Free How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles

pathetic, three-inch-deep hole.
    "We lost," Nathan tells him. "Which isn't a big surprise considering we had one less person and no team leader after you guys disappeared."
    "We're not going back until our ditch is finished," Avi informs us. "No giving up."
    Like he did with our relationship?
    Since Avi left Chicago, I haven't thought of anyone else. I haven't been remotely interested in another guy because I know he's The One. He said we were going to be together forever, that he wanted to marry me one day. I believed him, which makes me the dummy.
    Listen, I know I have to finish high school, go to college, and get a job. But I also thought my future included Avi, too.
    A big army truck comes into sight, kicking up desert dust in its wake. Nimrod and his team hop on and, within a minute, are out of sight.
    My team members are still shoveling, per Avis orders. I'm purposely ignoring anyone with a name that starts with an A, has an /at the end, and a Vin the middle. I
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    can feel his eyes boring into my back like Superman's X-ray vision. But my boyfriend isn't Superman, at least not anymore.
    And now, to save face, I have to pretend Nathan and I are in love. I'm not sure Nathan will go for the charade. Dare I tell him? He's afraid enough of Avi as it is.
    Avi tells the rest of the teams to file out and head back to base while we finish digging. Tori is shoveling, although she's not going fast and I think we might be here for a few days. We're all so hot and sweaty I wonder if skin can actually melt off of our bones.
    "Amy..." I hear Avis voice from behind me.
    "Is someone talking to me?" I ask Jess. "Because all I hear is hot air." I tap on my ears with my palms, pretending to clear my ear canals.
    Miranda taps me on the shoulder and nudges me to turn around. "Avi's right behind you, Amy. Maybe you really did get bit by that spider and it affected your hearing."
    Thanks, Miranda. Not. The girl is not too quick on social cues, that's for sure. I love Miranda to death (okay, not to death ... that's a bit over the top), but she can definitely use lessons in how to not take everything so literally.
    I turn to Avi with a cool smile on my face. "Did you want something, O Unfaithful One?"
    "Don't say that."
    "Why not? It's true, isn't it?"
    "You walked away before I could explain, Amy."
    "So explain now."
    "Not with an audience."
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    "We have no choice, Avi, do we?" I focus on kicking a large rock. "Did you sleep with her?"
    All conversations immediately stop. Everyone waits for Avi to answer. I think the air even stops moving (although I can't say that's a big feat because there wasn't a breeze to begin with).
    "No, I didn't sleep with her--"
    "Did you kiss her?"
    "Can we not do this now?"
    "No, we're gonna do this right here, right now. Did you kiss her?"
    "Yes."
    "I can't believe you!" I attempt to shove him away from me, but the guy is like a solid rock of muscle. He grips my wrists and holds them away.
    "You kissed Nathan, remember?" he says, his eyes blazing. "And now you say you're dating him. Is that true, Amy?"
    "No, it's not!" Nathan calls out.
    I narrow my eyes at Nathan. "There's no need to keep us a secret anymore, Nathan. I told Avi about us."
    "But--"
    Nathan's words are cut short when Jess pushes him into our team's ditch and he falls right onto Tori.
    "Where's your honor and integrity, Avi?" I throw back the words he said to me back in January when he found out I'd kissed Nathan.
    "You said we shouldn't be exclusive. You said it wasn't realistic to think we wouldn't be attracted to other people."
    The thought of him being attracted to Liron is too
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    much for me to deal with. "I was just saying that," I yell at him. "I didn't want you to actually do it."
    He lets go of my wrists as if they're on fire and he's about to get burned. "Next time, say what you mean."
    "Like you meant it when you said you wanted to marry me one day? It was all lies, Avi."
    "You know that's not true."
    "Cheating boyfriends become