Fake Boyfriend - Kate Brian (21 page)

"Y ou're way better than most of the guys here," Lane told him. "At least you can find a beat."

Marshall grinned. "Y eah. I guess that's good."

"Omigod, Lane, who is that guy with Isabelle?" Jenny Lang asked, grabbing Lane's arm.

"His name's Brandon. He's from Connecticut," Lane lied.

"Damn. I wish I'd applied to UC-ONN. I mean if they grow 'em like that up there," Jenny said, blushing. "He is totally the hottest guy here." Her eyes flicked at Marshall. "No offense."

"None taken," Marshall shouted to be heard over the music.

"Look at them!" Jenny said, her eyes wide. "He's all over her! How long have they been going out?"

All over her? Lane thought, confused. She glanced over at Isabelle and Jonathan, and, sure enough, they were standing in the middle of the dance floor, locked together. Instead of dancing to the semi-insane beat like the rest of the crowd, they were moving slowly back and forth, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Jonathan's hand moved up and down Isabelle's back. She sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned her cheek against her chest.

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"Uh ... not that long," Lane answered finally.

"Well, they are clearly in love," Jenny said. "Everyone's talking about it."

"Really?" Lane asked.

"Are you kidding? No one ever understood what she was doing with Shawn Littig. Good for her. Ciao!" Jenny said before disappearing into the crowd again.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked Lane.

"What is going on over there?" Lane asked him under his breath. "They look like long-lost lovers or something."

Marshall glanced over, then cleared his throat and quickly looked away. "Well, maybe he's just playing it up."

"No one told him to do that," Lane gasped as Jonathan's hand grazed Izzy's butt.

Isabelle looked up at Jonathan, startled, but then they both laughed. Isabelle was completely glowing. Her face was flushed; her eyes were bright. She was a total goner.

"Omigod, you guys!" Vivi trilled, weaving through the crowded dance floor to join them. "Have you seen Sluttig? He's totally green!" Vivi lifted her hand to point Shawn out, but it took a moment for Lane to find him. That was because he wasn't on the dance floor, but sitting at a table on the edge of it, slumped down, staring at Isabelle and Jonathan with murderous eyes.

"Probably doesn't help that Tricia Blank has had her tongue down Dell Landry's throat all night," Marshall pointed out, nodding toward the corner, where Tricia was curled up in the quarterback's lap.

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"Definitely not." Vivi laughed, swiping her long blond hair over her shoulder.

"I just hope Shawn doesn't start something with Jonathan," Lane said. "I don't think he signed up for an ER trip."

"Eh. He'll be fine," Vivi said. "I'm sure he can hold his own." For the first time, she looked over at the couple she'd engineered, and her face completely fell. Lane's heart went with it. She knew that Vivi was seeing what she was seeing. Two people who were totally falling for each other.

"Vivi," Lane started to say.

"Y know what?" Vivi interrupted, recovering herself. She lifted her arm, her sleek silver camera dangling from a strap on her wrist. "I think I'm going to

ou go take a picture of Shawn to record this for posterity."

Lane sighed as Vivi rushed off. She wished the girl could just admit how she felt about Jonathan already. But really, from the way things looked now, there might be little to no point. Jonathan touched Isabelle's face with his fingertips as they danced, still gazing into her eyes.

"This is unbelievable," Lane said, looking up at Marshall-- who was staring longingly at Isabelle and Jonathan.

Suddenly Lane recalled all the times she and Izzy had been over at his house and he had attempted to join in on the conversation, only to be thwarted by Vivi. She remembered how great he'd been the night Izzy had found out about Shawn's cheating, bringing Izzy her favorite root beer. She realized how nervous he'd been at the idea of IM-ING with Isabelle at first, but how obsessed he'd become with it once he'd gotten started. And then there were the

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new clothes, the new haircut, the fact that he'd shown up at Isabelle's first date with "Brandon." He'd been there to check Jonathan out. To size up the person who was taking his place with Isabelle. And then it hit her.

"Oh my God. Marshall! Y like Isabelle!" Lane gasped.

ou

"What? No, I don't," Marshall said quickly. He blushed and looked away.

The dance song ended and a slow one began. Half the people vacated the dance floor, but Lane clung to Marshall.

"Y you do!" she whispered. "Y were just totally staring at her! I know that look! Y like Izzy!"

es, ou ou

"I do not!" Marshall said through his teeth.

"I cannot believe I didn't see this before," Lane said, grinning. "Marshall, why don't you--?was

"Lane, I don't like Isabelle, okay?" He sighed in frustration and looked around to see if anyone was in earshot, then ducked his head closer to hers. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," Lane replied.

Marshall took a deep breath. For a brief second, he dug his teeth into his bottom lip, and then he blurted it out. "I wasn't staring at Isabelle. I was staring at Jonathan."

Lane stopped dancing.

"I'm gay, Lane," Marshall whispered, averting his eyes. "But you can't tell anyone. Especially not Vivi. Y have to swear."

ou

"I swear," Lane said, breathless. She wasn't completely shocked. Just shocked that she was the first person he told. And that he liked Jonathan. One more tangle for their big old web.

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Marshall dropped his arms and blew out a sigh. "Maybe we should take a break."

"Sounds like a plan," Lane said, eager to sit for a second and collect her thoughts.

She turned around to head off the dance floor and nearly bumped right into Curtis. Curtis standing there in his perfect tux and his funky red tie, all alone. Lane's heart pounded painfully, and she looked around for an escape. But then Curtis opened his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Shall we?"

"Sure," Lane managed to say.

She could hardly even look at him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and started to move. She was too embarrassed, too tense, too everything. She glanced at him, found him staring right at her, then flinched and quickly looked away.

Say something! Say anything! Lane chided herself.

"I like your dress," Curtis said finally.

"Thanks. Y picked out a good tux," Lane replied.

ou

"I thought it was me."

"Well, it is."

"Good."

There was a long moment of silence as they continued to dance. Lane was just starting to wonder if this damn song was ever going to end so that she could breathe again, when Curtis spoke.

"Lane, there's something I want to tell you," he said. He stopped dancing.

The entire world went quiet. For a split second, everything

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was still. Lane knew whatever he said next was going to change her life. Somehow knew it with complete certainty. He was either going to break her heart or make her year. She looked into his warm brown eyes and braced herself.

"Y eah?"

"I just want you to know that--was

"Curtis! Come on!" Kim appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Curtis's arm. "They're taking our table picture! We can't not be in it! Woot woot!"

She yanked Curtis away and he tripped, staring back at Lane with an apology in his eyes. Just like that, the whole world came rushing back--loud music, laughing voices, bad perfume--and Lane had missed her moment once again.

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* * * * twenty * * * *

Vivi slid all the way to the end of the seat in the limousine and stared out the window. If she had to watch Izzy and Jonathan make lovey-dovey eyes at each other for one more minute, she seriously might die of misery.

God, I wish I could skip the post-prom party, she thought to herself as her friends took their dear, sweet time getting in the car. But she couldn't. She had to be there when Jonathan broke up with Isabelle. If he broke up with her. From the looks of things, those two could very well be headed toward promise rings and two-point-five kids.

"Hey!" Curtis whispered, tapping her arm as he followed her in. "Operation Skewer Sluttig is in full effect, huh? Isabelle's loving that guy!"

Vivi's stomach turned. "Y eah. Great." Curtis shot her a confused look and took the seat across the way. He was quickly joined by Kim, who was scrolling

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through the pictures on her digital camera. Marshall sat next to her and Lane squeezed in next to him, which left the space next to Vivi open for the couple of the century. Jonathan sat down right next to Vivi, his thigh grazing hers, and she pressed herself even closer to the window.

Kill me. Just kill me now.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" Jonathan said to Isabelle as soon as the door was closed. Vivi watched in horror as he pulled Isabelle up onto his lap and she giggled happily, her prom queen crown slightly askew.

"Brandon!" she teased, slapping his shoulder. She did not, however, move off him. Instead she kicked her silver shoes off and they promptly slammed into Vivi's feet.

"Y eah! Woot! Woot!" Kim Wolfe cheered, climbing into Curtis's lap as well.

Vivi stared at Lane across the wide expanse of the car. The plan was working, but somehow, this night could not get any worse.

"Driver! To Dell Landry's!" Isabelle called out cheerily.

"Y ma'am!" the driver replied.

es,

Luckily, it was a short ride, and Kim filled the time by passing around her camera and making everyone look at her "awesome" pictures, most of which were of her random friends striking slutty modeling poses on the dance floor. Jonathan and Izzy, however, ignored her pleas to take the camera, whispering and giggling with one another, Jonathan's arms locked around Isabelle's tiny waist. When the limo finally pulled up the wide driveway to their classmate's sprawling home, Vivi had to press her fingernails

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into her palms to keep from clawing her way out.

"Are you okay?" Lane asked Vivi, falling into step with her as she beelined it for the front door and the mayhem inside.

"I'm fine. Totally, totally fine," Vivi said, her fists clenched.

"Y guys! Wait up!" Isabelle called after them, jogging in her long skirt and high heels. Vivi didn't slow, but Izzy caught up with them anyway. "Omigod,

ou you guys. How amazing is Brandon?"

Lane shot Vivi a pained look. Vivi appreciated the sympathy, even as it irritated her. All she wanted was to get the heck out of there.

"So amazing," Lane said, touching Izzy's arm.

"The way he looks into my eyes? Y guys, it's so incredible!" Isabelle gushed as they crowded through the door. "I know this sounds insane, but I think

ou he's going to tell me he loves me."

"What!?" Vivi blurted, stopping in the middle of the marble foyer. A bunch of kids who were already milling around with champagne and beer stopped to stare at them, but quickly saw nothing interesting was going on and got back to their cavorting. "Y barely know each other," Vivi said.

ou

"I know, but he's been hinting around about it all night," Isabelle gushed, hand to her heart. "Like he keeps saying there's something he really wants to tell me. And that he's never met anyone like me. And his voice gets all husky and I swear it just makes me gooey inside. It's so intense."

Vivi glanced back through the open door and saw that Marshall, Curtis, and Jonathan were all posing for a picture for Kim, Jonathan wearing his "I'm too cool as Brandon"

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smirk. What she wouldn't give to smack it right off his fickle face. Hadn't he just told Vivi that he liked her, like, a week ago?

"And you know what the really weird thing is?" Isabelle said. She looked around, grabbed each of their arms, and pulled them toward the wall, behind a huge potted plant. Vivi stared at her breathless friend, petrified to know what was coming next. "The weird thing is," Isabelle repeated, her brown eyes all dreamy, "that I think I love him, too."

"Isabelle," Lane said, her tone anguished.

Vivi's throat completely closed.

"Thank you guys so much for convincing me to come with him!" Isabelle gave them a quick hug and rushed over to throw herself into Jonathan's waiting arms.

"I'm the devil," Vivi said under her breath. "I'm so the devil."

"It's okay," Lane said. "It's gonna be okay."

But Vivi suddenly felt her chicken marsala was not quite sitting right in her stomach. She turned around, shoved Kim Wolfe aside, and sprinted for the bathroom.

***

"Go, Curtis! Go, Curtis! Go! Go! Go, Curtis!"

Vivi, Lane, and Isabelle all sat on one of the leather couches in Dell's living room, laughing their way to tears as Curtis solo-danced atop the slate coffee table. He'd lost his jacket, his tie was tied around his head, and his shirt was

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completely untucked. All around him, their tipsy classmates raised their arms and cheered him on. With Jonathan and Marshall nowhere to be seen, Vivi was more relaxed than she'd been all night. She wished her friends had stuck to the no-date rule. If they'd been alone like this all night, she might have actually had fun.

"Okay, what is happening right now?" Isabelle asked, laughing.

Lane giggled. "I think we're seeing drunk Curtis in full effect" she said, putting on a skater boy voice.

"Why do I not have a video camera?" Vivi wailed through her laughter. "This is prime blackmail material."

Suddenly Curtis jumped off the table and attempted a flying split. Which only split his pants. Everyone cracked up and cheered even louder as Curtis's face turned purple.

"It's not funny!" Curtis shouted, even as he laughed. "This is a rental!"

Lane doubled over laughing. Isabelle wiped tears from her eyes. Vivi watched them and tried to solidify this memory in her mind. Her one fun memory from her senior prom.

"Y guys, this has been the best night ever," Isabelle said with a content sigh, sitting back as she got her laughter under control.