Free Replace Me by Jennifer Foor Page B

couch.”
    Since I had to use the bathroom, I walked out into the hallway and saw him trying to get comfortable . He didn’t have a blanket and his legs hung off the arm of the couch.
    When I came back out, he was flipping through the television channels. “Can I borrow a t-shirt?”
    He stood up and walked into the bedroom. “First my bed and now my clothes. For someone that won’t get naked with me, you sure do expect a lot,” he joked.
    “I got locked out. Don’t worry, though. I won’t make this a habit.”
    “I don’t mind.” He handed me a shirt and a pair of boxers. “Is this good?”
    I smiled. “Thanks for bringing me inside. How did you know I was out back?”
    “Ford text me and asked if you were staying with me. When I got back and you weren’t here, I text him. He said you weren’t there either, so I checked out back. I figured you’d locked yourself out of both places, bein’ as you were so upset earlier.”
    “You’ve been a good fake boyfriend today. Thanks for that.”
    He stood there, looking right at me, smiling. “How about I keep up the lie and sleep in here with you?”
    I crossed my arms. “I’m not sleeping with you, Joey.”
    “I didn’t want to sleep.”
    I tossed another pillow at him. “Stop!”
    He walked out of the room again, leaving me alone. I climbed in under the covers and got comfortable, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him being out on the couch. He’d been so nice to me, and jokes aside, we were both adults. It wasn’t like he was going to force me to do anything. Besides, I didn’t want to be alone, because I couldn’t stop thinking about losing Shayne.
    I yelled his name. “JOEY.”
    He came running in the room. “What’s wrong?”
    I patted the side of the bed next to me. “If you promise not to try anything, we can share.”
    “So glad you get to make the rules in my apartment.” He climbed in beside me and tried to get comfortable. I rolled to face the opposite direction and tried to close my eyes.
    Just as I was falling asleep I felt his hand wrapping around me and pulling me close. He brought his lips down to the back of my shoulders and kissed me tenderly. “Goodnight Lace.”
    I reached my hand up and intertwined it with his. “Don’t let go.”
    And he didn’t.
    This soft side of Joey was his deep dark secret and it was helping me cope. I didn’t want some kind of revenge sex to try to make me feel better. I wanted a friend to help me see that I was going to get through this. Unbeknownst to me, Joey was being that friend.
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 9
    Shayne
    The bridges were burned and I had to keep moving forward, no matter how bad I felt about it. After sleeping in a hotel, I couldn’t get my mind off of Lacey. It was like nothing else mattered; not finding a place to live or figuring out what I was going to do until all of this blew over.
    Parker called me first thing in the morning and when I saw his name displayed on the caller I.D., I almost didn’t want to answer.
    “Are you callin’ to say you’re sorry?”
    “I feel real bad about what you did, Shayne. It’s wrong. They need to know the truth.”
    “It’s fine. I’d rather them be disappointed in me than you.”
    “I can’t focus on school while my brother is takin’ Hell from the whole family. It ain’t right.”
    I appreciated that he understood the ramifications of what I was doing for him, but he didn’t need to worry. I had things under control. “Listen, Park, I need you to stay focused. Dad is being a dick as usual, but he’ll come around. Just keep your cool and let me handle it.”
    “Peyton told me Lacey was there last night. How did she take it?”
    “She’s with someone else, so apparently she didn’t care much. She already thinks I’m a lyin’ cheater, so it’s nothin’ new.”
    “Dude, I can tell you like her. If there’s a chance to get back with her, you should do it. I can handle my own messes, you know.”
    “She’s done