Page 49 of Faking It With the Small-Town Bad Boy

Weenie. It was cute and caustic, so it went over well when you

brought him to Pet Day at school.”

His lips pull to one side, surprised. “Huh. Okay, I didn’t know you

knew that.”

“I know more than you think, but it’s not enough, Percy. I want to

know more.”

His brows furrow. “Want to or need to?”

I realize my words have slipped, and while I need to know a lot more

about Percy to successfully fool everyone in town and both of our

exes that we’re an item, I should know more. Then again, I have a

weird feeling I already know Percy well. We didn’t talk in high

school, and our friend groups were so vastly different that we hardly

ever crossed paths. But he’s familiar to me.

And right now, he’s the one thing ensuring that I don’t look

desperate and pitiful when this wedding takes place in a few months.

I’m here to save face and prove the opposite of how I feel. That

means I need substance; I need malleable answers, and I need to

know who I’m working with.

He can either play along, or this lie will eventually crumble.

“You tell me something,” he blurts at random. “Tell me something

you don’t think that I know.”

I could be childish and turn this back around to him, but if I open up,

maybe that will soften his obviously hardened shell of a personality.

It’s for his protection, not to wound me, so I abide and hope that he

will reciprocate my intent.

“My favorite color is yellow, like the sun in the morning over the

hills. I like the smell of pine trees and the way the ground smells after

the rain. I don’t really have a favorite food. Anything cheap, I guess.

My favorite car is a Chevrolet Chevelle, and I’ve never had a pet or

any animal. My grandfather had sheep, but my dad wasn’t much of a

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