Page 57 of Scarlett and the Fake Boyfriend (Scarlett #2)

Saturday

I had a boyfriend. A real one. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to realize my feelings for you. And for dancing with all those guys. And for just generally being terrible talking about the kiss thief.”

“Honestly, I think being jealous helped me realize how strong my feelings for you were too. Every time we were coming up with some new plan to catch your kiss thief. Every time you tried to make Axel jealous.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “And especially every time you danced with someone else tonight. Especially Zach. What the hell was that? You gave him a hard-on right in front of your dad.”

I laughed. “I may have been a little drunk when I danced with him. But I’m done dancing with anyone else. You’re the only person I want to dance with.”

He smiled.

“This is the best homecoming of my life.”

“Mine too.” He leaned down and kissed me again.

Someone cleared their throat.

I turned to see Sophie standing there.

“So...did you tell him?” she asked.

If I hadn’t this would have been really awkward. “Yes. Jacob is no longer my fake boyfriend. ”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Because he’s my real one.”

She squealed and threw her arms around both of us. “I knew it. Team Jacob!”

Jacob laughed. “Thanks, Soph.”

She pulled back from her hug. “Okay, now that all that is sorted. You have one more person to dance with, Scar.”

Oh God. There was only one person I hadn’t danced with. “No,” I said firmly.

“But...”

“I’m not dancing with Mr. Halifax, Soph.”

“You have to. He’s the last person we need to scratch from your list.”

“I don’t care about my kiss thief. I’m with Jacob.”

“Which is fantastic,” Sophie said. “And I’m so happy for both of you. But if we don’t cross Mr. Halifax off your list I’m going to die.”

“Soph...”

“Scar! Please, I’m begging you. You got your happily ever after. I haven’t gotten mine yet.”

I pressed my lips together.

“And if you dance with him, maybe I’ll be able to get him to dance with me too.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Soph. I really am. But Jacob and I only just started real dating. And homecoming is almost over. And he gets jealous when I dance with other guys.”

Jacob laughed. “I’m definitely not jealous of Mr. Halifax. There is no way that guy is your kiss thief.”

“Because...you are?” I asked, still holding on to hope.

He laughed. “No. Like I’ve been telling you. I like dating you in public.”

I really liked him dating me in the light of day too. I couldn’t believe this had been real for him the whole time.

“And right now you need to dance with Mr. Halifax in public,” Sophie said.

“Soph!”

“Scar!”

“I can’t...”

“But Jacob doesn’t mind.”

I looked up at Jacob.

He shrugged. “If it makes Sophie happy...” his voice trailed off.

“If you weren’t dating my best friend, I’d kiss you,” Sophie said.

“You seriously don’t mind?” I asked.

“As long as you save the next dance for me,” Jacob said.

Sophie clapped her hands. “Perfect. Now pretend to get in a huge fight.”

“What?” Jacob said.

“The only way Mr. Halifax is going to agree to dance with Scarlett is if he thinks she’s having the worst night of her life. So...pretend to break up with her.”

I sighed. “Seriously?” Jacob and I had only been real dating for like five minutes. And now we were fake breaking up?

“Pretty please,” Sophie said. “And really sell it.”

Jacob laughed. “Okay. I’ve got this.” He smiled at me and cleared his throat. “Seriously?!” he yelled.

“Lower your voice,” I hissed. I didn’t want my dad to be able to witness this .

“You danced with everyone but me!”

“Jacob...”

“Keep going,” Sophie said. “I think Mr. Halifax is looking.”

“What was I supposed to think?!” Jacob yelled.

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re sorry? Really? You don’t look sorry.” He winked at me so I’d know he wasn’t really upset.

Okay, I needed to start selling this fake breakup too. “Well you were dancing with her all night!” I yelled.

“Only because you were dancing with every idiot in here!”

“You’re the idiot!” I yelled.

“This is brilliant,” Sophie said.

Jacob threw his hands up in the air. “Go dance with whoever you want. Because you and I are done.” He turned around.

“Yell after him,” Sophie said.

“Screw you!” I yelled at his back.

Sophie smiled. “You deserve an Emmy. Now give me some crocodile tears.”

“I can’t cry on demand.”

“Sure you can.” She pulled me off the dance floor. “Please stop crying, Scar. He’s a dick. He’s not worth it.” She lowered her voice. “At least pretend to cry, please.”

I put my face in my hands.

“There, there.” She put her hand on my back.

“Is everything alright?” said a deep voice.

A voice I definitely recognized. Mr. Halifax. I kept my face in my hands.

Sophie kept patting my back. “No. Scarlett found out that Jacob has been cheating on her this whole time. So she was dancing with a bunch of guys to give him a dose of his own medicine. But then he called her a slut and broke up with her.”

He did not call me a slut!

“I’m so sorry, Miss Hunter,” Mr. Halifax said.

“Thank you,” I mumbled into my hands.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. “Maybe I can grab you a water?”

Why did all the adults keep trying to give me vodka?

“No, she’s not thirsty,” Sophie said. “I think the only thing that would make her feel better is if someone would ask her to dance.”

“I’m sure someone will,” Mr. Halifax said.

“Can’t you do it?” Sophie said. “Please. She’s distraught.”

“Oh...um...well...”

This is mortifying.

“Please,” Sophie said. “Or she’ll never stop crying.”

Soph! I’m not crying! How was I supposed to fake this when I was dancing with him? He’d see my face.

“Miss Hunter,” Mr. Halifax said, and I felt his hand on my back now. “Would it help if we danced?”

No, absolutely not. Dancing with my teacher that might be my kiss thief after him hearing that I was a slut did not sound like a good idea at all. “Maybe,” I grumbled into my hands. Sophie owed me for this.

“Alright then. Would you do me the honors of accompanying me to the dance floor?”

“Mhm.” I lifted my face out of my hands but kept my eyes trained on my feet.

Maybe he’d somehow not see that my face wasn’t stained with tears.

I grabbed his hand and let him guide me onto the dance floor.

I tried to keep my head down when we stopped.

But then it just looked like I was trying to stare at his package.

I quickly wiped beneath my eyes and sniffed, trying to sell it. And then I looked up at him. “Thank you for dancing with me,” I said.

“Of course. I hate seeing you cry.”

Why? Because you like seeing me moan instead?

Gah! I took a deep breath and put my hands on his shoulders.

His hands fell to my hips. I didn’t care who my kiss thief was.

But still...I really hoped it wasn’t Mr. Halifax.

I tried to think of how tall the kiss thief was. But he’d been on his knees earlier...

I pulled my phone out of the pocket in my skirt and dropped it. “Oops.”

Mr. Halifax leaned down to grab it for me.

I swallowed hard. He did seem to be about the right height. I pictured the kiss thief pushing the slit of my skirt up my thigh.

Mr. Halifax slowly stood back up and handed me my phone.

“Thank you.” I slid it back into my pocket. My heart felt funny in my chest. My kiss thief couldn’t be him. Right?

Mr. Halifax put his hands on my waist again. His hands were definitely the right size...

He cleared his throat. “You look like you’re feeling better now.”

“I am,” I said.

He smiled down at me. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. And for the record...I don’t think you’re what Jacob called you, Miss Hunter.”

“Um...thanks.”

“You’re a good girl.”

Something about the way he said it sounded very sexual. Or was it in my head? God, where was Jacob? Surely he’d interrupt this ridiculousness soon...

“And you should be with someone who respects you.”

I nodded. “I think maybe the whole thing was a misunderstanding.”

“I don’t think that language could be classified as a misunderstanding. You deserve better.”

Like...you? Ah! “I mean, what girl hasn’t been called a slut from time to time, am I right?”

“No.” He frowned. “Not in the way he did it.”

“Is there another way?”

Mr. Halifax cleared his throat. “Um...no. I misspoke.”

It kind of seemed like he thought there was a right time to be called a slut.

And I was wondering if maybe he meant you could use the term in the bedroom or something.

Which was entirely inappropriate for him to be saying to me!

Everything about this was inappropriate. Why was Sophie making me do this?!

“I think I’m feeling better now,” I said. “Screw Jacob.”

Mr. Halifax nodded. “You’ll find someone more mature than that soon enough, I’m sure.”

More mature? Like...teacher mature? Gah!

“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll keep that sound advice in mind.

I’m going to let you get back to chaperoning now.

” I was just about to step back when I realized I’d forgotten to smell him.

If I was this close, I might as well. Because I was never doing this again. I leaned in a bit closer.

“Get the fuck off my daughter!” my dad’s voice boomed over the music .

Oh no.

My dad grabbed Mr. Halifax by the back of his tuxedo jacket and pulled him off of me.

“Dad!” I yelled. “Stop it!”

He ignored me and shoved Mr. Halifax backward.

Mr. Halifax stumbled back but then stared daggers at my dad.

Oh no.

“Why did you have your hands on my daughter?” my dad asked. But he didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he took a swing.

No! What the hell was he doing?!

My dad’s fist collided with the side of Mr. Halifax’s jaw.

Mr. Halifax almost fell to the floor.

“Do you think it’s appropriate to touch underaged girls?” my dad asked.

“Stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. My dad had completely lost his mind.

Mr. Halifax glared at my dad. “At least I didn’t call her a slut. Where were you when her boyfriend called her that, huh?”

Ah!

My dad looked like his head was about to explode. “What did Jacob call her?”

Crap!

Mr. Halifax ignored his question and lunged at him.

“Mr. Halifax!” I yelled.

His shoulder collided with my dad’s stomach and the two of them fell to the floor.

“Pervert!” my dad screamed.

“You’re one to talk!” Mr. Halifax yelled and landed a punch on my dad’s face.

“Dad!” I took a step toward them, but RJ came out of nowhere and pulled me back before I could accidentally get hurt in the crossfire.

Mr. Halifax and my dad rolled around on the floor knocking into a few students as they kept throwing punches. Everyone started screaming. And a few people started chanting, “Fight, fight, fight!”

A mic screeched and the music came to an abrupt stop.

“Fight, fight, fight!” The chanting had grown. And it seemed like everyone was yelling it now.

My mom screamed and ran over. “James!”

This isn’t happening.

“James Hunter! Stop it!” She tried to grab my dad’s arm, but stepped back to avoid getting accidentally punched by Mr. Halifax. “Both of you, stop it right now!”

“That’s for inappropriately touching my daughter,” my dad said and elbowed Mr. Halifax in the throat.

Was my dad trying to kill him?!

Mr. Halifax grabbed my dad by his lapels and pushed him off. He tried to crawl away. But my dad grabbed his foot and knocked him over.

“Dad, he didn’t do anything!” I screamed.

Mr. Halifax kicked backward, the sole of his shoe colliding with my dad’s face.

My mom screamed.

“Mr. Halifax, stop it!” I yelled. “Please! Everyone just stop!”

My dad grabbed Mr. Halifax’s arm. And he somehow managed to tear the arm of Mr. Halifax’s tux clean off .

“Mr. Halifax is right,” RJ said. “Your dad really is one to talk. After screwing your mom when she was his student and all.”

I hit RJ’s arm off my waist. “You’re not helping!”

“Oh, I am helping. I solved your little mystery.”

“What?” I cringed as my dad kneed Mr. Halifax right in the nuts.

Sophie screamed and ran over. “Mr. Halifax! Uncle James! Stop it!”

“Aren’t you curious?” RJ said. “I thought you’d be dying to know.”

“RJ, I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I said. My dad and Mr. Halifax were both going to be arrested. What the hell had I done?

“I’m talking about your kiss thief, of course.”

I turned away from the fight. “What?”

“I know who it is.” He smiled. “And you’re going to be shocked, baby doll.”

* * *

Jacob is no longer Scarlett's fake boyfriend.

He's her very real boyfriend! But...is he her kiss thief too?

And if not, will unmasking him change everything?

It's finally time to find out who the kiss thief is in Scarlett and her Prince Charming , coming soon. Click here to pre-order your copy so you don’t miss it!

And while you wait, you don’t have to leave Empire High. Because once upon a time, Daddy James and Aunt Brooklyn and all Scarlett’s uncles went there. And they were VERY misbehaved…

Click here to see all the trouble they got into at Empire High in Untouchable .

Matthew Caldwell is as gorgeous and charming as he is wealthy. He’s untouchable. At least, that’s everyone’s nickname for him.

And it sucks because I really want to touch. Staring at him in the hallways of my new school is the only thing holding me together. Ever since losing my mom, it feels like I’m drowning. But it’s a lot easier to breathe when I stare at Matthew’s perfect smile. Even if it’s never directed at me.

I thought he didn’t notice me staring. It was just supposed to be my dirty little secret. Something to get me through my heartache.

But when he cages me against the wall in a dark auditorium, I realize that I was wrong.

He's noticed me. I'm not as invisible as I thought. And I'm about to become his dirty little secret instead.

Start reading now!