The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger Page B

returned a few minutes later, I was forced to lie yet again.
    “Wanna stay over at my place tonight?” Casey asked as she fluffed her short hair in the mirror. “Mom’s going to a bachelorette
     party for a woman she works with, so it’ll just be us… and a few James McAvoy movies if you want. Jess will be sad she missed
     it, but—”
    “I can’t tonight, Casey.”
    “Why not?” She sounded hurt.
    The truth was that I had plans to see Wesley around eleven that night, but obviously I couldn’t just be honest. But I couldn’t
     really lie either. I mean, my lies were always so fucking transparent. So I did what I was getting better and better at these
     days. I withheld.
    “I have plans.”
    “After we leave the Nest?”
    “Yeah. Sorry.”
    Casey turned from the mirror and stared at me for a long moment. Finally, she said, “You’ve been busy a lot lately, you know.
     You never want to do stuff with me much anymore.”
    “I’m going out with you tonight, aren’t I?” I asked.
    “Yeah, I guess, but… I don’t know.” She turned away and examined her reflection one last time. “Never mind. Let’s just go.”
    God, I hated being dishonest with Casey. Especially because she clearly knew
something
was going on, even if she hadn’t figured out what just yet. But I was going to do everything in my power to keep my thing
     with Wesley under wraps.
    And, of course, Wesley acted totally casual about everything.In public, we treated each other with the same sarcastic indifference as always. I insulted him, gave him dirty looks, and
     cursed under my breath as he acted like a pig (not that there was any
acting
involved). No one would have guessed we were different behind closed doors. No one could tell that I was counting down the
     minutes until we’d be meeting on his front porch step.
    No one but Joe.
    “You like him,” the bartender teased as Wesley, after enduring a verbal tirade from yours truly, went off to dance with a
     giggling bimbo. “And I’m thinking he likes you, too. You two have something going on.”
    “You’re insane,” I said, sipping my Cherry Coke.
    “I’ve told you a million times, Bianca, and I’ll tell you again. You’re a bad liar.”
    “I wouldn’t touch that douche bag with a ten-foot pole!” Did my voice convey enough disgust? “Do you really think I’m that
     much of an idiot, Joe? He’s arrogant, and he sleeps with everything he can get his filthy hands on. Most of the time, I just
     want to claw his creepy eyes out. How could I like him? He’s a jackass.”
    “And girls love jackasses. That’s why I can’t get a date. I’m too damn nice.”
    “Or too hairy,” I offered. I took the last drink of my Cherry Coke and pushed my glass across the bar to him. “Shave that
     Moses beard and you might have better luck. Women don’t want to kiss carpet, you know.”
    “You’re trying to get out of talking about it,” Joe pointed out. “That just proves there’s something going on with you and
     Mr. Jackass.”
    “Shut up. Just shut up, Joe.”
    “So I’m right?”
    “No,” I said. “You’re just really, really annoying me.”
    Okay, I definitely had to find some way of avoiding the Nest for a few weeks… or, better yet,
forever
.

12
    “Your shot, Duffy.” Wesley leaned on his pool stick, a triumphant smirk on his face.
    “You haven’t won yet,” I said, rolling my eyes.
    “But I’m about to.”
    I ignored him, focusing my attention on one of the two striped balls still remaining on the table. At that point, I really
     wished Wesley and I had just stuck to our pattern—walk straight up to his bedroom, bypassing everything else entirely. But
     that night on the way up the stairs, Wesley had mentioned having a pool table—and proceeded to brag that he was a wizard with
     a pool stick. For some reason, it sparked a competitive nerve in me. I just couldn’t wait to wipe the floor with him and knock
     that cocky little grin right off his