Page 37 of The Love Interest
His face falls. “Seriously, you fell for it too? It was stupid and boring and I hated it. It was all acting, and I feel so fake. Even when I was reading that boring-ass book like it was book eight of Harry Potter, all I could think about was how I couldn’t wait to come here tonight. It’s the one time I feel like myself. Do you know what Judy wants me to do?” I shake my head. “She wants me to start being mean to Juliet.”
“What?”
“Yep, tomorrow in gym class I need to be aggressive toward her. You know she’s taking self-defense as an elective, right? Well, tomorrow I’m supposed to hurt her a little bit.”
He’s telling me too much. A part of me wants to tell him to shut up, to stop handing me his life. I know I can’t do that. He’s exposed his soft underbelly, so I have to get in as many hits as I can. It’s who I’m supposed to be.
“That’s horrible!” I say. “And, quite frankly, stupid. Why does Judy think that will make Juliet like you?”
“Apparently it’ll make me seem like a tortured soul who is lashing out, because I can’t handle all the epic, sexy pain within me. And apparentlythatwill make Juliet think she can fix me, to help me deal, and that will make her fall for me. I dunno, a lot of it doesn’t make sense to me, but wouldn’t it take a lot more than a crush to get over the death of my parents?”
“Whatever, Batman.”
He tilts his head back and laughs. “At least I’m not going to give her diabetes. And fair warning, as part of my tortured-soul thing I have to start being mean to you. Apparently that will make me seem strong and make you seem weak. Because strong nowadays means being a total dick. I just want you to know that I don’t mean what I say to you out there, it’s just acting. I think you’re an awesome guy. I probably didn’t write it anyway; Judy scripts pretty much all my conversations because she’s scared I’m going to screw it up.”
“What?”
“She thinks I’m too soft to be a good Bad and that you’re taking the lead because of it. She says I have to make you look pathetic, otherwise I’ll lose and, well, you know what’ll happen. What’s Kaylee’s strategy for you?”
“She doesn’t have one. I think she thinks I’m doing well.”
“Has she told you when you’re going to kiss her?”
“Not yet. Do you know when you’re going to?”
“Yeah, it’s at the costume party at the end of the semester.”
“What costume party?” I ask.
“Yeah, there’s going to be one, I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon. Judy wanted our love story to have a big moment, so she sent a donation to the school board in order to fund it. Anyway, I’m going to be dressed as a devil. My costume is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. It’s a red domino mask and horns, and then I’m shirtless, with a pair of these pointed bat wings attached to my back, and then red leather pants. I’m going to look like a total fool. Plus, I have to do so many crunches to look good in it that my abs hurt all the time. Like, even right now, they ache.” He pats his stomach. “Right here.”
“And you’re going to kiss her?”
He scratches the back of his hand. “Yeah, I am.”
That sort of hangs in the air for a while.
“Are you looking forward to it?”
He fidgets. “I guess. I mean, the only practice I’ve had is during kissing classes, so I’m worried about screwing it up. Kissing has to be more than a physical skill, right? Because I know about lip pressure and when to use tongue and all that, but what about the connection? What if I screw that up? I just don’t think a perfect kiss is something that can be taught.”
“I feel the same. I wish there was a way to get better at it.”
My heart is pounding. Can he hear it?
God, I hope he can’t hear it.
“I’ve got an idea,” he says, and he leans forward, fixing his eyes on the dark horizon. He’s all jittery, like an excited puppy. “Come with me.”
I remain in my spot. “Where are we going?”
“Have you ever been for a drive? And I’m not talking about in the limo on the way here. I’m talking an actual drive, with the wind in your hair, the whole sky above you, and the world in front of you. It’s the most amazing thing in the world, and I’d like to show it to you.”
“Of course not.” I roll my eyes at my own bluntness. “I mean, no, I haven’t.”
“Would you like to?”
I nod. “But first, I need to know something.”
