The Backup Girlfriend (Grove Valley High #2) - Emma Doherty Page 0,24
through the doors and stand in the doorway with Sophie at my side, but I pretend I don’t notice as I make my way through the various tables on the way to the one I’ve sat at since I was a freshman. My eyes are fixed on Sarah, who has had the nerve to sit in my seat.
The actual seat I always sit in.
I glance to the side, and I’m surprised to see Sophie keeping step with me. She doesn’t sit at our table. She could; she has enough friends there. The truth is that Sophie’s probably the most universally liked person on the cheerleading squad, and probably our school. Everyone likes her, but she’s always sat at a small table in the back with Jessie and Livy. I guess she understands loyalty more than my friends do.
“I’ve got this,” I tell her.
She snickers. “You couldn’t pay me a million bucks to miss this.”
I just about manage to refrain from rolling my eyes as we reach my usual table and it falls deathly silent. Chase looks at me warily, like he’s not fully sure what’s going to happen next as he exchanges glances with Brendon and Aaron, who both avoid looking at me. It’s probably because they don’t want to embarrass me, but it actually just makes me feel more awkward. Sasha looks back at where I’m standing behind her and offers me a friendly smile and a wave before shifting over so there’s room for me, proving I at least have one decent friend.
“I looked for you at the start of lunch,” Sasha says, cutting a glare Sarah’s way and confirming that I at least have one person on my side. Well, two if you count Sophie—I think she’s on my side? “I couldn’t find you.”
“Yeah, I had something to take care of,” I mutter back, turning to stare at Sarah, who has a smirk on her face, a sly look that makes me want to slap her. She knows what this is right now, knows what I do next will either make me or break me in this school. No amount of nervous chatter from Sasha will fix that.
I know the majority of people at this table don’t actually care. Chase, Aaron, and that group don’t give a crap about popularity, but that’s because they have it, no questions asked. Me? I’ve always had to work at it, and I’m not about to let Sarah Billington, my supposed best friend, take me out without a fight.
Sophie’s right. I’m still Abigail Baker.
I step over the bench and sit down without a word while I feel their eyes on me. I reach into my back pocket and pull out my phone, lay it on the table in front of me, and then type in Dan Summers’ number, which I’m still clutching in my hand. I hit speakerphone and look Sarah straight in the eye as my phone rings loudly in front of me.
There’s total silence as it continues to ring.
“Hello?”
I don’t take my eyes off Sarah. “Hi. Is this Dan Summers?”
Her eyes snap to mine.
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“This is Abigail Baker.”
Her jaw visibly tenses.
“Oh, right!” His tone has picked up already. “Hey, how are you?”
“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”
“Yeah, I’m good, I’m good.”
“So, I hope you don’t mind me calling?”
“No, no, not at all. How did you get my number?”
I glance over at Sophie, who is perched on her boyfriend Mark’s knee, watching me with a small smile on her face. “Sophie Steele gave it to me.”
“Oh yeah? I owe her one.”
I glance back at Sarah, whose face has darkened.
“So, I was wondering, remember when you asked me out freshman year?”
He chuckles. “Yeah.”
“And sophomore year?”
He laughs again. “Yup, and junior and senior year too, but you were always too hung up on Mitchell.”
I look over at Chase, and he’s listening intently, his eyes fixed on the phone. I can’t read the look on his face.
“Yeah, well…”
There’s silence on the other end. “You and Mitchell not together anymore?”
“Nope.”
“Well that’s interesting.”
“Yeah, but to be honest, there was always another reason I always said no too, even when Chase and I weren’t together.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” I look back at Sarah. “You see, I had this friend named Sarah who had a crush on you, and I didn’t want to upset her.”
Sarah’s face is like thunder as a blush starts to creep over her features.