Page 5 of Scarlett and the Fake Boyfriend (Scarlett #2)

Tuesday

I turned to Jacob when the bell rang. “We need to talk,” I said. “But first I need to tell my dad that I have detention.”

“Why does it feel like I’m in trouble?” Jacob asked.

He should know exactly why he was in trouble. He’d made up a really weird lie about how he’d asked me out.

“Just...don’t leave,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Scarlett, don’t tell your dad that you have detention,” Sophie said. “You only just got ungrounded.”

Exactly. I wasn’t going to lie about this and get grounded again. I ignored her and hurried up to my dad’s desk.

“Just let me grab my things and we can head to the car, pumpkin.” He put a few papers in his satchel.

“Actually.” I took a deep breath. “I have...”

“She has to come to my house to study,” Sophie said. “If that’s okay with you.”

What was she doing?

My dad looked at me. “Are you staying there for dinner too?”

I didn’t want to be roped into this lie! I hadn’t agreed to it. But my dad was waiting for a response. And not agreeing was throwing Sophie under the bus. “Yes.”

“Okay,” my dad said. “Have fun, you two.”

“Thanks, Uncle James,” Sophie said.

He was being so chill. It was...confusing.

“Thanks, Dad,” I said.

He nodded. “I think your boyfriend is waiting for you.”

I turned to see Jacob leaning against the door jamb waiting for me. Sophie and I walked over to him.

“I’ll catch up with you in a minute,” I said to Sophie. “I need a second alone with Jacob.”

Sophie smiled. “Noted, lovebirds.”

I grabbed Jacob’s hand and pulled him out of the classroom. “What the heck was that at lunch?”

“I don’t know. Axel was definitely high. I would have said he was jealous about our relationship, but he was super high before finding out.”

Axel probably wouldn’t even remember hearing the news. But that wasn’t what this was about. “I’m not talking about Axel. I’m talking about you . Why did you lie about how you asked me out?”

He laughed. “Well, I couldn’t tell the truth about what happened. So I just said the first thing I thought of.”

“Me getting drunk and confessing my undying love for you was the first thing you thought of?”

He laughed. “Yeah. Aunt Ash is always telling that story and it just popped into my head.”

“What story?”

“About how she didn’t realize the Kool-Aid was spiked and confessed her love for my abuelo. ”

I’d never heard that story about Mr. Tanner and Aunt Ash before. But it didn’t mean someone else hadn’t. “You stole their story? Jacob! People will know our story is made up then.”

“Nah, I made it spiked lemonade instead of Kool-Aid. And at least I didn’t make you fling yourself off the side of a yacht in embarrassment. Or have you saved from the freezing cold water but winding up top nude during the whole rescue thing.”

I laughed. “That did not happen to her. And since when is it called top nude?”

“Her words, not mine. And I swear it did happen.”

I shook my head. “Well, thanks for not saying I was top nude in your kitchen.”

“I’ll save that for another story.”

“No, no more stories! I can’t keep track of all the made up details.”

“But you have to add lots of very specific details or else it’ll look suspicious,” he said.

“It’s way more suspicious if I can’t remember any of the details, Jacob!”

He laughed. “How can you not remember the story of our first kiss?”

“I do remember our first kiss. Just not the made up thing.”

He put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m pretty sure you remember it. And come on, this story is better than you licking the roof of my mouth.”

I felt my face turning red as he guided me toward detention. “Fine. But no more stories. ”

“Maybe.”

“Jacob!”

He just laughed as we stopped outside of Mr. Halifax’s room.

“When do we get to tell Sophie the truth?” I asked. “Because I can’t lie too much longer.”

“It does seem like she believed it. So how about we meet up in your new secret lair after dinner tonight to tell her?”

“ Our secret lair.” I didn’t love that everyone was saying it was mine. That was so much more incriminating.

“Sounds good. Have fun in detention, you rebel.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose.

I laughed. “Have fun at practice.” I couldn’t believe I actually had detention. And that I’d lied about it to my dad. I turned to see Mr. Halifax staring at me in the doorway. Why was he looking at me? I hurried to the back of the room where Sophie was sitting in our usual place.

“We-need-to-talk is code for let’s make out in the hall, right?” she asked.

“Mhm.” I sat down next to her. “We’ve been doing loads of that.” God I really hated lying to her.

“I love you and Jacob together so much. It just makes sense, you know?”

I nodded. She really did seem to believe it.

“Mr. Halifax and I would make a good couple too,” she said.

“After you graduate, maybe.”

She sighed. “I can’t wait months, Scar. It feels like I’ve already waited a lifetime. Seriously, how much do you think he’s packing?”

“I don’t want to think about our teacher’s penis, Soph.

” She was going to get Mr. Halifax arrested.

I looked around the room. There were only a few other students in here.

And I didn’t recognize any of them. We didn’t usually hang out with a bad crowd.

And I hoped Sophie didn’t make this a regular thing.

Mr. Halifax cleared his throat. “I expect no talking during detention. No passing notes. No cell phones.” He looked over at the other side of the room where someone was texting.

Mr. Halifax cleared his throat, but the student kept typing on his phone.

Mr. Halifax walked over to the guy and put his hand out.

The student groaned and handed Mr. Halifax his cell phone.

“So strict,” Sophie whispered.

Mr. Halifax turned toward us. But then quickly turned away. “It’s best to spend the next hour doing homework. If you need help with something, just let me know.” He sat on the edge of his desk, folded his arms, and just stared out at all the bad students.

Sophie leaned toward me. “I like when he folds his arms like that. I bet he’s real strict in the bedroom too, you know?”

“Shhh,” I whispered and pulled out my calculus book. “You heard Mr. Halifax. We’re supposed to be doing homework.”

“Screw that. I’m here to hang out with him.”

“That’s not what’s happening here, Soph.”

“Of course it is. I’ve been a bad girl and he’s going to punish me. Just wait for it.”

“No, don’t say just wait for it.” Whenever she said that something bad happened.

Mr. Halifax sighed. “Miss Hunter and Miss Hunter. What did I say about talking?”

“I’m sorry, I must have missed that,” Sophie said. “Do you mind repeating yourself, sir?”

He frowned. “I said I expect no talking during detention.”

“Not even a little?”

“Not even a little, Miss Hunter.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Halifax. I might need detention again. The next time you’re running it.” She smiled at him.

No!

“Especially if it means you can help us with our homework,” she said. “I just started the calculus assignment and I think need some extra attention .”

Mr. Halifax sighed and unfolded his arms. He pushed himself off his desk and walked over to us.

Ah!

Sophie quickly pulled out her calculus book too.

Mr. Halifax stopped between our desks. “What’s the question?”

“I’m having trouble finding the derivative of this equation.” Sophie pointed to the first problem in our assignment.

“Maybe if you concentrate on it instead of talking, Miss Hunter.”

Good point.

Sophie looked down at her book. “It’s just soooo confusing.”

“You only just pulled out your book,” he said. “Give it a minute.” I expected Mr. Halifax to walk away. Instead, he sat down in the desk in front of mine.

What was he doing?

He tapped on my desk to get my attention .

I forced myself not to cringe as I looked up from my calculus book.

“We have another pop quiz next Monday, Scarlett. Will you be ready for this one?”

I stared at him. He’d just given me advance notice of a pop quiz. That felt like special treatment. I swallowed hard. “I...”

“She probably won’t be ready,” Sophie said. “She’s been super busy hanging out with her new boyfriend. Me on the other hand...single and ready to mingle.”

Mr. Halifax frowned. “Is that why you didn’t ace your last quiz, Scarlett? I thought you said you had trouble sleeping?”

“Right, because she’s so busy sleeping with Jacob Miller,” Sophie said.

What?!

“What?” Mr. Halifax said, voicing my own thoughts. He even sounded equally shocked.

“Yes, her and Jacob Miller are the new hottest item.”

Mr. Halifax looked truly horrified.

Why does he look so upset right now?! My stomach churned. I was afraid I knew why. Because he was my kiss thief and he was jealous. Operation Too Hot to Handle had backfired again. It had worked on Mr. Halifax instead of Axel. Why was this happening to me?!

“She and Jacob are attached at the hip,” Sophie said. “I was just telling Scarlett we should start planning their wedding.”

What?

“And I’m going to need a date for that. Do you have any single friends, Mr. Halifax? I really only date older men.”

Mr. Halifax was barely paying attention to her. He was just staring at me. And he looked so upset.

Stop looking at me like that!

“They’re just all over each other, if you know what I mean,” Sophie said. “Kissing in dark closets at every chance they get and things. Have you ever done something like that when you were obsessed with someone?”

Sophie!

Mr. Halifax cleared his throat. “I...” his voice trailed off. He looked around the room and leaned in a little closer to me. “Scarlett.” His voice was serious. “Aren’t you and Jacob cousins?”

Sophie laughed.

This isn’t funny!

“This is hardly a laughing matter,” Mr. Halifax said. “Scarlett, you can’t date your cousin. It’s against the law. And...wrong. You need to end your relationship immediately before anyone else hears of this.”

Ah!

Sophie started laughing even harder.

“I’m serious, Scarlett,” Mr. Halifax said. “You can’t date your first cousin.”

“Jacob is not my first cousin,” I said.

“What?” Mr. Halifax asked.