Page 44 of My Fake Date With My Childhood Friend
I had no idea how to begin to respond to that. I didn't want to show her how angry she was managing to make me because it would only add fuel to the fire, but I wanted her to leave immediately. As if hearing my thoughts and deciding to do the opposite, Joseph walked over to us, adding on another person I wanted to punch.
“Hey there,” Joseph said. He wrapped an arm around Nikki's waist, but his attention was focused on me rather than her.
“Hi, babe,” Nikki said, kissing his cheek. I was pretty sure she was trying to get his attention, but his gaze didn't move.
Ever since the day he told me he wanted me back, I had been avoiding him. I already said what I needed to say. The fact that he could tell me that and he could still be stringing Nikki showed he wasn’t sincere.
“I want to dance,” I blurted out. Anything to get away from here.
“Happy to oblige,” Joseph said, much to my disgust. But when he tried to pull his arm away from Nikki's waist, she grabbed onto it and held it there tightly, a frown on her face.
“I meant with my boyfriend,” I said. I grabbed Alexander's hand. “Come on.”
The song switched just as we got onto the dance floor. Instead of the fast pace of all the songs before, it was now slow. Alexander put his hands on my waist, and I wrap my arms around his neck. We actually started enjoying ourselves until Joseph bumped into us. I groaned in annoyance. It was obvious Joseph wasn’t going to allow me to enjoy the dance.
“Whoops,” he said, laughing.
“Hey Alexander, can I borrow Penny for a second? I need to talk to her,” Joseph said.
“No, you can’t,” I replied, “If you have anything you want to tell me, you can say it here.”
“Listen, dude, I know she is your ex and all, but you gotta let it go,” Alexander said.
Nikki walked over, and she looked annoyed. She really couldn’t hide her feelings.
“Joseph, I thought you were going to the bathroom,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Yeah, I was. I just needed to talk to Penny for a sec first.”
“No, you don’t,” she snapped. I blinked in surprise at the intensity in her voice. I’d never seen her so angry.
“Nikki—”
“You chose me, Joseph!” She yelled. “Me! Quit fawning after her!”
She grabbed his hand and yanked him away. I shook my head. Their relationship was a thinking time bomb. It was only a matter of time.
“Okay, everyone,” the DJ announced. “Here is a song dedication from Alexander Rigby to Penny Owen.”
“That's so cute!” A girl near me squealed. Whispers circulated throughout the room. I flushed bright red as I heard my name getting passed around.
“You didn't,” I said to Alexander.
“Yes, I did,” he said. He grabbed my hand, and I felt goosebumps. I could feel my heart beating. He was always so thoughtful, and this really blew me away. “You deserve it.”
“All right, everyone let me talk,” The DJ said loudly. “Alexander also wrote a note. I’m dedicating Taylor Swift’s Lover to you because, to me, you are my lover, but you are so much more than that. You are my best friend, my home, and I’m so glad I found you.”
The DJ played the song. Everyone who had dates grabbed their dates to this epic romantic slow song. Everyone except Nikki and Joseph, that was — they were in the corner arguing. I couldn’t hear what they were arguing about because the music was too loud. He looked angry. She looked exhausted mentally. They had been friction between the two all night. He stormed out of the hall as the two of them were arguing. Nikki ran after him.
Not my battle. Not tonight. I needed to focus on the present.
“Thank you so much, Alexander. I don’t even know what to say,” I whispered.
“Don’t worry about it. This was nothing. I just wanted to show you what you deserved,” he replied.
“You’re always doing things for me, and I can’t do anything for me,” I said quietly.
“It’s not a competition. I care about you.”
