The Backup Girlfriend (Grove Valley High #2) - Emma Doherty
1
Livy Chapman walks out of the main entrance of school talking to some girl I’ve seen around but never spoken to. She pauses and reaches into her bag, and I watch as Livy hands over a piece of paper.
She’s beautiful. No other word for it.
Livy continues walking down the main steps, and I stop pretending altogether that I’m doing anything other than watching her. She joins up with Sophie, her best friend, and Sophie’s current boyfriend, Mark. Sophie must say something that makes Livy laugh because she’s soon flashing her bright white teeth and shoving Sophie away.
It doesn’t take long for Chase to appear. Wherever Livy is these days, that’s where you’ll find him. He sneaks up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, her face lighting up before she even sees him, knowing instantly who it is. She turns in his arms to face him, and before she can open her mouth, he’s bending down to kiss her. She kisses him back for a couple of seconds before pulling away from him, but he tries to pull her back, wrapping his arms tighter around her and chuckling at whatever Sophie is saying to them. Livy pries herself away from him; she’s not into public displays of affection, not like me.
If Chase had ever looked at me like that, I would have kissed him back for as long as he would have wanted. The thought makes me sad, just like it has for the last couple of weeks since they got together…just like it has for the last couple of years since we started dating. I always knew it wasn’t me he really wanted.
Chase says something else to Livy, pulling her back against his front and resting his head on her shoulder.
They’re both smiling from ear to ear.
Happy. They both look really happy.
“Are you okay?”
My head snaps to the right, and I see my friend Sasha has appeared beside me without me even realizing. She has her gaze fixed on Livy and Chase, and it’s not hard to see that she saw their PDA and me watching it from a distance like a weirdo.
“I’m fine.”
“Look, I know it’s shitty, but if you ever—”
“Sasha,” I say sharply. “I’m fine.” The last thing I want is her sympathy.
She doesn’t look convinced.
“Seriously, no drama here.”
She nods and grins at me. “Want to come back to my place and lay out? We could get ice cream on the way.”
I shake my head. “I have to go home.”
I don’t. I don’t have anything going on at home, but I also don’t feel like hanging out, not even with Sasha, who is one of my closest friends.
She shrugs, and we both turn away from the entrance and walk toward our cars as Jennifer, another friend of ours and a fellow cheerleader, joins us.
“Hey, Abbie. Did you speak to Coach?”
I frown. “No.” I haven’t seen Coach all day.
“She was looking for you before, said it was urgent.”
I hesitate for a second before continuing toward my car. I seriously doubt it’s that urgent. The season is practically over, we’re only cheering at games for fun these days or at the odd pep rally, and she probably just wants me to confirm what cheers I’m going to teach at the auditions we’re holding for the incoming freshman class in a couple of weeks. She’d be better off speaking to Sasha anyway; she’s vice-captain and the one who actually does all the hard work for the squad, choreography, and organization. To be totally honest, I’ve been riding her coattails, and she’s been carrying me for years. “I’ll see her tomorrow.”
“Wanna come over to my place to lay out?” Sasha asks Jennifer, who readily agrees. “Sarah’s coming too.”
Well in that case I’m definitely not going. Sarah Billington is supposedly my best friend. I say supposedly because lately, every time I’ve seen her, she’s just seemed to want to rub it in about how happy Chase is with his new girlfriend and how much happier he seems than when he was with me. Like I’d need reminding. I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s actually not a good friend.
She’s also obsessive about telling me every little bit of gossip she’s managed to find out throughout the day, no matter how secret or sensitive it is.
I used to love to hear it. I wanted to know everything about everyone, ammunition against people that I definitely didn’t need, but lately? I really don’t care. If I’m honest, I think I’ve outgrown Sarah, high school, everyone.