Fake It 'Til You Break It

by Meagan Brandy

  My dad continues, “We were just discussing formal next week, and the possibility of Alex being Demi’s date.”

  Anger pulls at my every muscle, and my eyes fly to her.

  She slowly shakes her head, looking from my dad to me. “That’s not—”

  She cuts off when her mom grips her by the arm.

  Demi pulls her foot back the half a step forward she had started to take.

  “Oh, honey, don’t be silly.” Her mother tugs her closer, an undertone to her words that can only be interpreted as a warning.

  My pulse spikes, but I force myself to stay put, keep fucking calm because the last thing I’m about to do is give anyone in this room the satisfaction of witnessing my anxiety.

  Demi, though, she surprises me when she tugs free from her mom and steps away. Despite how pissed off and confused she is right now, my baby attempts to clear the air. “I’m not sure what my mom told you, Mr. Sykes, but I think there’s been some confusion.”

  “Are you not dating my son?” He cocks his head to the side mockingly.

  “Yes. Your son, not your stepson.” She cuts a quick glance my way, uncertainty in her eyes but confidence in her words. “I’m with Nico.”

  My dad isn’t deterred. “Is Nikoli taking you to the dance, Demi?” he asks her.

  She hesitates, her eyes snapping toward mine.

  Is that not an obvious answer?

  She keeps her focus on me as he adds, “Has he so much as mentioned it, let alone asked you himself?”

  Doubt creeps over her and my throat begins to itch.

  I glance across the room, from my dad’s silent, porcelain wife to Demi’s carbon copy mother. From Alex to my dad, my eyes settling on Demi last.

  “Nico and I are going together.” Her answer is straightforward, but it kills me to hear it.

  She had to be careful with her words, not let on that, no, I haven’t mentioned it, and no we haven’t spoken of it at all.

  I know what she’s thinking.

  Am I really going to stand here and not say a word? Not confirm I’m hers and she’s mine, allow Alex to think she’s free game when she’s anything but.

  Why the fuck am I playing statue?

  Why haven’t I grabbed her and drug her from this toxic place already?

  Maybe I want to test her when I have no right to, maybe the pressure of being in my dad’s house with his new wife and chosen son is too much, or perhaps it’s that her mother so quickly disregarded my being what her daughter wants when she realized Alex fucking Hammons, my unclaimed, bitch of a stepbrother wanted her, too.

  Whatever the reason, I say nothing at all, forcing an emotionless expression when all I really want to do is fall at her feet and erase the hurt in her eyes.

  Alex, though, he opens his mouth.

  “You know, I was surprised when I found out you two were hanging out.” Alex smirks and pushes to stand.

  The fucker dares walk closer to her with me standing right here.

  He’s baiting her and damn if she doesn’t fall for it, unable to hold back in asking, “Why is that?”

  “It’s just, everyone knows Nico to be a bit of a hothead, so it was interesting he didn’t tear into me when I told him, and most of the guys on the team, I was planning on asking you out.”

  Demi’s eyes fly to mine and narrow before she slowly moves them back to Alex. “That is interesting. When was this... exactly?”

  My stomach muscles tighten and I grow light-headed.

  Fuck.

  This is not how I wanted this to happen.

  “After our Thursday night game,” Alex tells her, sliding his hands in his pocket like the prick, preppy boy he is. “You know, the night Nico gave you a ride home, and I called to ask if I could come by?”

  Instead of focusing on what he wants her to, she asks, “How did you know Nico gave me a ride?”

  His pretty boy smile slips, but only for a second before he realizes and puts it right back in place. He lifts his hands. “You caught me. I saw you get in his truck, got worried I’d miss my shot and called you.”

  I fucking knew it.

  That’s the one and only reason he called her that night. To take her attention from where it could have possibly been, on me.

  “Wait... the Thursday game...” Demi trails off, shaking her head.

  Tension wraps around my body, making it harder to breathe.

  Alex has no problem clearing it up for her.

  “Yeah, the week before Krista’s birthday weekend, before you and Nico got together?” He chuckles, but the malice within it is easy to find. “I should’ve made it by that night, and maybe asked you then, huh?”

  Demi’s eyes fall to the hardwood, and she rubs her lips together anxiously, before lifting her stare to mine. “Yeah... maybe.”

  Anger builds in the pit of my stomach, my eyes twitching and unable to meet hers while desperately wanting to.

  I fucked up.

  “Competition between siblings, it’s quite healthy,” my dad says loudly. “I bet had you known of Alex’s intentions in advance, Demi, you would have made a wiser choice, am I correct?”

  I keep my head straight, but cut my eyes to her, my pulse beating like crazy while my skin starts to crawl. I need to get out of here before I’m gutted, fucking torn apart from the inside out, for all these assholes to see.

  Demi’s smile is tight, and I prepare myself for the sickening gleam that will fill my father’s eyes when the son he’s chosen is chosen or agreed upon by her, be it in anger or in truth.

  It doesn’t matter, it’ll sting the same.

  She opens her mouth, my chest tightening more and more by the second, but then she clamps it shut.

  Demi shakes her head, anger clouded by fresh tears, transforming my favorite shade of green into a murky mess it slays me to see.

  She moves her focus to my dad, pity leaking into every word spoken. “I’m not even sure how to respond to such a foul question, Mr. Sykes.” She’s quiet but resilient. “Your obvious and ill-placed insult of your own son makes me sick, and I’m positive the answer isn’t one you want to hear anyway.”

  Her mother gasps while my heart threatens to tear from my chest.

  Demi turns to Alex next. “I’m not going to formal or anywhere else with you. The fact that you so easily disregarded how you already have a date to formal who, I’m sure, is excited to go, speaks to how shitty of a person you are.”

  “Demi!” her mom shrieks.

  Demi rolls her eyes and looks to her mom. “And, seriously, Mom. Will you ever stop?”

  “Demi!” she hisses.

  Demi isn’t discouraged. “Quit trying to use me to set yourself up. Be happy for me and what I want or back the hell off,” she snaps.

  Demi spins, pins me with a heavy glower that warns me not to follow and storms out.

  I’m stuck until the door slams with her exit, and then I fucking chase her.

  I catch her rushing down the driveway.

  “Demi,” I call, but she hustles even more. “Baby, wait!”

  Suddenly she halts, a little growl leaving her as she spins and stalks toward me. Eyes heated and ready to fight. “I cannot believe you pulled this shit!” She shoves me, but I don’t budge. “You knew he was planning to ask me out before you suggested we pretend to be together!”

  “Yeah. I did,” I say unapologetically, and fear gets the best of me. “What, you mad? Now you know he wanted you all on his own, you ready to say fuck it and run to him?”

  “Did it look like that’s what I was ready for?!” she shouts, throwing her arms out. “I was the only one speaking for us in there, or should I say the us I thought we were.”

  “What the fuck does that mean? All the shit that was said between us goes out the fuckin’ window now that all you originally wanted got dropped in your lap?!”

  “Don’t.” A quick breath hisses past her mouth.

  I know my words aren’t fair, but this is what I’ve feared, her walking away fr
om me.

  “Don’t you dare try to turn this on me. You played me this entire time.”

  My head tugs back, shock sending a zing down my spine. “What? No! Fuck no!”

  “Yeah, Nico, you did.” She nods. “Maybe something changed along the way, or maybe everything you’ve said and we’ve done was a part of the lie, but from the first fucking day, this was about using me to get to him. Admit it.”

  What the fuck?!

  I’m shaking I’m so... I don’t even know what, but everything hurts worse when Nico shouts his denial.

  “That is not what this was.” He glares, daring to show a hint of anger he has no right to give. “Not even fucking close.”

  A humorous laugh leaves me, and I cup my face with my hands, shielding myself a moment before pinning him with a hard look when I’m feeling anything but tough right now.

  “Your dad, Josie, Sandra...” I trail off as a thought hits, my mouth falling open as his grows tighter. “Oh my god.”

  “Demi. Don’t.”

  “Miranda. He fucked her, too, didn’t he? That’s why you two stopped hooking up over the summer, isn’t it?”

  He licks his lips, looking off.

  I scoff, but it comes out as more of a cry. “Of course. Of course! You would have fucked her again, wouldn’t you? If only she didn’t let Alex stick his dick in her after you, right? It wasn’t about me or us or anything else you led me to believe.”

  “You’re wrong,” he argues weakly, but can hardly meet my eyes.

  “Ugh. This must have been so fun for an asshole like you.” I shake my head. “What, did you look at me and say poor, pathetic, boyfriendless Demi, bet she’s naïve enough to fall for my bullshit?” His features grow stiffer. “You said you had something to gain from this, now I know what it truly was – convince me to pretend date you to weasel your way in, and then make it feel so natural, so easy, that I forget the lines between us and believe the lie. All this so you could finally say you screwed him like he has you, and fuck the collateral damage along the way, right?” My brows lift. “Literally, in our case.”

  Nico’s spine shoots straight, his jaw clenching. “You don’t even know what you’re saying. How fucking backward you have it.”

  “Whatever.” I sniff, looking away, suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. “You didn’t have to take it this far.” I shake my head. “You could have walked away before we got here. Unless this was your plan, fake it ‘til you break it.”

  “Nothing is fucking broken!”

  “I am!” I scream, my voice cracking and making a bigger joke out of me.

  Suddenly, Nico is in my face, gripping mine and holding it up to his, and a strong sense of desperation flows from him to me.

  “You should have told me,” I whisper, my hands coming up to clasp around his wrists. “You didn’t have to break me to win.”

  “Don’t you get it?” he hisses, but the bitterness in his tone does nothing to hide the anxiety in his eyes.

  It only confuses me more.

  “Why I stayed away from you all this time when you know now how long I’ve wanted you? Why I went about it the fucked-up way I did?” He stresses his question. “I had to trick you into seeing me, Demi, when all I saw was you.”

  “All you had to do was show me who you were, Nico. No games, no pretext. I’d have fallen either way.” I’m certain of this.

  “You’re not getting it...” He trails off. “It never would have worked.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yes, I do. I can’t have what I want, Demi. He takes everything.”

  “Am I nothing then?” My question is instant, but my voice faint.

  His face contorts, his eyes flying between mine. Nico’s words leave him on a strangled breath. “What are you talkin’ about, baby?”

  I swallow, slowly pulling away from his hold and his hands fall to his side as I walk backward into the street.

  “You said Alex takes everything from you, but he didn’t take me, Nico,” I whisper, a defeated shrug leaving me. “You just stood there, quiet, ready to give me right to him, like nothing.”

  I turn and walk away.

  There’s no doubt in my mind he’s standing there, following my every step taken, but I don’t dare look.

  Once I’m around the corner and out of sight, I allow my shoulders to fall and text Krista to see if she’s home since she’s the closest house to this one, and she texts back instantly, letting me know the girls are over, so I head straight there.

  Never in a million years did I think my day would end like this.

  When my mom told me Ms. Hammons called and asked us over for dinner, I was shocked and confused.

  I had no clue what to expect or why the sudden invitation was extended since I had no knowledge of Alex’s mom and mine ever conversing outside of social events. I tried to refuse out of respect for Nico, I knew he wouldn’t like it, but she was persistent and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  I planned to tell him at school since he wasn’t answering calls, but then he no-showed again, and there was no way I was going to text him something like that.

  The last thing I expected was to walk into Alex Hammons’ house and find my boyfriend’s dad standing there with a fake smile and condescending demeanor.

  I would have turned and walked right out if I wasn’t so shocked. I don’t remember speaking a word until Nico’s voice rang through my ears, simultaneously soothing and irritating everything inside me.

  It takes me a solid hour to get to Krista’s on foot, and I don’t even get a chance to knock before Carley is whipping the door open and tugging me inside.

  Her eyes travel over me with sheer concern.

  Krista and Macy come around the corner right then, both rushing over.

  “What happened?” Macy tilts her head.

  Krista grips my hand and pulls me toward the couch to sit, and the other two drop onto the coffee table in front of me.

  My makeup must be all over my face at this point.

  I went from being angry to downright sad and back again at least twenty times on the walk here.

  I fall against the cushions. Closing my eyes.

  “It was all fake,” I admit to them for the first time.

  “What was fake?” Carley asks.

  “Demi wait—” Krista starts, but I interrupt.

  “Me and Nico.” Tears form behind my eyelids, so I don’t open my eyes right away, hoping they’ll disappear.

  But when a familiar throat clears, they fly open, but I don’t bother sitting up.

  The tears spill over, running down my cheeks as I look to him.

  “Awesome,” I whisper.

  “I was trying to tell you,” Krista says quietly.

  Trent looks down and I manage an eye roll, but when I blink, it only makes more tears fall and I look to my lap.

  There is no doubt in my mind Trent knew about Alex and never said a word.

  Not that I’d expect him to give up his best friend, but I knew it was fake. He knew I knew it was fake. I just needed the heads up not to get too close.

  I should have known this on my own.

  He’s Nico Sykes, the star receiver, insatiable playboy, and mine?

  Yeah, okay, Demi.

  “She needs us right now.” Krista gets up and directs him toward the front door. “I’ll call you later,” she tells him before shutting it behind him and moving back beside me.

  “You two are okay?” I ask her.

  She gives a small smile, nodding. “Yeah, we are, but this is about you. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I kick off my wedges, pulling my feet onto the cushion.

  “Tell us what’s going on.” Carley leans forward.

  I lick my lips and get right to it. “Nico and I, we weren’t really dating... it was all for show.”

  “Whoa, hold on.” Macy lifts her hands. “What do you mean? Like you pretended to be together?”

  “Exactly.”

  �
��Why would you do that?” She shakes her head.

  “Macy,” Krista hisses.

  “What?” she snaps back. “I’m just trying to understand.”

  “Well—”

  “Krista, it’s fine,” I say, looking to Carley and then Macy. “Nico realized I had a thing for Alex, told me Alex was only interested in girls who were taken, and then suggested he and I pretend we were dating.”

  Their eyes shoot wide.

  “He said he had something to gain from it, too, but I didn’t really care what it was, so I went along with it.” I clear my throat. “Little did I know then, it was about so much more.” I look across to the girls.

  “What was it about?” Carley asks.

  “Alex.”

  Confusion covers all three of their faces.

  “The night of the Thursday game, in the locker room, I guess the team was talking about formal, who they wanted to ask, who they already asked.”

  “No...” Carley trails off.

  I nod. “Alex told the team he was going to ask me.”

  “That’s the day before they both came to school with black eyes, right?” Carley remembers.

  “I forgot about that...” I trail off.

  What does that mean?

  Does it even matter?

  “Wait, that was also before Krista’s party.” Macy frowns. “He knew Alex wanted to ask you out before you two started pretending?”

  “Yep, he played me.” I look to Krista. “You were right to question him when you told us Josie cheated on him with Alex. Nico knew all about my being interested in Alex.”

  “Jesus,” she whispers, pity in her eyes.

  I nod. “And remember how I said Nico told me Alex was talking to Sandra? Well, I never said anything to you guys, but Nico and Sandra were hooking up the first few weeks of school, so when Alex was after Sandra, she was already sleeping with Nico.”

  “So Alex fucked Josie while her and Nic were still together, then Alex goes and fucks Sandra while she and Nico are hooking up?”

  “And not only them two.” I frown. “Same thing happened with Miranda.”

  “What?!”

  “Holy shit!”

  “I knew she was fucking students!”

  They all fire off at the same time.

  “It gets worse.”

  They sit, wide-eyed and wait for more.