Page 67 of My Fake Relationship With the Popular Boy
“What’s wrong?” Jaxon asked. I looked carefully over my shoulder to where our parents were on the field.
“I’m just worried about someone coming looking for us,” I said. I looked at him again. “Catching us kissing isn’t exactly the memory I want my father to have of this day.”
Jaxon laughed and rested his forehead against my shoulder. It would have been a cute action if he didn’t have to lean so far forward to manage it. Even when I was wearing heels, he was much taller than me.
“Fair enough,” he said once he stood up again. He pecked me on the cheek. “Better?”
“Much,” I said.
The smile slipped off his face as he stared at something over my shoulder. I was worried somebody was coming towards us, but when I glanced back, I realized he was just looking at Lewis, who was standing with his family.
There was a small pang in my heart as I took the scene in. I loved Lewis’s parents; they were some of the sweetest people I’d ever met and had always been so good to me when I was a kid. I had no idea how such great people ended up with a son like him. Ever since our fight, I’d been trying to figure out if there was a way for me to stay close with them while avoiding Lewis at all costs but I didn’t see a way that it was possible. Even if I could find a way to stay in contact with them that easily, I doubted they wanted to speak to me. No doubt Lewis had told them a fake version of the story, in which I hurt him somehow. And even if they knew the truth, their loyalty probably laid more with their son than with me.
Lewis must have felt our eyes on him because he turned to look at us. He and I made eye contact, and he just stared at me for a minute, before he finally raised his hand in greeting. I was so close to waving back out of politeness, but instead, I just turned back around. I owed him nothing and I definitely had nothing to say to him.
“Ignore him,” I said. “That’s the only way we can get it through his head that we want nothing to do with him.”
Jaxon nodded and focused all his attention of me again.
“I hope you know that I don’t care about him, anymore,” he said seriously.
“Did you ever?” I asked, my eyebrows pulling together. The two of them had never exactly been chummy.
“I mean, I don’t even care enough to shove it to him,” Jaxon said. He pecked me on the lips again. “And I don’t care about the bet.”
“You really mean that?”
“I do,” he said. “You’re not some trophy, Violet. You’re not something for me to win. You’re a beautiful, loving, fantastic girl… and I am so incredibly lucky that you chose me to be yours.”
“You’re a charmer, Jaxon Andrews,” I murmured. I leaned my forehead against his. “And I can’t believe that you chose me too.”
twenty-six
As always,Jaxon held an end-of-the-year pool party for our whole class, but the day after that, he had just our friend group over for a little dip in the pool as well.
“There she is!” he yelled as Madison and I entered the backyard. “The most wonderful girl in the world! Love of my life!”
“Shut up,” I laughed. Then I went up and kissed him. It felt so good knowing that it was real.
Jaxon threw his arm around me, his other hand clutching a bottle of Diet Coke.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said. “And the jersey looks amazing on you, of course.”
I was wearing the track jersey he’d given me before prom as my bathing suit cover up. Truth be told, I used any excuse I could to wear it nowadays.
“Looks better than you than it does on him!” Sabrina added from across the pool.
“Nobody asked for your opinion, Sabrina!” Jaxon yelled. Then he grinned dopily at me. “But for the record, she’s right.”
I giggled. “Thank you.”
“Jaxon, get over here!” Eli called. He was on the diving board.
“Duty calls,” Jaxon said. He put his drink on the small table between a couple lawn chairs and ran over.
Madison was already in the pool, so I quickly took off the clothes that were over my swimsuit and got in beside her. The water was a nice temperature, warm enough that I didn’t shiver getting in but also cold enough to be refreshing. I leaned against the side wall with her and sighed, letting my head fall back. It had been a crazy few weeks and I was desperately ready for summer vacation.
“So, is this the real deal this time?” Madison asked.
