Paper Flowers (Pretty Plastic People) ★

005. Gossip at Aquino High

"Sorry to let you down."

She takes note of my sarcastic tone and raises one of those newly waxed eyebrows. For a few seconds we just stare each other down, until we're interrupted by two hands coming down on my shoulders.

"Hey, Erika!"

Liam's voice tickles the inside of my ear as he massages my shoulders. I recognize his tone--cool, flirty, and hard-to-get--but know he's not doing it for me. If I had eyes on the back of my head I know I'd see him giving Celia a once-over, because we both know the point of our fake-dating is for him to get Celia and for me to get Spencer.

Celia doesn't return his gaze, so I smile and say lightly, "Hey, Liam. What's up?"

Dropping his hands, he leans against my locker. "I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes, actually."

I glance sideways at Celia--now both of her eyebrows are raised as she scrutinizes us for any sign of a romantic vibe. She's not jealous; she's just trying to glean what information about our relationship she can. At Aquino High, the more you know about people, the more power you have over them.

"I guess I'll head out, then," she says brightly after a few more seconds, shutting my locker for me. "I think Spencer wanted to see me before class started, anyway."

Before I have time to consider whether she completely made this information up or whether it's justified, she slinks away, into the crowd of high schoolers preparing for their day.

I haven't even turned back to Liam before he asks, "How was Spencer yesterday?"

"After school, you mean?" I think back again to how he looked at me as we sat in Cold Front the other day; how he'd looked embarrassed but sort of satisfied to be caught giving me flowers. How he'd told me that I was more interesting than Celia, that he liked me better.

"It went well," I said, wondering if that was the understatement of the century. I start to add that Spencer had faked needing help with calculus only so he could spend time with me, but I hold back. Somehow, I don't think Spencer would want me sharing that. Instead, I add, "He's one of the other two people who left me flowers."

"Still don't know who the third is?"

I shrug in response. The girl who owns the locker two down from mine shoulders past Liam to open it, and he scoots a little closer to me. I want to back up, but for some reason I can't make myself.

"Nobody left you a sweet little note like I did on your flowers, though, right?" he asks. His breath fans lightly across the spray of freckles on my cheeks, and I almost smile at the minty scent. He's doing this so we look like we're dating, I remind myself. We both have a part to play, and I need to step up to par.

"Nobody wrote something as cliché as 'love, your boyfriend,' if that's what you mean," I tease, making sure my smile reaches my eyes.

His smile matches mine. "You remember what I wrote? I'm flattered?"

I try to swat his hand away from its dramatic position on his heart, but he grabs my wrist instead and pins it in place. "Listen," he says, "I tried to talk to Celia after school yesterday, just like you said I should."

"How'd it go?"

Immediately, the mirth on his face vanishes, and I'm left staring at his tanned features drawn into a furrowed line. "Not great. I offered to walk her to her car and she informed me that she's not in the market, thank you very much."

"'Not in the market'?" I ask.

He wrinkles his nose. "I know, it's stupid. If Spencer left you flowers then he's clearly not into her, but she can't see that. She chased after him everywhere at my after-party on Monday. He couldn't even go into the kitchen because she'd be clinging to his arm, and if he sat down anywhere she'd sit so close to him there probably wasn't even an inch between them."