Page 233 of Shy Girls Can't Fake Date

“Oh, honey,” Tabitha mourns, clutching my shoulder from behind.

“He’s a freaking idiot,” Jamie says through gritted teeth. Through the blur of tears, I notice her grip on the steering wheel exponentially increasing.

“How can you be sure?” Tabitha asks. “I know Yvie can be a total flirt, but...”

I cut her off with another sorrow-drowning sob. I wipe a hand under my nose and mumble. “I just know.”

“Why would he date you if he was still into her?” Jamie asks, squinting at the road. “That’s the dumbest idea. Of course, someone was going to get hurt.”

I want to tell them that I was also into Lewis so Parker doesn’t take all the heat. I hate the idea of his friends seeing him as the bad guy. After all, this was a mutual partnership. But with the tears stuffing my nose and throat, getting my point across is near impossible.

Tabitha leans further forward, angling her head at Jamie. “You think Parker still had a crush on Yvie?”

“He and Lewis practically drooled over her,” Jamie replies. “I thought for sure world war three would begin when Lewis and Yvette kissed in the cafeteria. Imagine my shock when Parker doesn’t continue the competition and instead tells us he’s with Kylie.”

Tabitha sits back with a thud. “It was quick.”

“It came out of the blue,” Jamie continues, “but then I started thinking, once Lewis and Yvette hooked up, maybe Parker felt like he got permission to be with Kylie. I just really believed he liked you all along.”

I deadpan her. “You did?”

She shrugs. “You just always seemed on the same page.”

I frown. “It was an act.”

Tabitha huffs her frustration. “No one’s that good an actor.”

“Maybe you guys just wanted to believe it badly enough and didn’t see the cracks.”

“I didn’t think I saw any cracks,” Tabitha concedes.

I rest my head against the window with a sigh. “My head hurts too much to talk about this.”

The girls stop hounding me, and soon I’m home. With my bag slung over my shoulder, I dawdle into my home.

“Hi Kikki,” a familiar voice calls out.

I move into the living room and almost fall backward. “Tess?”

“I came home to spend the weekend with everyone,” she says. “Imagine my shock when Mom and Dad told me you were on a two day trip with your boyfriend.”

“Tess, I...”

“You’re dating Parker Kelly?” Her hands plant on her hips as she strides toward me. “You said he was just a boy from school. Even though it sounded fishy, I believed you. Do you know why?”

Guilt slithers through my gut as I hug myself and turn away. “Tess, don’t...”

“We don’t lie to each other, Kikki. What the heck?”

As tears pool in my eyes, I hurriedly wipe them away. “Well, it’s not something you have to worry about, anyway. We broke up.”

Mom gasps in the hallway. “You didwhat?”

“Can everyone just back off,” I say, raising my hands. “I just want to be alone.”

“Kikki, I’m so sorry,” Mom says with a pout.

I push past her and rush upstairs.

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