Fake Boyfriend

- Danica -

“Holy shit,” I muttered.

“What the hell just happened?” Morgan demanded to a furious Pagan.

“Jesse pissed me off,” she said wringing a towel in her hands.

“Jesse has pissed you off before but it has never ended with a shouting match. Now tell me what just happened between you and my cousin,” Morgan said raising her voice ever so slightly.

“He told me that he saw Joseph kissing some girl at the grocery store. I don’t believe him.” She threw the towel onto the dish rack.

“Well I take it you didn’t believe him,” I said.

“Why should I! He’s just doing this to irritate me. That boy has gotten under my skin for the last time,” she said.

“What are you going to do about Joseph?” Morgan asked, arms crossed. She was defending her cousin, her blood. I crossed my fingers behind my back that Pagan didn’t realize this or there’d be another shouting match.

“Nothing. I’m going out with him tomorrow night. I’ll just see what happens. Now I love you guys but I seriously need some time alone,” she said.

She prodded us towards the door and we left without protest. I glanced at Jesse’s house seeing him through the big bay window. He was twirling a baseball bat in one hand and breathing heavy. I made Morgan stop and look at him as he picked up the remains of a lamp with the other hand.

“I think he’s telling the truth. Otherwise he’d be celebrating now,” I said as we walked towards the car.

“He’d never lie over something like this. I never doubted him,” Morgan said.

The next day passed in a furor of phone calls, angry messages, and cheap thrills. Jesse and Pagan weren’t talking to each other now. They had chosen me as their mediator, a position I was hesitant to fill. As the day turned to night, the four of us decided it would be a good time for a relaxing activity. It felt weird to be without Jesse and Pagan but I knew it would only lead to disaster. Plus she was with Joseph and I didn’t think his company would be welcome.

As I was hitting my ball into the last hole at the mini golf course, my phone buzzed with a text from Pagan.

I told Joseph what Jesse said. Just casually mentioned it. He said we’re not exclusive and I’m just a good time.

“Uh Morgan, you might want to read this,” I said, passing my phone onto her. Her laughter that she was sharing with Craig over something Braxton had said ceased. The boys were also eager to know what it said.

“Car keys?” Braxton asked as he planted a kiss on my cheek. As I passed them to him, another text came through.

He just got the waitress’ number. I’m ending this here and now. He said I should’ve slept with him when I had the chance.

We decided it was a good idea to drive to her house and help her anyway we could. We idled on the side of the road across from her house when she arrived. We saw Joseph pull up, Pagan get out and scream a few obscenities before slamming the car door and Joseph squealed away. I started to open the car door when Morgan stopped me.

“Look, Jesse’s going over there,” she said. I looked at his house and sure enough he was walking out his front door over to Pagan’s.

“Should we follow him?” I asked.

“No, let him comfort her. I have a feeling that’s what he wants to do,” Craig said.

“Oh come on, we joke about it all the time, them being together, but I don’t think--”

“I think they’re right. I’ve only known them a little while and I think there’s something there,” Braxton said, interrupting me. I couldn’t go against my own boyfriend’s thoughts on the matter.

“Well then, let’s go get a drink. If she needs us, she’ll call,” I said. Morgan smiled and we drove off.

- Jesse -

I was going out to see why Morgan and Danica were waiting across the street when I saw Joseph’s car pull up in front of Pagan’s house. She got out of the car, obviously upset, and started screaming at him. Calling him every name under the sun would be an understatement. She slammed the door to the car and he left, squealing tires and all. She was sobbing as she ran up the steps to her house. I looked around, wondering what exactly I should do. My feet guided me to the sidewalk, then to her front door, then to her kitchen where I found her. She was sitting on the floor against the cabinets with her legs pulled up to her chest, head on her knees. She was still crying and the eye makeup she wore was down streaked down her red face.

“Pagan?” I asked. She looked up at me, her cries quieted.

“Jesse?” she asked. Her voice was broken and I guessed her throat was raw from screaming at him. I slid down next to her and wrapped my arm around her.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened,” I said to her. She let out a whimper and wiped her nose.

“He was flirting with other girls the entire night. He even got some phone numbers. When I called him on the grocery store thing, he went off on me. I yelled at him and it just escalated. He said I meant nothing to him. Nothing!” And with that she launched into another crying spell. I just pulled her closer and she sobbed against me. My white shirt was now stained with her makeup but I didn’t care.

When she finally stopped crying, I led her up to her room and told her to get into some pajamas. I went back to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water for her. When I finally got back to her room, she was laying in her bed with the mechanics shirt on fast asleep. I put the water on the nightstand next to her bed and flipped off her light. I couldn’t leave her so I parked myself on the couch. Soon I was asleep too with my jaw clenched. If I ever saw Joseph again, there might be a jail sentence involved.