Page 8

Chloe

T he salty sea breeze whips through my hair as I push open the heavy wooden door of the restaurant, my shift finally over. My feet hurt thanks to a busy day, but I’m just glad Brendan wasn’t working today.

I'm barely two steps out when I hear a familiar voice calling my name, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.

“Chloe! Wait up!” Sara calls. I pause, turning to face her as she catches up to me, practically breathless. “Why haven’t you texted me back? I can’t believe you’d get with Jackson without telling me.”

I feel my cheeks flush, and I tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I didn’t realize everyone would be talking about it, but I should have known. Nothing stays secret in this town. “It's nothing, really,” I mumble.

“Nothing?” She links her arm with mine, dragging me along the pier, the wooden planks creaking beneath our feet. “Come on, Chlo.” She nudges me. “You can't expect me to hear that my best friend is dating the hottest guy in town and not want the goss.”

I chew on my bottom lip. How on earth do I explain how I accidentally stumbled into a very brief fake relationship?

“It's not like that, honestly.”

Sara raises an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with my vague response.

I sigh, knowing she won't let this go until she gets the full story. “Okay, fine,” I concede, taking a deep breath. “But you have to promise not to laugh.”

Sara mimes zipping her lips.

“The thing is,” I start, glancing around the busy pier, thankful no one we know is nearby, “Jackson and I...we're not really together.”

“What do you mean, not really together?”

I fidget with the hem of my shirt, trying to find the courage to continue. “It's all fake,” I admit, my words tumbling out in a rush. “We're just pretending…after...you know, the whole Brendan thing.”

Sara stops in her tracks, forcing me to halt alongside her. She turns to face me, her hands gripping my shoulders. “You know Brendan is furious.”

“Good,” I mutter. I’m glad he is, even if he has no right to be. If he can move on, so can I.

Except, of course, my moving on is totally fake.

“And I think that is about the bravest thing you’ve ever done,” Sara continues. “It’s about time you showed Brendan how out of his league you are. He never did appreciate you.”

I blink a few times. Sara was never exactly best friends with Brendan, but she’s never said anything negative about him before.

“I thought you liked Brendan.”

“Chlo, he was your boyfriend. Your very serious boyfriend. And I’m your BFF. I didn’t think he was good enough for you, but I had to support you, right? I was hardly going to make you choose between me and Brendan. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“I had no idea.” I almost wish Sara had said something, though I know she was right to keep quiet. I was so in love with Brendan, I never saw him for who he was. Even Sara couldn’t have persuaded me he was an utter jerk.

At least I think I was in love. It feels weird now to admit that, like maybe I was fooling myself all along.

“It doesn’t matter now anyway. You and Jackson have made him look like a complete idiot.”

“What did Brendan say?” I ask, even though I really shouldn’t care.

Sara waves a hand. “Oh, I don’t know. Something about you moving on too fast and Jackson being too old for you.”

“He’s only two years older than me.”

“Well, anyway, he looks like an asshole because it’s obvious he was cheating on you, and now he’s got his panties in a twist because you’ve moved on.” Sara practically cackles. “I love this for Brendan.”

We stop outside the coffee hut, and Sara jerks a thumb toward the cart. “You want something?”

I’m tired, but now I can’t stop thinking about Jackson and Brendan and this whole mess. Even if I went straight home, I’m not sure I want to face Mom and Dad and pretend everything is fine.

“Why not?”

Sara orders our drinks, and we head over to a bench overlooking the ocean. I take a sip of my chai and watch the gentle waves for a moment.

“You know,” Sara says, “maybe something real could come out of this. I mean, have you seen the way Jackson looks at you?”

I feel my heart skip a beat at her suggestion, but I quickly push the thought aside. I wrap my hands around my drink, the heat seeping into my palms. Jackson was just being a good friend, helping me out of a tough situation. There's no way he could actually have feelings for me...right?

“He was just trying to help.” I nod, dropping my gaze to the top of the coffee cup. “I shouldn’t have gone along with it, but I just couldn't stand the thought of Brendan seeing me as some pathetic, lovesick loser.”

“Oh, honey,” she says, her voice softening. “You're not a loser. Brendan's the one who messed up by letting you go.”

I nod, grateful for Sara’s support. Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without her, and I’m definitely going to have to figure out a way to pay her back for being the best friend ever.

“I hope I didn’t make things awkward for Jackson,” I confess. “He's been so great through all of this, and I don't want to ruin our friendship.”

Sara squeezes my hand. “I get it,” she says. “But maybe this is a sign that there could be something more between you two. I mean, think about it—Jackson pretended to be your boyfriend. That's not something you do for just anyone.”

I feel a flutter in my chest at her words, a tiny spark of hope igniting within me. Could she be right? Could there be something more between Jackson and me?

I shake my head. “No. No way. He’s just trying to play the protective older brother.”

Sara leans back against the bench, a confident smile on her face. “There's only one way to find out,” she says. “You keep up this fake relationship charade, and you see where it leads. Who knows? Maybe by the end of the summer, you'll have yourself a real boyfriend.”

I can't help but laugh. I wish I could be as bold as Sara. If she was in this situation, she’d probably have Jackson begging to be her new boyfriend.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for another boyfriend, and besides, Jackson helped me out once. I don’t think he intended for us to keep playing pretend all summer.”

Sara straightens suddenly. “Oh my gosh, I have the best idea! Why don’t you bring Jackson to my party?”

I grimace. I hadn’t even thought about Sara’s party next weekend, but I can hardly not turn up to my best friend’s summer party.

“Everyone is going to be talking about me.”

“But for all the right reasons.” Sara tosses her empty coffee cup in the nearby trash can. “I’d already decided to ban Brendan after what he did to you, but maybe I’ll let him come, especially if you have Jackson on your arm.”

“I don’t know, Sara. He’s already done enough for me, and he’s not really the party sort.”

“If you’re there, he will be. I guarantee it.” She claps her hands together. “This party is the perfect chance for you and Jackson to really sell your relationship. You can be all cute and couple-y, maybe even steal a kiss or two.”

A kiss? My whole body warms at the thought. I shake the image away and face Sara. “I don’t know if I can ask him.”

“You can and you will.” She shakes her head at me in exasperation.

“For once in your life, you are going to show everyone the brave, amazing person that only I get to see, and you are going to come to my party with Jackson on your arm and show everyone that Chloe Davenport is so hot and so awesome that the sexiest guy in town is head over heels for her.”

“That sounds a little extreme.” I bite on the inside of my cheek. “And kind of awesome too.”

Sara squeals with delight, pulling me into a tight hug. “Yes! This is going to be amazing, Chlo.”

I feel a surge of gratitude for Sara's unwavering support and encouragement. She's always been there for me, through thick and thin, and knowing that she has my back makes the whole idea of facing Brendan and asking Jackson for help a little less daunting.

“I don’t know if Jackson will agree to come, you know.”

“Oh he’ll agree. Now, let’s go back to my place and start planning how you're going to invite Jackson to the party.”

I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, feeling a flicker of excitement beneath the nerves. Maybe Sara's right. Maybe this party is exactly what I need to start moving on from Brendan.

As I take a sip of my now lukewarm coffee, I make a silent promise to myself.

I'm going to be brave, put myself out there, and see where this crazy plan takes me. I’ve been nothing more than Brendan’s girlfriend for too long.

It’s time for me to be something more. And that means taking charge of my life.