Faking Us ✔️

twenty three

Luca
~

Prom is a week from today.
That's another thing to add to my never-done list. As I grab my keys off the kitchen counter to leave and walk outside, my grandma calls my name from the front door.

"Luca, you forgot your breakfast dear."

I sigh before closing the door to my truck, instead, I throw my backpack in the bed and walk back toward the house.

"Sorry, I'm late for school."

"Still can't sleep?" She eyes me suspiciously as she hands me the paper bag filled with an apple and cinnamon toast. I shake my head. "I know what you're going to say—but I really need to get going."

She nods and tells me goodbye with a quick peck on the forehead. "Love you."

Things at school have been weird lately.

Seeing Marcus talk to me like a normal person is still really strange. It's been a week since he apologized. He will hang out with Anderson and I, meet up at our track meets and talk about what college he is going to attend. I find myself speaking more to him than I do Anderson.

"There's no way you made a thirty-five on your ACT. The normal average score is a twenty-one!" Marcus exclaims as we walk outside to the parking lot.

"I really wasn't expecting it, what did you make?"

"A twenty-two."

"That's not too bad."

He laughs. "Not too bad?"

"What about you Andy?" I mumble as I throw my backpack into the bed of my truck.

He studies me for a moment before answering. "A nineteen."

Marcus laughs and I elbow him as he tells us goodbye.

When he walks away Anderson speaks. "What's gotten into you?"

I look at him cluelessly. "What do you mean?"

"Andy?" he frowns. "You never call me that, only because he does you decide to do it too."

I shake my head. "That is not true."

"Whatever." He walks off before I can say another word.

"Wait," I yell after him. "I'm not the one who hasn't said much to me in a week." He throws his bag into his truck with an aggravated look.

"That's because I'm either busy with my mom or you have your head so far up Marcus' ass that you basically have shit on your nose."

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding," he shouts even louder, making a few students stop to eavesdrop. I've never seen him so angry before.

"What's going on?" Cassie runs up to us in panic.

"We thought your ex-boyfriend was the biggest dick but looks like your new one replaced him."

I clench my jaw. "Screw you, Anderson."

"What happened with Andy?"

I bite the inside of my lip to keep from saying the wrong thing. I've never fought with my best friend before, and I'd hate it if I lost him forever. Cassie pulls me away from him and brings me toward my truck.

"What the hell was that?"

I shrug before climbing inside with her following shortly after.

"I honestly have no idea."

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Cassie has another football game that I promised I would go to, even though I hated the last one, this will be a little different. I won't be so annoyed, hoping that Marcus breaks his leg or something. I sat in the bleachers alone this time as her parents couldn't attend. Something about another doctor's appointment that happens to be out of town. Guilty me thinks of Anderson and how I wish things went a little differently.

How could he think I'm turning into Marcus? All because I called him a nickname that he would always say?

The game lasts about three hours. Cassie and her cheer squad did a few stunts and danced at halftime while the football team kicked ass and won the game making the stadium cheer in victory. Before I take a step off the bleachers to meet Cassie by the gates, I hear a familiar voice call out to me.

It was the blonde amigos again.
Great.

"Not you again." I groan before rolling my eyes.

"Marcus might have been fooled but I'm not," Sara says through gritted teeth.

I stare up at the sky with a deep breath. I really don't have time for this right now. "What are you talking about?"

A minute later Cassie joins us, and I throw my arm around her. Her vanilla scent hits me like a truck. "Problem?"

"You do know that the whole school doesn't believe this?"

"Believe what?" I ask, keeping my mouth in a hard line.

"This," she points to me and then back to Cassie. "There's just no way."

Cassie shrugs. "Oh well."

We start to walk off until she calls out from behind us. "Unless..."

I turn around slowly. "Unless what?"

She crosses her arms sinisterly. "You prove it."

Cassie glances up at me with a huge smirk on her face and whispers, "This shall be fun."

Before I know it, she grabs the back of my neck, brings me down to meet her level and plants her soft lips against mine.
I can barely hear the blonde amigos argue about what just happened. I think I heard one say seriously while the other said ugh or maybe they said fuck? Either way, I wasn't paying attention.

My arms suddenly brushed against her back and cupped her closer to me, pressing our lips harder together. Her lips have always begged to be kissed and now I'm finally kissing her. Whether this is fake and to just get a rise out of them I don't care at this point. It's the fact that she kissed me and the little sounds she was making into my mouth was enough for me to forget everything.

What was my name again?

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