The Captain’s Accidental Girlfriend

Chapter 4

Pretend to Be Mine

Riley’s Pov

My phone vibrated so hard and fast against my wooden nightstand that it sounded like an angry insect trapped in a box. I groaned, rubbing the heavy sleep out of my eyes, and reached out to grab it. I unlocked the screen to check the time, but my thumb froze instantly.

Notifications were flashing everywhere. Text messages from kids I barely knew, tagged photos on social media, and twenty unread messages from my best friend Emma asking if I had lost my mind. My heart skipped a violent beat as I tapped on the group chat link.

There it was. A crystal-clear photograph of me leaning against Mason Hayes outside the party, his arms wrapped securely around my waist as if he never wanted to let me go. The caption beneath it read: Blackridge's untouchable hockey captain has finally been captured. Is the new transfer girl his secret girlfriend?

"No, no, no," I whispered to the empty room, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped my phone onto the floor. This was my worst nightmare coming true. I had spent years guarding my privacy, staying out of trouble, and keeping my head down, and now the entire school thought I was romantically entangled with the most famous, controversial hockey player in our grade.

By the time I rushed through the front doors of Blackridge Academy later that morning, every pair of eyes in the hallway seemed to be burning holes straight through me. Whispers followed me down every locker aisle, and girls I had never even spoken to glared at me like I had stolen their most valuable possessions.

I spotted Mason leaning against his locker at the end of the hall, looking totally calm while his teammates slapped his back and laughed loudly. That was it. I had enough. I marched right across the tile floor, my blood boiling so hot I could barely breathe, and slammed my hand flat against the metal locker door right next to his head.

Mason jumped slightly, turning around with a surprised look on his face. When he saw it was me, that infuriating, slow smile started to spread across his lips.

"Good morning, sunshine," Mason teased smoothly, raising an eyebrow at the crowd of students watching us from a safe distance. "Did you miss me over the weekend, or are you just eager to start our project?"

"Shut up, Mason!" I hissed, my voice trembling with pure rage. I shoved my phone right under his nose, showing him the picture that was ruining my life. "What is this? Why is this stupid picture everywhere? You were supposed to just put me in a cab and leave me alone! Now the entire school thinks we are dating, and I cannot even walk to my locker without people staring at me!"

Mason looked down at the phone screen, then back up at me. Instead of looking panicked or apologetic, he just sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck, motioning for me to follow him into a quieter corner near the empty stairwell.

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, glaring at him as we stepped out of earshot. "Well? Are you going to explain yourself, or are you just going to stand there looking proud of the chaos you caused?"

"I didn't take the photo, Riley," Mason said quietly, his green eyes losing their playful spark and turning serious. He leaned against the brick wall, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "And for the record, I could easily deny it. I could tell everyone it was just a misunderstanding."

"Then do it!" I snapped. "Do it right now!"

"I can't," Mason replied flatly, watching my reaction carefully.

I stared at him like he had just spoken a foreign language. "What do you mean, you can't? Are you enjoying this? Do you like having people gossip about us?"

"My dad is breathing down my neck, Riley," Mason said, his voice dropping to a low, intense whisper. "If you think the school is mad, you have no idea what my father is like. After a few stupid rumors last month, he told me that if I cause one more public scandal before the big championship, he is pulling me out of Blackridge and sending me to a strict development camp across the country where I won't even control my own hockey career. He wants me to look mature, disciplined, and stable. A girlfriend—someone who keeps me out of trouble—proves to him and the professional scouts that I am focused."

I let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. "Oh, so now I am supposed to be your little stability shield? Absolutely not. Find someone else to play pretend with, because I am not going to be part of your fake royal family drama."

I turned on my heel to walk away, but Mason’s next words stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Wait. Don't you want that university scholarship recommendation?"

I froze, slowly turning back around to face him. My heart dropped into my stomach. "What did you just say?"

Mason stepped closer, his expression earnest and pleading. "My dad is one of the primary board members who approves the academic and leadership recommendations for the exact scholarship program you are trying to get into. If you help me look like a stable, normal guy until the end of hockey season, I will make sure my dad signs off on your recommendation letter. You get your dream future, and I get to keep playing hockey. It is a win-win."

I stared at him, my mind racing a million miles an hour. I needed that scholarship more than anything in the world. Without it, my family could never afford university tuition. But agreeing to pretend to date Mason Hayes felt like stepping onto a runaway train with no brakes.

"If we do this," I said slowly, narrowing my eyes at him, "we have to set strict rules. Rule number one: no real feelings whatsoever. Rule number two: no unnecessary physical affection when nobody is watching. And rule number three: the second the hockey season ends, this fake relationship is over, and we go back to pretending we don't know each other."

Mason nodded immediately, holding up his hand as if taking a solemn oath. "Deal. No feelings, no touching off-camera, and an expiration date. It's just a business arrangement."

"Good," I muttered, feeling a tiny bit better knowing we had boundaries. "Then we—"

Before I could finish my sentence, the warning bell for first-period class rang loudly through the halls, signaling that the corridor was about to fill up with hundreds of students.

Before I could take a step back, Mason suddenly reached out, grabbing my hand with his warm fingers and interlacing them tightly with mine.

I gasped, looking up at him in shock. "What are you doing? Our rule—!"

"We have an audience, sunshine," Mason whispered with a wicked, charming grin, pulling me right against his side as the heavy classroom doors began to open around us. "If we are going to sell this lie to the entire school, we have to start right now."