Best Served Fake

thirty-seven // kai's second fave after jamie

I would have to remind Kai that he was allowed to pretend to like me without making himself into a pining lovesick idiot. This was all so embarrassing for him; in a really fucking cute way, not that I would ever tell him that.

"That's a bit cute, though," I said with a smile. I could admit that to Will; if Kai was going to put his dignity on the line for the sake of our romance, I could do him the service of telling his friends that I thought it was cute.

"I'm glad you think so. Izzy and Jamie have been giving him so much shit for it. You don't even want to see the group chat."

I pinched my fingers together. "I do, a little bit."

Will grinned. "I'll add you to it."

"To... your friends group chat?" The group chat was sacred; I even knew it from my days of having a friendship group. When you made a new friend, sometimes you would make a new group chat to include them in plans and some casual conversation, but there was always the OG group chat. The one with the weird nicknames and the funny label and years and years of inside jokes that you refused to abandon if this new friendship didn't have the tenacity of the old ones. Adding someone to the group chat was the mark of a long-term friendship; a forever friendship. Because it was far too awkward to text someone and ask them to leave it when things went south. "Uh, don't you need to approve that with the council?"

"Nah," said Will, waving off my elated panic. Because holy shit did these guys consider me a forever friend? What the fuck? What would Kai, who was my friend but who was being blackmailed into dating me, think about this? "I know the council. They all love you."

"Are you sure?"

Will rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, tapping the screen a few moments until my phone buzzed in my pocket. When I pulled it out, the notification read; the least hot and rich Kennedy has added you to SEXY MOFOS AND SEB. I assumed that most of the nicknames were down to Jamie. The chat photo was a ladybird with a gun, and bolded text that proclaimed 'NOW THE FUCKER IS SCARY JAMESON'. I grinned.

Will patted the top of my head. "Yes, I'm sure. Jamie is half in love with you, Isabelle has a wedding binder for your future marriage to Kai, and when Kai tells her to stop being ridiculous, he only half means it. I don't think we're getting rid of you anytime soon."

I smiled, and it felt a little watery. "Thanks, Will."

"You also don't have other friends, so we would feel really bad about getting rid of you if we wanted to."

I punched him in the arm, and he laughed. I knew why Will and Kai got along so well; they were both sarcastic dicks.

But still. I had friends. I wasn't antisocial; I'd never been left in the position where I thought I wouldn't have friends. But Sydney and Tommy were gone, and somehow all those old friendships had been so intrinsically tied to them. I never thought being added to a fucking SEXY MOFOS group chat would reduce me halfway to tears.

And when the messages started flooding in, I might've even let one slip. Will, ever the gentleman, studiously ignored that.

Homewrecker (Isabelle): VALERIEEEE

BIG GREEN RED (Cora): aw hi vally

ladybird fucker (Jamie): The important question must be voted on by the council. Is Valerie a SEXY MOFO or an AND

picadildo (Seb): there should be no and's. why am I an and.

ladybird fucker (Jamie): because you ditched me and that's not what sexy ppl do

picadildo (Seb): oh, fuck off. val can be a sexy mofo

Homewrecker (Isabelle): damn straight she is

I didn't understand any of the nicknames or the text bubble colour—which was, for some misguided reason, a vibrant shade of puke yellow-green—but I was so fucking happy and I had friends and it was all a lot, and even though he was covered in grease, I wrapped my arms around Will for a fierce, short hug.