CHAPTER 10
Top 5 Ways to Ruin a Fake Relationship
1. Deviate from the plan.
2. Watch your fake boyfriend being the best brother on the planet to his younger siblings.
3. Catch feelings.
4. Forget it”s all pretend.
5. Fall head-over-heels (even though you know you shouldn”t).
Did I do all of the above?
Yep. But to be honest, there was no way I could avoid it after tagging along with Sam and the twins. That was my big mistake. I mean, anyone would”ve caught feelings.
As we dropped off Bennet for his Boy Scouts meeting, Sam met him in front of the car. The windows were down, so I clearly heard their conversation.
”You got everything you need?” Sam asked.
”Yeah,” Bennet said. ”Are you and Scarlett coming back?”
”Sure, after we take Betty to dance, we”ll all be here to pick you up.”
His little brother smiled. ”Awesome.”
”You didn”t think I”d leave you. Did you?” Sam asked.
”No, but I”m getting a new badge today.”
”Really? Congratulations, B.”
He shrugged. ”They”re presenting them at the end of the meeting.”
”Did Mom and Dad know about this?” Sam asked.
”I didn”t tell them. I know how busy it can get, running two businesses. And it”s not like this is a full court ceremony or anything.”
”Still, I bet they”d want to know.”
He grinned. ”You think so?”
”Absolutely.” Sam nodded. ”Mom and Dad love you. They want to be a part of all your achievements. You know that, Bennet.”
”I”ll show them my badge later.”
”You do that.” As Bennet went to turn away, Sam said, ”Hey, wait.”
I watched as Sam reached forward to straighten his little brother”s vest, and something inside my chest melted.
”There. You”re all set.”
And that wasn”t the only heart-melting scene.
We took Betty to her dance lesson next, and it was like stepping into another world. The women in the lobby all fawned over Sam like he was a rockstar or something. Betty rolled her eyes at their antics, but I found the whole thing entertaining.
”Is it always like this?” I asked her.
”Yeah,” she said with a sigh. ”Sometimes, it”s worse. My brother basically has his own fan club.”
”Oh really?”
”He gets asked out at least once every lesson. All of them have daughters or granddaughters.”
Sam was blushing while he unentangled himself from the crowd. As he made his way over to us, there was an adorable look of embarrassment on his face.
”You okay, Bets?” he asked.
She smiled. ”Are you okay?”
Before he could answer, a woman who I assumed was Betty”s teacher came out. She took one look at Betty and tsked. ”Miss Bishop, get that hair up and out of your face, please. And before you argue,” she said, cutting off the girl”s protests, ”we”ve been over this. It”s part of the dress code.”
”But—”
”Hair up. Now.”
At that, she left, and Sam stepped forward. ”It”s okay, Bets. I”ll do your hair.”
Betty gave him a pained look. ”I love you, Sam. You know that, right?”
”Yeah…”
”But you”re terrible at hair.”
”I”m not that bad,” he said.
”You kind of are.”
When he went to argue, she held up a hand.
”Plus, I have wild hair like Mom. You know it never wants to stay put. I told Miss Arnold that, but she doesn”t believe me.”
”I”ll do it,” I said, coming over and taking a brush, hair ties, and some bobby pins out of my purse. ”My sister and I used to do each other”s hair all the time.”
”You did?” Betty said.
I nodded. ”My dad couldn’t braid to save his life. And ponytails? Yeah right, he had us looking like unicorns with all the bumps.”
Betty”s giggle had me smiling.
”What about your mom?” she asked. ”Couldn”t she fix it?”
The words were innocent enough, but they made my chest tighten.
”She wasn”t around,” I said with a shrug.
”Oh, sorry.”
”It”s okay. My mom left when me and my sister were young. It was a long time ago.” Betty”s face was filled with sympathy. I could feel Sam”s eyes on me as well, but I refused to look at him. ”So, ponytail, braid, or bun?”
In under two minutes, Betty”s hair was up, pinned in place, and ready to go.
”Thanks, Scarlett,” she said.
”No problem,” I replied.
”Don”t forget your water,” Sam said, handing her a bottle.
”Love you, Sam,” she said. ”Even if you can”t do hair.”
”Love you, Bets. We”ll be here when you get out.” As she waved and left, he turned to me and added, ”Seriously, thanks, Kent. You saved the day.”
”It was nothing,” I said.
Sam shook his head. ”If you saw how bad I am at doing hair, you wouldn”t be saying that.”
I shrugged. ”I like helpingout.”
He guided me over to the waiting chairs and said quietly, ”That”s good because I could use your help.”
I raised a brow in question.
”I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”
”I thought we were already doing that,” I said with a laugh.
My mouth shut a second later as he slipped an arm around my shoulders. ”Look around, Kent.”
As I did, I realized we had an audience.
Every person in the place—moms of the dancers, I was assuming—was staring at us. Well, some were pretending not to stare and doing a pretty poor job of it. But others were outright gawking.
”Why is everyone looking at us?” I whispered.
”Because they”ve never seen me in here with a girl before,” he said back.
”Really? Never?”
My disbelief must”ve bled through because he frowned. ”That so hard to believe?”
”Well, yeah,” I said honestly. ”You”re popular and—”
”Stunning, I know,” he said.
But I just shook my head. ”What about Brisa?”
”What about her?” Sam gave a small shrug. ”She didn”t go with me to any of the twins” activities. Come to think of it, she, Betty, and Bennet never really hit it off.”
”Why not?” I asked. ”They”re such awesome kids.”
He grinned. ”Maybe she didn”t like having to share me.”
My scoff turned into a gasp as he pressed his nose against the side of my neck.
”Are you up for pretending?” he said quietly. ”To let them know I”m taken.”
”You could just tell them you have a girlfriend,” I said shakily.
Sam”s lips were still so close. As he spoke, I felt every word feather against the side of my neck. It was the sweetest kind of torture.
”I could,” he said. ”But this way is more fun.”
So, we pretended.
And in the midst of us pretending, I had to keep reminding myself not to be too good at it. I couldn”t let Sam see how much his touch affected me. I couldn”t let him see how much…he affected me. It turned out Sam was right again. I had way too much fun pretending with him. In that lobby, in front of those women, I realized I”d started to feel something very real.
For my fake boyfriend.
Which was why I decided to avoid him.
It was easy enough over the weekend. I told him I was working a double shift at the diner—which was true—and after that, I had a whole bunch of homework—also true. On Sunday, I said that was when I practiced violin—which he accepted without question. But I did that every day. The truth was the majority of my weekend was spent trying to get my head on straight. After a lot of thought, I came to a conclusion.
The problem wasn”t Sam.
It was me.
Nothing had changed.
And yet…everything had.
After Friday, I was finally forced to admit my feelings to myself. That might not sound like a big deal—but it was. Charlotte was right. I still liked Sam. Of course, I did. Who wouldn”t? But the feelings were more intense now, closer to the surface. This might sink our entire arrangement. I couldn”t allow my heart to get in the way of my goals. I wouldn”t.
So what if my crush never fully went away?
I could be professional. Sam and I were friends. Friends who”d struck a deal, and I intended to honor it.
Because it always helped me to write things down, I retrieved a pen and wrote several lines of affirmations.
I am stronger than my feelings.
I will not be ruled by emotion.
I will conquer this and guard my heart.
Something about seeing the words made them feel more possible. Looking at the paper, I added two final lines.
Love is wonderful…in theory.
But not for me.
Closing my notebook, I headed to the bathroom. Looking my best always helped me feel my best. I wanted a refresh and to make sure I didn”t look as scattered as I felt. Luckily, as I stepped to the mirror, the girl I saw reflected back looked completely put together. On the outside. There was no sign anything was amiss. No hint that she was struggling with her feelings.
No indication that she was currently falling for a guy whose heart was already taken.
”I will conquer this,” I said aloud. ”I won”t be ruled by emotion. Love is wonderful. But not for me.”
With a sigh, I took out my gloss and ran it over my lips.
A toilet flushed; a door opened, and with a start, I realized I wasn”t alone in the bathroom.
Brisa walked up to the sink next to mine, turned it on and began washing her hands.
”Hey, Brisa,” I said.
”Hey,” she said back.
”I was just practicing a monologue. For drama.”
She glanced at me then away. ”Cute.”
Brisa didn”t sound like she thought it was cute. She said it like she thought I was crazy.
Smooth, Scarlett. Real smooth.
”Student council should be fun this year,” I said.”Planning all the senior activities. Are you excited to graduate?”
She scoffed quietly.
”Yeah, I know it”s a lot. I heard you got a scholarship to—”
”Can we not?” she said.
It was so abrupt my mouth snapped shut on reflex.
After a moment, though, I recovered.
”Can we not…what?” I asked. ”I thought we were okay.”
Brisa rolled her eyes then turned to face me with a smile. ”Scarlett, I don”t even know you.”
I blinked.
”Being on council together doesn”t make us BFFs,” she went on. ”If you insist on rambling, can you please go somewhere else? You”re disrupting my me time.”
”Wow,” I said quietly. ”I always thought you were nice.”
”I am nice. To people who deserve it.”
”What”s that supposed to mean?”
She lifted a brow, and I shook my head.
”What”d I ever do to you?” I asked.
”To me, nothing,” she said then tilted her head. ”But just FYI, dating my ex doesn”t make us besties either.”
Internally, I smiled.
So. Brisa was jealous. Guess we could check off stage two of the plan.
That should”ve made me glad, but then she kept going.
”Sam, on the other hand, is my friend,” Brisa said. ”One of my best friends. And if you hurt him, I will make your life hell.”
I jerked back. ”Excuse me?”
”You heard me.”
”I”m not the one who broke his heart when I broke up with him,” I said.
”No, you”re just the girl he pined after for years without a care for his feelings.”
”Wha—that never happened.”
”You”re so clueless,” she said and crossed her arms. ”But that”s no excuse. I repeat, don”t hurt Sam. If you do, you”ll have me to answer to. Understand?”
I shook my head. ”Sure, but—”
”That”s all I wanted to hear.”
Two other girls attempted to enter the bathroom, and Brisa said, ”Hey, Dani, Lorelei! Let”s go find another restroom. This one”s overcrowded.” They locked arms and out Brisa went, her hair swirling like a freaking tornado, leaving me a confused mess in her wake.
So much for the refresh.
After that convo, I was completely baffled.
My feet took me to the music room on auto-pilot. I”d already had my private lesson with Theresa—during which, she called me out for being distracted. That was 100% accurate. But she also noted that my playing seemed even more passionate than usual. Hmmm. Must”ve been all those emotions leaking out. Music always helped me release them.
I hoped it would do that again now.
Technically, it was my lunchtime, but reaching for my favorite outlet, I removed Yami Yami from her case, rested the violin on my shoulder, and ran my fingers along the neck. Closing my eyes, I played, letting the music carry me away.
I lost track of time.
Wasn”t sure how long I stayed in that blissed out state.
But at the sound of someone clapping, my eyes snapped open.
Sam was standing in the doorway. He”d been propped up against the frame, butat my look of surprise, he stepped forward with a grin.
”Sounded good, Kent,” he said.
”Thanks.”
”I said your name, but you were completely lost in the music.”
”Yeah, that happens sometimes,” I mumbled, ducking to put Yami Yami away—it also had the added bonus of giving me an extra second to compose myself. ”Were you looking for me?”
”Yeah, I haven”t seen you all day. You okay?”
”Of course, why wouldn”t I be?”
Sam shrugged, stopping about a foot away. ”Don”t know. That”s why I asked.”
Straightening, I took a deep breath and met his gaze. ”I ran into Brisa,” I said.
”Oh yeah?”
”We had a strange conversation. She said some weird things.”
Sam shrugged. ”Like what?”
”Well, she called you one of her best friends,” I said. ”Told me she”d make my life hell if I hurt you.”
He chuckled quietly.
”You think that”s funny?”
”Just sounds like something Brisa would say.” Sam cocked a brow. ”She didn”t scare you too much. Did she?”
”She was pretty fierce,” I said. ”Honestly, I respect her for sticking up for you—or I would if she wasn”t threatening me. Everyone needs a friend like that.But she also said…”
He waited.
Rolling my shoulders back, I went on, ”She says you”ve been pining after me.”
Sam”s frown was instant. ”What?”
”Brisa seemed to think you like me. That you have for years.”
He said nothing.
”Crazy, right?” I said.
”Yeah, crazy,” he agreed, and I literally felt a fissure appear on the surface of my heart.
Oh, well. It wasn”t like I expected him to say, Yes, Scarlett, I”ve loved you forever. Let”s run away together and live happily ever after. But man, that hurt.
”Did she say anything else?”
”No,” I said, ”but I think our plan to make her jealous is working.”
Sam shook his head. ”I doubt that.”
”Come on, Brisa obviously still cares about you.”
”I care about her too,” he said almost absently.
The words hit me like a blow, but I hid my reaction well.
Or at least, I thought I did.
”Hey,” Sam said, ”come here.”
Before I knew what was happening, Sam had pulled me to his chest, holding me gently but firmly in his warm embrace.
”What are you doing?” I asked, the words muffled by his shirt.
”Hugging you,” he said.
”Why?”
”Looked like you could use a hug.”
I hmphed but couldn”t help burrowing closer, putting my arms around his back, breathing him in like he was my favorite scent in the world.
”Is this part of our lessons?” I asked.
”Nah, but we should reschedule. I know you were looking forward to those.”
Feeling like I could get addicted to this, to him, I said, ”Brisa obviously believes we”re a thing. Maybe we don”t need the lessons.”
”Oh, we definitely need the lessons, Starlet.”
I laughed. ”Okay, I”ll just add kissing lessons to my planner.”
”You do that.”
Pulling me closer, he buried his nose in my hair.
”Also get to check #8 off your list.”
”Hmmm,” I said, ”but what about #3, the back hug?”
Without missing a beat, Sam spun me around, and I couldn”t help the airy laugh that escaped my lips as he wrapped his arms around me from behind, his front pressed securely against my back.
”You give good hugs, Bishop.”
”I know. And don”t worry about Brisa,” Sam said right next to my ear, causing my breath to hitch. ”If it was a cage match, I”d put my money on you, Kent.”
”Because I”m so tough?” I asked.
”Because you”re you. You never give up, always get what you want.”
Not always, I thought.