“Arthur Fleming’s got a seat available next to him.” I gesture to the slender senior with the dark brown hair and round hipster eyeglasses. The Flemings own a major frozen food company. “And I hear he’s single.”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” Bran says dryly.

“He meant me, sweetie.” Felicity pats Bran on the hand before addressing me. “Why would I care about that when I have you, Easton Royal?”

Hartley laughs out loud, then quickly covers up the sound with a cough. “So,” she says to Bran, “how were your classes this morning?”

With a grateful smile, he answers, “Not bad, although I’m surprised at the amount of homework I have. My teachers at Bellfield didn’t assign this much shit.”

“I know, right?” Hartley groans. “I’ve got a paper due in three weeks and I need to plan for the chem project. I don’t want to be doing that last minute.”

Bran clucks his tongue in sympathy. “I did my science lab last year. I can give you my notes—”

“Ella! Val!” I wave the two girls over.

Bran breaks off at my glare. I can see where this is going and I need to nip it in the bud. Bran will give his notes to Hartley and then it will lead to Bran at Hartley’s tiny apartment, sitting on the sofa. Their heads will be close together. Then his mouth will be on hers, followed by me busting the door down and breaking the arm of our new quarterback.

Just because I’ve resigned myself to the fact that Hartley and I won’t be banging doesn’t mean I want Bran Mathis anywhere near her.

Luckily, Ella and Val make their way over, bringing with them a change of subject.

“Why are we sitting here today?” Val asks. “Don’t we always sit by the windows?”

“There wasn’t enough room,” I reply, kicking out a chair for her to take a seat.

“But our table has plenty of—”

“It’s quieter here,” Ella interrupts. “I think that’s why Easton chose it. Right, East?”

I roll my eyes. Since when do I have to explain myself? “Right.”

“How nice of you to join us,” Felicity says, but her tight smile reveals that she doesn’t like this development at all.

I remember her insinuation that she could easily take Ella down, and a frown creases my forehead. If she messes with my family, I’ll mess right back.

Bran and Ella know each other from Spanish and start chatting right away. Val and Hartley start talking about Val’s eye makeup.

Leaving me stuck with Felicity, who tugs on my sleeve. “Let’s go out tonight.”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“We’re supposed to be a couple,” she hisses.

“No, we’re not,” I hiss back.

“You said yes.”

“You can’t hold me to something I said when I was drunk!”

Hartley glances over. “You lovebirds okay?”

Val snickers softly, while Ella just sighs. I already gave both of them the heads up that Felicity thinks we’re going out.

“We’re fine,” Felicity assures the table, as if anyone actually cares how “we’re” doing. “We’re just having trouble figuring out where to go on our date tonight.”

I grit my teeth so hard that my molars ache.

“You know where you should go?” Val pipes up.

I give her the evil eye for daring to play along with this insanity. “Nowhere,” I grind out. “We’re going nowhere.”

Val ignores me. “The pier,” she says.

“What’s on the pier?” Bran asks curiously.

“A carnival, games, some restaurants,” Val tells him. “It’s fun.”

“I heard there’s a haunted house that’s pretty cool there,” Ella ventures.

I pin her with a murderous look. Why is she entertaining this? She hates Felicity!

“What are you doing tonight, Hartley?” Felicity asks, surprising me.

Hartley appears just as taken aback. “Studying, probably.”

“Ah, studying’s boring.” Felicity smiles sweetly. “Apparently Easton and I are planning a get-together at the pier. You and Bran should come.”

“That doesn’t sound half bad,” Bran says. He knocks his shoulder against Hartley. “What do you say? Want to ride the Ferris wheel?”

Oh, hell no.

Chapter 17

“This is fun, isn’t it?” Val chirps later in the evening. “We’ve eaten at the pier, but I haven’t been to the ride part in ages.”

“If by ‘fun,’ you mean it’s better than the seventh circle of hell, then yeah, sure, it’s fun.” I glower at the backs of Hartley and Bran, who are at the ticket counter. Bran’s trying to pay for Hartley, and she keeps shaking her head no.

It gives me a tiny amount of satisfaction that Hartley is giving Bran the brushoff over the money thing. If she was interested, she’d let him pay, right? That’s how it works. Girls want you to buy them things. If they don’t accept gifts from you, then they’re not interested.

Hartley wins and pays for herself.

I hustle up to the counter and lay down my card. “I’ve got these two.” I gesture to Ella and Val.

“What about me?” my fake girlfriend squawks.

I spare her a glance over my shoulder. “Your dad owns an auto plant. You can pay your own way.”

“Easton!” Ella says in shock.

“What? It wasn’t my idea to come here.” I take the card and tickets and move on through the turnstile. Maybe Felicity will decide that I’m too much of an asshole to deal with and break up our fake relationship.

I could only be so lucky.

That’s the only reason I agreed to this “date,” though. I plan to talk some sense into Felicity and convince her to leave me the hell alone.

“I expect more out of you, Easton!” Felicity huffs when she joins us inside the park. Her reddish-blonde hair is tied in a long braid down her back, and she’s wearing a beige shift dress and nude three-inch heels that are in no way suitable for a carnival.

“Don’t. That way you won’t be disappointed.”

Her mouth flattens, as it tends to do when she’s pissed off. “We’re going to talk after tonight.”

“Pass.” I’d rather be pummeled for an hour straight by the bouncer at the Salem Street poker game.

“Nice shirt,” Ella says to Hartley when we join her and Bran.

I notice that they’re both wearing the same cropped white sweatshirt with the stripe down each belled-out sleeve. Hartley has hers paired with a pair of skinny jeans that show off her great ass while Ella’s wearing a blue miniskirt.

Hartley grins. “Got it on sale.”

“Me, too.” And, like that, they’re best friends. If I’d known that was all it took, I’d have sported a white crop top a long time ago. I’m not afraid to show off my abs.

“Want something to drink?” I ask the group.

“I’ll have a Diet Coke,” Felicity announces. “And a frozen banana with no chocolate or nuts.”

“So a banana,” I say.

“But frozen.”

I don’t even argue. “Bran?”

“I’ll have whatever. Coke is good.”

He, like me, probably needs a beer, but we’re underage and they’re pretty strict at the pier.

“How about you, Har-Har?”

Felicity scowls at the nickname.

“I’m good.” Hartley shakes her head.

“You sure? I’m not going to offer to pay every day,” I tease. The only reason I made the suggestion in the first place was to have an excuse to buy something for Hartley.

“I’m getting an orange cream float,” Ella pipes up. “Val?”

“Root beer float for me. And funnel cake with strawberries.”

“I wouldn’t mind a funnel cake,” Bran admits.

“Lend me a hand, Bran?” This order has gotten bigger than I anticipated. Besides, I’m not about to leave him alone with Hartley.