Chapter 8: Stop Puking Inside My Car!

"Lover boy, where's Vincent?"

Nolan glowered at me. "Don't call me that. And Vince should be here any second."

I didn't say anything but observed my partner. His cheeks still had the leftover colors--purplish black---from the bruises he received. My own cheek had a similar color. My mom had a fight with Mr. Casey about the lack of order in Saturday detention. Mr. Casey apologized on behalf of the teacher who wasn't present.

I got away, though, and so did Nolan somehow. Vince and his gang ended up with in-school suspension for the week.

The whole school heard how Nolan "defended" Helen.

"Aw," a girl commented passing by. Nolan and I stood in the corner of the hallway near Ms. Bozzo's office. We were waiting for Vince but people got wrong ideas.

"Look what you've done!" Nolan said frustrated.

"Look who doesn't care," I said and pointed to myself.

He exhaled loudly and leaned against the wall. I shrugged and turned to find Vince. He was headed to Bozzo's even though he needed to be in the detention room. When he saw us, Vince glared.

"Vince, one second," I said taking a step forward. Vince stopped with a hard expression. "Just show the photo to her and watch her dump you," I said quickly. He should still have the photo I slipped inside his jacket on Saturday. "She will hurt you."

"She won't," he replied confidently.

"Wanna bet?" asked Nolan, his arms crossed.

"Just watch," said Vince as he headed into Bozzo's office, leaving the door ajar. Nolan simply shook his head at Vince's back and gestured for me to follow. We were going to eavesdrop.

Nolan really had a knack for getting us in trouble.

"Vince, shut the door completely," Ms. Bozzo said.

Vince ignored her command and said, "Terryn, someone took pictures of . . . us." He pulled out a photo from his jacket and handed it to the psychologist.

"What?! Who?!" Ms. Bozzo frantically asked.

"I dunno. We--"

"My job is importa--" she set herself up.

"Excuse me?" Vince didn't sound happy. I hoped he wouldn't hit her like he hit me. That hurt.

"Vince, I'm sorry but--" Ms. Bozzo said in a desperate tone. If she really needed the job, then why did she keep using younger boys? I bet Vince was shocked to hear this. All his confidence in his "girlfriend" had disappeared.

"Screw you!" spat Vince. "We're done!" He snatched the photo from her, turned and walked out angrily.

Nolan and I wasted no time in moving away from the danger zone. Our principal was coming down the hallway. When he saw Nolan, Vince, and I in the same area, he told us to freeze.

What lie to make up now?

"Can I see your pass?" Mr. Pallardinneti asked.

"We have lunch--" I began on behalf of Nolan and I.

Vince interjected, "Here's my pass." He actually handed the principal the photo. Neither Nolan nor I saw that coming. Ms. Bozzo was hurrying out of her office behind Vince.

When she saw the principal, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

She was so fired.

"My office, Mr. Marek, Ms. Bozzo, now!" the principal said with a grave look. He turned to Nolan and I. "Get back to the cafeteria."

I hurried away, not wanting any more trouble. Nolan followed behind, saying how big of an idiot Vince was. If Ms. Bozzo's past was brought up, Nolan might also get in trouble. I couldn't care less. We walked out to the courtyard and took a seat on one of the picnic benches. Nolan put his backpack up in front of him and pulled out a book--a journal.

Opening it, he landed on a page with a photograph. He handed it to me. There was a blond girl smiling with her head tilted to the side. She was sitting on the hood of a car, staring at the camera.

"Fifth girl: Hanna Pocynek," he said. I didn't realize we were moving on. I gave him the journal back and waited for the explanation. "She dated me only because I was rich and my parents had contacts. Gold digger."

"Then, it's great you two broke up." If only he could realize this.

Ignoring me, he continued, "She broke up up with me because I bought her a simple neclace for her birthday not the diamond bracelet she wanted."

"Okay." I really didn't care. "Does she go to our school?" Now, Nolan didn't meet my eyes. "What's wrong?"

"She moved to a different state." He offered me an uneasy smile.

I couldn't believe this. "Nolan, the stalking is a little overboard."

"It's not stalking--research rather."

"Get a life."

"I had one . . . before all these girls took it away," he said spitefully. He seriously needed therapy.

"Which state did she move to?" I asked after a while.

"Just New York," he said as if it was nothing.

"We live in Maryland, for god's sake! New York is four hours away!" We couldn't just fake something and get out. Four hours may seem like nothing, but when you had AP classes and Princeton to worry about, that was a lot of time. A round trip would be eight hours. 

"Chill, Hel-en. I have a plan--"

"No. Last time you made a plan, you ended up with a heart attack," I said exaggerating.

"Chest pain," he corrected. "As for the plan--just hear me out."

Nolan's idea or plan of going to New York involved a lot of lying--lying about dating Nolan. He thought it would be fantastic to pretend to be boyfriend-girlfriend and get out of the state. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was coming, so long weekend.

We could leave Friday evening and come back as soon as the breakup was done.

My stand: No.

"Hel-en, come on." Nolan and I sat arguing again about the plan.

"You would be the last person on this planet I would date." The truth. "Scratch that. I won't. I refuse to add on to your break-up list. Helen Postulet: the eighth breakup."

The thought itself was ridiculous.

"I still have your photos," he said crossing his arms.

I grimaced. "Nolan, please. Hire someone else for this breakup. I'll help on the two afterwards."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Did you know that we have cameras inside my house?" My face paled as he pulled out a couple of pictures from his jacket.

Snaps of me and that criminal being chased by Nolan in his house lied in front of me.

"Who has cameras inside their house?!"

"Two people--before you and your partner--had tried to break in," he explained. "Mom forced dad to install security cameras in the hallways."

Karma for one mistake? "Ridiculous," I muttered.

"Hel-en Postulet, are you pretending to be my fake girlfriend for the fifth breakup or not?" he asked with a smile. He knew he was going to get his way.

"Do I have another choice?"

I, once again, suffered from idiotism.

¤》¤《¤

As expected, my parents' reaction to "Nolan and I are dating" was laughter.

"You're really funny, Helen," mom said and wiped her mouth with a napkin. We were eating dinner and I decided to try breaking the news.

"I'm serious, mom."

"Nolan?" mom asked for clarification. I nodded with a straight face. "The boy who you said was only an acquaintance? One who went through heartbreaks and became an emotional mess? One because of whom you went inside school ventilators--"

"That was for physics," I interrupted. Mom and dad gave me unsure glances. "He's not that bad." He actually was that bad. "He even stood up for me at Saturday detention." No, he didn't. "He's my boyfriend now." Fake boyfriend.

I hoped they said no to the relationship.

Princeton was my Paris not Nolan. My parents talked to each other and asked me more questions about Nolan. They couldn't believe that I finally had a boyfriend. "Boyfriend" and "Nolan" in the same sentence made me lose my appetite. Mom and dad told me they wanted to meet him soon.

They never said no to the relationship.

Dang it.

¤》¤《¤

Nolan came for dinner the following Thursday. My parents legitimately pampered him when he introduced himself as a Milesblue. Good for him that his parents had money and influence. All I asked for was Princeton.

"The lasagna is delicious," Nolan praised. I had told him to compliment my parents a lot. They hated getting buttered up. Make him look like a kiss-up, leading to my parents calling an end to the relationship.

I was working with and against Nolan.

"Thank you, dear. Do try the chicken too," my mom smiled. I stared at her. Whenever any of Hestia's boyfriends said something like that, mom would reply, "Are you implying that the other food isn't?"

If only Nolan wasn't a damn Milesblue!

I sat miserable as Nolan got along with my parents. My appetite disappeared and I just stabbed my chicken with the fork. The chicken was playing Nolan. How could my own parents like the psycho lover?! They talked and talked. I stabbed and stabbed. At the end, mom said she was happy to finally see me with somebody.

Oh please.

"He smokes," I blurted out.

Everyone looked at me. "No, I don't," Nolan said smiling. "Ever since we've been together, I haven't looked a cigarette." He ended with a kick to my leg under the table.

I nodded, not knowing what else to say against him. We finished and it was time for him to head out. I winced when mom forced me to escort him. She thought I was too awkward in this relationship. Internally crying, I walked with Nolan to his car. My parents turned out to be traitors.

"For tomorrow, I have a plan to get out of here," he said once we stopped.

I had forgotten that we needed to go to New York.

"I hate your plans, Nolan."

"Whatever. So, we're going to pretend that one of my aunts in New York died," said Nolan, "tonight. I'm going through hard times and have to go to New York to attend the funeral. I want you to come along and we'll be coming back by Monday--which is a day off."

I had to give it to him. "That's actually a very good scheme. Unfortunately, my parents will try to contact your parents."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Then, a smirk formed on his lips.

"Give them a false phone number," he offered. "I'll buy one of those disposable phones on my way home. It's all fool-proof. We're definitely going to New York."

I nodded tiredly. He didn't get sick of all this but I did. I hated being forced to do something I despised.

"I'm happy I'm not your real girlfriend." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "You're a horrible ex. I can't even force myself to feel bad for you, Nolan."

He masked his emotions well. "I never said I was a good person."

I took a step back, shaking my head bitterly. "Of course not." I turned around and headed back to my house.

"Goodnight!" he called after me.

I slammed the front door in reply.

¤》¤《¤

I was extremely nervous. Nolan kept saying it'll work out fine. He was actually being considerably optimistic unlike his usually rude and somber self. I didn't want to go to New York. I wanted to stay home and study for the midterms. They were coming the week of Martin Luther King Day. Stupid Nolan had made me forget about them.

If my parents knew about midterm exams, they wouldn't let me go.

So, I had told them this morning about upcoming exams, casually.

"Hel-en, if you mess anything up, remember I have double pictures of you vandalizing property," Nolan said. We sat at the Garden Valley Park. I raised my hands, claiming I was innocent. He rolled his eyes and told me to call my parents. Complying, I put my phone on speaker after dialing mom's number.

"Hello?"

"Mom," I spoke. "Mom, it's Helen." She could've guessed from caller ID.

"I know. I can recognize my daughter's voice." Okay, that too. "Where are you?" I was hanging out with Nolan at a park.

"At Nolan's house," I lied. "Yesterday night, his family got the news that his grandma passed away." We had to change aunt to grandma because grandmas' passing away was worse. Or so Nolan says. "He needs me for support."

"Oh that's terrible. Can I talk to him?" she said sounding concerned.

Nolan started his fake sniffling and took the phone from me. "Hello, Mrs. Postulet."

"Nolan dear, I'm so sorry for your loss," said mom. If she knew the truth, she would murder him. He didn't reply. Neither one of us knew how to reply to that. "If you need someone, remember, Helen and our whole family are here."

"Thank y--you," Nolan stuttered. He wanted to give the impression that he was crying. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

Here it goes.

"Of course, dear."

"My parents are already headed to take care of the funeral," Nolan said, keeping his voice down. "They said I could bring along a guest. Can Helen come with me?" Mom fell silent on the other end. I hated doing this to her. "It's only for maybe two days. I really don't have anyone with me."

Nolan was a jerk. He didn't mention any of this to his parents. All because they were gone for a trip to England this week.

"Can you give me your parents' number? I'll talk to them about the arrangements," mom finally said.

Nolan gave me a victorious smile. I gave him an unamused look and turned away. He gave my mom the fake number. Now, came our secret weapon. Nolan had paid a random guy to pretend to be his dad. The deep-voiced teenager stood three feet away from us with the disposable phone. Mom already had Nolan's number, so we couldn't give her his number. Mom called Nolan's "father" soon enough. It all went as we had planned. Mom called back saying yes but I better study in all the free time. I was already going to do that. She was failing at her job of being a good parent.

Who lets her kid go alone to New York?

Nolan already had his luggage in his car. He took me to my house. While I packed, he cried in my mother's shoulder. I grabbed clothes and toiletaries and shoved them in a bag. In another bag, I put in all my necessary books and binders.

"Have you talked to dad?" I asked mom once ready to leave.

She might stop me now. Nolan threw me a death glare.

"I'll handle him when he gets home. You two can head off," mom said as if it was no big deal. Bad parenting. Way too lenient. "Nolan, dear, take care. You too, Helen."

She gave him a hug first and then me. I winced, wanting to actually cry. Why couldn't she stop me? Nolan grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my own house. Annoyed, I took out the history textbook and began reading. I didn't want to go. Long car rides never worked well with my body. Plus, I had eaten a hell lot of food today.

After an hour, I said, "Stop the car!" My hand flew to my mouth, preventing the puke from coming out.

"Why?" Nolan asked, not really paying attention.

I threw my textbook in the backseat and then turned to puke on the floor of the car.

Nolan pressed hard on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. The grossed out look of his at the vomit was worth it. It made me throw up more.

"Stop puking inside my car!"

¤》¤《¤

A/N

Okay, so I highly doubt I'll finish this book within the next five days. This was a filler chapter. Drama coming up.

Do you guys want longer chapters?

Whatya think of their lies? Is Nolan a bad guy? Helen is apparently upset with him.

My mom would never let me go unless she gets every little arrangement settled.

I get carsick on long car rides for some reason, hence Helen also does. My parents still can't figure out why. Anyone else?

Please keep

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