My Fake Summer Boyfriend (9 page)

Chapter Eleven

Dear Samantha,

Thanks for the postcard. I'm glad things are going so well for you at McDonald's. I can't believe you've dated six new boys this summer! My love life should run so smoothly!

Things were going fine with
Alex and me up until last Friday. We'd developed a real close friendship, which was on the verge of turning romantic, when who should arrive in town but Nicole Kendall! Somehow, in three days she ruined my relationship with Alex! We're hardly speaking to each other. By the end of the week we probably won't be at all.

Alex
and Nicole are suddenly a twosome again, and I'm involved with Logan (Nicole's brother, a sophomore at Harvard, would you believe?) in what is probably a futile effort to make Alex jealous and to show Nicole that I'm not some child with no opportunity for romance. If I really liked Logan I guess it would be worth all the effort. But, to be honest, Alex is the one for me—at least the Alex I knew up until a few days ago.

We
're coming home the day after Labor Day, so I will see you then. Nicole is leaving Saturday morning (yay!), but I haven't had a chance to ask Alex when he's going back.

Tonight we
're all (me, Logan, Nicole and Alex) going to one of the world's last drive-in theaters to see some dumb horror movie. I don't really want to go, but I have to keep an eye on Alex and Nicole! Should be a fun-packed evening. Ha! Tell you all about it next week,

Love,
Katie

***

I wasn't sure what to wear to the drive-in, but since it was a hot evening I decided on shorts and a halter top. The pale pink outfit looked as cool as it felt. With my hair in a ponytail and a dab of Passionate Plum on my lips I was ready when Logan came to pick me up.

On the way out to the car
Logan put his arm around my shoulders and kissed me. I smiled uncertainly, grateful for the stick shift and bucket seats in Logan's car.
If only the back seat had similar accommodations
, I thought when I climbed in the car and saw Nicole resting her head on Alex's shoulder as they lounged in the dark and cozy back seat.

At the drive-in theater I realized what a disadvantage I was at sitting in the front seat.
Alex and Nicole would be able to watch what Logan and I were doing but I couldn't tell what they were up to. I didn't want to spend the evening kissing Logan if it wasn't necessary, but I didn't want to sit there like a totem pole if there was all sorts of action in the back seat.

Logan
attached the speaker to the window.

"We
'd better roll all the windows down," Alex suggested. "It's too hot in here without the air conditioning going."

I was only too happy to roll down my window. It seemed less secluded in the car with the sounds from the playground drifting in.

It was awfully quiet in the back seat as the credits for
Attack of the Murderous Mangoes
flashed across the screen. Logan slipped his arm around me.

"I can
't see through you." Alex nudged Logan's arm.

I was pleased that
Alex was at least paying enough attention to the screen to see what was going on in the front seat.

Logan
pulled me down and over toward his side of the car. The stick shift jabbed my ribs. "Is this any better?" Logan asked.

"Much,"
Nicole answered.

I froze as
Logan kissed the back of my neck, then started down my back. I was wedged between him and the steering wheel. I needed a diplomatic way out of the situation.

"Popcorn!" I shouted.
Logan jumped a foot, and I squirmed my way back to my own seat.

"What?"
Logan looked at me as if I were crazy.

"Popcorn," I repeated. "I
've got a craving for popcorn."

"Hmm...okay," said
Logan. "Let's go to the refreshment stand."

"Well..." I didn
't want to leave Alex and Nicole alone in the car. "I don't want to miss any of the movie."

"All right,"
Logan said reluctantly. "How much?"

"How much what?"

"Popcorn! What size do you want?"

"A bucket. The biggest they have."

"Get some for me, too." Alex waved some money at Logan.

"Oh, all right."
Logan grabbed the money and headed for the refreshment stand.

"Great movie, isn
't it, Katie," Alex said after Logan left.

Before I could answer
Nicole blurted, "Oh, Alex. You know no one in their right mind is going to watch this movie." She made soft kissing noises.

"Cut it out,"
Alex said. "Isn't it obvious that Katie and I want to see the movie? Katie, what do you think is the motive behind the mangoes' murderous rampage?"

I swallowed a laugh. "I-I haven
't figured that out yet."

"I think it was being sprayed with insecticide that did it."

This time I couldn't hold back the laughter. "That—" I tried to control myself. "—that's probably what it was."

"Honestly!"
Nicole exclaimed.

Logan
arrived with popcorn. "Here's yours." He handed a bucket to Alex. Alex offered some to Nicole.

"Thank you, no,"
Nicole said icily.

"Did I miss anything?"
Logan asked.

"Just the mangoes rolling down the highway after a tractor," I said. As I munched my popcorn
Logan resumed kissing my neck. "Butter!" I cried out.

Logan
shot straight up, bumping his head on the rearview mirror. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head.

"What did you say?"

"Butter," I repeated softly. "I forgot to ask you to get extra butter for my popcorn. Would you? Please?"

"Oh, all right."
Logan sighed.

"Get some more butter for my popcorn, too, old buddy."
Alex handed his tube of popcorn to Logan.

Logan
muttered to himself as he again headed toward the refreshment stand.

"I
'll bet those mangoes had tormented childhoods," said Alex.

"They probably suffered as seedlings," I concurred.

"I can't believe this conversation," Nicole said. "The plot, such as it is, is absurd, and you two act as if it was a profound psychological drama!"

"It all depends
on how you interpret it," Alex said. "Right, Katie?"

"Sure—"

"What I'd like to do," said Nicole, "is ignore it."

"Mangoes aren
't naturally murderous," I said quickly. "There must be some reason for them to suddenly turn vicious."

"Yes,"
Alex agreed. "They really—"

"Honestly!"
Nicole was totally exasperated now. "Why don't you sit up front and watch the movie if you think it's so great?"

"Good idea!"
Alex had his fingers on the door handle when Nicole realized her mistake.

She grabbed
Alex's hand. "Can't you take a joke? You know you belong back here with me."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw
Nicole start to kiss Alex just as Logan shoved a tub of popcorn through the window. Alex turned to grab the popcorn and Nicole's kiss landed on thin air. Hooray!

"Thanks,
Logan." Alex scooped a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Here you go."
Logan handed the other bucket of popcorn to me. "I hope this meets your standards."

I started feeling a bit guilty about the way I was acting toward
Logan, so I sampled a few pieces. "Thanks. It's fine."

"Good."
Logan made himself comfortable again before nuzzling my neck.

I stiffened and made a big deal of munching popcorn.

"Haven't you finished that popcorn yet?" Logan whispered.

"I
'm a slow eater," I whispered back.

"At least take a break."
Logan put the tub of popcorn on the floor, wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the mouth this time.

"You
're blocking our view," Alex protested.

"Not really," said
Nicole.

Logan
pulled me down. Then some knob stuck me in the side. Logan kissed me harder and held me tighter. I pulled my mouth away from Logan's, bumping my head on the dashboard. "Soda!" I gasped.

"What!"
Logan stared at me, wild-eyed.

"Uh, soda.
Please
." I sat back on my own seat. "I'm dying of thirst after all that popcorn."

"Oh-all-right. But this is my last trip to the refreshment stand! Is diet root beer all right?"

"That would be fine." I folded my hands in my lap. Someday I would have to apologize to Logan for my weird behavior.

"Diet root beer for me
too." Alex tossed some change to Logan.

Logan
left and promptly returned with the sodas.

"That was fast," I said as
Logan handed me my soda.

"Not many people at the refreshment stand just as the mangoes are about to be pulverized into fruit juice."

"They managed to escape that fate," Alex said as he took his diet root beer. "Hey, this is kind of small, isn't it?"

"I wanted to be sure
Katie could finish hers before the evening was over," said Logan.

I guiltily sipped my drink. I really wasn
't being fair to Logan. As a form of penance, I gulped the rest of my soda.

"Ah, you
're done." Logan took me in his arms and kissed me. I couldn't think of any more excuses to avoid it. Besides, as I'd previously noted, he was a good kisser. I could always pretend it was Alex who was kissing me...

"Oh,
Alex. Stop." Nicole giggled. "Cut it out."

I snapped out of my trance and abruptly ended the kiss.

"Never mind them," Logan whispered in my ear. He kissed me again, but I was no longer swept up by it. I'd let myself get carried away for a few seconds, and now Alex was kissing Nicole.

Logan
's tongue prodded my lips.

"Mosquitoes!" I slapped my arm and turned to examine my elbow as if I
'd been bitten. I'd been caught off guard by the intensity of Logan's ardor. I peeked over at him. I could tell he was getting angry. "Could you ... do you have any mosquito repellent?" I asked meekly.

"Let
's just roll up the window." Logan spoke through clenched teeth.

"We
'd suffocate if we did that," Alex said.

My heart beat faster.
Alex was at least paying attention to the conversation.

"I don
't hear any mosquitoes." Logan glowered. "You must have killed the one that got into the car."

"I—I probably did." I wondered if I looked as embarrassed as I felt.
Logan was no doubt ticked off at me and probably thought I was out of my mind. Or, worse, a tease. I wished I hadn't ever thought of using him to make Alex jealous. What had I gotten myself into?

For the last few minutes of the movie
Logan sat over in his seat and I sat in mine. I sighed and stared down at my fingernails. I felt miserable. I perked up a bit when the final credits rolled by and Alex applauded. That meant that he'd been watching the movie instead of indulging in heavy-duty snuggling with Nicole.

"We were right about the mangoes,
Katie," Alex said.

On the way home it started to rain. I was glad. The sound of the wipers slapping across the windshield was better than complete silence. If only someone would say something!

Logan pulled into my driveway.
Of course, he would want to drop me off first
, I thought. He probably couldn't wait to be rid of me after my performance this evening.

Just as
Logan opened the car door for me, Nicole spoke up. "Since the Stedmans are leaving for Hartford on Saturday, I thought Logan and I should have Alex and Katie over for a cookout. It will be our last night to be together."

My insides felt like wet cement. It would be
Alex's last night in Chatfield and I wouldn't be able to see him alone. Then he would back in Hartford with Nicole while I was struck in Chatfield.

"How about it?"
Nicole asked cheerily.

"Good idea," said
Logan. He held out a hand to help me get out of the car.

"Sounds fine,"
Alex said, glaring at Logan.

"How about you,
Katie?" Nicole asked sweetly when I didn't respond right away.

"Don
't worry, Nicole," I shot back before turning toward my house. "I'll be there!"