Perfectly Misunderstood (The Perfect Series Book 4) Read online

  “Does Jayden know you like Jayden?” Bianca asked with a sly grin.

  I was going for surly so everyone would lose interest, but I almost cracked a smile at that one. “Yes, but I haven’t actually admitted it to her yet.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Cam dismissed me. “The important question is, does Jayden like you?”

  “Yep.”

  “But how do you know?” Beth asked.

  “I just do.” I was getting annoyed, and I looked over at Brady. “You wanna interrogate me, too?”

  “Nah, they’re doing fine without me.”

  “Awesome.” My sarcasm was lost on him, because he was too busy snickering like a girl.

  “Let me get this straight.” Bianca took over again. “You don’t like-like Becca, but you’re taking her to homecoming. You do like-like Jayden, but she’s going to the dance with someone else. You think Jayden like-likes you back, but neither of you have said anything because you’re both pansies.” She paused, smirking at her insult. “And you may end up breaking the heart of your homecoming date, who happens to be the best friend of the woman you love, because you’re a big, dumb lug who hasn’t told her the truth, so you might be unintentionally leading her on.”

  I hadn’t considered Bianca’s last point, because Becca never gave the impression that she was into me. But she was overly excited yesterday in the car. I should probably talk to her so that I knew we were on the same page. The last thing I needed was to cause tension between Becca and Jayden. Maybe someday I’d thank Bianca for her astute observation. But for the time being, I was beyond aggravated…and I snapped.

  “Your deductive reasoning is commendable, Sherlock,” I said sarcastically, then groaned inwardly. Jayden had ruined me. I’d been so lax about my image with her that I was forgetting to be the right Mike in front of the right people.

  Cam snorted. “Ouch, Bebe! He burned you good.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Do you even know what deductive reasoning is?”

  I’d already messed up; might as well finish the job. “It’s the logical process of drawing conclusions, based on the concordance of multiple premises which are generally assumed to be true.” I smirked. Take that, Bianca Barnes.

  Cam busted out in roaring, knee slapping, doubled-over laughter. Bianca’s eyes went wide in pure and utter shock. She stared for a moment, words escaping her. Then finally she asked, “Who are you? And where is Moronic Mike?”

  Moronic Mike? Was that supposed to be a pet name? Oh, I was going for the kill now. “Mike’s still in here, but I’ve subdued his consciousness so I could commandeer his body. I’m an incorporeal, parasitic alien organism which needs a physical host to survive. My species has colonized on Earth with the objective of finding your most intelligent life-forms to inhabit. Don’t worry; I’ll submit your name for the do not occupy list.”

  I was lucky that Jayden had told me about her and Becca’s initial Alien Mike theory, or I’d never have come up with a retort so quickly. I’d laughed at her when she’d explained, but her ridiculousness was proving helpful at this moment. I smiled to myself. Jayden had my back even when she wasn’t around. And they questioned whether she liked me…psh.

  I stared smugly at Bianca. Cam was still howling, but now he was slapping the table, too. Beth had smashed her lips together because she was too nice to laugh at her sister while she was being insulted. Brady was grinning like an idiot, and he held out a fist for me to bump. I rolled my eyes but obliged.

  “Ha-ha,” Bianca said sarcastically, then subtly scratched her temple…with her middle finger. “Did you grow a brain overnight or something?” She was grinning at me, but she wasn’t making fun of me anymore, even if it sounded that way. I could tell I’d finally managed to earn a little respect.

  “Or something.” I grinned back at her.

  She shook her head repeatedly. “I have no words right now.”

  “It’s about freaking time,” I replied.

  She acted like she was offended, while Cam sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. “That was the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.” Bianca glared at him and punched him in the arm. “Sorry, babe, I still love you…but I loved that, too.” Cam spoke to me again. “I don’t know where you’ve been hiding the guy who just won a verbal smackdown against my woman, but you should keep him around.”

  Bianca grimaced and stood up like she was about to storm off, but Cam grabbed her and pulled her down on his lap. “I mean, you should lighten up on the poor girl…obviously,” Cam recanted, completely unaware that she was working him over. Of course, once she turned her back to him, he shook his head and silently mouthed no, you shouldn’t. I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d probably never see two people more wrapped around each other’s fingers.

  “We’ll see,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. Becca and Jayden had made it to the cafeteria. “But for now, I’m out.” I stood and pushed my chair away.

  “You’re leaving?” Beth frowned. “Why don’t you have them come over here again? We don’t mind, right?” she asked Brady.

  “Any women of yours are welcome at our table,” Brady agreed. His use of the plural term hadn’t escaped me, and I planned to let him have it later.

  “Thanks, but I don’t trust you guys to keep your mouths shut. Besides, I don’t think Jayden feels comfortable over here.”

  “Why not?” Bianca blurted. “We’ve been nice. I’ve talked to her a bunch.”

  “No, you’ve talked to Becca a bunch,” I corrected her. “Nobody’s really made an effort with Jayden.”

  Bianca looked like she might argue with me, but decided against it. “If you bring her over, we promise to include her.”

  “Maybe Monday. I’m not ready to throw her to the wolves quite yet.”

  “Will you be back to normal Mike on Monday?” Bianca asked, a challenge in her voice.

  “Do you want normal Mike back on Monday?”

  “Hell no!” she replied, and a short burst of laughter escaped me. “You should kick his ass out permanently. Those in favor of ousting Mike the Tool from our group, raise your hands.” All four of them shot their arms in the air. How many rude names did the girl have for me?

  “Looks like it’s unanimous,” Brady announced, smiling. I knew he appreciated what just happened differently than everyone else. He looked proud of me.

  “I’ll just have to work on my witty comebacks over the weekend,” Bianca added. “Because it’s on now.” Her smile was devious but friendly. I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d just outed myself, and it went way better than expected. They even seemed to prefer the real Mike. Jayden would be proud of me, too.

  “Bring it,” I challenged, then left for the other side of the lunch room. A huge weight had been lifted from me, and I had a bad case of perma-grin as I slipped into the seat next to Jayden.

  “You’re eating with us today?” Jayden asked, sounding skeptical.

  “If that’s okay?”

  She shrugged casually. “Knock yourself out.” Jayden pretended not to care, but she was trying too hard, and I knew better. This girl was going to kill me before I ever got the chance to make my move. I wanted to grab her hand, or put my arm around her waist, or just reach out and touch her, but we were sitting across from Becca, and I couldn’t. I did the only thing I could think of, and I slid my leg over so that it was resting against hers…a lot…like our legs were spooning. Jayden’s only reaction was that her cheeks turned rosy. But she didn’t move her leg, and that was good enough for me.

  It was more of the same during Spanish. I was itching to touch her, but I couldn’t. This time it was worse, though, because I was sitting behind her and there was no subtle way to improvise. I settled for running my fingers through the tips of her hair, which was conveniently lying on my desk. Once again, Jayden didn’t stop me. Angelica gave me a few weird looks, but I didn’t really care at this point.

  After school, it took every ounce of my self-control not to pull her in the backseat with
me. I was glad I’d restrained, because Becca talked about the dance some more, and I started to worry that maybe she did like me. Wouldn’t that be perfect?

  “Are you sure you can’t come over today? I asked Jayden.

  She frowned. “Sorry. My mom took the afternoon off work to have a girls’ date. I still need shoes for tomorrow.”

  Becca pulled up to my house, and I sighed quietly. “Then I guess I won’t see you again before the dance tomorrow. Make sure you find us and say hi.”

  “I will.” Jayden smiled, but it didn’t have her usual spark.

  I looked at Becca and tried to sound excited. “I’ll pick you up at six.”

  “Sounds good.” She grinned, using all the luster that Jayden had lacked.

  The girls pulled away, and I headed toward the bus stop in disappointment. At least I knew I was doing the right thing. Joy and Jackson met me with their usual energy, but I was too bummed to return it.

  “You’re boring today,” Joy complained.

  “Sorry, kiddo. I’m in a sad mood.”

  “Was someone mean to you?” Jackson asked in concern.

  “No, little man, nobody was mean to me.”

  “Then why are you sad?” Joy questioned.

  “It’s big-kid stuff. Don’t worry about it,” I replied. Just like that, they forgot all about my misery and ran home. My eyes trailed after them since I wasn’t about to run. As they crossed the street, I realized that someone was sitting on our front porch. At first, I hoped it was Jayden, returning to say she couldn’t wait until tomorrow. But then I realized it was Becca, because her car was parked out front.

  I reached our yard in time to hear Joy giving Becca the third degree. “You’re not Jayden. Who are you? Why are you at my house? Do you know Mikey? Is he helping you with your homework, too? When is Jayden getting here?”

  “Slow down there, squirt. Jayden’s not coming today,” I answered Joy, then said to Becca, “Sorry about the inquisition.”

  “It’s fine.” She waved me off and studied my siblings. “So, you’re the infamous Joy?”

  “What’s infamous?” Jackson asked.

  “Infamous means that I don’t know you, but I’ve heard all about you. And if that’s Joy, you must be Jackson.” Becca winked at my brother, and his eyes widened in amazement. He silently nodded yes.

  Joy was less impressed. “Who told you about us?”

  “Jayden did. I’m her very best friend. My name is Becca.”

  Joy pinned Becca with a hard stare and copped her little attitude. “You’re not Jayden’s very best friend, Mikey is. And her second best friend is me. Because sisters are best friends.”

  Becca raised an eyebrow at me, but all I could do was roll my eyes and shake my head. She acted as if she was wounded. “Well, hearing that makes me sad, because Jayden has been my very best friend for a long time. It’s not nice to replace someone without telling them.”

  Joy thought for a minute, and I knew she understood that she’d hurt Becca’s feelings. But it was clear that she also thought Jayden still liked her better. I was proud of her maturity when she suggested, “You can be Jayden’s third best friend.”

  “Hey!” Jackson griped.

  “Fourth best friend,” Joy corrected herself.

  Becca narrowed her eyes shrewdly, then held out her hand. “All right, you have a deal.” Joy puffed her chest out in pride and shook Becca’s hand.

  “Okay, you two, get inside and start your homework,” I said.

  “Do we have to?” Jackson pleaded.

  “Yes. I need to talk to Becca for a minute.”

  “You always need to talk to girls on the porch,” he grumbled.

  “Ummm, I’m telling Jayden,” Joy teased. She and Jackson shared a conspiratorial giggle.

  “Go!” I growled, pushing them inside. “And don’t even think about touching that TV,” I yelled, but they slammed the door in my face before I could finish.

  Becca chuckled. “Boy, Jayden wasn’t kidding. You have your hands full.”

  “That’s putting it mildly,” I agreed. “What’s up?”

  “You and I need to have a little chat. Sit,” she instructed, patting the spot next to her.

  Uh-oh. This couldn’t be good. Was I in trouble? Or worse, was she about to tell me she liked me? Between the two, I’d choose trouble, a hundred times over. My heart started racing, and I swallowed hard, wiping the sweat from my palms onto my pants.

  “What’s wrong, Mike? You look nervous.” Becca was toying with me.

  “I’m not nervous.” My fib was evident, since my voice cracked when I said it.

  “Liar! Now confess. I’m not leaving until you do.”

  “Confess what?” I squeaked.

  “That you like Jayden.”

  I still wasn’t sure if liking Jayden was okay with Becca, or if it was going to get me castrated. Her intensity made it hard to tell. She folded her arms across her chest and drummed her fingers against them.

  I took a deep breath. “I like Jayden,” I admitted, then waited for my punishment.

  “I knew it!” Becca squealed excitedly. “You like her a lot, don’t you?”

  I nodded bashfully. “How’d you know?”

  “Because I have eyes. Duh.”

  “Are you okay with that?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m thrilled. I think you two are perfect together.” My shoulders slumped as my nerves relaxed. But then Becca frowned, and I instantly went back on alert. “Why didn’t either of you tell me?” she asked, clearly disappointed and hurt.

  “Don’t stress about it,” I reassured her. “Jayden hasn’t told me she likes me yet, either. I think she plans to keep her feelings a secret for as long as possible.”

  “At least she’s not telling anyone.” Becca huffed to herself. “But she always tells me when she likes a guy. I can’t figure out why she’d want to hide it this time.”

  “Maybe we’re both wrong and she doesn’t like me. If she hasn’t come clean, what makes you so sure she does?” I asked, wanting to have my own observations substantiated.

  “Seriously?” She scoffed. “Anyone who comes within five feet of you guys probably knows. Your pheromones are thick enough to choke on.” Becca cocked her head to one side, then asked, “Have you told her how you feel?”

  “No.” I sighed.

  Becca stood and looked down on me. “What the heck is wrong with you two? I know where her mom took her shopping. Get in my car and I’ll drive you over, so you can tell her right now. That would be super romantic.” Her words sounded like a sales pitch.

  I grabbed at her arm. “Sit down. I’m not busting into a shoe store to proclaim my love.”

  She grinned. “You love her?”

  “You know what I mean,” I insisted. Honestly, sometimes I wondered if I did love her. I didn’t have any idea what being in love felt like, though. I only knew I couldn’t stop thinking about her. And my instinct to protect her last night had come out of nowhere. But even if I did love her, I wouldn’t tell Becca before I’d even gotten to kiss Jayden.

  “What’s holding you back? If she likes you, too…”

  I answered her indirectly. “I think part of the reason she hasn’t talked to you yet is because she’s worried you might like me.”

  “Me?” She was incredulous.

  “Am I that bad?”

  “Don’t be dumb—you’re great. I just can’t see why she’d think I like you. I’m not flirty or anything. I haven’t even hinted at it.”

  “You’ve been pretty enthusiastic about homecoming the last few days,” I pointed out.

  “Oh, bees on a bull’s balls,” Becca mumbled rapidly as she buried her face in her hands.

  “Bees on a what?” I laughed.

  “Never mind.” She groaned. “I didn’t want Jay to think I liked you. I’ve been trying to make her jealous, so she’d admit that she liked you. Guess that backfired.”

  I laughed. “That makes more sense. I wondered why you we
re suddenly so excited.”

  “I was always excited. It’s just tacky to blab about it nonstop, so I never said much. But then you flew into a jealous rage when Logan showed up, and I figured tacky could be overlooked—as long as it worked in everyone’s favor. But since it didn’t, I’m doubly tacky.”

  “It wasn’t a jealous rage,” I argued.

  “Close enough,” she replied, daring me to protest.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You were only trying to help.” I attempted to make her feel better.

  “I can still fix this, you know. All I need to do is call Jayden right now and explain that I don’t like you that way. She can stop worrying, and you guys can be smooching before the end of the night.”

  “Please don’t call her.”

  “Did you not hear me? Smooching…in less than six hours.”

  I smiled. “While that does sound excellent, telling her right now won’t help. You heard her; she’d never bail on Logan at the last minute. And even if you were okay with Jayden and me going together, that would leave you dateless.”

  “I’m willing to make the sacrifice for true love.” She clasped her hands over her heart, fluttered her eyelashes, and sighed dramatically.

  “You’re so cheesy.”

  “The cheesiest,” she agreed, giggling. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind doing a date switch-a-roo. Logan London is F-I-N-E. Plus, I’ve always wanted to wear high heels to a dance. He’s one of the few guys tall enough for me to pull that off.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but even if Jayden was willing to switch dates, I doubt Logan would go for it. I don’t know the guy, but it seems like he’s trying to get her back.”

  Becca considered my words, then nodded. “You’re right. He didn’t appreciate her until he lost her. Now he wants her back, and he can’t have her. Which only makes him want her more.”

  “Never mind. She can’t go with him,” I said defensively. Even though I trusted Jayden, I wouldn’t trust Logan any farther than I could throw him.

  “You shouldn’t worry about Logan. She’s totally over him. Truthfully, I don’t think she was all that into him in the first place. And I’m not sure if Logan wants her back because he likes her, or because he hates to lose. He might be crazy competitive, a little self-centered, have some whacked out priorities, and look dangerously handsome—but he’s a decent person. If Jayden tells him she’s not interested, he’ll respect her choice. Though I can’t guarantee he won’t put the moves on her first. I’ve heard about what a good kisser he is—from multiple sources.”