“Purely imaginary?” Jase said then, making me jump. “Is that really what you think?”
I glanced back to find him leaning against a building, brows arched as Lizzy shuffled something out from her car.
I waved my hand in his direction, indicating for him to go away.
He only smiled. “You can rid of me that easily. Nice try, though.”
I glared at him, whispering, “Stop making me look like I’m crazy.”
Lizzy stood from the car. “What?”
I just shook my head. “I’m talking to myself, Lizzy. It’s a... new one of my art projects.”
She gave me a confused glance, and shrugged, going back to looking through her car.
Jase laughed. “You’re a horrible liar. You know that?”
“Cut it out, Jase,” I said then, wrapping my arms around myself.
Jase looked up then, smirking. “Mmm… no.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Prove to me that you’re real and not a hallucination.”
“What?” Lizzy continued.
“Talking to my imaginary friend, Lizzy. Ignore me!”
“Okay, okay,” she said, going back into her car. “Jesus.”
Jase just chuckled. “You don’t think I’m real?”
“How else can she not see you?” I demanded. “And… you look exactly like him. Perfectly like him.”
“Oh, why thank you,” he smirked, “I shower every day, put on nice cologne. Really helps with the boy stink.”
“Boy stink?” I echoed.
“Yeah,” he said, shrugging, “you know that odd sweat smell that’s... sickly sweet?”
“You’re just... odd,” I told him.
“Perfectly odd,” he added, a small smile curving his lips. “You know what my mom used to call me?”
“No,” I said, “and I don’t want to know.”
“She called me, the ideal child. So easy to take care of. So independent, and so perfect.”
“And so full of himself,” I added in annoyance.
Jase just smiled. “Yes, that is what’s great about me. Need a boyfriend? I’m the perfect one. No insecurities, no low self-esteem. The perfect package.”
“I think both of those reasonings are why you’re not a good... I’m not even going to say package. You’re more like... a shipment of dog shit that somehow made it into a box as a prank, got tumbled in the mail house, rolled over a lot in the truck, and the delivery man played soccer with it while getting it to the door. So it literally isn’t a box with dog shit in it, it’s an empty box with dog shit melted inside the cardboard. A shit box.”
He splayed a hand over his heart and drew back as if I hit him. “Hurtful.” He then nodded. “But hilarious.”
I smiled. “I try.”
He shook his head in amusement and gazed back at Lizzy who was now ignoring their conversation. “Hey, wanna meet me somewhere?”
I gave him a look. “Wanna prove to me that you’re real?”
Jase lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ll think about it.”
I mocked his whisper, “I think that’s bullshit.”
“You think everything is bullshit,” he murmured.
“You don’t know that about me,” I said quietly.
“You don’t know me either, Emma,” he whispered.
“I’m not dating you,” I stated silently.
Jase just smiled and tipped his head to the side. “You wanna date me?”
I just narrowed my eyes into a glare. “I never said that.”
“You implied it.”
“I want to kill you.”
“Get in line, Honey.”
“I want to smother you with a pillow.”
“Maybe start out with a pickup line and I might comply.”
“That’s not me saying I want to date you.”
“Why a pillow?” Jase said. “You can smother me with... love.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“You’re beautiful.”
“I hate you.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you well enough to hate you.”
“I’m a good kisser,” he stated.
“You’re a horrible kisser.”
“Don’t lie to yourself.”
“You’ve got... too soft lips.”
“I can lick them if you want.”
“Okay.” Lizzy cleared her throat. “Am I supposed to ignore you flirting with yourself?”
“Cut it out, Jase.”
Jase smiled. “Only if you date me.”
I glared. “Never going to happen.”
“Then why did you go on a date with me?”
I sighed then, tapping my shoe impatiently as I glanced over at Lizzy—who had her brows arched—and then gazed back at Jase. “That wasn’t a date. That was a friendly hangout.”
He just smirked. “Do you know how crazy you look right now?”
I then glared. “Stop it.”
“Admit you like me.”
“No.”
“Fine, then go out with me tonight.”
I lowered my lashes. “Nice try.”
“Then I won’t stop. I’ll keep bothering you and embarrassing you in public.”
I just gritted my teeth, glancing over at Lizzy to find her brows drawn together, watching me.
I looked back at him. “Fine. Just tonight.”
He chuckled darkly. “You will not regret this decision.”
I just shook my head. “I’m afraid I might.” I then gazed up. “Prove it, then.”
Jase smiled and lowered himself to the ground, eyes glowing dangerously as he picked up a rock and then glanced at me.
He then chucked it at Lizzy.
It ricochet of her head, making her yelp and stumble back.
I squealed, covering my mouth as Lizzy touched her head, brows drawing together when he looked up at me. “Emma, what the hell?”
I ran over to her. “Are you okay? Does your head hurt? Vision fogginess?”
“Did you just... throw a rock at me?”
“No!” I said, brows drawing together. “It was....”
I trailed off and gazed back at Jase.
He was leaning against a store wall, tossing another rock in the air. “Shame,” he said, catching it and examining the surface, “I thought it was going to make some coconut sound like in cartoons.”
I just stared, brows drawing together.
He was real.
HOW THE HELL DID SHE NOT SEE HIM?
“Why did you throw a rock at me?” Lizzy said then, making me gaze over at her in confusion. “That hurt.”
“I’m sorry,” I said then, glancing back at Jase to find him smiling, and I drew my attention back to Lizzy. “I didn’t mean to hit you. I was trying to toss it past you not at you.”
Lizzy just stared. “Are you okay, Emma? You’ve been acting very weird today.”
“I’m fine, Lizzy,” I promised with a smile.
She just sighed and nodded. “Alright. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Just give me... like two seconds, okay? Get in the car... I—I’ll drive.”
She nodded and wobbled off to the passenger seat.
I snapped my head back at Jase when the door closed. “Really? A rock?”
He just shrugged. “You asked me to show you.”
“Not by throwing a rock at my sister!” I hissed. “She’s... a gentle being. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
Lizzy sent me a look. “Seriously? Ouch.”
“Sorry, Lizzy,” I replied quickly.
Jase raised his hands innocently, then gazed back up. “So... tonight? Six? There’s a nice pizza place downtown.”
I just glared. “You have no remorse, do you?”
He shrugged. “A deal’s a deal.”
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes and started to Lizzy’s truck. “Whatever.”
Jase just leaned forward, shouting, “I’ll pick you up!”
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