Just Pretend

Chapter 1

There are two very different types of hurricanes: one of them destroys everything in its path while the other one only exists in the human mind. Once the hurricane enters, it will never escape. Head spins around in an endless circle, heart roughly pounds against chest, breathing becomes a struggle, perception can no longer be trust, and legs cannot keep balance.  For some people, their misery can last an eternity.

Jason Todd is not a stranger to this feeling. In matter of fact, he's felt this way for most of his life, though no one has ever noticed, or perhaps they simply didn't care enough to say anything. Maybe it's because he blinds them with that fake smile he has glued on his face 24/7. Usually people can never tell what he is truly feeling because Jason's so used to constantly hiding his emotions.

Last night, he made a big mistake by losing count on the amount of drinks he had. It was never his plan to get drunk, but sometimes shit happens. He wanted to have some fun, so he went to a party that his friend was hosting. Whenever he tries to remember what happened yesterday, he only sees a blur. As soon as he woke up today, he felt like absolute crap. Literally every part of his body was hurting. His bones felt like glass: very fragile and easily breakable.

It's been a bit over two hours and his headache wasn't getting any better. This is probably the worst hangover he's ever had. He hates it how he keeps allowing himself to make the same mistake over and over again. When will he ever learn? Probably never. Sometimes he blames his family for making him become such an idiot. Sometimes he blames the world. But most of the time he blames himself. Everything is always his fault.

He's the dumbass who decided to become a model because he sucked at everything else. He's not good at school. He's not good at sports. He's not good at music. He's not good at anything. When he did his first photoshoot, he did not expect everyone to fall in love with him. He's not sure how, but he managed to became the world's greatest model within a few months. His fans thinks he is perfect. If only they knew the truth.

So many people are on the search for perfection, not knowing that it will always lead to a dead-end. Jason does not understand why everyone finds him so attractive. Each time he looks in the mirror, he just sees an average looking white dude. What's so special about him? Some people think that models are confident all of the time because of their amazing looks, but that isn't true. No one is more insecure than Jason Todd.

After spending thirty minutes thinking about his awful life, he feels his phone vibrating in his back pocket. He pulls it out and sees the name Bruce Wayne on his screen. A few years ago, Bruce became his modeling agent. Ever since then Jason has always seen him as a best friend and father. Unlike Jason's actual parents, Bruce accepts him for who he really is and doesn't try to change him. Finally, he answers his phone.
   
"What's up, Bruce," he said.

"Jason! Where the hell have you been? I've called you twenty times yesterday," Bruce yelled. Shit. He sounds angry.
   
"Fuck. I'm sorry, man," Jason ran his hand through his dark hair, "I was busy last night."
   
"Busy? Please don't tell me you were screwing some random guy."
   
"No. Can we please talk about something else?"
   
"I was just worried about you. Sometimes you do some stupid shit and I'm sick of cleaning up your mess."
   
"Everything is okay. There's no need to worry about me. I'm fine." Jason lied.
   
"Okay," Bruce let out a sigh, "I called you because...well...I need to talk to you about this new reality TV show."
   
"Reality TV show? Why the hell would I be interested in that?" Jason asked.
   
"Because the producers want you to be apart of it. What's the name of that guy you used to date? Kevin Renner?"
   
"You mean Kyle Rayner?"
   
"Yeah, that's the name! This show is about celebrities dating and-"
   
"No," Jason said before he could finish his sentence. He knew exactly where this was going and it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Kyle Rayner, also known as Jason's ex-boyfriend, is a fucking asshole. He hates Rayner with a passion. When they broke up one year ago, Jason spent two months crying in his bedroom. This guy destroyed him. He was not going to let him come back to his life.

The first few months with Kyle were amazing. It was the first real relationship Jason was in. Since his parents are extremely homophobic, he only dated girls throughout high school. After he came out, his parents literally disowned him. They hated him. Leaving that toxic family was the best decision Jason has ever made. His parents only cared about Dick who is Jason's older brother. Dick is normal. Dick has amazing grades. Dick was captain of the football team. Dick has a beautiful girlfriend. Dick has everything. Jason has nothing.

"I know you hate him, but please listen to me. All you have to do is pretend to be in love with him for two months," Bruce said.

"That's a lot harder than you think," Jason told him.

"It doesn't have to be hard. Look, this can really help your career. Kyle is in a famous band and his fans will really love you."

"And how do you know that they are going to like me?"

"Because it's impossible not to."

Jason took a moment to think. To be honest, he already has more than enough fans, so it doesn't really matter to him. What did matter, though, was annoying the shit out of his family. He can already imagine their reaction when they find out that he's going to be in a show with another guy. The thought of his parents watching him make-out with a man made him laugh. They would have to watch him being in a 'happy' relationship with Kyle.

He knew this was going to be a huge mistake, but he had to do it, so he said, "fine, I'll be in this stupid show."

"Really? Holy shit! I can't believe your stubborn ass said yes," Bruce sounded really happy.

"When do I see him?" Jason asked.

"Tomorrow, so you better get ready," Bruce said.

Tomorrow? He only had one day to prepare for this nightmare. Only one day until he sees the man who broke his heart and made him feel worthless. Jason already knows that this isn't going to end well.