Page 95 of Better Than the Movies
“This is getting embarrassing, and I have to take off in, like, two minutes. Do you maybe want to answer?” Michael looked uncomfortable as he waited.
I took a deep breath and simply accepted the flowers he was holding—I couldn’t manage words when Wes was snuggling with Alex and whistling for me to say yes. Then Michael flipped the poster over, revealing a back side that saidSHE SAID YESin the same Boggle format.
The people standing around clapped and—thank God—started dispersing, while I stood there feeling shell-shocked. Michael squeezed my hand and said, “I really do have to go now, but this felt right after our talk in my dad’s room last night. We can work out the details tomorrow, okay?”
“Um, sounds good.”
“Your ‘talk’ last night?” Jocelyn stepped in front of me as soon asMichael turned away, her eyes narrowed. “You were with Michael Young?”
I felt the blood drain from my face as my lies caught up to me. I fumbled for words and said, “I told you we were watching movies—”
“You said you were hanging out with Wes.” She shook her head as she said in a low voice, “What is wrong with you? You’re so screwed up about romantic bullshit that you lie to your best friend—and for what? To go out with a guy who’s already talking to someone else?”
I swallowed, feeling the urge to defend myself, even though I knew I was in the wrong. “Maybe if you weren’t so judgmental, I could’ve been honest with you. But you make itsohard sometimes.”
Joss looked at me like I was disgusting. And she was right. “Are you saying it’s my fault you’re a liar?”
“Of course not. God, I’m so sorry. I just—”
Her eyebrows went down as she squinted at me and said, “So what’s the deal with Wes, then? Do you even like him?”
I sighed. Was there any reasonnotto spill it all to Joss now? “Well, that part is true—I like him a lot.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “So what were you doing at Michael’s house if you like Wes?”
I adjusted my messenger bag and glanced at Kate and Cassidy, who I hadn’t even noticed were behind her until then. “I went there with Wes, actually.”
“You went there with Wes and ended up with Michael in his dad’s bedroom? You’re kidding, right?”
“Um, it was actually a music room.”
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak I said, “But I know that’s not the point. Wes was fine with the whole thing—he wanted me to go talk to Michael.”
“He did.” She gave me a stare that made her look like her mother, like a lawyer who had a lying criminal on the stand and she was about to make him cry.
“Yes.” I cleared my throat and decided to come clean. I said, “See, he’d been helping me—”
“Oh my God, you schemed with him to get Michael, didn’t you?” Her eyes squinted in revulsion. “I knew you’d lose your shit when he showed up again. What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” I blinked and tried to justify it. “He and Laney weren’t official so—”
“That explains the clothes and the straightened hair, doesn’t it? Were you lying to me when you guys were shopping too?”
I just looked at her. I mean, what could I even say?
“And you liking him was total bullshit too?”
“Only at first—”
“Screw you, Liz.” She pulled her bag higher on her shoulder and turned away from me. Kate gave me a closed-mouth half smile, like she felt bad for me, but she was still going to go with Joss, and Cassidy looked at me like I was kind of awful.
There was a time when those two wouldn’t have taken sides, but since I’d blown them off one too many times on senior events, they were Team Joss all the way.
“Wait.” My throat was pinched and my vision blurred as Iwatched her walk back toward the school. “Joss, wait! I’m sorry, okay? Don’t you need a ride home?”
“Not from you.” She just threw an arm up in the air and yelled, “I’d rather walk.”
“Hey, you.” Helena was sitting on a stool in the kitchen when I got home, working on her laptop in paint-splattered pajama pants and a hoodie. “How was your day?”
