MORNING BROUGHT ABOUT a pounding headache, that assaulted me mercilessly with waves of pain and regret. The pounding music from the prior night's party had left a dull ringing in my ears. I sat up to the sound of my alarm, last night's events rushing back to me. Glancing at the alarm on my bedside table, I reluctantly reached out to press the snooze button.
Oh hell. Caleb and I had left that party together. I couldn't imagine what people were thinking. That we'd slept together? That we'd... done a lot more than just sleep together? Nothing of the sort had happened, of course. He'd only given me a ride home. People were superficial. They could twist their words and thoughts into powerful rumors. And I knew well from experience, that rumors were lethal.
It was a situation I couldn't get out of. I could go with the rumors, or tell the truth. It was over my dead body that I would ever go with such rumors, so it would have to be the truth. But what was a boring truth against a juicy rumor?
I hadn't been on the receiving end of a rumor in a long time. Fear coursed through me as I hastily climbed out of bed. I didn't want to think about this, on a sunny Saturday morning. Thankfully, my shift at the pizza parlor where I worked happened to be today. A distraction was exactly what I needed. Still half drunk with sleep, I trudged to the bathroom to put on my uniform. Today was going to be a long day.
Unfortunately, I'd agreed to waste a perfectly good Friday by allowing Amanda Dandridge, my best friend, to drag me out of the couch to attend a house party. Honestly, I didn't need a party to entertain me. All I needed was a little Monica and Chandler from Friends and life was complete. That's what best friends are for, I suppose. To force you to do stupid things with them, even if you don't want to. Best friends can be quite evil sometimes when they know they have that power.
I considered this as I slipped into my outfit for work: a checkered red and black apron atop a collared long sleeve shirt, paired with jet black leggings. Even though I hadn't wanted to go to the party, I hadn't had much of a choice. There was no fighting or getting out of it when it came to Amanda, as I knew from experience. I probably would've had more luck pretending I didn't see her text about going to the party. Amanda was as stubborn as a mule when it came to getting her way.
My hopes for an uneventful day of work filled me with newfound positivity as I drove to Benny's Pizza Parlor, a 1970s style diner, that was located a few miles from North Heights High School. The pizza parlor was a magnet of attraction for our high school. But on weekends, it was surprisingly empty, especially when there were other enticing hangout places, such as school events, sports games, and parties. I hardly expected to see anyone I knew. This was unfortunately not the case.
Sitting on the diner-style benches, sat the death of me, infamously known as my best friend. She was impatiently tapping the counter while watching the door. Amanda had started working at the diner about a month ago after I'd recommended she get a job. She was dressed in the same uniform as I was, and was no doubt, waiting for me. When I pushed open the diner door and trudged in, she instantly jumped off of the stool and dashed towards me. She looked somewhat flustered, but her eyes flashed right to life. "Emeraude Ivory. Caleb Bates - Golden Boy - kissed you. You better start talking, right now, before I go ballistic and start screaming!"
Caleb Bates was a gorgeous being. Possibly the most gorgeous of the human race... maybe after Zac Efron? Of course, everything had its downside. He didn't date much. For him, a relationship lasted probably two days as a casual fling. It was well known that he didn't do the whole girlfriend thing. Because if he did, he certainly wouldn't be single.
Amanda and I had coined him the nickname Golden Boy, which was a codename that Amanda had come up with. Through the first two years of high school, she'd harbored possibly the most obvious crush on him. In order to remain secretive about it, she'd code-named him Golden Boy, so that she could refer to him without the risk of being exposed about her crush. I had to admit, the nickname suited him perfectly. He was well admired by the general school population. Athletic, smart, friendly, and gorgeous, of course. Chiseled jawline, amber flecked hazel eyes, tall, and slightly messy hair. Yeah, absolutely golden. Just like his name.
I sighed and pushed past her to make my way to the counter. Work wasn't going to be a distraction from what had happened, especially if Amanda was here.
She stormed after me. It was evident that she wasn't going to leave me alone until I gave her a response. With a sigh, I placed my bag on the countertop and turned to look at her. "What is there to talk about, Amanda?"
"Um, I don't know. Maybe how the hell that happened? Em, you gotta keep your best friend updated, you know! Also, where did he take you? And did you guys..." She waved her hand in my face, looking somewhat annoyed, but there was a reflection of hurt in her eyes. "I just can't believe you haven't told me yet."
After I'd left the party last night, I'd ignored all of her frantic calls and texts. I'd probably given her a heart attack.
I loved Amanda. I truly did. But it was hard to harness her in moments like this when she got really excited. Her frizzy blonde hair framed her curious blue eyes and pale skin. She looked as innocent as a mouse, but get to know her, and she's as dirty as a pig, in a funny way of course. Nevertheless, I couldn't ask for a better friend. Best friends are special.
Leaning against the diner counter, I shut my eyes and sighed. "It was just a game of spin the bottle, Amanda. He spun the bottle and it landed on me. And I guess he's a good kisser. I wouldn't know. You know that was my first, like, actual kiss. Apart from like my two previous kisses in like... middle school. And those hardly count as kisses, to be honest."
"About time you got kissed! Honey, it's senior year." Amanda sighed dramatically. "You guys didn't do anything-"
"No!" My eyes flew open, wincing at her words. "Of course we didn't! All he did was drive me home, after that."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Hey, it's okay if you guys did. I wouldn't blame you..."
I tuned her voice out easily, as I eyed the rest of the pizza diner. Luckily, it was empty, since it was early into Saturday. Typically, we had a decent turnout of people during lunch and dinner rush hours. The rest of the workers were in the back, prepping for the day, most likely. My shift started in five minutes, which meant I had to endure five more minutes of Amanda's interrogation.
"Emeraude." Amanda shook my arm as I broke free from my thoughts. "Dude. Dude."
"What?" I groaned. "Did you run out of fuel or something? Should I get you some sugar?"
"Emeraude." Her eyes trailed behind me, towards the diner windows. I followed her gaze, and what I saw next was enough to make my heart jump out my throat. Caleb was outside. Walking in the direction of the diner.
"Crap. Hide me... hide me..." I gasped. He was wearing ripped jeans and a clean white muscle tee. It was enough to make me swoon. Not that I had a crush on him, of course. But considering that he'd also kissed me, and he happened to be a very good kisser, I couldn't keep the wave emotions off of my face as I thought back to the kiss. The warmth that had come from our lips touching. The pleasant shivers that had edged up my spine. The feelings that definitely shouldn't have come.
Oh no. I definitely could not see him. Not now. Not like this. Not ever.
Amanda rolled her eyes at me, and grabbed my arm. "Um, hello? You are going to be a woman, honey. You are going to own this. Women do not cower at the face of a male."
And with that, she propped her hands up on the counter, pushed herself over to the other side, and ducked below.
So much for not cowering.
"Thank you, for being such a reliable friend," I hissed at her. The diner door opened, and Golden Boy walked in.
Amanda shifted behind the counter, clearly trying to telepathically message me something in girl code, which I didn't understand. I sighed, and fought the urge to cover my face.
I felt a blush beginning to creep up my face, as Caleb's hazel eyes landed on mine. He strode toward me, taking only four steps to get to me. For a few seconds, there was a pause as we studied each other. And then, he leaned closer, and I felt his lips brush my cheek as he whispered, "My... my... you're quite hard to find."
How had the distance between us reduced so quickly? And where was oxygen when you needed it? I felt my breath catch as he leaned back, still keeping a close distance. Caleb leaned against the counter, not breaking eye contact. "I swear I'm not stalking you, Emeraude. Some of my friends mentioned seeing you working here, so I figured I'd give this place a try."
"Oh..." I forced myself to look him in the eye. "Um... what's up?"
Caleb crossed his arms over his chest. "I need to talk-"
"Em, are you here?" One of my coworkers, Jenny, threw open the kitchen door. I squeaked, as I glanced back at her.
"Oh..." Jenny eyed Caleb and I, and then Amanda hiding under the counter. "Um, I'll cover for you."
She dashed back into the kitchen, leaving the door to swing shut on its own accord. I had no doubt that she was going to gossip about what she'd just seen to all the other diner workers.
But I didn't have feelings for Caleb, honestly. I wanted to yell that out to the whole world, to everyone who apparently thought I did. He was just very attractive and intimidating in too many ways, and that made me nervous. I didn't know how to act around him. The way he strode down the hallways, his head always high. The way he was always talking to one of his friends. The way girls looked at him and swooned. He was possibly the most confident person on the planet, and the utter opposite of what I was.
Caleb chuckled, no doubt reading into my embarrassment. "Can we take this conversation outside?"
"Sure," I replied, and casually glanced back at the counter where Amanda was surely cursing me for indirectly leaving her out of the conversation. "There's a bench outside where we can talk."
I led him out the diner doors and to the left. "What's up?" I asked, settling on a wooden bench. Cool fall air blew my hair into my eyes, and I tucked a strand behind my ear.
Caleb smiled at me, a brilliant, perfect smile. "I don't kiss that many girls. Of all the ones I kissed, the kiss I had with you was the most... interesting."
The blush was definitely evident on my face, I thought, as his smirk grew wider. His eyes sparkled with mischief. His hair looked gorgeous - a deep shade of brown and copper, mixed together. Not to mention, he had dimples and I was a total sucker for those.
"Okay? So what?" I tried to calm myself down mentally.
"That game of spin the bottle. That was your first kiss, wasn't it?"
"How'd you know?" I blurted out.
He chuckled, and folded his arms across his chest. "When you're a seasoned, kissing professional like me, you'll know."
I let out a huff of frustration, trying to hold in my embarrassment. "That doesn't matter. You didn't drive all this way just to make fun of me. You came for something else. What do you want, Caleb?"
"Straight and to the point. It's simple." He smiled. "I want to play a game."
I actually wasn't expecting that. My face contorted into a confused expression. A game? The school's Golden Boy wanted to play a game with me, the quiet girl? The one who minded her own business and focused on her academics more than her social life? Didn't he have a whole set of beautiful girls that hung out with him constantly, and were practically drooling at his feet?
"What, like a board game? I actually enjoy chess, but I wouldn't mind checkers-"
He leaned back into the bench, his facing remaining annoyingly patient in response to my sarcasm. "Not that kind of game. It's quite different, actually."
"Enlighten me to this game of yours." I decided to humor him, and waited to hear possibly the worst idea in the world.
"I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend for three months. In return, you'll have the glory of being the girlfriend of... well... me."
Silence followed. Caleb gave me a look of consideration, while I took in what he'd just said.
"You're joking, right? This is a dare." I rolled my eyes, and turned away, making a movement to get up. "Stop wasting my time, Caleb. I have a job to get to."
He grabbed my arm, and I recoiled from his touch. "Hey, hey! Hear me out! I'm being real here."
"You need a fake girlfriend?" I shook my head. Who did he think he was? "That's possibly the stupidest thing I've heard on the planet. You know you have a band of girls that would practically sacrifice themselves to be with you."
"I know." He bit back an obvious smile. "It's just, I think I need you for this. Specifically."
"Are you out of your damn mind?" I gaped at him. I didn't understand how I had the ability to form comprehensible words at this point.
"I don't really do the whole 'girlfriend' thing for everyone. Too much work, too much commitment. That's why I need a fake one, for now." His eyes searched my face for an answer.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Why do you even need a fake girlfriend?"
He gave me a serene smile, and leaned a little closer. "All will be explained over time, if you agree to my terms."
"You're kidding me."
Caleb rolled his eyes, but his lip quirked up. "We'd breakup or something like that, at the end of the three months. Unless... you fall for me. Which will probably happen. The chances of you not falling for me are minuscule. Then I guess you'll have to deal with a broken heart, hmm? But you're a smart girl. You'll know not to fall for a guy like me."
"That's idiotic, you half-witted creature." I glared at him pointedly. "You think I'd agree to this just because we kissed at that party?"
Caleb ignored my insult, and gave me a look of fake pity. "Pretty girl like you... how is it that you've never kissed anyone before? I could teach you a thing or two about kissing."
"Don't get your hopes up, cowboy," I hissed. "This is never happening. Your little game needs a whole lot of improvement if you want me to play."
"I thought you'd say that." Caleb looked at me apprehensively. "You need more convincing, just as I thought. You aren't as shallow as most girls are. You don't want to get caught up in what I'm offering to you unless there's something you'd get in return. "
Caleb folded his arms around his chest, and gave me another look of consideration. I just stared him down.
He looked almost bored, but thoroughly entertained. "I like a challenge. Let's make this even more interesting. We play this little game of you being my fake girlfriend. The catch... at the end of the three months, we're going to break up with each other. And then, we'll see who has the broken heart. If it's you, then you lose. If it's me, then I lose. The loser has to do whatever the winner says for the rest of the school year. It's a game of control... a game of 'guard the heart'. Let's see how good your shield is, and how good my shield is."
I stared at him. It was... it was an ingeniously struck deal. How bad could it be? And to fall in love with him? Please. That was easy. I could win this in a heartbeat. Just play him till the end, and I could force him to do whatever I wanted. Imagining the looks of every girl when they saw that Caleb and I were holding hands or kissing, now that was a good incentive. Three months of the highest social status I could ask for. Suddenly, the tables had turned. This didn't sound like such a bad idea to my ears. Just play him till the end, and I could force him to do whatever I wanted.
"So?" Caleb rose his eyebrow.
"One condition." I looked at him, dead in the eyes. "There's no backing out of this deal, from either of us. And of course, we can't force the other to do something like break the law, do something sexual, or physically harm anyone or anything. You get what I mean. "
"That sounds fair. So, do we have a deal?"
I took a deep breath, and gave him a devilish grin. "We have a deal, Mr. Bates."
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Life had taken a swerve. Things had certainly become ten times more interesting. Fate must've been delighted, as it toyed with my emotions and sent me down a terrifying roller coaster that led to the unknown.
Monday brought about a whirl of events. I'd walked into school with envious sets of eyes on me from a multitude of people. I could hear whispers laced with my name as I walked down the hallways. And I was attracting plenty of stares, for all the wrong reasons.
Multiple sets of eyes followed me as I stalked to my locker, where Caleb was waiting. We'd planned out all of this, over text. Every step I took towards him, I reminded myself that nothing was real. Nothing was real. It was all acting.
But I felt those thoughts lose their grip on me as I approached him, and he suavely took a step forward, and brought my lips to his. Things were moving fast.
There was a chorus of gasps and whispers as people took in the quiet, innocent Emeraude Ivory, with her lips on the handsome, perfect Golden Boy.
His lips felt familiar, this time, not foreign and new. I didn't have any experience kissing, so Caleb did most of the work, and I just stood there and closed my eyes. My stomach had lodged itself in my throat, and my heart was pounding. A feeling of warmth began to set my nerves on edge, followed by pleasant shivers edging up my spine. I found myself rooted to the spot, unable to move. I gasped slightly as he deepened the kiss, his lips flush against mine. All I could register was his scent, not of cologne, but of pine and summer air. We broke apart, and he wasn't looking at the crowds. He was looking at only me. Like I was his entire world.
He was a damn good actor, I had to admit.
I rose an eyebrow at him, as I twisted the combo of my locker, and opened the door. The crowds dissipated, now aware that Caleb and I were an item.
"So..." His voice was low, as I shifted through the items in my backpack. "You think that was convincing enough?"
An interesting question. What was I supposed to compare the kiss to? Another one that I'd had? Nonchalantly, I shrugged. "I think it was."
He cracked up laughing. "I keep forgetting that you haven't got any experience kissing."
"Very funny." I rolled my eyes, and slammed my locker door shut, fighting the urge to punch him in the shoulder.
Suddenly, he leaned towards me, pinning me to the locker. I felt my breath catch as he leaned towards me. "We'll work on that, then."
I stared at him, uncomprehending. He gave me a frustrated stare. "People are watching..."
Quickly, I laced my hands around his neck, and pulled him towards me. Unfortunately, he wasn't expecting this, and his head awkwardly landed on my shoulder. To fix my mistake, he wrapped his arms around me, so that we looked as though we were hugging.
"You're not very good at this, are you?" he whispered in my ear, and I could feel him smiling. "I have a feeling I'll win this game."
"We'll see about that." I pulled away quickly.
"Meet me in the lot, after school. I'll drive you home."
With that, he unwrapped his hands around me, kissed me on the cheek, and then strode down the hallway to class.
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School progressed through the day. I endured stares, whispers, and glares. The ultimate test of humanity.
I bit my lip as I trudged down the hallway after school. My steps were deliberately slow. I was avoiding the inevitable and the unknown. Which of course, happened to be meeting Caleb at his car. Caleb parked his car in the same spot, every morning.
I honestly couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Golden Boy wanted... no... needed me for some mysterious reason, to be his fake girlfriend. I was in the dark when it came to his reasons for creating this plan. He'd promised a valid explanation to me in due time.
"Emeraude?"
I looked up. A smile was already on my face, when I saw him. "You're back."
Emmett chuckled, and I launched myself across the hallway, and straight into his outstretched arms. We'd been good friends, ever since sixth grade. He'd been my neighbor for a short period of time, before he had to move away. I'd consider us best friends, actually, after Amanda and I. Emmett Wright was one of the nicest people I'd known in my life. He doubled as a school kid in the day, and a DJ at night. His parents were supportive of him, and he was often up till 3 AM at venues, performing. This meant that he wasn't in school as much. His arms were wrapped around me instantly, and I felt my arms automatically wrap around him. I smiled into his t-shirt. "I missed you."
Emmett chuckled, and pulled away. "I missed you too, Em."
"What're you doing here? School's over." I punched him in the shoulder lightly.
"Don't get me started. I had to catch up on school work, which was annoying. But hey, on the bright side, the convention was awesome."
We started walking down the hallway, with Emmett eagerly recounting all of the people he'd met at the convention. At first, I gave him my full attention, but slowly, my attention began to slip. Instead of listening to Emmett , I found myself thinking about Caleb. What was it about him? Apart from his looks, how was he so immaculately smooth, with everything? How did he command such a presence? It made absolutely no sense. How could a human be so impeccable? So... perfect?
There had to be a flaw. If I found his flaw, I could win the game easily. The only question was, what could this flaw possibly be?
Emmett's voice faded back into my hazy focus. "-and then we started talking, and turns out, he's starting his own record label." Emmett looked over me when I didn't reply. "Emeraude? Anyone there?"
"Huh? Oh..." my voice wavered slightly. "That's... that's amazing!"
"You weren't listening to what I was saying," Emmett sighed. "Were you?"
Being honest was better than spewing a lie, I thought, as I gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Emmett."
"It's fine." Emmett gave me a calculated look. "Alright, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Something's up. I can tell."
We'd reached the doors leading out to the parking lot. Emmett pushed open the door and respectfully held it open for me. I gave him a thankful smile, as he shut the door behind us, "Nothing's going on. I'm just... thinking about some homework."
He wasn't buying it. Emmett frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Em... tell me. Before I tickle you as a form of interrogation. And I know all of your tickle triggers. I shall show absolutely no mercy."
I stopped walking, and he turned to look at me. "You wouldn't dare tickle me, Wright."
"Watch me." He gave me a horribly contorted evil smile, and then proceeded to jump forward and start tickling my stomach.
I squealed, and burst out laughing. "Stop it!"
"Never!" he yelled, and he was laughing too. His fingers were warm as they made contact with my body.
"Emmett!" I cried out. My stomach ached from laughing, and I tried to evade his fingers desperately. I batted at his hands, but to no avail. He just moved to tickling my sides. It was going to have to be a battle on foot, then. I took off, running as fast as my legs could carry me, towards the field. "Can't catch me!"
I was rounding the corner, around the school, Emmett in tow, and up the pathway that led to the baseball field. All was well, until I suddenly, crashed into something... or someone.
"Hey..." Caleb gave me a genuinely worried look, which I probably deserved. "I heard you screaming, from the parking lot. Are you alright?"
"Oh! That's right, I was supposed to meet you. I'm so sorry... I lost track of time."
His eyes drifted behind me towards Emmett, who was nearing us. I let out a breath through my teeth and turned aroundto introduce them to each other. "That is Emmett. One of my best friends. And he was just... tickling me. As a way of interrogation. Long story."
Caleb's eyes flashed momentarily, and he looked back down at me. "Ah."
"So how about I introduce you two-"
And then his lips were crashing down on mine, and I was reliving everything that had happened at the party, three days before.
This time, though, I found that my hands could move. I felt them slipping around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. This time, his hands were tangled in my hair, angling my lips to his. This was a simple kiss. Soft, no tongue, just lips. A feeling of exhilaration spread through me, giving me new found bravery and-
"Emeraude? "A horror struck voice awoke me from the kiss, and I quickly pulled away. Caleb's eyes seemed to have darkened, all of a sudden, but his jaw was tight. I turned, and found myself face to face with Emmett - who looked equal parts stunned and furious.
"So is this what you were thinking about?" He wrinkled his nose at Caleb. "You were thinking about Mr. Perfect, who has everything handed to him on a silver platter. I see how it is."
"Emmett-"
"Listen," Caleb growled, and pushed himself in front of me. "I don't know who the hell you think you are but you know nothing about my life, and I can assure you that nothing was handed to me on a-"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Emmett took a dangerous step forward, his fingers curled into fists. "Why are you kissing her?"
"Because, she happens to be my girlfriend." Caleb gave him a terrible smile, savoring the word girlfriend. I felt myself stiffen.
"Emeraude?" Emmett stared at me, the hurt evident on his face. "You're dating... him. Please tell me this is some sort of joke."
I swallowed, and pulled Caleb behind me so that I was standing in between them. This was the official moment, where I really confirmed to Caleb that I was agreeing to this insane game. That, I would really be his fake girlfriend for three months. That, if I fell for him, I'd be subject to whatever he wanted for the rest of the year. I could take it all back, and just make up some excuse. I could back out, maybe.
But I didn't. In that split second, I wasn't listening to my brain, but rather my heart. And in my heart, I wanted to play this game. I couldn't stop thinking about the way his lips had crashed onto mine. I knew it, deep down, that I wanted this game. I could win this game, so easily.
And so, I said, "Yes. We're... dating."
Emmett 's eyes widened. "You move on quickly, don't you, Bates?"
" Emmett stop insulting him-"
"I can't believe you, Emeraude. You can't be this blind to what he really-"
Caleb let out a frustrated growl, "Listen. I don't know who you think you are, to be telling her who she can and can't date, but she's her own person. It's her choice. You don't have the authority to tell her what to do. So get the hell out of here, I need to take her home."
Emmett glared at him, turned around, and stormed off towards his car.
"Did you really need to piss him off?"
"He was asking for it." Caleb grabbed my hand and started dragging me to his car at the corner of the parking lot. I decided to drop the subject, and deal with Emmett later. Caleb wasn't going to apologize in a million years.
I'd almost forgotten, I realized, that the cheerleaders were there. And they'd been watching the whole scene unfold. The head cheerleader, Gianna, threw me a look of disgust, which I did my best to ignore.
Well, I guessed the first part of the game had worked. We'd successfully convinced people that we were truly together.
Caleb let go of my hand, and walked to the driver's side of the jeep, while I made my way to the passenger side. Once inside the car, he carefully reversed, turned, and drove out of the parking lot. Silence followed.
After a few seconds, I finally spoke, "So... are you gonna explain why you need a fake girlfriend so badly?"
He pursed his lips, and said, "Listen, we have more important things to consider. We can talk about the designated 'why-Caleb-needs-a-fake-girlfriend-conversation' later."
I considered this. "I deserve to know, if I'm agreeing to something as insane as this. Tell me."
Caleb sighed, and gripped the steering wheel of the car a little tighter. "Right now, we need to talk about how we can look like a believable couple. So here's what's going down. We need to get to know each other."
"Fine." I shrugged. "Let's get to know each other, then."
"Exactly, my plan." Caleb grinned. "So... you up for some pizza?"
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