Page 41 of The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

He looked worried. "What, you don't like it?"

"No, I love it." If my mother ever found out, I'd never hear the end of it. The lobster was sweet and crisp and had a spicy mayo which seemed to make it even sweeter. I tried the toro next, and it was fresh and delicious and practically disintegrated in my mouth. I had never tasted anything so good. I dug into the ice cream next, and a mixture of green tea tempura, cinnamon and orange exploded inside my mouth.

I would have to leave this restaurant soon or I would blow up like Violet Beauregarde inCharlie and the Chocolate Factoryand Jake would have to roll me out the door.

"I'm glad."

Jake tried to initiate conversation for the next few minutes, but I stuck to one-syllable answers. Partly because I just wanted to eat, but mostly because I didn't want to get sucked in. I tried to read him. Was he lying to me and I had missed all the signs? Or was he just that good? Maybe he was some kind of relationship card shark. I waited for him to touch his face, especially his mouth. This felt like the poker game all over again. Only instead of playing poker, he was playing with my heart.

But he never touched his face.

I hate to admit, but it softened me. How could it not? How could I not want to pretend this was real? Even if I knew, in the back of my mind, that fairytales didn't come true for girls like me. Prince Charming never ended up with the ugly stepsister. I was just fooling myself because I so desperately wanted it.

"So, any hints on what you plan on saying in your speech tomorrow?"

It was like he had thrown a bucket of ice water over my head. Suddenly the lobster tasted rubbery in my mouth. I took a drink to force it down. It hadn't taken long for him to bring the election up. I wondered how much longer I had until he started talking about Ella.

"I think talking about the election should be off-limits, don't you?"

"Uh, sure." I had made him uncomfortable, but he quickly rebounded. "I guess we have to have some surprises for tomorrow, right?"

I gave him a tight smile in return.

Was this a real date? A distraction? Was he trying to throw me off my game? Or had Mercedes made the whole thing up to mess with my head and I was ruining an actual date? Unfortunately, it was too easy to believe her. Why would Jake like me? What was so special about me that he would give me any attention?

We learned in science about this theory called Occam's razor that basically said that when there's more than one explanation, the simplest one is usually right.

And the simplest explanation here was that Mercedes had told the truth and I was an idiot to have ever believed that Jake might like me.

"You know, I don't think the sushi's really agreeing with me. I'm going to head home."

I stood up, and Jake sat there for a second, looking surprised. Finally he asked, "Are you okay? Do you need me to drive you?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just going to go."

He reached out and grabbed my hand, and I forced myself to ignore the electricity that passed between us. "Listen, whatever happens tomorrow, I still want us to be friends."

I immediately pulled my hand away. I couldn't risk it. "Sure, whatever. See you."

I left him sitting in his chair. Once I got outside, I practically ran to my car. I didn't care if he could see me or not.

My tires squealed as I left the parking lot and got back onto the PCH. I let all my frustration out on the pavement, pushing the accelerator down. I realized that I should have left some cash to help pay for dinner, until I decided that if he did plan to use me for information, the least he could do was pay.

It wasn't until I nearly got home that I remembered what he had said as I left the restaurant.

What had he meant? What would happen tomorrow?

Chapter 14

Needless to say, sleep was pretty much out of the question. I tossed and turned the entire night. If he had been lying, he had nearly convinced me.

My head throbbed the next morning and my head felt stuffy. Stress completely wrecked my immune system and I started to feel sick.

Ella took one look at me and came back with a glass of orange juice and a cup of green tea. "You cannot get sick. Not today."

"I know, I know," I said before I blew my nose into a tissue. I took some Dayquil and put the box into my bag. Today I would stand in front of the entire school and tell them why they should elect me as their senior class president.

I had been so caught up in my Jake obsession that I hadn't spent much time working on my speech. At about three in the morning, I finally got up and finished it.

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