The Truth About Faking

finally going to go out with Trent! After all the planning and waiting and faking, it’s finally going to happen. I trot to class counting the minutes to third period.
     
    Trent’s leaving Ms. Gipson’s room when as usual I casually, oh so unexpectedly, happen to be walking up at the same time.
    “Hey!” I laugh as if it’s the most surprising thing.
    “Hey,” Trent smiles. He really does look happy. “So we meet again.”
    “Yep. Getting to be kinda regular,” I say.
    “Uh huh.”
    We stand there facing each other. Again. Me waiting, holding my books. Trent looking down, and then glancing up at me with those beautiful, bluish-purplish eyes. Such a pretty color. Like that hydrangea bush. Right before…
    “Hey, H.D., Trent.”
    Jason. My jaw clenches.
    “Oh, hey, Jason,” Trent straightens up and starts moving away from me.
    No! This is not happening again!
    “Wait! Trent,” I jump and move toward him. “I was thinking…”
    “Huh?” Trent looks a little startled. I feel like an idiot. And I know Jason’s back there watching the whole thing.
    “Um… well… remember how I said something about this weekend?”
    “Yeah?”
    I wait a beat. Silence. Nothing’s happening. Trent’s just looking at me.
    “Oh, well.” I start. “I was just thinking…”
    “Yeah?”
    Oh my god! Why won’t he ask me out? It’s like he doesn’t want to date me or something. But that can’t be right. Not after how sweet he’s always been and rescuing me and asking Brian about me. I summon my courage and press on.
    “Well, would you like to catch a movie or something? With me?”
    “Really?”
    His surprise makes me pause. Maybe Trent isn’t so smart. When I think about it, I have no idea what kind of grades he makes. He’s never struck me as a dumb guy, and he always dresses so nicely. But still, he’s awfully slow to catch on to things.
    “Yeah. Like maybe Friday? You could pick me up?”
    “Friday?” he seems to be thinking about something. “Friday… okay.”
    “Okay!” I laugh a little and start to breathe again.
    “You want me to pick you up?” He smiles.
    “Sounds great!” My voice has gone a little high, so I clear my throat.
    “Oh, wait,” he stops.
    “What?” My heart lurches.
    “I might not… would Saturday work for you?” His eyebrows come together over his pretty blue eyes.
    “Saturday?” I start to wilt.
    “Yeah, I just remembered I’ve got this thing. With my mom. On Friday.”
    “Your mom?”
    “Yeah,” he breathes a little laugh.
    “But I thought, doesn’t your mom get her massages on Friday?”
    “Yeah.” He seems confused. I guess he doesn’t realize that it’s my mom doing the massages. Or now it’s Ricky, I guess. Whatever.
    “She says driving makes her tense again. After her massages,” he explains. “So I told her I’d hang around in case she needed to go somewhere.”
    “Oh. Okay.” That makes sense, and it’s very chivalrous. It doesn’t bother me. Much.
    “So Saturday? Yeah?” He smiles.
    “Sure.” I say.
    That’s actually better. Now it’s more like he’s asking me out, instead of the other way around. Like he’s as excited as I am about us dating.
    “OK.” He gives my arm a little squeeze and walks away.
    I wait a second and then turn around to see Jason leaning against the lockers grinning at me.
    I narrow my eyes. “What?”
    “So you do ask guys out.”
    “Shut up, Jason.” I turn and walk into class, but I hear him chuckling.
    “I’d like to think I had something to do with this evolution in your character.”
    “I’m sure you would.”
    He smiles as we take our seats. Last week established the unfortunate pattern of Jason sitting right next to me in class.
    “Nicely done,” he says. “Although I was a little worried about you for just a second.”
    “What? The Friday thing?” I pretend like that hadn’t bothered me a bit.
    “Yeah. I didn’t want to see you crash and burn on your first try.”
    “And what would you have done?” I smile.
    “Oh, nothing,” he smiles back. “Unless you’d wanted me to, of course.”
    “Hasn’t Shelly gotten to you yet?”
    “I can handle her. Can you handle Mr. Personality?”
    “Trent is very nice. Just because he’s not all in your face like some people doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a nice personality.”
    “Uh huh,” Jason nods, opening his notebook. “Very nice.”
    Mrs. Gipson walks in the door, and I say a little prayer of thanks. Now Jason has to be