Unpredictable

Chapter 7: The Fake Date

Evan's Pizza Parlor was nice. It wasn't too fancy, just a family-style restaurant. The tablecloths were checkered, candles on top of them, the waiters and waitresses were friendly, and Ricky was beaming at me.

"I really thought you'd be more upset," I confessed.

"Well, as it turns out people have actually been questioning why I was never seen out with anybody," admitted Ricky. "So a fake date with you was actually the perfect solution." He squinted at me. "Are you wearing makeup?"

"I blame Evie," I immediately stated. "She tackled me, pinned me down to the bed..."

"Wow, that sounds like something sexual," laughed Ricky. "I didn't know Evie got so excited about dates."

"Well, she does, and I'm never telling her about anything ever again," I informed him. And then I proceeded to fiddle with my fingers for a good five minutes until finally Ricky placed his hand on top of mine.

"What's up, buttercup?" he said reflexively, before blushing. "Sorry - sorry," he admitted. "It's what my mom always says when I'm fidgeting."

"You know, I can actually see that," I remarked. "Well, I mean, I guess I can tell you, I mean...it's not like this is an actual date or anything..."

"I'm still paying, though," Ricky informed me. "My mother taught me to be a gentleman."

"No argument here, I'm broke," I laughed, before frowning. "Anyway, um, you know Dylan?"

"Possessive, annoying dude from school who lives next door to you? Yeah, what's your point?"

"Well, the thing is, I'm like really good with his daughter," I explained hurriedly, not sure why I was justifying myself when we weren't even on a real date. "So we spend a lot of time together. "And then yesterday, I accidentally told him that I'd never been on a date before...shit." Why did that keep slipping out?

"You gave up your first date so nobody would know about Maxton and myself?" Ricky said slowly, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal, and then after I'd put his daughter to sleep, he just sort of...kissed me," I mumbled, feeling ashamed. "And I just - I didn't kiss him back, I swear," I explained hurriedly, terrified that Ricky would be upset.

Why?

Victor, that's why. Three foster homes ago, just after I'd hit puberty, he had been my foster brother, and he'd decided I was hot. He'd started kissing me, and he'd hit me any time I told him to stop, so I'd just figured it didn't matter. He probably would've gone farther, except my foster mother caught us. She managed to blame it all on me, and sent me away. Victor got off scot-free, I got scarred for life, and I hadn't kissed anyone since.

Until Dylan.

"I'm not going to be upset with you, Soph," Ricky frowned. "I don't know why you think I would be, I have no right to be upset with you over that. But the plan was to have a bad first date and be just friends for the rest of our lives, right? So it seems like you should be on this date with Dylan."

"Does that make me a slut, though? Did I cheat on you?" My hands were shaking. "I'm just - I'm so confused..."

Ricky opened his mouth and closed again. "Sophie, we're not really dating," he said in a whispering, comforting voice. "You didn't cheat on me. And you're definitely not a slut."

"I'm not?"

"No, Sophie, why would you ever think that?"

"Why the hell is she crying?" demanded a male voice suddenly, and my head jolted up as I realized I was, in fact, crying. I recognized the male voice to be Dylan's, and I frowned. What was Dylan doing here?