She Loves You, She Loves You Not... by Julie Anne Peters Read Free Book Online Page B

get good grades. You did your chores without complaint. You tried to like Tanith. That was the hardest thing, his bringing her into your lives. You’d had him to yourself for seven years before he met and married Tanith. Seven perfect years.
    Tanith was never your mother, your real mother. As much as she tried to be.
    Dad knocked on your door. “I want to talk to you, Alyssa.”
    Great. Now you were naked. “Just a minute.” You crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to your chin. “Enter,” you said.
    He stood there with his arms folded. You could feel the menacing vibes emanating from him. “I’m sorry about missing curfew. My watch stopped.” Which was a lie, and Dad knew it.
    He said, “Are you embarrassed for your boyfriend to meet your family? Are we not good enough for him?”
    “What? No,” you said.
    “Then why won’t you bring him home? What’s wrong with him?”
    “Nothing.”
    He approached you. The smell of Sarah was strong on your hands and face, so you bunched up the sheet over your nose.
    “There must be something.” Dad dropped his arms, sounding more hurt than mad. He sat on the edge of your bed. “You used to bring all your friends home. Is he a drug dealer or something? A gangbanger? What are you hiding?”
    “Nothing.” You’d never brought “all” your friends home.
    Dad stared at you, through you. You started shaking all over. You couldn’t breathe. This squeak escaped from your throat.
    “I can’t understand you,” Dad said. “Take the sheet out of your mouth.”
    You scooted back farther against the wall, pulling the covers with you. Dad’s eyes bored into yours, waiting. This torchlike heat scorched every square inch of your skin, like you were burning in hell.
    You couldn’t do it. The words wouldn’t even form on your lips. You could never tell him about Sarah. About yourself.
    He waited. He’d wait until you said what he wanted to hear.
    You swallowed hard. “Okay, I’ll bring him home to meet you.”
    Dad’s eyes warmed. He patted your kneecap and stood. “Invite him for dinner. I promise we’ll be on our best behavior—even if he is a weirdo or a nerd. You’d better not be into drugs.”
    “I’m not.”
    Dad headed for the door. “You’re still grounded,” he said over his shoulder as he turned off the light.
    You whispered in the dark, “Okay.”

Chapter
7
    Ben had been my best friend since ninth grade, when we both came out to each other. He was like my brother, only better because I could talk to him about anything. I can’t even count all the times he cried on my shoulder after his heart was broken by one boyfriend or another. When Sarah and I got together, he was so happy for us. For me.
    I texted Ben to meet me in the media center during my study period and his lunch hour. “Hey,” he said, pulling up a chair at my table. “Wassup, girlfriend?”
    “I need a favor from you,” I told him.
    “Anything,” he said.
    I knew he’d do anything for me. Vice versa.
    “Don’t say that until you hear what it is.”
    “Is it lurid? Are we breaking in to Fascinations and stealing vibrators?”
    “You wish.”
    He reached into his backpack and pulled out a Tupperwarebowl and fork. “Want some?” He removed the lid. “It’s my mom’s linguine with clam sauce.
Delicioso
.”
    It smelled buttery and rich. “No thanks.” My stomach was in knots about what I was planning to do. Ben poised his fork over the bowl.
    “Go ahead. Eat,” I told him.
    He dug in.
    “Someone led my dad to believe I have a boyfriend, and now I need one.”
    Ben snorted. “Someone?”
    “It wasn’t me.” It was Tanith. So what?
    Ben twirled linguine on his fork. “Why don’t you just be honest with your dad? You’re going to have to tell him sometime.”
    I let out a sigh. “Not in this life.”
    Ben stuffed the forkful of pasta in his mouth and fake-swooned. “You sure?” He passed the bowl under my nose, and I pushed it away.
    “Remember that time I