words: 1002
. . .
Things between Travis and me definitely weren't the same after that day in the cafe. Even weeks after the incident, he didn't so much as cut a nasty look my way. I avoided him as much as possible, feeling the dramatic shift and knowing that if I talked to him, I wouldn't hold myself back. I'd have to address what happened, and tell him how I really felt about it.
That couldn't happen.
My friends had asked why Travis hadn't been sitting at the table behind us in the cafeteria. He used to sit and pester me the whole lunch period, and now he sat in the opposite side of the room or not even in the cafeteria at all. I brushed it off and said I was glad to be rid of him.
I really wasn't.
Exactly a month after the cafe event, I was driving myself crazy wondering why Travis even went along with being my fake boyfriend. Then, ghosting me as an enemy. He wouldn't even look at me when we were in math or chemistry together.
I was supposed to be his freaking English tutor!
We hadn't had another tutoring session since the first one, understandably. Neither of us knew how to handle it, and I didn't think either of us wanted to acknowledge it lest it become horribly awkward. More awkward than it already was.
I stuffed my history homework in my locker to free up space for my pre-calc textbook and chemistry notes. The papers slipped from my hands and fell to the floor, warranting a curse from under my breath. I reached down, grabbed the papers, and crammed them back into the locker. After I slammed it shut, an entertained voice came from behind me.
"Having a little trouble?"
Travis.
A familiar irritated smirk danced across his mouth as he stepped closer. I glued my back to the lockers, setting my backpack on the ground and folding my arms over my chest.
"Nothing I can't resolve myself, thanks. Why are you talking to me?"
"I have a proposition."
I squinted. "I don't trust that."
"You shouldn't," he chuckled, and for a moment I was brought back to the normal us. The normal, I hate your guts us.
"But you owe me one."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't owe anyone anything."
"Yes, you do. Remember the cafe?"
With wide eyes, I kept silent. I wasn't going to be the one to bring it up, but since he did...
"I pretended to be your boyfriend to get rid of your ex, remember?"
"I'm not stupid."
"...And now I need help getting my ex back." He explained, waving his hand carelessly.
"Are you talking about Addie?"
Addie was a stuck-up girl in the student body and the story was that she dumped him for being stupid. I found it hilarious, frankly, but Addie hated my guts for some reason and went out of her way to make me miserable. I had no idea why - I thought we could've bonded over our hatred for Travis. She wasn't having it, though.
"Come on, Katie. I helped you out, at least return the favor," he begged. "I miss Addie so much, but she won't even talk to me. I need to make her jealous."
"You know that's really toxic, right?" I argued, but he just shook his head.
"All she needs is a little jealousy to make her come crawling back to me."
"Then she's dumb."
"Never said she wasn't."
I raised my eyebrows at him, but he quickly moved on from his claim.
"Whatever. I just need help! You owe me," he pointed out again.
"Well..."
"Here she comes!"
Before I could respond, he pressed me urgently into the lockers and put his hands on either side of my head. He glanced over his shoulder before turning back and whispering, "Please?"
A slight nod of consent from me, and he leaned in.
And we were kissing.
His chapped lips scratched against mine, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. The locker handle pressed against my back, but that left my mind the second he pushed his entire body to be against mine.
He backed up to look at me, his hot breath tickling my cheek.
I laced my fingers together behind his neck.
He leaned back in.
I was kissing a Stoll.
I was kissing Travis Stoll.
We were family friends - we were enemies!
I lost myself in the kiss, forgetting that it was about getting his ex back. Forgetting that we hated each other. Forgetting that I should've shoved him off of me. Forgetting that I ever hated him in the first place.
How could a kiss do that?
The second time he broke our kiss, he gazed at me like he was staring into my soul. Time stopped when he grinned and stepped back.
I stood, still against the lockers, in shock. Why had I let him do that? Addie didn't deserve being tricked into getting with him again, regardless of how nasty she'd been to me.
"I-" I cleared my throat, not being able to get even a word out. "Is she gone?"
"I mean, maybe, I dunno. I didn't see her in the first place."
What?
"You wanna run that by me again, Stoll?"
"She wasn't walking by. Not that I know of, anyway. About that whole 'I want Addie back' thing..." He grinned. "Told ya not to trust it."
My jaw dropped as I processed what happened. "Why'd you just kiss me, then?"
"Do I really need to explain?" His smug face made me want to punch him.
Before I could say anything, he turned on his heels and strolled away casually, calling over his shoulder, "See ya in chem, Katie-kat!"
Although I scoffed and stuck out my tongue at the back of his head, butterflies swirled around my stomach. Was this why he was ignoring me? Did he actually like being my fake boyfriend for that fleeting moment?
I sure hoped so.