Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Chapter 7

Pretending was harder than I thought it’d be.

At first, it was simple—Logan would walk with me between classes, sit next to me at lunch, occasionally send me a smirk or a wink that made my stomach flip. And I’d play along, smiling like this was normal, like I wasn’t completely out of my depth.

But the more time I spent around him, the more I forgot it was supposed to be fake.

Like today, in Chemistry.

We were paired up, and I assumed Logan would pull out his phone or flirt with some girl across the room while I did all the work. But instead, he actually paid attention. He asked questions. He took notes. At one point, I caught him staring at me—not in a creepy way, but like he was really seeing me, like he was trying to figure something out.

“What?” I asked, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

He shrugged. “You’re just… different than I expected.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Different how?”

“Smart. Sharp. You don’t pretend to be someone else.”

I blinked. “You say that like it’s rare.”

“It is,” he said simply.

My heart skipped a beat. And then, to make it worse, he smiled at me. Not his usual cocky grin. This one was softer. Real.

I quickly looked away.

Later that day, as I walked out of school, I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Sarah Richards.

Great.

She had her arms crossed, lips pursed, eyes shooting daggers. “Enjoying the attention?”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she snapped. “We both know Logan doesn’t actually like you. You’re just a game.”

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure what to say. A part of me agreed with her. Another part wanted to scream that she didn’t know anything about me—or Logan, for that matter.

“Look,” she said, taking a step closer, “whatever this is, it won’t last. Logan gets bored easily. And you? You’re not exactly exciting.”

Something in me snapped.

“I don’t need to be exciting for someone to like me,” I said quietly. “And maybe Logan’s tired of fake girls who only care about their image.”

Her face twisted, but before she could reply, Logan’s voice cut through the air.

“There a problem here?”

He walked up beside me, his presence solid and strong, his eyes locked on Sarah.

She forced a tight smile. “Just a friendly chat.”

“Right,” he said, clearly not buying it. “Let’s keep it that way.”

Sarah stormed off without another word.

I turned to him. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, I did,” he said, his tone serious now. “Because she doesn’t get to talk to you like that.”

We stood there in silence for a second, and then he added, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

We ended up at the lake outside town, a quiet little place with calm water and a few trees casting long shadows. It was peaceful—nothing like the chaos of school.

We sat by the edge of the water. He skipped a rock. I tried and failed.

“You’ve never been here before?” he asked.

“Nope. I don’t really get out much.”

He looked at me thoughtfully. “You should. The world’s bigger than the school hallways, Alicia.”

I smiled faintly. “You sound like Jess.”

“Maybe she’s onto something.”

He leaned back, resting on his hands, watching the sky shift to pink and orange.

“I’m glad you agreed to this,” he said suddenly.

“To the fake relationship?”

He nodded. “Yeah. But also… everything else. Talking. Being around you. It’s not what I expected.”

I felt my heart lurch again.

“Me neither.”

Because somehow, this thing between us wasn’t feeling fake anymore.

And I didn’t know whether to be excited… or terrified.

Advertisement
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Share.
Leave A Reply

RocketplayRocketplay casinoCasibom GirişJojobet GirişCasibom Giriş GüncelCasibom Giriş AdresiCandySpinzDafabet AppJeetwinRedbet SverigeViggoslotsCrazyBuzzer casinoCasibomJettbetKmsauto DownloadKmspico ActivatorSweet BonanzaCrazy TimeCrazy Time AppPlinko AppSugar rush