Page 186 of How to Win the Girl

Burly.

Broody.

Kind of loud.

Not shy.

Straight-forward.

He takes my hand when we start walking.

“Drake, are you going to introduce me to yourfriend?”

A female voice stops us on the sidewalk, and Drake is the first one to turn around, pivoting slowly on his heel in the center of the courtyard next to the student union.

Public.

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

I recognize the girl from the bar; from our first actual date. Back to when he was pretending to be his brother, all smiles and jokes and awkward conversation.

She’d approached the table and he’d told her she was confusing him for Drake, while he was pretending to be Drew, which was a lie because he had been lying about lots of things.

I’ve forgiven him for it and we’d moved on.

But here she is again, raising her voice in the quad and from the looks of her, she’s planning on causing a scene.

Several heads turn.

Several people stop, wanting to watch the drama unfold.

Same people—same.

Except…

Hadn’t he said she was the neighbor?

I rack my brain for details and draw a blank.

“I’m his neighbor, Shannon.” She introduces herself in a bitter voice.

“Hi.”

I feel like an idiot saying hi.

“Andyouare?” She’s taken a few steps closer, giving me a flippant once-over, her dark eyebrows a stark contrast to her blond hair, her spray-tanned complexion getting rosier by the second.

“That’s enough, Shannon,” Drake tells her, speaking on my behalf and taking my hand so we can continue walking.

“Did he tell you we were sleeping together?” the girl shouts. “Yeah. That’s right. We’ve beensleepingtogether.”

“Shannon, that’s enough. Jesus.” Drake’s head whips around to see who is watching and listening.

Several people have their phones out although I see none pointed in our direction.

“Oh fuck off, Drake, if you weren’t such a goddamn liar this wouldn’t be happening right now, would it?” The girl turns to me and laughs. “He lied to you. That night you were out at the bar and he pretended not to know me, he was there pretending to be his twin brother.”

She gives me a triumphant look, eyes gleaming.

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