All Chapters of Filling in the Boyfriend spot: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

 Something in me snapped. I wasn’t going to put up with this anymore. I’d been trying to play nice for months now, thinking if I didn’t they might choose her over me. But right now, I had to take the risk because I was tired of feeling like I had to defend myself every time I hung out with my best friends. So in a voice as low and stern as I could manage I said, “I’m done with this. You met Tom. He’s obviously real. If you continue to play whatever game it is that you’re playing, I will take my friends and you will be gone.” My hands shook and I shoved them into my pockets so she couldn’t see how upset it had made me to say that. I was assuming what I had told fill-in Tom the other night was true—that she thought I was the leader of this group. If she thought that, this power play would work. She narrowed her eyes and her head clicked one notch to the side, like a lione

 “Watch out,” Bec said, “your popular friends might see you walking with us.” I looked up to see Claire and Laney making a beeline for me. They probably wouldn’t recognize her, but Bec was right, if they saw her and realized she was the same girl from prom, it would ruin everything. I changed my direction, leaving Bec and her boyfriend behind. “Coward,” Bec said when I was ten steps away. I tripped a little but didn’t stop. “Do you know them?” Laney asked when I met up with her and Claire. “She’s in my government class. We had a pop quiz. Who gives a pop quiz the Monday after prom? Our teacher is Satan, I’ve decided.” They didn’t seem to notice that I’d completely glazed over their question, changing the subject. “Yeah, I saw your tweet. People were retweeting it all

 I gasped. “I did not.” “Oh, that’s right. Your friend Mea did and you laughed. Same difference.” I remembered that. It was the end of a very long day of bands trying out to play for prom. They were the fifth horrible band in a row and my head had been pounding. Mea, who’d volunteered herself as one of the judges and had done a pretty good job of being nice, couldn’t hold her comment in any longer. I did laugh. We all laughed. I shouldn’t have. This was probably the “bigger offense” I’d committed that Bec had referred to the day before. “Yeah . . . sorry about that. I had a headache.” “Don’t apologize to me. It wasn’t my dream you were crushing.” She looked at Nate as if waiting for him to say something. Maybe she wanted him to get mad at me as well. He didn’t. 

 I sighed and parked next to them. “Are you following us?” “What? No. It’s half-off Slurpee day,” I said, reading the sign in the window. “I always come here on Wednesdays.” She glanced over her shoulder at the door then back to me. “Really? Huh. Well, we just thought you were following us. Guess not. Enjoy your Slurpee.” She reached for the handle. “Wait. You’re not going inside?” “No.” “You’re going home?” “Yes.” She opened the car door. “Fine, I never come here on Wednesdays. I was following you,” I blurted out. “I just want to see him again.” She leaned her hip against the door and gave me a slow once-over. “Yeah, not

  “And you didn’t poison it?” “Open it.” I picked it up and took out the single page inside. An invitation, printed on gold-bordered paper. “Are you inviting me to your birthday party?” “You’re just a regular comedian this morning, aren’t you?” I read the invitation. You’re invited to a graduation party for Eve Sanders. Saturday, May 7th at 7pm. “Am I supposed to know who this is?” “My brother’s ex.” My eyes zeroed in on the address included on the invite. Eve lived only, like, twenty minutes away. Bec and her brother had moved from across town? Bec continued, “I found it on the counter last night and then I heard him calling her to confirm that he is actually going to that thing. She invited him. And he is

  The first thing I noticed when Claire pulled up to my house was my brother’s beat-up car sitting at the curb. “Drew’s here?” Claire said. “I should probably stay.” “Funny,” I said. “And gross.” “Come on, you know he’s cute. I can’t help it.” She turned off her car and got out with me. I rolled my eyes but laughed. Inside, Drew had a plate piled with food like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Maybe the last good meal he had was here, three weeks ago. He had some new growth on his face that made him seem so much older than me when really we were only three years apart. “You’re home,” I said unnecessarily. His mouth was full of food but he smiled anyway. He even added a “Hey, sis.” “Hi.”

The first thing I noticed when Claire pulled up to my house was my brother’s beat-up car sitting at the curb. “Drew’s here?” Claire said. “I should probably stay.” “Funny,” I said. “And gross.” “Come on, you know he’s cute. I can’t help it.” She turned off her car and got out with me. I rolled my eyes but laughed. Inside, Drew had a plate piled with food like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Maybe the last good meal he had was here, three weeks ago. He had some new growth on his face that made him seem so much older than me when really we were only three years apart. “You’re home,” I said unnecessarily. His mouth was full of food but he smiled anyway. He even added a “Hey, sis.” “Hi.” “Hi,

“No?” She shook her head. “That doesn’t exactly sound like conviction. Don’t let his dreamy blue eyes and perfect smile make you forget what he did.” I felt my face wrinkle into confusion before I remembered she was describing my fill-in date. I nearly laughed at her description. He did have dreamy blue eyes and a perfect smile. And was too skinny and had shaggy hair. “Right. I won’t forget what he did.”  I was a ball of nerves. What was I supposed to wear to a graduation party where I was playing the fake girlfriend? I called Claire and Laney over to help me pick out an outfit, trying to keep the same pre-date routine I always had. Carrying a Coke Freeze, Claire walked into my room and sat down in my desk chair. Laney took the bed next to the clothes I’d laid out. “Are these the top choices so far?” 

“No?” She shook her head. “That doesn’t exactly sound like conviction. Don’t let his dreamy blue eyes and perfect smile make you forget what he did.” I felt my face wrinkle into confusion before I remembered she was describing my fill-in date. I nearly laughed at her description. He did have dreamy blue eyes and a perfect smile. And was too skinny and had shaggy hair. “Right. I won’t forget what he did.”  I was a ball of nerves. What was I supposed to wear to a graduation party where I was playing the fake girlfriend? I called Claire and Laney over to help me pick out an outfit, trying to keep the same pre-date routine I always had. Carrying a Coke Freeze, Claire walked into my room and sat down in my desk chair. Laney took the bed next to the clothes I’d laid out. “Are these the top choices so far?” 

 “Yes, it’s perfect. Wear your hair down and wavy and pair it with your wedge sandals. Unless he’s short. Is he short?” “No, he’s not short.” He was actually a really good height for me. “So, are you guys going to Logan’s party tonight?” Claire, who had been stirring her straw around her cup, looked up. “Logan’s having a party tonight?” “Yes.” “We hadn’t heard about it,” Laney said. “Oh, sorry. I should’ve told you. I thought he was just inviting everyone. You should go.” “We weren’t invited.” “He probably figured I’d tell you. Sorry.” Claire and Laney met eyes for a brief second and then Claire went back to her drink. “Yeah, that sounds li