Faking Forever With The Hockey Captain

Chapter Ten

“Gosh, who the hell is that?” I mumbled from my sleep, the noise jerking me out of my dreamland. “Cuss you!” I said, struggling to pick my phone from my bedside table.

“Hello,” I answered immediately after picking the call, still half asleep as I nipped the phone to my ear without checking who was calling. I wasn't expecting that voice at all.

“Where did you get my number?” I asked, finally sitting up in bed as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “I don't remember sharing that with you yet.”

“I just got it from wherever, girlfriend,” he replied, and I could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Why wouldn't your boyfriend have your number? That should be forbidden.”

My mouth opened to say something, but I couldn't find the words as I stared blankly at the wall. I had forgotten that I agreed to be his fake girl for the meantime. If I looked back, I seriously didn't know why I agreed. We could have just winged things around even if the rumor was draining.

“Are your tongues tied, girlfriend?” Ryan teased, and I could already imagine the stupid grin on his face.

“What has gotten into you?” I asked, finally finding my voice as I pulled the blanket away from my legs. “You're being sassy now? It's not even forty-eight hours yet. Don't forget this is my zone, Ryan. The way I beat your ass at the debate, you want to subscribe to that now?”

His laughter erupted over the phone, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes at the sound of it. “Anyways, I thought I should say hello to my girl. See you later today,” he said before hanging up the call.

What just happened? I stared at my phone for a few seconds, wondering how Ryan had managed to turn a fake relationship into something that already felt this confusing.

“Zoey! Get your ass off the bed. You'll be running late,” I heard my mum's voice from the door, and I immediately threw the blanket aside.

I quickly hopped out of bed, grabbing my clothes as I rushed around my small room. I had slept late last night trying to catch up on the class lessons I hadn't read up to date. I did that with all my classes because I couldn't afford not to have straight A's.

“Are you still in there?” My mum's voice roared again from outside, making me hurry even more.

“I'm coming,” I replied, pulling my clothes together before running out of my room.

“You're yet to shower?” Mum asked as soon as I reached the small table we used for eating, and she shook her head while looking at me. We couldn't afford a dining table, and our house wouldn't even contain one if we tried.

“I will rush upstairs after my meal, Mum,” I promised as she served me the leftover food she'd warmed before grabbing her bag and heading toward the door.

“Make sure you lock everywhere, Zoey. I need to run too. I can't afford to be late,” she reminded me, already reaching for the door handle.

“Mom?” I called, making her stop and turn around as I opened my arms toward her. “You wouldn't hug me?”

“Of course, come here,” she said, and I ran into her arms, giving her a quick peck before she rushed out.

I watched her leave, knowing she couldn't afford to spend extra seconds there. Her boss had always been mean to her, even removing money from her pay whenever she was late. She'd tried looking for other jobs aside from cleaning, but it had been futile, so she kept trying her best to take care of us.

By the time I got to school on my bicycle, Ava ran toward me, nearly making me stop too quickly as she grabbed my arm.

“Girl, you can't believe what I've been hearing since I got here this morning,” Ava said, falling into step beside me as we headed toward the building. “They still be spreading that rumor about you and Ryan. Aren't they tired?”

I didn't know how to respond, so I tightened my grip around the handle of my bicycle while we walked. Ava had been my best friend since third grade, and we'd never hidden anything from each other before, but I couldn't tell her that Ryan and I had agreed to fake this whole thing. I didn't want her carrying the burden of knowing our secret, especially when I wasn't even sure how long we could keep it up.

“Ava,” I said, reaching for her shoulder to stop her in her tracks. “I think the rumor is true.”

“Wait, what?” Her eyes widened so much that I almost laughed. “You think?” she asked again, staring at me as if I had suddenly grown another head.

“Yes,” I admitted, trying to keep my face straight as I looked at her. “Ryan and I are dating now.”

“What?” she blurted, and the shock on her face made me immediately regret telling her that much.

The bell rang immediately, cutting through whatever she was about to say as students around us started moving toward their classrooms.

“We gotta go, but what?” Ava said, grabbing my arm as she hurried beside me. “You have to spill everything during break.

This all happened, and you didn't call me?”

“Babes...” I started, but I caught sight of the hall supervisor coming toward us and lowered my voice.

“We'll talk later, okay?” I said, pulling her into a quick hug before running toward my first class.

The class was bad, and I couldn't focus as I stared at the notes in front of me without taking in a single word. My head was all over the place, and I was beginning to regret my poor decision.

Why had I agreed to this debacle with Ryan? I wondered, tapping my pen against the desk while the teacher continued talking at the front.

“Hello?” Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around to find a student staring at me with an annoyed expression. “You're blocking the road. Move your ass,” he complained, pointing toward the space behind me.

“Sorry,” I muttered, quickly moving out of the way as I realized I'd been standing in the middle of the hall without even noticing.

I walked to my second class of the day, which I wasn't feeling at all, as I tried to push Ryan and everything else out of my head. I wished I could just go home, but I knew I could never do that. Never had I done that all my life, and I wouldn't let my scrambled head make me miss class.

“You've got this,” I whispered to myself as I walked into the classroom, forcing myself to focus. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I already knew who it was before I checked.

Ava had been texting me since I dropped the bomb on her, and judging from the number of notifications lighting up my screen, she clearly wasn't planning on letting me escape the conversation.

I'll have to talk to her later, I thought as I slipped my phone back into my pocket and took my seat.

My second class was good, but I barely remembered what the teacher had taught by the time the bell rang. I packed my books slowly, watching the other students leave while Ava's messages continued popping up on my phone.

Ava: Where are you?

Don't think you're escaping this conversation.

Cafeteria. Now.

I smiled despite myself as I shoved my phone into my bag. Ava was going to interrogate me until I gave her something, and unfortunately for me, I don't know what to tell her.

I found her at our usual table near the windows, she immediately moved her bag from the empty seat beside her when she saw me.

“Sit down because I have questions,” she said, pointing at the chair while giving me the kind of look that told me she had been waiting for this moment since morning.

I dropped my bag beside my feet and sat down, trying to look more relaxed than I felt. “You make it sound like I'm on trial.”

“You announced that you are dating Ryan Walker in the middle of the hallway and then ran away,” she said, leaning closer across the table as her eyes narrowed at me. “So yes, you're absolutely on trial.”

I rubbed my forehead, already regretting every decision that had brought me here. “It wasn't exactly like that.”

“Then explain it,” Ava replied, crossing her arms while she waited, and I could tell from her expression that she wasn't going to let me change the subject.

I picked at the corner of my napkin because telling her the truth suddenly felt harder than I expected. “Ryan and I have been spending a lot of time together because of the festival, and somewhere along the way, things changed.”

Ava stared at me for several seconds, and the silence made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. “Things changed?”

I nodded, forcing myself to meet her eyes even though I knew she wasn't buying it. “I started seeing him differently.”

Her eyebrows rose as she leaned back in her chair. “Since when?”

“I don't know,” I admitted, lowering my voice as I twisted the napkin between my fingers. “It just happened.”

Ava studied me for another moment before reaching for her drink. “That is the worst explanation you've ever given me.”

I let out a small laugh because she wasn't wrong, and I glanced toward the cafeteria entrance before looking back at her. “I didn't know how else to explain it.”

“You could start by telling me whether you're happy,” she said, her teasing expression disappearing as she watched me carefully.

The question caught me off guard, and I looked down at the table because the answer wasn't as simple as I wanted it to be. “I think I am.”

Ava didn't smile immediately, but after a moment she nodded slowly. “Okay, then I trust you.”

Relief loosened something in my chest, and I reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “Thank you.”

She squeezed mine back before pulling away, but her eyes suddenly shifted past my shoulder. “Well, this is about to get annoying.”

I turned around and saw Olivia approaching our table with her lunch tray in one hand, and the look on her face made it obvious she hadn't come over to sit with us.

“Zoey, can I talk to you?” Olivia asked as she placed her tray on the edge of the table, her eyes moving briefly toward Ava before returning to me.

I straightened in my seat, already irritated by the interruption. “About what?”

Olivia folded her arms and looked around the cafeteria before lowering her voice. “About the way you've been carrying yourself lately.”

I frowned, confused by what she meant. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means you're an attention seeker, Zoey.” she replied, lifting her chin slightly as though she had been waiting for the day she'd say that to me. “And lately, it seems like you enjoy having everyone look at you.”

Ava's eyes widened as she slowly put her drink down. “Seriously?”

I held up a hand before she could continue, then looked directly at Olivia. “Olivia, if you have something to say, say it or leave me alone.”

Olivia's lips pressed together before she leaned closer. “You're my assistant, Zoey. I'm the President of the student council. You're not supposed to make everything look like it's your project.”

I felt heat rise into my face, but I kept my voice steady. “I'm doing the work I'm supposed to do.”

“You're doing more than that,” she said, her fingers tightening around the edge of her tray as she stared at me. “Every time something happens, you're the one people notice.”

Ava gave a short laugh beside me. “Maybe because she actually does something.”

Olivia shot her a look. “This doesn't concern you.”

“It concerns me when you're talking down to my best friend,” Ava replied, sitting back in her chair with her arms folded.

I glanced at Ava, then turned back to Olivia. “If you're worried about people noticing me, maybe you should ask yourself why.”

Her expression hardened.

Before she could answer, the cafeteria doors opened.

The noise inside the room dropped almost instantly, and I turned toward the entrance with everyone else.

Ryan stood there.

For a second, I couldn't understand why he was in our cafeteria, still wearing his Ridgeview jacket with his hands tucked casually into his pockets as dozens of Evergreen students stared at him.

Then his eyes found mine.

He smiled.

The entire cafeteria seemed to hold its breath as Ryan walked straight toward my table, and I could hear whispers starting around us before he even reached me.

“Ryan,” I whispered, staring at him as he stopped beside my chair.

He didn't answer.

Instead, he reached down and took my hand, his fingers closing around mine before I could even figure out what he was doing.

Then he leaned down and pressed a kiss against my cheek.

My eyes widened as the cafeteria erupted into shocked gasps around us, and Olivia's face went completely still.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't speak.

And judging by the look on Ryan's face, he knew exactly what he had just done.