Read Fake Boyfriend - Kate Brian for Free Online Page A

not a stalker. Just bored. Are you there?

    "Oh my God. Oh my God. What do we say?" Lane cried,

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    pressing down hard on the back of Vivi's chair.

    Vivi's blood rushed in her ears, and everything felt suddenly shaky. "Will you calm down? Y ou're freaking me out!"

    "Well, what's she doing? This isn't like her!"

    "Maybe she's taking our advice. Trying to move on?" Vivi said hopefully, pushing back her sweatshirt sleeves.

    "We have to write back," Lane told her. "She's waiting. If we don't write back, she's gonna feel rejected all over again."

    "Okay." Vivi put her fingers on the keyboard. They were trembling. Lane's psychotic tension was rubbing off on her. If she screwed up, this plan would be over before it ever got off the ground. But if she said the right thing--whatever it was Isabelle needed to hear--everything could change for the better. "What do I say?"

    "What would a guy say?" Lane asked, her hands clasped.

    "I don't know," Vivi replied. "Contrary to some people's asinine jokes, I'm not one."

    The clock at the bottom right corner of her screen clicked over from 11:31 to 11:32. Vivi's heart rate ratcheted up a notch. On the other side of town, Isabelle was staring at her computer screen, waiting for the perfect response.

    "I can't take it!" Vivi blurted, backing away from the computer. "This is too intense!"

    "Vivi! We have to do something!" Lane turned around in a circle like a dog looking for a spot to lie down, wringing her hands the whole way. Down the hall, Death Cab for Cutie blared out from tinny speakers. Lane suddenly stopped, facing the door. "Marshall!" she announced.

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    "What?" Vivi demanded.

    "Marshall's a guy!" Lane flew out of the room and down the hallway.

    "That's debatable!" Vivi called, following her to the hall.

    Lane walked right through the open door to Marshall's room and came back two seconds later, steering a pajama- clad Marshall toward Vivi by his shoulders.

    "This is never gonna work," Vivi said, raising her hands-- even though she had no alternative in mind.

    "Um, what's never gonna work?" Marshall asked warily.

    Lane stopped him next to the desk and pulled out the chair. "Sit," she ordered.

    "Why?" Marshall was understandably concerned.

    "Lane. Marshall has more estrogen in his veins than I do," Vivi said.

    "Estrogen isn't in your veins," Marshall corrected, rolling his eyes. "And I do not."

    "And see? He's a complete brain! He's not Brandon," Vivi said.

    "Brandon is a brain," Lane replied. "Smart guys are sexy."

    "They are?" Marshall asked, brightening slightly.

    "Not this one," Vivi muttered. "Marshall, please just sit?" Lane begged.

    Marshall did as he was asked, though he still looked concerned. He kept his butt near the edge of the chair as if ready to bolt at any second. Like he could really make it out the door if Vivi wanted to stop him.

    "We don't need him," Vivi said.

    "Y we do. We need a guy to talk to her. We are not guys.

    es,

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    Marshall, however, is," Lane explained calmly and logically, her hands on her hips.

    Vivi opened her mouth, but Marshall reached up and slapped his hand over it. "Don't say whatever you're thinking of saying."

    Vivi rolled her eyes and turned away--her method of consenting to involving Marshall, however ill-fated the idea was.

    Lane pressed her hands into the arms of the chair and looked Marshall in the eye. "Okay, here's the deal. We just made up a fake guy for Isabelle on MySpace and now she's IM-ING him. Y have to talk to her for us," Lane said.

    ou

    What little color there was in Marshall's face drained out of it. He glanced at the computer screen in fear, as if it were scrolling satanic messages. "Wait, if I type back, I'm typing to Isabelle?"

    "Y And she's waiting," Vivi said, leaning in close to Marshall's face for emphasis.

    es!

    "Are you guys out of your minds?" Marshall asked, scooting back and looking back and forth between them.

    "I think that's obvious, don't you?" Lane said. "Now please!