Read Fake Boyfriend - Kate Brian for Free Online

had her. Her eyes trailed to the computer screen, open to Isabelle's pretty white-and-pink page. The photo of Isabelle from Lane's bowling birthday party last February grinned back at them.

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    Lane squeezed her eyes closed. "All right, fine. Let's get this over with."

    "Y What should I write?" Vivi asked, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She started to type. "Hey. Y

    es! ou're hot. Where do you--?was

    "Vivi!" Lane blurted.

    "What?"

    "Y ou're hot? Y ou've gotta be kidding me," Lane said.

    "What? I'm trying to sound like a guy," Vivi replied, eyes wide. She turned her hands palm up over the keyboard. "Think you can do better?"

    Lane shrugged. "Maybe ..."

    "Fine," Vivi said, standing up in a huff. "Go ahead."

    Lane cleared her throat. Tentatively, she stepped up to the keyboard. Vivi stood and looked over her shoulder while she typed.

    Hey, Y dog looks exactly like my uncle Franklin. It's very weird.

    our

    Does he smell like coffee and cigarettes, too?

    --Brandon

    For a long moment, Vivi stared at the message, completely baffled. "His uncle Franklin? What are you--?was Then, it hit her, and she started to think that Lane really might be an evil genius. "Oh! Because she always says she thinks Buster is part dog, part old man!"

    "Exactly," Lane said, crossing her arms over her chest.

    "It's perfect." Vivi reached over and hit send.

    "Wait!" Lane blurted.

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    "Too late," Vivi said, slapping her hands together. She navigated back to Brandon's page and preened. "Operation Skewer Sluttig is now in motion."

    "But I didn't read it over!" Lane cried.

    "So? I did. It was perfect," Vivi replied.

    "What if she writes back?" Lane asked.

    Vivi put her hands on Lane's bony shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Dial down the drama, okay? It's fine."

    Lane took a deep breath and nodded shakily. "Okay."

    "Besides, look at her page. She's not even online." Vivi released Lane and grabbed a towel off her floor, heading for the bathroom. "She said she was going to bed when she got home. She probably won't even get it until the morning."

    "Right. Right," Lane said, crouching down next to her bag and unzipping it. "She's gotta be sleeping by now." She yanked her blue Paul Frank toiletries bag out and stood, but after one glance at the computer, she completely froze. "Uh. Vivi?"

    "Y eah?"

    "She wrote back," Lane said.

    Vivi's heart stopped for a full five seconds. "Already? But she's not--was

    "Y can cover up the fact that you're online," Lane said, her voice growing shrill. "Something we probably should have done since right now she can

    ou tell that we--that Brandon-- is on."

    Vivi's eyes widened, and she walked over to the desk. "Wait, so she's waiting for us to reply?"

    "Maybe! I mean, she knows we're . . . he's ... oh God!" Lane cried, collapsing onto the end of Vivi's bed. She

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    clutched her toiletries bag with both hands, shaking up the contents like a rattle. "I thought she was going to bed!"

    "Well, that was a big lie," Vivi said, putting her hands on her hips.

    "What're we gonna do? What're we gonna do?" Lane asked. She dropped the bag as if the monkeys all over it had come to life and bitten her fingers. She shook her hands in front of her as her face grew beet red.

    "Calm down," Vivi said, rolling her eyes. "Let's just read the message and see what she says."

    She sat down at the computer and opened Isabelle's message.

    OMG! That is TOO funny. I've always thought that Buster had an old man trapped inside of him. Nice to know someone else sees it, too. New to MySpace, huh? Welcome. Hope you'll accept my friend request. So what are you doing home on a Friday night? WB! Izzy

    "She totally loves him," Vivi said, feeling giddy.

    "She totally knows we're here!" Lane said through her teeth, pressing her hands into the back of Vivi's chair. "I mean, he's here!"

    Suddenly an IM popped up on the screen, and Lane screamed, grabbing Vivi like some psycho killer had just broken in.

    IzzyBelly: I'm