My Perfect Fake-Boyfriend

The Jinx

"So, you don’t like him?” Sydney asks loudly.

I thank the lord that James preferred staying in his car than entering my house because no one else needs to hear all of this.

She was sitting across from me and Emma was perched on my bed behind me. I felt sort of cornered. Sydney really liked arguing and Emma was impossible to say no to.  I was currently staring into the mirror, the long full-body one that is propped against the wall.

I could also see Emma and part of Sydney's side. Emma's hispanic tones of dark hair and tan skin. With large long lashed eyes behind her glasses- she was beautiful. All of Sydney that I can see on the mirror was a dark brown toned arm. Sydney of course was also beautiful- but not in the gentle feminine way that Emma was. While Emma was wide-eyed and silky haired, Sydney was big-lipped and smooth skinned. Probably from all the exercise she does.

There wasn't one distinct beautiful feature but a bunch of features that look gorgeous together. Her hair was currently in dreads and pulled back in a high pony-tail. The tips dyed blond.   

“NO!” Unlike my father, I had nothing against yelling. 

“But you were gazing into his eyes!” Emma argued then crossed her arms over her chest. 

“And you caved really easily”, Syd argues “to be the one to apologize.”  

“That is because my gazing, was a staring competition, and the loser, me, has to apologize!” I yelled again; yelling was good for the soul. Shook of all of the negative energy. 

“Oh, so you guys are communicating telepathically, no?” Sydney asks 

 “I heard that some soulmates have that ability.”  

“Guys were not soulmates, and isn't that saying about best friends? 

“I still see the sparks, honestly I never felt the mutual attraction like this before.” Sydney sighs heading to my white vanity table. As she cleans up my vanity I let Emma play with my fair hair. We have come straight to my place after school. It wasn’t the biggest place, but it was modest and well-kept. And my dad worked hard, so I never hesitated showing off our homey apartment. Besides, my place was the closest to the school, barely a mile away.  

This was getting annoying, “What were we talking about before they showed up?” I ask in hopes of changing the subject. 

“Oh, we came to the conclusion that we were jinxing each other.” Emma signs, her grin breaking her face. 

I internally grimace at the topic. I was losing that fight. 

I decide to humor them “So, suppose we are jinxed, what are we going to do?” I ask, trying to back them into a corner, I specifically remember Sydney saying that philosophy was infinite and will eventually lead to questions with no answers.  

“Well, 3 is an unlucky number.” 

I was about to argue that 3 is actually a lucky number but they were still talking. 

“We believe that we have been jinxing each other, for example, we might have come across love, or a good relationship, if we aren’t sustaining each other's wall’s, and keeping boys out of our perfect kingdom.” Sydney says, her hands waving, her eyes wide like she has just discovered the cure to cancer. 

“Well, I think the opposite.” I declare crossing my arms over my chest forgetting all my sign language. 

“How can you argue with perfect logic?” Sydney asks looking shocked. 

“I think that, Emma’s cautiousness for men, balances my over-dating, and my over dating balances your friendliness, and that your friendliness, balances Emma’s fear.” I say all in one breath, they take a second to digest that, and then Emma tilts her head to the side. 

“If your logic is correct, then how come we are still the same?” 

“Wait, what?” I sign confused.  

“I am just as afraid, as I was before, Sydney is just as “friendly”, and your dating habits haven’t changed in the slightest.” There was a pout on Emma’s face, and the guilt was starting to weigh on me.  

I didn't know what happened to Emma, just that Emma was terrified of men. The only exception to the rule is her bodyguard and her family. And one of the dudes that always hang out around her family. If she wanted to change, to conquer her fear-who was I to stop her? This was a big step for her and I would be a jerk to stop her. 

I decide to stop being so difficult and play along. “So, we are jinxed.” At my words both of their faces brighten, like being jinxed was the best thing in the world. And, I guess for them it is. I know that Emma wants to be able to communicate with a man that is not her brothers or father. I know Sydney wants a boy to love her, more than a friend. But I am happy where I am at, I believe what I believe and no jinx was going to change that. But I know they want to believe that this jinx is real, that they want to think that it is not their fault, and it isn’t. All of the boys in the school are too blind to see legit beauty. 

Emma and Sydney were beaming, I sighed “So what now?” 

Sydney continues carefully her enthusiasm being replaced with caution “Since we are jinxing each other, we need to spend some time apart.” 

“WHAT!” I shrieked dropping my nail polish onto my wooden floor. My nails were half done and now my floor was ruined but I was still staring at Sydney. Emma moved into my field of vision and sat beside me.

For as long as I remembered we were always together. Always the same lunch period and at least shared one class. Hell, Emma studied extra hard to make into my math class. And I even joined track to spend more time with Sydney (that was last year). Now we were purposefully splitting up-like...like the Beatles! 

Emma slapped my arm for the mess and Sydney scolded me while she excessively sprinkled sugar on the floor. I was immobile, just sitting there as Sydney saves my floor with sugar.  

“What are you doing?” I croak out, staring at her as she nudges the dried sugar. The nail polish clumped up and appeared to be solid now. Before that would have fascinated me and I might’ve looked into it. But now... 

“Fixed it.” Sydney beams, but I was too out of it.  

“What do you mean spend some time apart?” I ask my voice really small. 

“Just at school and for a month.”  

“Why?”  

“We need a trial period, and I don’t want us to stay apart for too long.” Sydney says, pushing back her smooth hair into a low ponytail.  

A month is 31 days at most. 

4*2= 8.

31-8= 23

23*8= 184 hours apart.

Substart hours that we don't even share classes then it's less.

That's me looking at it logically.

I preferred this route of thinking at the moment; 23 lunch periods (at worst) sitting without them. 

I look around the room “What am I going to do without you guys?” I croak 

Emma and Sydney share a look. I know this look, it’s the ‘let’s comfort this headcase’ look. I hate that look. 

It's a look that I enjoy wearing and hate seeing. I have to admit I see it an awful lot. 

I pout, as Emma wraps her arms around me. Sydney brushes my hair, and I grip onto their spare hands.  

Emma wrestle herself away from me and faces me, we are now facing each other, with Sydney brushing my hair behind me.  

“We start Monday. We end October the 17th.”  

“Agreed.” Sydney confirms. 

“You guys suck. You know that right, both of you are terrible terrible people.” 

I can feel Sydney shake behind me. 

Laughter, that jerk. 

“Whatever.” I grumble when Emma fixes me with a stern look. She was tiny. I envied her size in moments like this. I hated being so tall and feeling like a crying baby giant. 

“Then it’s agreed. We will be on our own starting Monday.” Sydney says her voice colored with hardly contained amusement. 

"No." I say stubbornly. "I will follow you guys around like a lost puppy."

Emma flicks my forehead, "How about a competition?"

"What do you mean?"

"The first one to break the jinx is our winner." She nods at Sydney "Sydney must get a date-no, she must get asked out." She nods at me " You need to get a serious boyfriend or at least close with a guy you genuinely like sans the romance."

 "And you?" I ask.

"I will try to co-mingle with the opposite sex."

I open my mouth but nothing comes out. 

So  I laugh and nod. "Whatever i'll do this. I hope you guys feel awful when i'm all alone in a lonely picnic table."

They were smiling too widely when they assured me they'd feel terrible.