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I shake my head. He’s wrong.
“How did you know it was me at the masquerade ball anyway?” I ask. “I was wearing a mask.”
“It was pretty obvious as soon as you and your mom started crushing the questions.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling invades my stomach. He knew who I was back then and he even watched me play the trivia game?
“Honestly, I kind of wanted to play the trivia game, too,” he says. “But my friends would have found it nerdy.”
Again, I’m bursting to know why it’s so important for him to put up this whole facade and be with the popular crowd. But he shared so much of himself with me and I don’t want to invade too much of his personal space.
“At least you had fun with Vanessa,” I say. “Has she said anything to you? Texted you?”
“What? Oh, Vanessa?” He shrugs. “No, she hasn’t said anything.”
I frown. “Weird. I mean, I’m glad she hasn’t tried to get back together with you yet because there are still two weeks left before the competition, but shouldn’t she be jealous by now? Unless she can see right through our act.”
“Nah. My friends can’t see through it.”
“Not to sound mean, but your friends aren’t the brightest bunch.”
That makes him laugh. “True. But no, Vanessa hasn’t tried to get back together with me.”
“Yet,” I add.
“Right.”
He parks in the student lot and we get out, just as his friends get out of Owen’s car. “My man, Colt!” Owen marches over and does a dude-ish handshake with him. “Long time no see, huh? Been too busy with your girl?” He playfully nudges his elbow into my shoulder.
Colt smiles at me. “I love spending every second with her.”
I return it. “Likewise.”
Owen and Colt chat, including me in their conversation, but the rest of his friends barely pay attention to me. Some of them even sneak me looks like they wish I would disappear in a puff of smoke.Surethe kids at school are jealous of me. I’ve never minded being invisible, but for some reason, it bothers me now. Maybe because of Colt? With my friends, we’re all invisible. But Colt is popular. He’s friends with kids I don’t like. It reminds me how temporary my friendship with him really is.
“I’m heading in,” I tell Colt.
“Oh…do you want me to go with you?” he asks.
I hold up my hand. “That’s okay. Catch up with your friends. It seems like Owen really missed you,” I tease.
Owen beams, puffing out his chest. “You know it.”
I feel Colt looking after me, like he’s bothered that I’m not hanging out with him. And that has nothing to do with the fake relationship.
But it’s silly for him to push his friends away for me. Even though they’re not the kind of people I want to associate myself with, they’re stillhisfriends. I don’t belong there.
Just as I walk into the school building, a tall girl with freckles stands before me. I think she’s a senior. Crossing her arms over her chest, she snarls, “My boyfriend broke up with me last night and it’s all your fault!”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But how is that my fault?”
“Because he got matched with another girl!”
I just stare at her. “What?”
“According to your app, he and I arenotcompatible.”
I rub my chin. “Oh, I see…” I ponder it for a moment before lifting my hands helplessly. “Sorry. I guess that means you guys aren’t good for each other.”
