Page 135 of Shy Girls Can't Fake Date

“Yep,” Lewis replies. “Gotta keep your lady happy, right?”

Parker bites into his lip, and then mutters, “Absolutely.”

The four of us meander around the fair until Yvette stops dead in front of us.

She tugs on Lewis’s arm. “Oh, yay! I wanna go on the ferris wheel.”

Parker snaps his fingers. “Yes, good idea. The fireworks are supposed to start soon and the ferris wheel is the best place to see them.”

Yvette squeals in delight and leads the way.

As we follow, Parker squeezes me in a one-armed hug. “Wanna have another moment with Lewis?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just leave it to me. I’ve got a plan.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve Yvie’s finger in my eye again.”

Parker sniggers. “Don’t worry, if my plan works out, you and Lewis will be nowhere near Yvie.”

My heart swells and I shiver with tingles. “What’s your plan?”

He taps his fingers to his lips. “Shoosh. We’re almost there. Just hold tight while I buy our tickets.”

I hang back with Yvette as the boys buy our tickets. She frowns at the bunny in my arms, clearly still peeved her boyfriend didn’t win anything for her.

Lewis beckons us forward and clears a path through the crowd, who all want the best seats at the fair. Giddy to get on the ride, Yvette sticks close to Lewis as he guides us to the front to board the ferris wheel.

With quick thinking, Parker manages to get beside them. When Lewis boards their pod, he stops Yvie from following.

“Yvie, there’s a spider on you,” Parker blurts.

Before I can take in the scene, Parker shoves me forward. I launch into the ferris wheel pod with Lewis, who struggles to see what’s going on.

Yvie rushes in a circle, screaming, as Parker crouches and swats at her legs. Yvie’s dress billows out as she twirls, whipping Parker in the face.

“Okay, take your seats, kids,” the ferris wheel operator says, pulling the brace over our laps.

Lewis and I sit, stunned, as Yvette continues to jump and yelp on the platform. The ferris wheel worker moves away from our compartment when the brace is fixed and locked.

“No, wait,” Lewis says. “I’m with...”

He’s cut off when our pod lifts into the air and moves to the next position on the wheel.

Lewis leans over me, trying to spy Parker and Yvette. “Is she okay?”

“Who knows,” I murmur, “she overreacts about everything.”

Lewis sits back, staring at me.

I let out a nervous laugh, lifting my palms. “That’s Yvie.”

“Hmm. I guess,” he mumbles, looking ahead as we move onto the next space on the wheel.

Our pod keeps moving up positions as more people board the ferris wheel. Eventually, the wheel moves without the jerky stops.

Lewis slides down in the seat, relenting to the fact he’s not with Yvie. My hands stay clasped over my lap, because I have no idea how to react. It’s easy to tell he wishes he wasn’t seated here with me.

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