CHAPTER THREE;
TERMS OF AGREEMENT.

the faux couple entered the diner together, not surprised to find it to already have a few teenagers sipping on their after school milkshakes. el looked up to mike who was nodding in the direction of some guys she assumed he knew, and then began to lead them to the secluded booth near the restrooms.

they took their seats opposite to each other. "okay, we need to establish some ground rules," el states, clasping her hands together on the table.

mike squints his eyes, "why can't you just let things happen? why does there have to be rules?"

"um, to avoid any misunderstandings," she replies in a 'duh' tone.

the curly-headed boy smirks before leaning closer. "oh, i see. you're afraid you're going to fall in love with me, aren't you?"

she scoffs. "please, i'd rather stick a knife in the toaster."

he chuckles, mercilessly. "maybe you should set some rules. after all, i don't want you to end with getting your heart broken." she huffs, more than annoyed by his boyish arrogance.

"first, i think we need to figure out what we're going to tell will. there's no way he hasn't heard about us kissing in the hall by now, and i don't want him to think we're hiding something from him, so i think i should tell him what's really going on tonight -"

mike's eyes bulge at her proposal, "what? are you serious? the only thing that would piss him off more than me dating his sister is me pretending to date his sister to get my girlfriend back." he did have a point. "you can't tell him!"

her hazel orbs narrow. "you really think he's going to think we started dating right after we both got out of serious relationships even though we've hardly spoken to each other since sixth grade?" he shrugs and she shakes her head. "the rest of our school might be falling for it, but he's my brother and your best friend. he knows us better than that."

he throws his head back in frustration causing his curls on his head to bounce slightly. "then what are we supposed to say? we can't tell him it's fake, he'd never speak to me again!"

"well, what exactly do you think he's going to do when we break up? obviously it's going to affect your friendship," she points out as she relocated the red scrunchie from her wrist to her hair.

"i just assumed we'd tell him things didn't work out, and it was mutual," he mused as if it was obvious.

"you'd still be my ex. and no matter how good of terms we end this, " she quickly gestured between them both, "on, he'd still think of you differently." it's quiet for a moment as mike appears to be rethinking this whole thing.

seeming to come to a decision, he sits up straighter. "okay, we need to get a story straight, like how you and i came to be. one that he's going to believe. as for how he takes the break up, we'll just let it play out, i guess," he dismisses.

her gaze drifts up, trying to devise some sort of scenario. "we could say you comforted me at school when you heard the rumors. you found me crying and then you said if i needed someone to talk to that i could call you -"

he snaps his fingers before pointing at her, "yes! and then, we could say i snuck in your room last night after the break up with brooke, and we talked and clicked."

she nods, "yes, that's perfect!"

he smirks, "i know, i am, babe." her eyes meet his at the sound of the name, knowing he used it just to surprise her.

"next rule, don't call me babe."

he chuckles. "fine, then what am i supposed to call you? sweetheart?" his voice particularly mocking on 'sweetheart.'

"um, how about el? my name," she muses, earning probably the hundredth sigh from him.

"see, this is why people think you're boring."

offended, she responds, "people don't think i'm boring!"

"well, i've always thought you were boring," he states just before the waitress approaches. he turns to her with a sly smile, "strawberry and chocolate shake, please." she doesn't even bother writing down the simple order before walking back behind the counter with a polite smile.

"how'd you know i want a strawberry milkshake?" she quips.

"like i said earlier, i'm observant," wink. he leans back in the booth, resting his lengthy arms on the ledge. "got any more rules, sweetheart?"

"just one, actually." his brows furrow at her suddenly meek tone, and he subconsciously leans closer. "when you and brooke do get back together," she stacks her thumbs, almost nervously, "could you maybe wait just a little while after we break up? like a week?"

"uh, i guess? but why?"

she bites her lip, rubbing the sides of her legs anxiously. "i just don't want to be the girl who's boyfriend left her for someone else twice in one school year," she explains with a light giggle, trying not to let her shame show through.

michael frowns, realizing that when they do break up, she would in fact have lost another boyfriend to another girl. to be honest, he felt sort of bad for her, especially since he was kind of going through the same thing with brooke.

he nods. "i'll wait two weeks."

el smiles to him graciously before glancing down, feeling awkward. just in time, the waitress comes back with their shakes.

the 'couple' sip their creamy drinks before el remembers, "wait, do you have any rules? like, of your own?"

"come to think of it, yes. i have a few," he informs mischievously.

"a few?"

"mhm," he hums, swallowing a sip of his milkshake. "first, you have to go to parties with me." he sees her try to interrupt (most likely to deny his rule), and continues, "second, your parents can't know. the last thing i need is the sheriff and my best friend's mom hating me when we break up." she nods, seeing his logic. "and last, you have to tell people i'm better in bed than harrington."

"over my dead and rotting body," she remarks immediately with her doe eyes wide. "besides, i didn't even sleep with him, and i have no intention of making people think i slept with you."

now, his eyes had gone wide, "whoa, whoa, whoa, you guys never slept together?" she crosses her arms, a way of guarding herself, and shakes her head no. "oh, i just assumed. weren't you guys together for like six months?"

"eight."

he makes an attempt to hide his surprise, but she notices anyway. he tries to fix it, "hey, it's no big deal. it's just sex. some people do it, some don't. personally, i don't think sex -"

"oh my god, mike, shut up! you are making an uncomfortable situation so much worse. so, can we please just drop it?" she huffs, shifting in her booth. he vehemently nods, praying for a change of subject.

"so, i guess my new last rule would be you have to make me a grilled cheese whenever i ask."

she arches her left brow, "seriously? that's it?"

"seriously."

she laughs, "alright? so, now that we have our the rules decided, all you have to do is follow them."

"if there's one thing i do, it's follow rules," he lies with a shit-eating grin on his plump lips.

dismissing his sarcasm, she reaches a hand across the table, "you agree to the terms?"

his dark brown eyes roll, but he takes her hand and shakes. "yes, fine. i agree."

their hands pull apart, and the pair of teenagers return to their milkshakes, sharing small talk that mostly consisted of eye rolls and groans of frustration.

a match made in heaven, if you ask me.

/ / /

el absolutely dreaded going home.

she knew when she got there, will would be waiting for her to tell him that she hadn't made out with his best friend after lunch and that it was only a rumor spread by someone with a very farfetched imagination.

but it's only the truth, and the only liars here are her and mike.

she reluctantly opened the front door to her house, bracing herself. "i'm home!" she called out, mostly to joyce because she knows her dad was likely still at the station. he worked late on tuesdays.

to her nonexistent luck, she glanced up the stairs to find her step-brother sitting at the top with a face of distress. "el, i need to tell you something, and i need you to promise me you won't freak out, okay?"

oh, this was not what she was expecting. "okay?" she echos, setting her bag down by the door where it stayed unless she had homework.

"i don't know who exactly, but someone's telling people you made out with mike - my friend, mike - today at school. i think it might have been shelly, but i-"

she gulped before bluntly confessing to her crime, "i did."

his dark brows furrow and he hops to his feet before meeting her down at the final carpeted stair. "what?"

el inhaled deeply, afraid of the words that would drip from her lips in the midst of her lie. "we're dating."

yeah, way to set the scene, el.

"again, what?" he repeats, almost looking amused. "you're joking," he shoved her with a chuckle. "as if i'd fall for that, get real."

with her round eyes she stares up to him, "i'm not kidding, will, and please don't be angry with us."

will's head tilts his head, slowly beginning to think she might actually be serious. "please tell me you're messing with me."

she looks down and shakes her head causing her droopy ponytail to sway. "it just sort of happened, we clicked." she was surprised at how convincing she sounded.

"you clicked?"

"mhm, yeah. we talked last night, and -"

choking on the air, he cuts her off, "last night? i'm sorry, but when did you two talk last night?

eleanor begins to slowly step towards the stairs, trying to escape the out in the open scene in case joyce were to be close. "he snuck into my room last night to see if i was okay after yesterday happened with all the rumors."

"why would he care? you two aren't even friends," he reminds, following her up the stairs.

she nods, "yes, but yesterday he found me in the library crying. i told him about the whole thing with troy, and he wanted to check in - make sure i was okay, i guess."

"alright, but that still doesn't explain how you two were kissing," the final word rolls off his tongue in a tone of disgust.

"will, stop! i don't know, it just happened." she inhaled deeply before lying, "i really like him."

she could see the discomfort on his features. "why does god hate me?" he lowly murmurs, turning away from el.

"wait!" he stops, "you have to promise me that you won't tell mom and dad."

"why?"

shit. she hadn't thought of a reason to tell him for him to keep it from their loving yet nosy parents. "because if they know we're dating it'll just make things weirder for everyone, including you." she was proud of herself.

he licks his lips, "okay, fine. i won't tell them, but don't think for a second i'm condoning the two of you!" she nods, graciously. she ignored whatever profanity he muttered beneath his breath, not wanting to push her luck.

all this lying for a loveless relationship.

the siblings part ways, both entering their bedrooms until it was time for dinner.

el sighed, throwing herself on her unmade bed that even had some clothes on it from when she was choosing what to wear this morning.

she thoughtlessly tossed the clothes onto the floor, and rubbed her eyes. flipping onto her stomach, she reached a hand underneath the side of her mattress to grasp the red book that was poking out slightly.

her beloved journal, filled with her deepest desires and darkest secrets.

she picked up on the page she'd left off on, and began to tell her little, red book about the deal she'd made with a freckle-faced devil.

...

a/n: oops this was sort of shorter than usual, IM SORRY OK. thanks for reading u thotties !! xx

word count: 2086