Page 111 of Fauxmance

"I'll be right behind you."

As I sat there staring after him, I couldn't deny the truth.

Hayden was doing more than good.

He was amazing.

He was, quite possibly, the best boyfriend in the universe.

And that meant my heart and I were in big trouble.

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"Magnolia, you need to stop seeing that guy."

The words were a surprise. The fact that they were coming from Sean's mouth was even more so.

"He isn't good for you."

I heard the words but couldn't agree. All day during school, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about what happened the other day at the soup kitchen. Sean had been my boyfriend for years, and he'd never even deigned to visit, saying on one occasion that I should stop wasting my time and do something more productive. I hadn't reacted well, and Sean had never mentioned it again. But I remembered that conversation now as I shut my locker and turned to face him.

"Did you say something?" I asked.

Sean put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I said you need to stop seeing Hayden Davenport. The guy's a player, Maggie. He'll only hurt you."

I tilted my head. "You mean, like you did?"

"This isn't about me," he said, running a hand along the back of his neck.

"You're right," I said. "It's not. So please, stop talking to me."

With that, I started walking down the hall, but Sean followed, dogging my steps.

"Did you know that he just up and left his family four months ago?" Sean said. "No one even heard from him. The only news they hadcamethrough the tabloids. He went off with his band—if you can even call it that—and he spent that time partying, spending a ton of money, and messing around. That is not the kind of guy you should be with."

Stopping, I whipped around.

Sean was so surprised he nearly ran into me, but I didn't care.

"Apparently, I wasn't clear enough," I said. "You have no say in who I date, Sean. You aren't my boyfriend anymore. You haven't been my friend for a long time. You broke my heart without a care in the world. So what gives you the right to say anything to me?"

Sean's jaw was gaping.

He looked like a guppy and not at all attractive—though I'd always thought of him as such no matter what he looked like. I figured that meant I was getting over him and gave myself a mental pat on the back.

Unfortunately, Sean recovered his voice.

"Is that what this is about?" he asked. "Are you trying to make me jealous?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed at the absurdity. The question, Sean trying to warn me away from Hayden, everything struck me as hilarious all of a sudden.

"Okay, Magnolia, I get it. That's enough."

The laughter kept rolling out of me. My eyes were wet by the time I looked up at him.

"It wasn't that funny," he said.

"Trust me, it was," I said.

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