Page 76 of Adorkable

That couldn’t mean anything good.

“Ash, can we talk later?” I said, already moving for the bathroom.

“Okay,” he said, “but Spitz—”

“Alright, bye.” I rushed across the hall and made it inside as the warning bell sounded. I caught a glimpse of Ash and Becks, both wearing identical looks of surprise, but I didn’t care. My heart had skipped a beat when I’d seen Becks. All I could think about was that kiss on Mercedes’s countertop. A little more time, I decided. That’s all I needed was a little more time. Then I’d be ready to face him.

Waiting for the bell to ring, I washed my hands, took my time examining the soap machine. I was going to be late for first, but Ms. Vega loved me, and German was my best subject. I didn’t want to chance running into anyone on my way out.

The bell sounded, and I exhaled. Grabbing my books, I pulled open the door and stepped out into the empty hallway.

“That’s the second time you’ve done that.”

I gasped, spinning to find Becks leaning against the little strip of wall directly beside the bathroom.

“Becks, you scared me,” I said, still trying to calm my frantic nerves.

“Sorry.” He straightened and walked over, not stopping until we were face to face. “What’s up with all this running into bathrooms whenever you see me?”

When in doubt, go for the gross-out factor. “Well, I ate some really bad fish last night and—”

He held up a hand, nose scrunched. “Yeah, okay. I don’t want to know.”

“Okay.”

Looking down, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Listen Sal…about what happened at the party, I—”

“It was great, wasn’t it?” I chuckled, just like I’d practiced it at home, as his head shot up in surprise. “That was some of my best work.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t think anyone had any doubts after that performance. Bally isofficiallyover. It’s such a relief, isn’t it?”

“You’re saying it was all an act?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I didn’t know you could cry on cue, Sal.”

I waved him off dismissively. “The tears were a great touch, right? I think it added just the right amount of drama.”

“So, when you were saying all that stuff… What did you say exactly?”

“Basically, a whole bunch of crap about how I couldn’t keep doing this—,”Truth.“—how you’d broken my heart—,”Truth.“—and how I’d never forgive you—.”Lie.“—That kind of stuff.”

“And you did it in German because…” he trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blanks.

“Well, because no one would understand it, of course. Again, it was all about upping the drama.” I widened my eyes, reaching out to grab his arm. “You’re not mad are you? Oh Becks, I tried my best to do it right. Was it too over the top? Do you think people might not have believed me?”

“I sure did,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Why did he look so…upset? “So, we’re okay?”

“‘Course we are.” I smiled so hard it hurt my cheeks. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Sal, I want you to know—” He stopped suddenly, shook his head.

“What, Becks?”

“Nothing.” He cleared his throat and then grinned. “Thanks for letting me be your fake boyfriend, Sal. I’m glad you asked me. It was fun.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I’m glad, too. Now that you’re not chained to me, you can go out with whoever you want. I’m sure all the girls’ll be happy to have you back.”

“Hmm,” he agreed, “and you can give it a go with that secret crush of yours.”

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