continuation of chapter 3
759 Words
---
Chapter 3: Fake It Till You Make It
Saturday arrived far too quickly for Lily’s liking. She sat in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection with a mix of dread and annoyance.
“Why am I even putting effort into this?” she muttered, tugging at her sweater.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen to see a text from Ryan.
Ryan: “I’m outside. Ready to sweep the town with my fake girlfriend?”
Lily: “This is your only chance to back out.”
Ryan: “Not happening. Let’s go, Love Guru.”
Groaning, Lily grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. Her mom, sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, raised an eyebrow as Lily passed.
“Going somewhere?”
“Uh, just hanging out with Emma,” Lily lied quickly.
Her mom’s eyebrow arched higher, but she didn’t press the issue. “Alright, be back by dinner.”
Lily bolted out the door before her mom could ask more questions. She spotted Ryan leaning against his car, looking infuriatingly cool in a leather jacket.
“Nice sweater,” he said with a teasing grin. “Very grandma chic.”
“Shut up,” Lily snapped, climbing into the passenger seat. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Ryan laughed as he got in and started the car. “Relax, Lily. This is supposed to be fun.”
“Fun for you, maybe,” Lily muttered.
---
Ryan’s idea of a date turned out to be a trip to the mall, which, in hindsight, was a terrible choice. Within five minutes of arriving, they ran into half the school.
“Ryan! Hey, man!” someone called, jogging over. It was Kyle, one of Ryan’s football teammates.
Kyle’s eyes flicked to Lily, and his grin widened. “Wait, is this—”
“Yup,” Ryan said, throwing an arm around Lily’s shoulders. “This is my girlfriend, Lily.”
Lily plastered on a smile, even as her insides twisted with discomfort. “Hi.”
Kyle looked between them, clearly trying to process the situation. “Wow, didn’t see this coming. You guys are... cute together.”
“Thanks, man,” Ryan said, like this wasn’t the most awkward thing ever. “Anyway, we’ve got to run. Big date plans.”
“Catch you later,” Kyle said, still looking bewildered as they walked away.
Once they were out of earshot, Lily glared at Ryan. “Big date plans? Seriously?”
“Hey, it worked,” Ryan said, smirking. “Kyle’s going to tell everyone he saw us. Chloe’s bound to hear about it.”
Lily sighed. “I’m starting to think you enjoy making my life difficult.”
“Only a little,” Ryan admitted, winking.
---
After a few hours of wandering around the mall, pretending to be a couple, and dodging more classmates than Lily cared to count, they finally sat down at the food court.
“Okay, so what’s the next step in your brilliant plan?” Lily asked, sipping her soda.
Ryan leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. “I think we should do something big. Something that really gets Chloe’s attention.”
“Like what?”
Ryan’s eyes lit up. “Like a grand romantic gesture. You know, something public.”
Lily nearly choked on her drink. “Public? Are you insane?”
“Come on, it’s perfect,” Ryan said. “Chloe loves that kind of stuff. It’ll totally work.”
Lily shook her head. “No way. I draw the line at public humiliation.”
Ryan leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “You’re no fun, Love Guru.”
“And you’re impossible,” Lily shot back.
Despite her annoyance, she couldn’t help but notice the way Ryan’s eyes sparkled when he was excited. It was... distracting.
She shook the thought away. This wasn’t real. None of it was real.
---
By the time Ryan dropped her off at home, Lily was exhausted.
“Well, that was fun,” Ryan said, grinning as she climbed out of the car.
“For you, maybe,” Lily said, shutting the door.
Ryan rolled down the window. “Hey, don’t forget—we’ve got to keep this up on Monday. The plan’s working.”
“Sure, whatever,” Lily said, waving him off.
As she walked up to her house, she realized something troubling: for all her complaints, she hadn’t actually hated spending time with Ryan.
And that was a problem.
--
- Writer
