Faking Us ✔️

seven

Luca
~

I shove Anderson by the arm, making him almost fall out of his desk.

"Seriously?"

Cassie giggles before turning around and walking out of the classroom. It's been so long since I've heard her laugh, and today it felt like the world stopped for only a moment—letting me hear the beautiful sound escape from her mouth.

I didn't want it to end.

The minute I step into the hallway I see Cassie walking through the crowd, meeting Marcus and a group of jocks beside the lockers. I notice how uncomfortable she was standing beside him as he throws his arm around her, but she brushes it off.

"Doesn't look good." Anderson says.

I don't respond back to him. I remain frozen as I watch the way she tries to brush him off, only making him furious by the second.

"What's your problem?" he yells, making the hall go quiet.

She looks down at her feet in embarrassment, while the others watch them in curiosity. "I'm not doing this right now Marcus."

He shakes his head, lowering his voice directly to her. "Why are you being so weird with me? You've been acting like this a lot toward me lately."

She looks up at him clueless. Her cheeks slightly turn red. "I haven't been acting like anything. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Stay out of it, Luca." Anderson warns; he can tell the tension I have running through my entire body. Maybe it's the way I clenched my jaw and gripped the backpack tighter against my shoulder.

Marcus notices me in the corner of his eye. He takes a deep breath, making his chest rise and fall with rage. "Is it him?"

Cassie turns around and looks at me then back at him. "What? No, it has nothing to do with him." I see pure jealousy plastered across his face. Without thinking twice, he marches toward me and stops once he gets nose to nose.

"There a problem, loser?"

Yeah, when it comes to you everything is a damn problem.

I roll my eyes and adjust my backpack again. "No problem with me."

Cassie runs beside him to cool him down. I look at her for a brief moment seeing worry fill her eyes. She shouldn't have to always worry about him. I want to pin him up against the wall right now. In front of everyone. Just because of how he is making her feel.

"Leave him out of it," she says sternly.

He raises a brow, clenching his fist against his side. "Why? Something going on between you two?"

"What?" Cassie and I shout in unison.

By this point, students have gathered around us, in hopes something crazy is fixing to happen. Some of them whip out their phones. I wish people would just mind their own business. This is why I hate social media. A fight starts and people say quick, hurry... record them.

"I see the way you look at her," he shouts. "She is mine. How many times do I have to tell you?"

He grabs me by the collar of my shirt, almost pinching my neck with his calloused hands until Cassie steps in between us and stands on the tips of her toes. Letting herself get face to face with him. I focus on my breathing as his fingers dig into my skin, but he lets go of me slowly when he sees the look at her face.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" She presses her finger into his chest. Marcus takes a step back away from her when she nearly pushes him over.

"Tell me what, Cassie?" He's breathing hard now. Harder than I was a few seconds ago when he was almost cutting off my oxygen.
The hallway goes quiet as we all wait for her to speak. I realized this is much harder for her to admit, but she eventually yells at the top of her lungs—

"I AM NOT YOURS!" she pauses, eyeing him with frustration. Everyone's expression is the same. Impressed. "YOU DON'T OWN ME MARCUS CANE!"

He blinks at her with a puzzled look before opening his mouth to say something, but instead Cassie pushes past through him and the crowd, with no glancing back. Marcus takes a second to register what just happened. I can see the embarrassment written all over his face as some of the students gasp the minute she marches away from him.

"What the fuck ever," He slams his fist into the locker across from him. "I don't need you anyways, never have."

His pride slowly slipped away that day. You can see everything drain from his body. He was nothing without her and yet, he thought he didn't need her.

It was so hard for me to not run after Cassie to make sure she was okay, but it was even harder to not beat the shit out of Marcus when I had the chance.

"You don't realize how good you have it, do you?"

Anderson swats my arm, but I barely flinch.
Marcus looks up at me after leaning his back against the lockers. "Luca," he draws in a tight breath. "I don't have time for you right now."

Cole crosses his arms against his chest. "Shouldn't you be studying or something?"

I cock my head at him. "Because studying is a bad thing?" Of course he would chime in and defend his hero, Marcus.

"It is when you're a nerd-

"Save it," Marcus presses into his chest before stepping away from his locker. "I just need a drink right now."

They both head towards the hallway and I look down at my phone to check the time. It's not even lunch yet and he needs vodka?

Jesus.

"Come on," Anderson elbows me. "The look on your face tells me you're ready to punch something."

"Well, since you're right in front of me.."

He shakes his head. "And here I thought we were friends."

• • •

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