The Fill - In Boyfriend
Episode 2

"Brother."

"perfect."

He raised his eyebrows.

“You can be my date.”

“Uh. . . ” His mouth is open but that's all that comes out.

“Do you live close? Because you can't get in there with jeans and a T-shirt. Especially the one with a phone booth on it. "

His eyes turned to his shirt and then returned to me. "Phone room? Seriously? ”

“Do you at least have some dark pants and a buttoned shirt? Maybe tie? The teal tie would be a great fit for me, but I didn't hold my breath about it. " I tilted my head. He really doesn't look like my type. My friends know this. "And do you happen to have contacts and some hair products?"

I'm just gonna roll up my window right now.

"No. Please." I put my hand on top. Have I ever had a night where I felt desperate? “My girlfriend just broke up with me. I'm sure you saw it. And I really don't want to go to my senior prom party alone. Plus my friends didn't think he existed. It's a long story, but I want you to be him. Two hours. That's all I'm asking. Besides, you're just sitting here waiting for your sister. " Rubbish. Her sister's. Is he going to shout his name at the gym and ruin this for me? We just have to avoid it. Or let him know the secret. I haven't decided yet. “It will be much more fun than sitting in the parking lot.”

He still looks at me like I'm crazy. I feel crazy. You want me to pretend to be Captain America? He pointed to the road.

At first I was confused, but then I realized that was what he called Bradley, whose posture was a bit fat. “They've never met him, so they don't know what he looks like. Other than You. . . ” I pointed at him without finishing his sentence. I tried to think of different superheroes to compare to but nothing came to mind. I don't really know about superheroes. Are there some people who are thinner? Spider-man? It doesn't seem like a compliment.

He just sat there, looking at me, waiting for me to finish his sentence.

I can pay you.

He raised his eyebrows. “I'm sure there's a service for that. Maybe you could try calling 1-800-HOOKERS or something? ”

He laughed single.

"good. If you find it strange to take the money, I'll owe you. "

“What do I owe?”

“I don't know. . . . If you need a fake date, I'll be there for you. "

I don't usually ask for fake dates.

“Good. I'm glad you can get a real date whenever you want, but I can't. I mean, normally I could, but definitely not right now in the middle of an empty parking lot. " Do I have to shed fake tears to get me a fake date?

"Good."

"okay?" I was surprised even though I really hoped he would say yes.

"Yes. I live six blocks from here. I'm gonna turn into something more worthy of prom. " He rolled up the window while muttering something about how he couldn't believe he agreed to this. Then he left.

I stood there for five minutes wondering if it was just his way out of all this. She might text her sister and tell her to call when she needs a ride home. And if he only lives six blocks away, why is he still waiting in the parking lot? Shouldn't he have come home and waited there?

I pulled out my phone and checked Instagram and Twitter to make sure Bradley didn't say anything about our breakup. There's nothing. That didn't surprise me; Bradley was rarely online. Another reason Jules thought I'd make it. I sent a tweet about how the prom would shake and then put my phone back into my clutch which perfectly matched my dress.

Ten more minutes passed and I'm sure he won't be back now. I started thinking about all the reasons I would give my friends when I came in. She's ill. She had to study for the final exam for her college class on Monday.

I'm sighing. It's depressing. Truths. I have to tell you the truth. He broke up with me in the parking lot. My eyes were filled with tears because of that thought. Bradley broke up with me in the parking lot. I'm gonna screw up and lose him and now I might lose more than just him. Will this be the last proof my friends need to believe the claims Jules made? I knew right away what I was going to get from Jules when I told her the truth. That would be a yes-she-no-existing look. The look he gives me every time I call Bradley. It was that appearance that always made me tell more stories. It's a pity that I've told so many people that even my other friends have begun to question his whereabouts.

We met at a cafe in UCLA when we were there for a film festival involving my older brother. Alone in the cafe, Bradley thought I was a student there. I didn't correct it because I'm actually going to be a student there next year. I had just been accepted early that weekend, so I felt pretty much in college. We'll exchange phone numbers and text you for a while. And what was originally just an interest becomes more. He tells stupid jokes and knows a lot about so many places from all his travels. He's attractive. A few weeks later, I was honest about my age. At that time, we liked each other. The main problem is that I live three hours away from UCLA. So he only showed up a few times in the two months we were dating and hadn't met my friend. And now, it's all over.