: Putting on a Show
2
'Thanks, but that's not the point.'
'We already did all the "cultivating"—the hand-holding, the kissing, all of it!'
'Now that our relationship is shattered, what's left to cultivate?'
Outside the movie theater, while I was plotting my escape, Aiden Hale had already grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.
'Are you seriously planning on watching this movie?'
'A romance, of all things. The theater is full of couples. It's hardly the right place for two people who just broke up.'
"The tickets are paid for, so of course we're going."
He shot me a look. "You're not chickening out, are you? I haven't even gotten back at you for slandering me and saying I cheated!"
"Who says I'm chickening out!"
'It's just that watching a movie with this man feels like bad juju.'
When Aiden Hale and I first got together, we were very high-profile.
He sent me love letters and flowers, and our whirlwind romance was common knowledge among all our friends.
Which is why our breakup was so ugly.
"All our friends know we're together. If they ask about it later, we'll have to explain. Why don't you just call them all, one by one, right now and tell them we broke up."
But I can be ruthless. So I actually did it, calling them one by one. With every call I made, Aiden Hale's face grew darker, until it was as black as the bottom of a pot.
"You're happy we broke up, aren't you?"
"Yes. I'm ecstatic. So happy I could go run half a mile right now."
"Fine! If I ever speak to you again, I'm a dog!"
Our breakup was so nasty, it's a miracle we can even sit together and watch a movie now.
What's even more of a miracle is that we'd be caught red-handed by one of our friends.
"Aiden? Hanna? You guys are here for a movie?"
Our friend stared at us, shocked, before finally breaking into an awkward smile. "I knew it! You two breaking up had to be fake."
I chuckled, my attention fixed on the green tea girl trailing behind our friend.
'She was probably thrilled when Aiden Hale and I broke up. Now, seeing us walk into a movie theater together, her eyes look like they could eat me alive.'
And so, I linked my arm with Aiden Hale's.
"We just had a little fight. Don't mind us. We're here to catch a movie together."
Aiden Hale glanced at me but didn't push me away, tacitly going along with it. Across from us, the green tea girl's hands balled into fists.
"But Chloe, you don't look very happy. Are you displeased that Aiden Hale and I have gotten back together?"
The green tea girl snapped out of it and quickly forced a smile.
"Of course not! Seeing you, Hanna, and Aiden doing so well, I couldn't be happier."
'Thanks, but your fury is written all over your face. Only a blind person would miss it.'
'If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.' I told Aiden Hale to go buy us some popcorn.
He stopped and gave me a half-smile.
"Is this how you ask for a favor? You're certainly shameless when it comes to ordering people around."
"Of course. Otherwise, when I get home, I'll just tell my mom it's because you're too cheap to even buy me popcorn!"
