FAUX REAL

6

I fear I may have greatly overestimated the brilliance of my proposition because Jennie is staring at me like I just suggested we pillage a small rural town for the last of their monthly rations.

Perhaps I jumped the gun just a smidgen but objectively speaking, pretending to be girlfriends would be mutually beneficial, thus the idea deserves to be discussed.

Due to the fact that British-girl didn't correct Taeyong when he implied that we were an item, I am now stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The rock is called a liar by the entire student population because by the time lunch rolls around, I'm sure Taeyong will mention my 'new' relationship to Seulgi who will then spread the news across campus like a wildfire.

Jennie is the hard place. Do I want people to think that my standards are so low that I'd date a girl who doesn't tuck in her shirt? No, no I don't. But I also don't want to get caught in a lie. With so many children of well-connected families attending Hilton, the news of my deception could easily reach the wrong people and severely impact my future.

I can't have that. I also can't have Taeyong thinking I lied just to save face, which I did, but he doesn't need to know that. So I say again, this time, more confident and assured,

"Jennie? Did you hear me? What you think?"

She blinks, her eyes scanning my face, almost as if she's waiting for me to say just kidding. "You really are fucking mental, aren't you?" She asks, cocking her head to the side. "Why in the fuck would I want to date you?"

I scoff, rolling my eyes at her clear misinterpretation of my idea. "We wouldn't be dating for real," I explain slowly, ensuring that I enunciate. How in the world did she get admission into Hilton if she can't understand simple English? "We would just pretend to date. Just for a little while so that her doesn't think we made shit up. Then we can break up. Publicly."

She narrows her eyes. "Did you bash your head on something this morning?" she asks. "Perhaps your parents dropped you as a small child?"

"No," I state, crossing my arms defensively. "Why?"

"Because that's got to be the most ludicrous idea I've ever heard, pretending to date? Christ, you must watch far too much TV," she notes, shaking her head in disbelief. "You need help, love. Maybe it's time to pop into that guidance counselor's office for a little one-on-one, make sure that everything is working properly-" she pokes my head. "Up here."

I swat her hand away, grinding my teeth. "This arrangement would also benefit you," I state. "Something tells me you're not one for following rules, and at Hilton, if you don't follow the rules, you get expelled. As an SLO, I can prevent that from happening." I pause, pursuing my lips. "Unless you don't give a shit about your future."

"You have got the most backwards girl I've met in my whole life." She lets out an incredulous chuckle. "You seem to be quite a stickler for the rules, yet you're willing to break them in order to not look bad? It's nice to see that you follow your own moral compass rather than the one set forth by the Academy, as you put it earlier. A bit of a hypocrite, aren't we?"

My jaw drops. "I am not a hypocrite!" I insist, my blood thrumming with irritation. "I am just trying to solve a problem in the most logical and fool-proof way possible."

"A problem which you, yourself created," She retorts, leaning against the day-lockers, a smug look on her pompous face. "I don't see how your problem has anything to do with me, at all."