Fake Boyfriend - Kate Brian (24 page)

For the first time in days, Vivi's heart felt full. It didn't feel jealous or guilty or nervous--just full of happiness for her friend.

"Lane, I am so happy for you," she said, reaching over to hug her.

"Me too," Lane said.

When they pulled back again, Lane picked at a blade of grass near her hip. "I just wish it could have turned out the same way for you and Jonathan."

Vivi sighed as her chest constricted once again. "Well, that was never meant to be."

"Are you sure?" Lane asked. "Maybe if you called him?"

Just like that, Vivi's tension was back full force. "Maybe, but we have bigger problems to deal with right now."

"Right," Lane said, looking across the street. "Guess I was trying not to think about that."

"Come on." Vivi shoved herself up and then yanked Lane to her feet by her wrist. "Let's go inside and figure out what to do next."

Lane took a deep breath and blew it out. "Sounds like a plan."

As they walked into the house, Vivi tried to look at the

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bright side. At least she still had Lane. At least she wasn't in this entirely alone. No matter how forlorn her heart felt.

***

Several hours and much procrastination later, Vivi and Lane stood before the red front door at Isabelle's house, unable to move. Every time Vivi even thought about raising her finger to ring the doorbell, her resolve left her.

"Maybe we don't really need to do this," she said. "They have to know, right? Isabelle's not an idiot. She'd tell her parents if she was getting on a plane."

"We can't assume that," Lane said firmly, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself as much as Vivi. "We have to find out."

"Why hasn't she called yet?" Vivi looked at her phone. She and Lane had calculated it out. If Isabelle's flight really left at noon, she'd be in Paris by now. This whole thing would be so much easier if Vivi could tell Izzy's mom that she'd heard from her and she was okay. "Maybe we should just wait until she calls."

"Enough stalling," Lane said.

With that, Lane lifted her hand and rang the bell. Vivi's stomach dropped out of her body.

"What are you doing?" Vivi blurted.

"Biting the bullet," Lane said.

Vivi closed her eyes, feeling as if she were cresting the top of the highest hill on a roller coaster. Her heart was in

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her throat. Her stomach was where her heart should have been. And suddenly she had to pee like she'd never had to pee before. She heard footsteps. Heard the doorknob turning. This was it. There was no turning back.

"Well, hello, girls!" Isabelle's mother was a vision of calm, unperturbed ignorance--all pearls and pressed cotton and perfect teeth. So she didn't know. She didn't know a thing. Vivi looked at Lane. Lane looked like she was about to bolt. Vivi grabbed her hand.

"Hi, Mrs. Hunter," she choked out.

"Come in! Come in!" Mrs. Hunter trilled, opening the door wide.

Vivi could feel Lane shaking as they stepped inside. She felt like a prisoner being walked out in front of the firing squad. What was Mrs. Hunter going to do when she found out? Was she going to scream? Throw things? Faint? Were they going to have to call 911?

"Isabelle's not home right now, but you're welcome to wait for her in her room," Isabelle's mother said.

That could be a long wait, Vivi thought.

"Actually, Mrs. Hunter, there's something we have to tell you," Vivi began, hoping against hope that this wouldn't be as bad as she was imagining.

"What's that, hon?" Isabelle's mother asked with a smile. Vivi looked at Lane. Lane stared at Vivi. There was no air in the room. No turning back. And suddenly, Vivi heard the words spilling from her lips.

"We didn't mean to do it, Mrs. Hunter! Honestly! We were just trying to help!" Vivi blurted.

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"Didn't mean to do what, Vivi?" Mrs. Hunter asked, nonplussed. "What's the matter?"

"It's Isabelle," Lane said. "And Brandon. Y remember Brandon, right? From last night?"

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Mrs. Hunter crossed her arms over her chest. Her expression grew concerned. "Y ..." es

"He's not real!" Vivi blurted. "We made him up!"

"On MySpace. We made him up on MySpace to help Izzy get over Shawn," Lane said.

"We gave him a dog and drums and books and movies," Vivi rambled.

"And then we had Marshall IM her, pretending to be him--was

"All we wanted was to get Izzy over Shawn! That was it! But then she wanted to go to the prom with Shawn, so--was

"So we had Marshall ask her. Well, Brandon. Well, Marshall as Brandon," Lane rambled. "But then we had to actually have a Brandon--was

"So we hired one," Vivi said, swallowing hard. "We hired a guy from Cranston Prep and he was totally hot, right? Wasn't he hot?"

Mrs. Hunter gaped at her.

"So not the point, Vivi," Lane said through her teeth.

"Right, sorry," Vivi said, chagrined.

"Girls, as appalled as I am right now, I'm getting the idea that you haven't gotten to the point." Mrs. Hunter nervously fiddled with her pearls.

"Well, we had Jonathan--that's the guy who pretended to be Brandon--we had him break up with her last night and say he was going to Paris," Lane said. "We figured it was fool

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proof, you know? No one wants a long-distance relationship at eighteen, right? But the problem is ... the problem is ..."

Vivi took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The words all came out in one quick rush. "The problem is that Izzy is on a flight to Paris right now to find him!"

"What!?" Mrs. Hunter screeched.

"Except he's not there! He doesn't even exist! "Vivi couldn't stop herself. "Izzy used all her graduation money to chase after a guy who we made up!"

"Mrs. Hunter we are so, so, so sorry," Lane said tremulously.

"How could you do this?" Mrs. Hunter raved. "She's on a plane? Right now? To Paris]?"

"Mrs. Hunter--was

"Don't even speak to me, Vivi Swayne," Mrs. Hunter snapped, slicing a finger through the air.

Vivi pulled back, feeling as if she'd been slapped. The lump in her throat grew. "I'm sorry."

"Oh my gosh! My baby!" Mrs. Hunter covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. "She's going to be all alone in a foreign country!" She turned around and rushed into the kitchen. After the briefest hesitation, Vivi and Lane followed. Mrs. Hunter grabbed her purse and keys and looked around in a panic. "My passport! I need my passport!"

"Mrs. Hunter, what are you doing?" Lane asked.

"I have to go after her! She's going to be all alone!" Mrs. Hunter rambled. "I have to find my passport." She turned again and swept past them, running up the stairs in her sensible heels.

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Vivi stood in the foyer, gripping the banister, feeling hollow. She could hardly breathe. "Omigod, she hates us," she said, holding her hand over her chest. "Could this possibly get any worse?"

Suddenly, Vivi's cell phone rang. She pulled it out, shaking like a leaf, and saw Isabelle's name on the caller ID. "It's her!"

Lane gasped and huddled in to hear.

"Izzy!" Vivi shouted into the phone, barely able to grip it in her quaking hands. "Are you okay? What were you thinking? Y mother is freaking out right

our now. She's on her way to Paris to get you!"

Total silence.

"Iz? Are you there?" Vivi wailed in desperation. "Where are you?"

And then, a hand came down on her shoulder. Vivi whirled around, and Isabelle was standing right in front of her.

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"What. . . what. . . what?" Vivi could not get past that one word.

"Izzy! Y ou're here!" Lane threw her arms around Isabelle's neck.

"I can't believe you losers actually thought I'd follow some guy I barely know to France," Isabelle said, smiling at Vivi over Lane's shoulder. She was wearing a bathing suit and terry cloth shorts, glistening like she'd been out in the sun all day.

"B... b... I--was

Isabelle pulled away from Lane, lifted her phone, and snapped a picture of Vivi's face. "Nice. I really had to get that one for posterity."

"Isabelle," Vivi said finally. "What is going on?"

"Why don't you come out back and see?" Isabelle said, tilting her head toward the back of the house.

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Vivi looked at Lane as they followed Isabelle through the kitchen to the back patio. Lane looked as baffled as Vivi felt. Baffled and relieved. Isabelle stepped outside.

"They're here!" she sang.

Confused, Vivi walked out into the glare of the sun. For a second she was blinded, but she could make out two figures sitting in lounge chairs alongside the shimmering pool. Two shadowy figures that ever-so-slowly came into focus.

Marshall kicked back, sipping an iced tea in distressed khaki shorts and a cool T-shirt, and Jonathan looking as Abercrombie-perfect as ever in a polo and linen pants. He was all clean-shaven now, his hair back to its preppy flatness instead of the tousled Brandon effect.

"Ladies!" Jonathan said with a grin. "How was Newark Airport?"

Vivi couldn't move. Could hardly process what she was seeing. Even in all her confusion, Vivi was ecstatic just to see him again.

"Y remember Jonathan, right? He never really looked like a Brandon to me," Isabelle said with a shrug. "But then I guess he never was a Brandon!"

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"How long have you known?" Vivi asked finally.

"Since last weekend. The night of our first 'date1'" Isabelle gloated, throwing in some air quotes.

"So this whole week ... this whole week with you crying and moping and everything. It was all a sham," Lane said.

"Y Who knew I was such a good actress?" Isabelle preened. "And my mom did a great job just now, didn't she? Maybe she should audition for your

ep. mom's next show, Viv!"

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* * * * twenty-three * * * *

"I think I need to sit down," Vivi said, dropping into a chair at the table. She couldn't believe it. She'd been outplayed. By Isabelle, of all people--the least deceitful person she knew.

"It was hard, believe me," Isabelle replied, sitting as well. "I so wanted to tell you that I knew. But it was way more fun to mess with your heads."

"B... but how?" Vivi asked.

"Brandon and I . . . well, Marshall and I were chatting online that night after our date and I asked him if he wanted to go so he could go to bed early," Isabelle replied, smiling. "And he told me that he'd slept like a rock the night before so he could stay up all night talking to me if I wanted. Which was sweet, but clearly a lie. Since on our date, Jonathan had told me that he had been up until four in the morning playing his guitar."

Vivi shot eye-daggers at Marshall, who sank down in his chair a bit and covered his eyes with his sunglasses.

"So after some IM grilling, I finally got his true identity out of him and he spilled about--what did you call it?-- Operation Skewer Sluttig?"

Vivi winced. "Y eah."

"Spilled the whole can to' beans," Isabelle continued. "That was when I decided to come up with my own plot."

"So she called you," Lane said to Jonathan.

"Y There was a message from Izzy when I got home from my friend's house that night. Marshall got her my number and she called me and told me

ep. she knew everything and that she had a plan to get back at you," Jonathan said. "And

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I don't know, but for some reason at that very moment, getting back at you seemed like an attractive idea," he added, smirking at Vivi.

Vivi's heart was spasming like crazy. What does this mean? She wanted to scream. Was all that mushy stuff between you and Izzy last night just to get back at me? Or did you actually fall in love with each other while plotting your revenge?

"Omigod! The look on your faces when I told you I thought he was going to say he loved me?" Isabelle said, cracking up. "That was so classic! I wish I'd gotten a picture of that."

"So you're not mad?" Lane asked.

"Not anymore. I was at first. I mean, I was like Count of Monte Cristo mad," Isabelle said. "But after I talked to Jonathan and Marshall about it, it sounded like your hearts were in the right places. I mean, who else has friends that would go so overboard just to make their friend happy?"

"I cannot believe you made us think you were going to Paris," Vivi said, laughing as she rolled her eyes. "That was so not cool."

"Y eah, and making me believe I had a brand-new dream guy just to keep me away from Shawn? Not cool either," Isabelle said sternly. She stood up and walked over to Vivi and Lane. "Y guys, you don't have to protect me, okay? I can take care of myself."

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Vivi sat up straight. "But I--was

"Y have got to learn to keep your mouth shut," Isabelle said firmly.

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Vivi snapped her mouth closed.

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"And you!" Isabelle turned abruptly to Lane with her arms crossed over her chest. "Y cannot tell me you thought this was a good idea."

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Lane looked at Vivi. "I... well... no."

"Well, God, girl! Speak up! If you would just learn to stand up for yourself already, we could have avoided this whole thing!" Isabelle teased.

"Oh, she learned to stand up for herself, believe me," Vivi said proudly.

"Y eah?" Isabelle raised her eyebrows.

"I kind of left her at the airport," Lane said with a shrug.

"No way," Isabelle said, her jaw dropping.

"Y ep." Lane preened.

"Wow. Nice," Isabelle said, slapping hands with Lane. "Y have to tell me all about that later."

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"I guess I deserved that one." Vivi shook her head, smiling. "I'm really sorry, Izzy. It all went very wrong."

Isabelle smiled slowly. "Well, not totally wrong," she said. "Thanks to you guys, I finally found someone who cares about me." She slowly walked around the table toward the lounge chairs. "Someone who really listens to me and treats me the way I deserve to be treated."

Vivi's heart pounded in her throat. Oh, God. So it was true. Isabelle and Jonathan really had fallen for each other. She could only imagine all the late- night phone calls they must have had, putting together their plans. All the whispering and scheming. So all that stuff at the prom--the touching and gooey eyes and lap sitting--it was all real. Vivi was going to die. Right here, right now.