Page 55 of Fake It Till You Break It
Mia turned to answer him while I glared at the side of his face for butting into our conversation. “This ring. Jake won it at the arcade ages ago when we were kids, and he gave it to me as a birthday present.”
“Really?” Rose finally put her tablet away and peered over the rim of her glasses to squint at the ring. “It’s kind of cheap.…”
“Initially, he tried to win the remote-control car, but he kind of sucked at all the games. This was all he could get,” Mia whispered loudly with a snort.
“Excuse me, this is the thanks I get for giving up my winnings to buy your present?” I said. “And to think you cried for a week straight when you thought you lost it. We were worried that your eyes were going to be permanently swollen shut.”
“What? It was the first present I ever got from a boy. And even though it was just from you, it’s still special.”
“Just from me?”
Blushing, she waved her hand. “Well, you know what I mean.”
Mia didn’t know it, but she was wrong. I wasn’t trying to win the remote-control car. I deliberately lost so I would have thechance to get the ring for her. This was when we were still friends and not bothered by our moms’ matchmaking. When things were simpler.
A sudden thought hit me. “You know what? Let me borrow the ring.”
“Why?”
“You were lucky enough to find such a priceless gift after all this time. Maybe it might give me luck for the performance later.”
“That sounds kind of crazy. And you hate all of that superstitious stuff.” But even as she complained, she slipped off the ring and handed it over. “Just remember to give it back later.”
The ring was still warm from her hand. I put it over my left pinkie, and it fit snuggly over the second knuckle. “I know because it’s special. Even if it was just from me.”
Mia gave me the tiniest little grin, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. I couldn’t help smiling back. “Yeah, just you.”
Rose poked her head up, interrupting our moment. “Maybe you can just keep this ring and get Mia a new one if everything works out. One that’s not so lame.”
“Jake isn’t lame. He’s sweet.” Mia suddenly glanced over at Ben and coughed. “I mean, the ring—giving it to me is sweet.”
Smirking at Rose, I leaned back in my seat with the ring firmly on my hand. Mia turned back around, but I could see her looking at me through the reflection on the window. Ourgazes met and I grinned. Her eyes widened, and she immediately turned away.
Whistling under my breath, I turned to look out my own window. Suddenly, I wasn’t nervous about the festival anymore because I wasn’t alone after all. I had Mia on my side and that was enough.
MIA
ONCE WE WERE INSIDEthe front gate, we separated. Rose and Greg followed Jake to the backstage while Ben got the food. Aly and I were on drink duty. There was already a long line that wound down the sidewalk. Thank God I had a bottle of water in my bag.
Twenty minutes later, the bottle was empty, but we finally made it to the front of the line. After she placed our orders at the drink tent, Aly turned to me with crossed arms. “The tension in the van was really weird. I wanted to jump out of the car to escape.”
I grabbed a bunch of napkins and stuffed them into my pocket. “Was it? I didn’t notice.”
“Are you kidding me? It was like the last season ofGame of Thronesin there.” At my blank look, she clarified, “It was cold. Because winter is here.”
With a snort, I rolled my eyes. “Don’t exaggerate. Jake was probably nervous about performing. That’s it.”
She pointed a finger straight at my face. So close that her nail nearly touched my nose. “Aha! If you didn’t notice anything, then how did you know I was talking about Jake?”
The guy pouring the drinks in the tent snorted.
“Excuse me, if I wanted a side of snooping with my Coke, then I would have ordered it.” I gave him an icy glare before tugging Aly to one of the freestanding tables on the side.
She tossed a curious glance over her shoulder at the guy before turning to me. “Seriously, what’s going on between you and Jake? Are you friends? Dating? Or is he still your mortal enemy?”
What were we?
I took the longest sip of my life—nearly emptying the red plastic cup—so I wouldn’t have to answer right away. Because Icouldn’tanswer right away. I didn’t know what we were. Just a few weeks ago, I shuddered every time I heard our names together. But now it was different. I still wasn’t sure exactly when I started liking him. And why. He was still Jake, and I was still Mia. Yet we weren’t.
