Page 9 of The Fake Script
Hayley arches an eyebrow. “Just four days, huh?”
Alice breaks into laughter, and I roll my eyes.
“We’re not letting this go,” Hayley says. “You do know that, right?”
I stare down at my feet, pondering whether or not to tell them. I’ve carried this secret with me for years, protecting my past like a fortress. All they know about me is what happened to my family, and how I got by after that. They do know I had a crush in high school but not that it was deeper than that. Well, I guess it wasn’t that deep. At least not for him. But Alice and Hayley? They’ve been a constant for me. I’ve known them for years now, and they’re still here.
“Okay, fine.” I drag them to the side. Maybe letting it out will lift some of the pressure off my chest. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise you won’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Of course.” Hayley nods.
“Promise,” says Alice.
I take a deep breath. “Auston and I were in high school together.”
“Auston?” Alice frowns. “Wait. Auston Buckley?”
I roll my eyes. “How many Austons do you know?”
Her jaw drops.
“No way,” Hayley breathes.
Twisting my mouth, I nod. “And we had a thing. Well,Ihad a thing forhim. We kissed, but then he was cast in a sitcom and moved to LA.” I chew on my lip, trying not to let the memory of that day resurface.
“What!” Alice squeals.
Hayley’s eyes widen. “Wow. You and Auston Buckley.”
I wring my hands in front of me. “And now he’s here. And he doesn’t remember me.”
“You have to tell him,” Alice urges. “It’s like it was written in the stars! What are the odds they picked our bookstore to shoot his movie?”
The odds?Of course Alice would go there. We don’t exactly share the same take on life. I shake my head firmly. “Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m telling him. It’s embarrassing enough that he doesn’t remember me.” I sigh. It’s always different for men.
“Why not?” She shrugs. “It’s the perfect setup for a second-chance romance.”
And here we go. “We’re not in a book, Alice,” I snap back. “That’s not happening. Please don’t make a big deal out of this. You promised.”
I glance at Hayley, and she raises her hands in surrender. “She’s right. We promised. It’s none of our business.”
“Fine,” Alice says with a long sigh.
“Plus, you’re forgetting he already has a girlfriend,” Hayley mumbles to Alice.
She scrunches her nose. “Hm, right. They haven’t really been acting as if they’re together, though. I’m starting to reconsider that theory.”
I shrug, looking away. “Not all couples are big on PDA. Anyway, I’m not interested in him, okay? He was just a high school crush from a long time ago.”
I’ll die before I admit he’s the only guy I’ve ever kissed, or they will never let this go. Plus, it’s true. I’m not interested in him. Sure, it’s a little strange seeing him, but I’ve been over him for ages, and that’s not going to change. I don’t do relationships. The idea never even crossed my mind. Fostering connections is dangerous, because if you’re not careful, they can break you. And without forming a connection first, I can’t feel attraction to someone. I’m always in awe of how quickly the heroines from the books I read are smitten by the heroes. A touch, a look, a laugh. For me, it takes so much more than that.
“Not bad for a high school crush, though,” Alice says. “Mine had braces.” She winces. “But those eyes . . .” She trails off with a sigh, then shrugs. “Although he had nothing on Deacon. That man is perfection.”
At that, we all laugh. Gosh, this girl is so pro-love. We might be different in that way, but I’m glad she finally found her match. She’d been searching for a while, and I was starting to get anxious, seeing her put herself out there so much—especially in a big city like New York.
“I refuse to talk aboutmyfirst crush,” Hayley says, shaking her head vehemently. “But he was definitely not in Auston Buckley’s league.”
We all share another laugh.