Free Date Me by Jillian Dodd

that."
    "Actually, I was just getting ready to leave. I really do need to get a few hours of sleep. Are you sure you're doing okay, like, really?"
    "I think so."
    "Any guys giving you shit?"
    "I love you."
    "You're avoiding that topic. Does that mean one already is?"
    "No. It's more like the opposite."
    "A guy is treating you too well?"
    "Yeah, maybe."
    "Maybe you should marry him," he laughs. "No, wait, you can't. We're already married."
    "It will be easy to annul. We married under false pretenses. You told me you were a prince."
    "Only because you wrote the script and made me wear that girly crown."
    "True, but I also cast you as a frog because hopping around like a maniac and singing songs was something you were actually good at."
    "Are you saying I wasn't a believable Prince? You've just dashed my dreams of winning an Oscar."
    "I'm saying you played a much better frog." I hear the girl whine again in the background. "Case in point," I say and hang up.
     
    Your arm candy.
    6:45pm
     
    After dinner, Jake walks by us, puckers his lips at me, and makes a loud kissing noise. "Come on, sweets, let's go."
    Dawson flips him off, wraps his arms around me, and kisses my neck. "How ’bout you skip tryouts and come to my room? I guarantee it will be more fun."
    "Why don't you come watch me?"
    "I really don't want to watch you kiss a bunch of guys on stage."
    "You know Jake is exaggerating that part just to piss you off. I kiss Jake three times in the play. And they have to be perfect fairytale kisses. They aren't hot kisses."
    "Like this?" He lays his lips gently on mine in a chaste fairytale-style kiss, but then grabs the back of my hair and shoves his tongue in my mouth.
    "Are you sure you don't want to try out? Those are the kind of kisses I would like to practice over and over again."
    "So Jake's not going to kiss you like this?"
    "Um, not even close."
    "But if you do the play, we won't have much time for our kind of practicing," he pouts as he slides his hands down my back and squeezes my ass.
    "We'll have plenty of time for that. I promise," I tell him as we head out of the café.
    What I don’t tell him is that this is something I really want to do. And that for the first time in my life, I can try out for a role and not worry about being an embarrassment to my mom.
    I can just be me.
     
    I practically skip to the auditorium. I'm so excited.
    I see Jake and Peyton ahead of me. They appear to be having a heated discussion. He walks through the auditorium doors and leaves Peyton outside.
    She looks upset. "Are you okay?"
    She takes a deep breath. "Yeah. Jake isn't going to say anything, but I'm pretty sure he already told Bryce. Whitney cannot find out."
    "Congrats on Court. I meant to tell you earlier, but you were reveling in the freedom of throwing away your shoes.”
    She brightens. “That felt really good. And you too. I’m so happy for you."
    "What's the deal with wearing a formal dress on a football field? That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard."
    "Really? It seems normal to me. So I saw Maggie and Katie earlier. They said you all are going to New York to shop this weekend. Do you think I could come with you? Is that bad? My totally inviting myself."
    "We'd love it! I would’ve asked you. I just figured you already had a dress."
    "Whitney has had her dress for months. She's been planning for the perfect dress since she started dating Dawson."
    "Do you have one?"
    "I do, but she helped me pick it out." She scowls. "I don't love it."
    I give her a grin. "You're going to win, so you need to be in a dress that you love."
    She bounces a little. "Wouldn't that be amazing?"
    I glance at my watch. "Hey, I gotta get in there."
    "Break a leg.” She looks at me sincerely and says, "Thanks for letting me come with you."
    "You're welcome. Um, do you want to invite Whitney? I felt bad when she left me out, I don't want to make her feel that way."
    "Hell, no," she says and marches off.
     
    "Keatyn Monroe," the drama coach