Faking Perfection

28|Trying

"For someone who acts like he cares about nothing, your sister's happiness seems to be high up on your list."

He shrugs. "Our parents were gone a lot. She practically raised me. If there's anyone I give a fuck about, it's her."

"I think you give a lot of fucks, Everett, but you're scared to show it. Why walk around brooding in misery? Life is too short for that. You're young and have your entire life ahead of you."

"And you've come to this conclusion by spending all of maybe a combined three hours with me?" Typical arrogance coming from Everett. "Look, if there's one thing I've realized, it's that people always leave, even when you care. Even when you beg and plead with them to stay, they leave. Seeing you with Izzy has me thinking that maybe I'm wrong, so don't let me be right. If anyone deserves to have someone stay, it's her, alright?"

I nod, dumbfounded, and with a pat on my shoulder, Everett leaves me standing by the lockers.

Their childhood wasn't the greatest, with their parents being gone a lot, but it kills me that Everett seems to think he's unworthy of anything less than having someone stay for him, too.

And now that I know he's looking at our relationship for hope, I can't let him down. I won't let him down because he deserves happiness, too, whether he'll admit it or not.

I told Izzy that Everett is my family too, and I meant it.

I always keep my promises.

***

Still reeling from my conversation with Everett, I enter the library to start my homework, freezing dead in my tracks when I pass the fiction section.

Izzy is sitting at our regular table. She hasn't been back since we ended things, but she's here, and textbooks are sprawled out around her, a highlighter in hand.

She's dressed for cheer practice in those tight-ass shorts, and my god, I'm going to cave. So fucking fast.

I clear my throat, and she lifts her eyes to mine, a playful smile on her face. "Mind if we share this table?"

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Look at her.

Those blonde curls are in a messy bun piled on her head, with stray pieces escaping the ponytail, and her lips are glossed to perfection. I want to release her wild hair and run my fingers through it. I want to take her on top of the table, but some things will have to wait.

With a slight nod, I sit across from her and take out my textbooks. The awkward silence overwhelms me until she bumps her knee against mine beneath the table. "Can I speak, and have you promise not to interrupt me?"

I can't speak from all the nerves, so I can only nod again as I watch her fold her hands on the desk, releasing a deep breath. "I want to apologize for not telling you about the party when I should have. Whether I wanted to admit it to myself or not, you were my boyfriend, Mason. Not my fake boyfriend. Despite what you think, I knew you meant more since the beginning, but I was afraid of facing my feelings, and in the process of that fear, I pushed you away at the end when I should have kept you closer."

She holds a finger up when I go to interject.

"I came clean to my parents last week, and it was like this huge weight came off my shoulders. I'm not pretending to be anyone other than myself now. I stopped talking to Willow, and as soon as I'm not grounded anymore, I'm going to have a sleepover with Christy again, just like we always used to. I'm also doing my homework assignments now because you made me realize how proud I was of myself when I put in the work for those grades.

"And before you reply, no, I'm not changing just to win you back, although it would be the icing on the cake, but whether you accept me back or not, I'm still going to come to the library to study, and Zane will never be seen near me again. It's always been you, Mason."

My palms are fucking sweating. I'm not breathing when she props that cute face of hers on a fist, batting her eyelashes at me in a childish manner.

"I know I look fine as hell right now, and I never thought I'd ask this, but if you're even thinking about getting back together, can you wait? I want to prove to you that I'm not going to let you down again, and I don't want you to have any doubts if we get back together and accept my apology. Okay?"

My lips twitch, threatening a smile at her confidence. "Okay."

At the sound of my voice, that confidence falters slightly when she whispers, "I missed your voice." But she gathers her textbooks before I can reply, sending me a wink. "I have to get to practice. Maybe you'll get here on time tomorrow so we can have more than five minutes with each other."

There's that sassy, feisty woman I fell in love with.

She swings her backpack on, and my eyes trail that ass of hers in those shorts, my cheeks turning red when she glances over her shoulder, catching me staring. "Oh, and Mason?"

"Hm?" I mumble, still in a trance created by her.

"I love you."

With a cheesy grin, as if she doesn't realize my heart just stopped beating, she disappears out of sight before I can process that she finally said those words aloud. 

𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇'𝓈 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒

I AM NOT OKAY.

How is everyone?!?!?!

I've been getting a lot of questions about how many chapters this story will have, and the answer is 30! We have three chapters left, but rest assured, Everett's story will have a LOT of content with Izzy/Mason :)

Hint hint?

COMMENT AND VOTE PLEASE :)

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