Hate To Date You ➤ Jake

|| The Shift

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(dream) - 

*ੈ no lyrics just music so silly right ✩‧₊˚

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The days continued to drag on, and I was starting to get more and more frustrated with the whole situation. Not just with Jake, but with the whole Senior Bet. It was supposed to be a silly challenge, a joke between friends. Yet, here I was, feeling irritated and unsettled every time I crossed paths with him.

I didn't get it. I shouldn't care. I shouldn't even want to care. And yet, no matter how many times I told myself that this was all just a fake relationship, there was something inside me that refused to let it go.

On Thursday afternoon, the class ended a little earlier than usual. As I was gathering my things, I saw Jake standing by the door, clearly waiting for me.

"Hey," he said with that signature grin of his when I walked out of the classroom.

I tried to ignore the way his smile always made me feel like I couldn't breathe. "What do you want now?"

Jake just shrugged, hands in his pockets. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to go grab coffee or something," he said casually. "You've been kinda out of it lately, figured you could use a break."

I blinked, a little taken aback. I hadn't expected that. The last time he'd offered to hang out outside of school, I'd turned him down almost immediately, but something about the way he said it this time made me hesitate.

I opened my mouth to say no, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come. Instead, I just stood there awkwardly, trying to find some excuse, but my brain was foggy, and I couldn't think of anything.

"I... I'm fine," I said finally, trying to sound convincing. "I've got stuff to do."

Jake didn't seem offended by my response, though. He just gave me one of those easy, careless smiles of his. "Okay. No pressure."

I felt a strange pang in my chest at the way he said it, like he genuinely didn't mind if I said no. But I quickly shook it off. This was all fake, I reminded myself. We're just doing this for the stupid bet.

"See you tomorrow," I said quickly, and before he could respond, I made my way down the hall.

The next few days were a blur of awkward interactions. Jake kept being... well, Jake. Cocky, teasing, and annoyingly charming. But it was different. There was a subtle shift, like something was lurking beneath the surface, but I couldn't quite figure out what.

It was Friday afternoon when things really got weird.

I was sitting at my usual spot during lunch, trying to focus on my lunch (and avoiding eye contact with him), when Jake casually slid into the seat across from me.