Page 15 of Fake It Till You Break It
“I think that’s our cue for the date to be over.” Jake grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
Hand in hand, we raced to the car. My sandals smacked against the ground, making the back of my legs wet. Reaching the parking lot, we each dove into the car just as a huge sheet of rain came pouring down.
Tiny beads of rain clung to the top of his head. Not enough to make it wet, just kind of glistening as his hair curled around the nape of his neck. Jake reached into the glove compartment and handed me a couple of napkins to dry myself off first.
I dabbed at my arms and the back of my legs. “So… do you think that was enough?”
Before he could say anything, both of our phones started to buzz. One glance and I could see Mom’s picture on the screen. Jake laughed and waved his still ringing phone at me. The wordMomflashed on his screen. “I guess this answers your question. No turning back now.”
“So… should we pick up?”
To my surprise, he shook his head and shoved the phone back into his pocket. His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Nah. Let’s let them suffer for a bit longer.”
I grinned. “You know, I hate to admit this, but you’re not so bad after all. If you were like this more often growing up, then you would have actually been fun to be around.”
He gave me a pointed look. “Thanks, but don’t start doodling my name in your notebook or anything. Remember, we’re doing this to get out of each other’s lives.”
Rolling my eyes, I dropped the phone back into my purse and cranked up the heat. “And now I rememberexactlywhy we’re doing this. But thanks for the reminder.”
Jake snorted and adjusted one of his air vents to point at me so the warm air blasted in my direction. Instead of saying thanks, I leaned back into my seat and closed my eyes.
It was probably a good idea to rest now so I could face Mom and Mrs. Adler later. Because having to pretend that I was in love with Jake was going to take every ounce of energy I had.
JAKE
OUR MOMS WERE BOTHwaiting for us at Mia’s house when we came home. Actually on the front porch, even though it was storming. I don’t know how the hell they made it home before we did, though, since they were driving behind us practically the entire time. They stood side by side with their arms crossed.
“Okay, it’s now or never,” Mia announced as soon as we parked in her driveway. Even though her voice was confident, her left leg bounced up and down like a basketball. “Remember, we have to make it convincing, or they won’t believe us. We only have one shot at this so don’t screw it up.”
“I know.” She had been saying the same thing over and over on the whole ride home. Along with her “tips” on how to be convincing.
After she didn’t move for a few moments, I leaned over and pressed the button to release her seat belt. “Come on. Thesooner we get this over with, the sooner we can break up and be free. Hey, you might even have time to find a date for prom if this works out.”
Her eyes brightened. “That’s true. I didn’t even think of that. What are we waiting for?”
Before I could respond, she hopped out of the car and ran around the front toward her house. I climbed out and chased after her. We were both pretty much drenched by the time we got onto the porch. With their arms linked together, Mom and Mrs. Le blocked the doorway.
“Hi, Mom. I didn’t expect to see you here.” I tried to act surprised as I crossed and uncrossed my arms. Everything I did felt awkward, though, so I ended up stuffing my hands in my pockets.
“Of course you didn’t. Especially since you told me that you were going to be working all day,” Mom said with a raised eyebrow.
“And you,” Mrs. Le said, pointing at Mia. “I thought you said you were sick. Why are you out with Jake?”
Mia let out a forced laugh. “What? No, I’m not out with Jake. We were just… I mean—”
“We saw you two at the park.”
“I—” Mia stopped and blinked at her. “You… you did? What exactly did you see?”
“Quite a lot,” her mom said with a nod. “Almost everything. But we want to hear it from you.”
Mia and I exchanged looks, and I tried to keep my face calm.
“Since you saw everything then I guess you guys already know.” I reached out and grabbed Mia’s hand. It was cold and a little wet. My fingers laced through hers and held on tightly. “The secret’s out. We’re together now.”
I don’t know what I was expecting with our announcement. Tears of joy. Applause. Anything but the suspicious looks they shot us. Well, Mrs. Le looked suspicious. Mom just looked confused.
“I don’t understand. When did this start?” Mom asked with a frown. “Yesterday you two still hated each other.”
