Page 7 of The Stand-In Boyfriend

Walking past her, I leave them at the edge of her seat and take the last open desk two rows behind, not once letting my eyes dart toward the dark-haired girl whose kiss just rocked my world.

Chapter Three

JESSICA

“Why is everybody staring at us?” Evie asks, looking around the cafeteria.

So much for trying to convince myself it’s all in my head.

Ducking my head, I play with my salad since I suddenly don’t feel the least bit hungry anymore. “No idea.”

Evie hums, but I can still feel her eyes staring at me; on top of a dozen more probing my back. So much for keeping a low profile. Less than a day back in school and I’m already the center of attention.Again. I’m scared to even pull out my phone to see the extent of the damage Noah Russell caused.

What the hell was he thinking, kissing me like that?

I’ll tell you what—he wasn’t.

Such typical guy behavior. They think they’re swooping in to save the day when in reality, they’re just creating an even bigger mess.

I press my lips together, but I can still feel his mouth on mine. No matter what I did or how much I tried, there was no way to get rid of the soft, tingling sensation that the press of his lips against mine caused.

Seriously, what is wrong with me?

Suddenly the chatter filling the cafeteria dies, the tension filling the room growing. A shiver runs down my spine, making the fine hairs at the nape of my neck stand up.

I don’t even have to lift my head to know who just entered the room. I already know. Yet a part of me can’t resist the pull. I lift my gaze and meet Noah’s crystal, blue eyes straight-on.

He stops in his tracks, a blank expression on his face, as he watches me for a few long seconds.

Evie puffs out a breath. “You’d think people would stop with the staring game. It’s been months.”

Breaking his stare, I turn to my best friend. “Right? They really should find something better to do with their lives.”

“You know, he isn’t such a bad guy. What happened…”

Whatever Evie wanted to say dies with the sound of scraping chairs. In unison, we turn to find our usual table companions Liam, Mike, andfuckI should have knownhe’dbe here. After all, this is his table, his friends, as much as mine. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it has. I thought I’d have more time before being forced to face Jack, but apparently I ran out of luck sometime last summer because since then it’s been one shitshow after another.

Jack’s steps falter when he sees me. He, just like me, seems surprised by the turn of events. At least I’m not the only one, although to be honest there is little solace in that.

I’m not sure what we were expecting really, but this whole thing sucks. I should have never agreed to start dating him. I should have known better, but then I wasn’t thinking. I liked him, and he seemed to like me. He was handsome and popular, and his friend was dating mine. It seemed like the most logical thing to get to know him, kiss him, agree to date him… That is, until I found him making out with one of my cheerleader friends.

The ache in my chest that was born that night returns in full force the longer we look at each other. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that one look at him used to make my heart race and now brings me so much pain and anguish.

He looks disheveled. His dark hair is messy and there are circles beneath his eyes that weren’t there before. A part of me feels happy that I’m not the only one feeling crappy about it all, but the girl who was falling for him feels his pain like it’s my own.

It’s confusing as hell.

It’s been two and a half months. I want to say I got over what happened, that I don’t feel anything for him any longer, but the sad truth is… Jackson Morgan was my first love. Just because he acted like a jackass doesn’t change that.

“Jack, what the hell…” Liam starts, but then he sees me. I can feel his unease as he looks between the two of us, muttering a silent curse.

Forcing myself to breathe, I plaster a smile on my lips. Not that it’s fooling anybody since it’s as fake as they come. “It’s okay.” No it’s not, but it’s my fault for not thinking this whole thing through before I agreed to meet Evie for lunch. I nod at the empty chair. “Jack, sit down.”

Jack stands there for a moment, debating on whether to take me up on the offer, but then decides to take the chair next to Mike, which is thankfully across from me. Far from ideal, but better than having him sit right by my side. That would most definitely bring back memories that are better left in the past, and have even more mouths talking.

“Well this isn’t awkward at all,” Mike deadpans before biting into his pizza and chewing extra loudly.

“Fuck off, Mike,” Jack grumbles and digs into his own food, his gaze carefully remaining on his tray.

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