Free Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore

cheating. Especially since
she
texted
me
.”
    â€œWhatever,” I’d said, the hurt leaking into my voice. Tommy exhaled hard.
    â€œMarijke, I don’t touch other girls, I don’t hang out with them alone, I don’t go behind your back. I talk to them. I’m
nice
to them. That’s it. And that’s why this”—he gestures between the two of us—“clearly isn’t working. Because you can’t trust me, and I’m tired of trying to prove myself to you.”
    When he’d walked away, I was sure he wouldn’t actually get in his car.
    When he got in his car, I didn’t think he’d really start it.
    When he started it, I was positive he wouldn’t drive away.
    But the roar of General Qi’s engine as Tommy drove away had made my heart sink to my knees. Now, the sameroar has transformed to a purr as the car idles by my mailbox. I’m hesitant as I reach the passenger door. Tommy looks at me, and his mouth quirks into a small smile.
    â€œReady for school?”
    I nod, still feeling unsure.
    â€œI didn’t know if you’d be here today,” I say as I slide in next to him. He immediately puts his hand in mine and a sense of ease begins to fill my body.
    â€œBaby,” he says, curling a finger under my chin, “Friday was awful. I think we both said things we didn’t mean.”
    I don’t know what to say to that, so I don’t say anything. He nudges my chin up and over until our eyes meet.
    â€œDo you believe me when I say that I’m not cheating on you?”
    I nod slowly, biting my lip. Tommy sighs and moves to put his sunglasses on.
    â€œI’m tired of fighting with you. I’ve told you that you are the only person I want to be with. What’s it going to take for you to believe me?”
    I blink at him.
    â€œYou’re right,” I finally say. “I believe you.”
    â€œThank you,” Tommy exhales, smiling at me.
    As he pulls away from the curb, I settle back into my seat and look out the window. His hand has moved to my knee, which he’s stroking in little circles. Those circles feel like an entire solar system rotating around my body.
    Tommy is here, in this car, next to me, and he’s mine. I need to remember that.
    When we get to school, I find Lily at her locker, poring over a textbook thicker than a brick. We stayed up until after midnight on Friday, watching all the best parts from a bunch of different movies—the kissing scenes, the fighting scenes, the I-can’t-live-without-you scenes. When she’d left a little after midnight, yawning but smiling, we both reconfirmed our commitment to the pact.
    â€œHey, I’ve got a question for you.”
    Lily glances over at me and grins. When she sees Tommy standing a few feet behind me chatting with Doug Mason, she shoots me a questioning look.
    â€œIs everything . . . copacetic?”
    I frown. “Well, I have no idea what that means, but if you’re asking me if we made up, the answer is yes.”
    She laughs. “While we’re making over our love lives, can we work on making over your vocabulary?”
    â€œHar, har,” I say, rolling my eyes.
    â€œBy the way,” she says, handing me a stapled packet of papers, “I typed up our plan this morning. I figured we should keep it organized, you know? Then I can revise it as we go.”
    I stare down at the title THE MOVIE EXPERIMENT in bold letters and shake my head.
    â€œYou did
this
this morning? You’re going to make me self-conscious with your overachieverness.”
    â€œWell,
you
are going to make me late to class,” shecounters, slamming her locker shut. “And overachieverness isn’t a word.”
    â€œListen,” I say, ignoring her last comment, “I wanted to talk to you about doing a couples feature in the newspaper. Like, the love stories of the senior class. Don’t you think that would be