the wheel to get him out of the turn lane.

“Soph!” I yelled as I held on to the door.

“Sorry, it’s an emergency. If law enforcement found those cameras we could be in deep shit. And Jacob is part of that too.”

I groaned and stared out the window.

“Just texted him catching him up on everything,” Soph said. “He said he’ll be waiting for us.”

I put my face in my hand. For the first time ever I’d been looking forward to homecoming. It was always fun. But I actually had a date this year. Even if it was all fake.

And instead of enjoying the festivities, I was going to be behind bars.

RJ pulled to the curb.

I winced at the sound of the car’s rims scratching against the sidewalk.

“Watch my wheels, RJ,” Sophie said.

He laughed. “Oops.”

Sophie sighed.

Jacob opened the door and I scooted over to the middle seat.

He ducked in and sat down where I had been a moment ago.

His tall frame barely fit into the car. And the side of his thigh pressed against mine.

I had been a nervous mess this morning. But something about his presence calmed me. I looked up at him.

“Are your eyes still bothering you?” he whispered.

“Wait.” Sophie turned around to stare at us. “Why did Jacob know about your dry eyes?”

Jacob laughed.

I hit his chest with the back of my hand. “You promised not to say anything. ”

“I didn’t say anything. I was just asking if you were okay.”

Sophie raised her eyebrow. “Does this have something to do with practice yesterday?”

I was not talking about this in front of my brother and little cousin.

“Scar wasn’t at practice yesterday,” RJ said. “Were you?” He looked at me in the rearview mirror.

“A different kind of practice,” Sophie said and waggled her eyebrows. “An exploding kind.”

“Stop it,” I said. “This conversation is ridiculously inappropriate.”

“It seems as though you’re the one that did something inappropriate,” Sophie said. “And maybe got a little in your eyes?”

Gah!

“Gross, guys,” Liam said. “Can we please not talk about anyone cumming in my sister’s eyes? I just ate breakfast.”