The Fake Boyfriend Experiment(60)

“Oh.” That’s all tonight was about. His desire to keep playing lacrosse. Which was fine. The only reason I was here was for The Homework Club. So why did I feel so disappointed? I didn’t even like him, remember?

“So...” He took my left hand. “In order for you to understand what changes need to be made to The Homework Club, you have to see how the other side lives.” He winked. “The side that likes to actually enjoy life.”

I eyed him. “Sounds like another line to me.”

He snorted. “I wouldn’t waste a line on you.”

“What does that mean?” That I wasn’t worth it? That he had so little interest in me that he wouldn’t want to risk me to succumbing to his charms?

He grinned. “Because you’d probably kick me in the nuts if I tried a cheap line on you.”

I burst out laughing at his response, and suddenly my tension went away. This was the Theo I knew. He would never hurt me. I might be a pain in his side, but I was his little sister’s best friend, and that made me safe. “Probably,” I teased. “You’re a womanizing jerk.”

“See? I knew you’d give me grief.” He grabbed my other hand and started walking backward, pulling me with him. “One dance. For research’s sake.”

One dance. For The Homework Club. I took a deep breath. “Fine.”

A nice smile lit up his face, and he dropped one hand and turned to lead me out on the dance floor.

Where his arms would soon be around me.





Sneak Peek: WHO NEEDS BOYS?


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Tad and I went for a midnight swim to cool off my bee stings again. We swam out pretty far, and then Tad stopped and treaded water. “Can you float on your back?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Do it, and look at the sky.”

I glanced up and realized the black sky was dotted with more stars than I’d ever seen in my entire life. I immediately rolled onto my back and puffed up my chest so I didn’t sink. The dark night stretched endlessly above my head, a blackness illuminated with glittering diamonds as far as I could see. Millions and millions of dots of light. It was incredible, daunting, and the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. I felt tiny, but at the same time, I felt drawn into the magnificence of the sky, as if it were a part of me, and I was a part of it. “It’s incredible,” I whispered.

“I know. I could stay out for hours,” Tad said, floating so close that his shoulder brushed into mine. “Did you see that?” Tad asked.

“See what?” I was too busy thinking about the tingling in my arm from touching Tad to be paying attention to anything else.

He pointed off to the right, his hand coming across my field of vision. “The shooting star. Off toward shore.”

“No, darn it. I’ve never seen one.” I turned so I could study the sky over the land. “What am I looking for?”

“A streak of light.” Tad bumped against my leg. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” Really. It was no problem. I was beginning to be fond of him touching me, though it had only been to tackle me into the water in a bee rescue and to hold ice on my arm. I wondered what it would be like if he held my hand, just to hold it.

I saw a streak of light and shrieked. “Was that one?”

“Yeah. Cool, huh?”

“Incredible.” The most incredible thing I’d ever seen. It was like the universe was lighting up just for us.

We stayed floating forever, and I saw eight shooting stars. It was, quite possibly, the most amazing night I had ever had.

* * *





“One shooting star for each bee sting,” Tad said later as we were slogging through the water back to shore.

“Don’t remind me.” I hugged my arms against the shivers that had finally set in. We’d floated for so long that the night had cooled off and the water had felt cold.

“Want to sit for a minute?” He nodded at a flat rock on the shore.

My stomach jiggled, and suddenly I wasn’t cold anymore. “Definitely.”

He spread out his towel and we sat next to each other. Not touching. Normally, I’d have no qualms about leaning against him and giving him some broad hints, but I didn’t. I had no idea what he was thinking about me. Or why I was having guy/girl thoughts about him.

So we simply sat in silence for a while, listening to the water lapping at the shore.

“Can I ask you something, Allie?” he said.

“Of course.” I crossed my fingers behind my back and hoped it was something good.

“What happened with Rand last night?”

Rand? Wow. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. I picked up a stick and began picking the bark off it. “We had a difference of opinion.”