Page 90 of Shy Girls Can't Fake Date

My eyes stay glued to my plate, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of eye contact.

“You’d know why she can’t stop eating if you’d ordered a real burger,” Parker says. “Weordered the best thing on the menu.”

Yvette reaches across the table. “Let me try.”

Before Parker can hand her his burger, Lewis catches her hands. “Umm, no. You don’t want to try that.”

Yvette shrugs, leaning against her boyfriend. “Whatever you say, babe.”

Babe?

BABE?!?

With tension expanding between my shoulder blades, I pick up my burger. I still need to swallow the remainder of my last mouthful, but I take another bite regardless. Zoning them out, I focus on chewing and swallowing until there’s no burger left on my plate.

Yvette sniggers. “Are you gonna lick your plate clean?”

She needs to stop commenting on me, or I’m going to snap.

Parker finishes his burger, pushing his plate aside. “I’m telling you, it’s the best burger in Victoria Falls.”

“Is that so?” Yvette says in her breathy voice.

“No, he’s wrong,” Lewis says flatly.

“My boyfriend says you’re wrong.” Yvette’s tone turns into a baby voice. “And my boyfriend would know.”

Parker shifts on the bench seat. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yep,” Yvette says, going up another octave. “He’s only been in town a year and knows it better than you.”

“And how do you know what I know?” Parker asks in a flirty tone. “You don’t know my secrets. I know parts of Victoria Falls you’ve never heard of.”

“Well if they’re all like Alto Burger, I won’t be impressed,” Yvette teases. “You need to step up your game.”

“Do you really think your boyfriend will take you to fancy places?”

I lift my head to catch the look Yvette gives Lewis. “He will if he wants to keep me around.”

Lewis rushes in to kiss Yvette. Yvette wraps an arm around Lewis’s neck, kissing him back with some of the grossest sounds I’ve ever heard.

Parker sits back, jolted by the change of events. His head turns my way, and I swear he’s gone a shade paler.

When they pull out of the kiss, Lewis says, “Does that tell you I’ll take you any place you want?”

Yvette giggles, practically jumping onto Lewis’s lap. “Oh, baby, you’re gonna do just fine.”

Inadvertently, I shudder with disgust. Parker gradually exhales, and he gently touches my back in a gesture of support. Needing more from him, I snatch his hand and intertwine our fingers. I give him an apologetic look, which I hope conveys I’m unable to let go of him.

“Like, I hope you two aren’t jealous or anything,” Yvette says, glancing our way before turning back to Lewis. “I mean, I just know what I want and need out of a relationship. I know you guys are newbies at relationships, so don’t compare yourselves to us.”

What the heck? Why is she baiting us?

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Yvie,” Parker says, “but Kylie and I are doing fine.”

Yvie mumbles a laugh under her breath. A move I know too well, hearing her snide comments in class. “Like, you two are doing fine,” she says in a mocking tone, “but it’s like baby steps. It’s cute, but it’s not really on the same level.”

What the heck? She’s lying! I know for a fact she was jealous of us. I saw it at the lake.

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