Pretending

Chapter 8

"As he read,  I fell in love the way you fall asleep:  slowly, then all at once." -John Green, The Fault in our Stars.

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Antonio POV

"Did you do it?" I ask Matt over the phone, pacing my room.

"You know I did bro," Matt says. I exhale.

"I don't think I can do this...I mean, what if she says no? What if she laughs at me? What if she just wants to be friends? I can't take the risk, I just can't." I say running my hand through my hair, frustrated.

"Who is this new Antonio who is afraid of women?" Matt teases.

I sit down on my bed, then get back up. "I don't know man, I've never been nervous around women before."

I could practically hear him smirk. "You can do it, man."

I sigh, "talk to you later bro." 

"Later."

I hang up and fall back on my bed. I hear my phone ring again and answer.

"Hey Ant." I hear her say with a cute raspy voice.

I smile. "Sup Nix."

"I'm on my way over to do our model, I'll be there in a few." She says, "Can you go any slower?! Gosh, dumba**!"

I am confused. Then remember she's driving, I chuckle. "Road rage much?"

She groans loudly. "Sorry, people are just such idiots!"

I smile. "See you in a few, and remember don't kill anyone out there."

"Will do." She says laughing.

We both hang up and I call my golden retriever, Max, into my room.

Onto the plan.

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"Ok, buddy, now when I call for you, you're going to come down and go right to Phoenix, the girl that pets you and rubs your ears, ok?" I say to Max putting the cardboard note on his collar, I cut out a hole in the cardboard to put his name tag through.

He goes and sits at the end of my bed, I smile and walk out of my room, shutting the door.

I go to the front door and watch as Phoenix pulls up in her white Toyota Camry. I watch her get out of her car and my whole world seems to stop as she gets out of the car.

Phoenix is looking amazing, as usual, she has a blue handkerchief dress on with white high heels, her red hair flowing in the breeze. Then the passenger door opens and a guy gets out.

I can't breathe when he wraps an arm around her shoulders. He is about my height, he has sandy blond hair and green eyes, he has a red t-shirt and jeans on.

They walk up to my door, his hand eventually going back to his side, I clench my jaw harder than I thought I could.

The guys knocks at our door and I go to answer it. When I open the door Phoenix looks guilty. I turn my attention to the guy.

"Hey," the guy says putting out his hand for me to shake, and I hesitantly shake it. "I'm Noah."

Phoenix cuts the silent tension by saying: "Noah is new in our school, and Mrs. Albans said he could work with us." She bites her lip nervously, something I still continue to find cute.

I take a deep breath, calming down my anger from seeing Noah wrap his arm around Phoenix, "Ok." Is all I say, I really wanted to say: "Um HECK no! Now how am I supposed to ask you out? And he was WAY too friendly with you! You want me to kick him where the sun doesn't shine?" But I didn't. Obviously.