Fake Boyfriend - Kate Brian (25 page)

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"My perfect guy," Isabelle said, pausing between the two chairs.

And then, Marshall stood up, took Isabelle in his arms, and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

"Marshall! "Vivi blurted.

"No! Isabelle! Y can't date Marshall! He's gay!" Lane shouted.

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"What!?" Vivi cried. She brought her hands to her head. "Okay. Is this what an aneurysm feels like?"

Marshall pulled away from Isabelle and laughed. "Lane, I'm not gay. I was just messing with you. Y caught me staring at her and I had to throw you off,

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"I'm so going to hurl," Vivi said.

Isabelle laughed and hugged Marshall and they kissed again.

"Ew. Okay. I cannot watch this," Vivi rambled. "What is wrong with you people? I did not sign off on this!"

"Vivi," Jonathan said, pushing himself out of his chair.

"I mean, Isabelle and Marshall? This cannot happen," Vivi continued.

Jonathan walked over and stood in front of her. "Vivi!"

"What?" she blurted.

"Would you shut up already?" he said.

Vivi's mouth snapped shut. Jonathan's blue eyes sparkled as he looked at her. "What did you just say to me?" she asked.

"I said, 'shut up1'" he told her. Then he reached out, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her to him. Vivi gasped in surprise, and then he kissed her. He kissed until she was

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floating somewhere outside herself--letting everything go.

When he finally pulled away, all she wanted was to pull him back again.

"Okay! Feeling very fifth wheel out here!" Lane said with a laugh. She turned and headed inside. "I'll just be getting a drink!"

"So I didn't scare you away?" Vivi asked Jonathan.

Jonathan took a step back, but held on to her hand. "Takes a lot more than one freak-out in a parking lot to scare me off," he said with a manly shrug. "Just took me a couple of days to realize it."

"A couple of days? Try a week!"

"Well, a guy has to play hard to get...," he teased.

"Y suck, you know that?"

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"No, you suck."

"No, it's definitely you. Y definitely, definitely--was

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"Okay, this could go on for days. I have a better idea," Jonathan said.

Then he pulled her to him once more, and this time neither one of them was about to let go.

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* * * * twenty-four * * * *

A few weeks later, Vivi sat in the sun with the rest of her class in her white cap and gown, smiling at Jonathan in the first row of the bleachers. Next to her, Lane and Curtis clutched hands. Up on the makeshift stage in the middle of the Westmont High football field, Isabelle was just finishing up her valedictorian speech. Vivi felt nothing but excited and accomplished and proud. She was having a perfect moment.

"Congratulations to the graduating class of Westmont High!" Isabelle shouted.

Vivi jumped to her feet and cheered with the rest of the class, throwing her cap into the air. Hundreds of white and black disks sailed up into the cloudless blue sky. And then came back down again.

"Duck!" Curtis shouted. And they all did.

"Ow!" Vivi said with a laugh as a hard corner slammed right into her back.

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"That tradition has got to go," Lane replied, shaking her head.

"Y guys! We graduated!" Vivi shouted. She grabbed them into a group hug as everyone around them high-fived and snapped pictures.

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"We are officially OOS!" Curtis cheered.

"Huh?" Vivi asked.

"Out of school!" Curtis explained with a grin.

"Y eah, and now that we're OOS, maybe it's really time for you to quit that crap already," Vivi said.

"Bite me, Vivi," Curtis replied.

"Not BM?" Vivi shot back.

Curtis chuckled. "Y said BM!"

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"Y guys?" Lane said.

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"Y are such a ... a ... guy!" Vivi countered.

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"Hey! Y finally noticed!" Curtis replied. "Congrats."

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"Y guys!" Lane shouted.

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"What?" Vivi asked.

"Where's Isabelle?" Lane peered around through the mayhem. Parents and friends had started to crowd the field to take pictures with the graduates. "We need to get a picture. She was supposed to come right down here."

"I don't know," Vivi said, looking around. "She probably just got snagged by some people wanting a picture of the valedictorian."

Jonathan arrived and planted a big kiss on Vivi's cheek. "Congratulations!" he said, handing her a big bouquet of roses.

"Thanks," Vivi said, beaming. "But where's my real present?"

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"What's that?" Jonathan teased.

"Y promised! Y promised you were going to tell me the story of the scar!" Vivi cried. "So come on. Give it. Spill!"

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"Okay, fine, fine." Jonathan turned her toward him, wrapping one arm around her waist. "I got this scar," he said, leaning in close as if he was going to tell her a dark, tragic secret. "Trying to jump a ramp on my tricycle when I was four."

"No way!" Vivi said with a laugh.

"I told you I could be badass," he said with a blithe shrug.

Vivi laughed and stood on her toes to kiss him. "That's the cutest, most pathetic thing I've ever heard."

"Tell me about it," he said with a grin.

"Okay, where is Isabelle?" Lane asked, growing frustrated.

Suddenly, Vivi's cell phone beeped. She lifted her gown and fished under the folds of fabric until she could get to the pocket of her shorts. When she pulled it out, the text message icon was flashing on the screen.

"It's from her. What the heck?" Vivi said.

Lane, Curtis, and Jonathan all huddled around her as she read.

Isabelle: Guess where I am. And no. Not with Shawn. Vivi: Ha ha. Better not B! U break M's heart. Isabelle: Im at Newark Airport

"She's hilarious. Really," Curtis deadpanned. Vivi: V. FUNNY!

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Isabelle: OK. Not there yet. But our flight leaves in 4 hrs. U, me, Lane going 2 paris. Go home and pack!!! HAPPY GRADUATION!

"What?" Vivi blurted.

"Y eah, what? What about me?" Curtis put in.

"She can't be serious." Lane grabbed the phone from Vivi.

"Hey! That's my phone!" Vivi protested.

"Back off, Vivi!" Lane replied.

"Wow. She's getting good at this," Jonathan gave Vivi a squeeze as Lane texted back. Vivi smiled. She was actually fairly proud of Lane's newfound guts.

Vivi: its lane, r u serious?

Isabelle: TOTALLY SERIOUS! Remember grad $$$his Now GO!

Meet at my house 1 hr.! Don't 4onget yr passports!!

Lane closed the phone and looked at Vivi, dumbfounded. "We're going to Paris."

Vivi's heart skipped with excitement. "We're going to Paris!"

She grabbed Lane's hand and they jumped up and down, squealing happily. "Come on! Let's go pack!" Lane exclaimed, squeezing Vivi's fingers as they started navigating through the crowd.

"Uh, ladies!?" Jonathan called after them, clearing his throat. Vivi and Lane turned around. Jonathan and Curtis were staring after them forlornly. "Y es?"

"What about us?" Curtis asked, lifting his palms.

Vivi looked at Lane and grinned. "Well, you'll just have to pine for us until we get back," Lane shouted.

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"Unless, of course, you want to hop a plane and follow us, but that's your prerogative!" Vivi added. "I'm done telling people what to do."

And with that, she and Lane jogged off, hand in hand, to go get Izzy.

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acknowledgements

Special thanks to Katie McConnaughey, Emily Meehan, Josh Bank, Lynn Weingarten, and Courtney Bongiolatti for their patience and help in guiding this novel. Y all know I couldn't have done it without you!

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