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Adorkable(25)



“Firstly,” I said, “that’s Star Wars, not Star Trek.” Hooker wasn’t a big fan of The Force. “And secondly, Leia and Luke were never romantically involved. It’s a common misconception. Skywalker wasn’t her guy. For Leia, it was always Han Solo, nobody else.”

She shook her head, lip curled in faint disgust. “You watch way too many movies, you know that?”

“And you don’t watch enough to make that kind of comparison,” I countered.

“Alright,” she said, “I’ll concede that. But…Becks? Really?”

I nodded.

“Not in an ‘I like him’ kind of way…in the ‘I love him’ way?” She was studying my face a little too closely, and I began to sweat. “That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it Spitz? You’re in love with the guy? Becks is your Han Solo?”

My throat closed up tight, holding back the words, but I knew this might be the only thing that would make Hooker believe.

“Yeah,” I said, voice hoarse, looking her dead in the eye. “He is.”

A moment went by in which Hooker continued to stare, presumably weighing my words, and I continued to sweat. Then, out of nowhere, she laughed.

“God, Spitz,” she said. “You are such a liar.” Getting out of the car, she waved goodbye. “I’ll call you later.”

I waved back, nearly overwhelmed by the relief. Of course, I wanted Hooker to believe my little lies. Stopping the epidemic of blind dates was the point of this plan and fooling her was integral to its success. But when I’d concocted the F.B.F. idea, I hadn’t been thinking clearly. Everything had happened so fast, that I hadn’t had a moment to consider the catch, the huge snag I’d missed when I’d so carelessly asked Becks to be my F.B.F. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that I’d be revealing any of my secrets.

Hooker had called me a liar, and I’d told enough lies in the past few hours that it was basically true. Funny thing was I hadn’t been lying at the time. It was my deepest, most well-kept, I-would-just-die-if-this-ever-got-out secret. One I hadn’t revealed to a single soul.

Becks was totally my Han Solo.

Even if he didn’t know it.

I’d been in love with him since we were kids, and I was only now realizing all the ways that the plan could backfire. I could only hope Mom would be an easier sell.





CHAPTER 6





She cleared her throat then fired off her first bomb.

Casually—too casually—she said, “How?”

“What do you mean?” I mumbled, though I thought I knew.

“Did he ask you or did you ask him? Where did it happen? Does Lillian know? What does she think?”

So much for an easy sell.

Pouring the milk slowly, careful not to spill a drop, I walked over, replaced the carton, and lowered myself into the seat across from The Interrogator. She was wearing one of the bridal tiaras she’d brought home, a white veil attached to the back. Her fingers were beating a lazy rhythm on the wooden table top, but the beady eyes remained.

“I asked him, Mom,” I said, reaching across to grab an apple, saying the words like they were the easiest thing in the world. “In the storeroom, after first period.”

“Did you?” Mom raised an eyebrow, drumming a constant five-count, pinky to thumb, pinky to thumb.

The sound was unnerving.

“Yes.” I downed a big gulp of milk, quickly wiping away the excess on my top lip. “And yes, Hooker knows...but she doesn’t believe me.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, thinking back. “She says it’s weird, that Becks and I know each other too well and there’s no mystery.” I laughed. “She actually said we’re like siblings. What I really think is she can’t believe Becks would go out with someone like me. I mean, he’s my best friend, but he’s still Becks.”

The finger tapping stopped abruptly. “That’s ridiculous.”

I shrugged. In this at least, I was on sure footing. “That’s what I said. Seriously, Mom, me and Becks related? He’s too freaking pretty for that.” Though as I said it, I noticed how beautiful my mom looked now, even as she frowned. I guessed good looks sometimes skip a generation.

“That’s not what I meant at all.” Her eyes were slits, never a good sign. Before I could figure it out, she went on. “And when was this?”

“Yesterday.”

The seconds ticked by, each marked by her once again drumming fingers and the erratic beat of my heart. I’d just told her about me and Becks, and this was her response: a question-and-answer session sure to trip me up if I wasn’t on my guard. Luckily, after Hooker, I’d been expecting it.