Bobbing to the music softly playing from my portable speaker, I shuffle around the school's tiny dark room. Last period was my study hall time and I spent every last second of it printing some of the photos I took last night. Even when the bell for lunch rings, I can't seem to pull myself away from my work.

I'm in my own personal safe space and I'm not ready to give it up yet. This is where I go when I need to clear my mind and I haven't reached that goal yet. Not that I think I will any time soon. My head is too cluttered with images of Jackson and Andrea, those comments online, Sean stealing a car, and the look on his face this morning while I was talking to Jackson.

I could tell he wanted to talk. It was in his eyes. But I don't even know where to start with that subject. Do I get mad at him for doing something so stupid? Do I even have the right to be mad? I don't really know the answers to those questions but I can't seem to condemn him for his actions. I'm not sure why but I just can't.

Carefully hanging up each photo to dry, I make sure to look closely at the images. I know I took that picture of Sean and the guys with my digital camera but I want to make sure there's no glimpse of them in any of these shots. This might be my safe space but technically it's open to anyone. I'm just usually the only one who likes to still work with film from time to time.

As I pull out the last photo from its water bucket, my phone buzzes on the nearby counter. I clip the image with a close pin and wipe my wet hands on a towel before checking the text, almost positive it's either Tally or Elsie wondering where I'm at.

Sure enough, both their names appear in our group chat, bringing a smile to my face.

Tally: Mill, where are you?

Elsie: You better not be skipping lunch in the dark room.

Millie: Not skipping, just running late.

Tally: Well you might wanna hurry up. Someone's looking for you.

Millie: Please tell Jackson to fuck off. I don't wanna talk to him.

Elsie: Already did that but someone else is waiting. He won't leave until he talks to you.

Millie: Who?

Tally: ...Sean.

Shit.

Fast as lightning, I grab my messenger bag hanging on the back of the door and throw my stuff inside it. I give the room one last look, double-checking that all my prints are hung up and not just laying around before I rush out of the room.

I'm not sure why I'm so nervous or in a hurry. If I had to guess, I'd say Sean isn't waiting any longer to talk about what happened last night. But that should make him more anxious than me. I'm not the one who did anything wrong. Well...besides maybe lying to that guy in the park about what I saw.

Still, there's no reason for me to freak out. It's not like Sean is sitting at our lunch table right now, grilling the girls about something they don't even know about.

Yeah...what's the worst he could do?

Slowing my pace, I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart, trying not to notice the weird looks being thrown my way by the few remaining students in the hall. Those looks could be from my current panicked state or the rumors that have been floating around school all day. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it's both. Lord knows I've gotten plenty of those looks since the moment I walked through the front doors this morning.

I should get used to it though. If I manage to find a guy to help with my plan, I'm sure there will be even more looks and whispers following me around.

Keeping my eyes forward, I pretend I'm not bothered by any of it and head for the cafeteria. The noise from the chaotic lunch room reaches me before I get to the doors, making me take another calming breath before I go inside. Though once I'm inside, my nerves come rushing back like a tidal wave.

While most of the room doesn't notice my entrance, some do, like the large table against the back wall where all the jocks and cheerleaders sit. I quickly avert my eyes before they have a chance to meet Jackson's, already knowing that one of the looks burning into me right now is his. Instead, I find the table Elsie, Tally, and I usually sit at and instantly spot Sean. His tall, lean body is casually stretched out in a chair in between my two friends, talking with them as if it's completely normal for him to be there.

The sight makes my stomach flutter with nerves and a sense of comfort I shouldn't feel. If I hadn't pushed him away, there's a good chance that would be his usual spot. And seeing him in it now looks so...right.

Swallowing my anxiety, I keep my head high and force my feet across the room, once again ignoring any attention thrown my way. My eyes stay focussed on Sean until I'm standing directly behind him, his body freezing as if sensing my arrival.

Turning in his seat, Sean pushes midnight black strands out of his face, those equally dark eyes finding mine, and then...he smiles.

"Mills, hey."

My mouth drops just a fraction, stunned by the easy air surrounding Sean and the way he so casually greets me. For a second, I swear it's like I've been sent back in time to when we were glued at the hip. The only evidence that I haven't suddenly discovered a time machine is the fact Sean looks very much like his eighteen-year-old self and not the fifteen-year-old version I was friends with. No traces of baby fat on this face, just his sharp mature features, and eyes that don't shine as bright as they once did. But that smile...I swear that smile is straight from my memories.

"Earth to Millie," Elsie's voice breaks through my stupor. "You gonna say hi or just stand there and stare?"

"Right." I shake my head and blink my eyes a few times, forcing myself back to normal before I look at her and Tally. "Hey." I glance at Sean a little more slowly. "And...hey."

"Hey," he repeats, his smile widening more.

Elsie and Tally flash each other knowing grins across the table before getting up from their seats.

"We're gonna go to the restroom for a moment," Tally says as she and Elsie round the table.

My head jerks up. "What? No!"

Elsie leans close and whispers as they pass. "He was looking for you. He clearly wants to talk, so talk. We'll be back in a few minutes."

My beach ball-sized eyes watch as my two best friends walk through the crowd and out of the cafeteria, giggling among themselves.

Traitors.

A low squeak sounds as Sean softly kicks out the chair next to him and waves a hand at the empty seat. "Wanna sit?"

"Do I have a choice?"

His smile falters, but only a little. "Come on, Mills. I'm trying here."

A heavy sigh escapes me as I take the seat he offered. "Trying to do what? And why?" My eyes scan the room before I lean closer and whisper, "Is this about last night?"

His eyes widen, something dark flashing in those already inky black pools, but it quickly fades and he shakes his head. "No, this isn't about that."

"Then what's this about? Why come looking for me if not to tell me to keep my mouth shut?"

Chewing on his bottom lip, Sean looks at the table. After a couple of seconds, he slowly slides a tray of food toward me.

"You're giving me your lunch?" I ask, raising a suspicious brow.

I know the food's not Elsie's or Tally's. Their half-eaten trays are still sitting in front of their seats.

"No." Sean shakes his head and nudges the tray again. "I got it for you while I was waiting."

"Why?"

"To apologize for biting your head off yesterday morning." He finally lifts his eyes from the table and when they meet mine, all the air rushes out of my lungs.

It's like he's lowered his shield, leaving himself open to me for the first time in years. It's the kind of look that creates an ache in the center of my chest, a longing for all the time I've missed with him.

"You came and asked me for help and I practically shoved you out the door," he says softly. "I... I'm sorry."

"Who are you and what have you done with Sean?"

A genuine smile cracks across his face. "Really?"

Before I can think better of it, I push my luck and lean close enough to place the back of my hand across his forehead. "Do you have a fever then?"

"Nice one." Sean chuckles softly before pulling away from my hand, letting it drop back down to my lap. "I haven't been abducted by aliens and I'm not sick."

"That's debatable."

"I just wanna apologize. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes," I answer without hesitation.

I swear he flinches just a little as a grimace tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Okay, I deserve that."

The dejected look on his face stirs up my own sense of guilt. I shouldn't be giving him such a hard time when it's my fault we fell apart in the first place. Do I enjoy his normally icy attitude toward me? No, I'd rather walk barefoot across heated spikes. But I can't blame him for all of it either.

Shaking my head, I absentmindedly pick up a carrot from the tray and nibble on it. "You weren't wrong though. We haven't been friends for a long time. I had no right to ask you for anything."

"Maybe." He shrugs. "Maybe not. Either way, I still wanted to apologize... and since you helped me last night, maybe I could return the favor."

Suspicions swirls around in my gut. I don't exactly have a reason not to trust his words but my sense of trust has gotten pretty screwed up. Plus, I'm not used to this side of Sean. Not anymore.

Though deep down, even with the suspicion, there's a part of me that's dying with hope and excitement. I shouldn't, I should keep my guard up, but that's hard to do when it comes to him. Sean and I haven't talked this much in a long time yet the last few days have been...different. Between him looking for me after the party and now this, that makes two times he's sought me out on his own. I know I don't deserve to bask in this new change of events, but I can't help it. I never thought Sean would talk to me again after what I did.

Leaning back in my seat, I cross my arms and try to hide my enthusiasm. "What did you have in mind?"

The corners of his mouth tip up just enough to create a swarm of butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

With both elbows on the table, he places the side of his face in his hands and looks at me with that intense, penetrating gaze I'll never get used to. "I thought about what you said yesterday morning and...I wanna help."

My brows shoot up to kiss my hairline. "You're gonna help me find a..." Looking around, I lean closer to him and whisper, "find a fake boyfriend?"

"No."

My face drops like a hot potato, which only makes Sean smile.

"I'm gonna be your fake boyfriend," he whispers back.

I lean so far back in my seat that I nearly tip the damn thing over. "No way. Not happening."

"Why not?" Sean challenges with an amused lift of his brow.

"Because...no."

Nuh-uh. Not happening. No way in hell.

After years of feeling so far away, I'm so ready to have Sean back in my life but that...that's too close. It's too much too soon. I didn't spend years missing my best friend for nothing. There was a reason, multiple actually, but the one that comes to mind currently has my heart racing with fear.

"He'll never look at you the way you look at him."

The venom-laced words echo in my mind, forcing me to feel things I haven't allowed myself to in so long. It's those feelings that would make fake dating Sean nearly impossible. Not to mention, it could also put a target on my back if Miss Do-What-I-Say-Or-You'll-Pay decides to rear her ugly head.

But even if she isn't an issue, being that close to Sean sure as hell would be.

"No," I repeat, shaking my head. "As much as I'd like us to be friends again, what you said yesterday morning is still somewhat true. We haven't been friends in a long time but...you wanna do that? How do you know we could even tolerate each other that much after all these years?"

So I'm grasping at straws here, but I need to get him to realize this wouldn't work. By tomorrow, he could very well go back to hating me.

"It's insane," I add for emphasis.

He shrugs. "Or it's perfect."

"How?" My voice rises. "That makes no sense at all!"

Rolling his eyes, Sean sits up and scoots his seat back from the table. I'm almost hoping he's gonna get up and walk away, dropping this crazy idea for good. Instead, shocking me for the millionth time today, he stretches one of his long jean-covered legs towards me and hooks his foot around the leg of my chair. With one quick yank of his leg, my seat slides across the floor until it's seated directly against his. Only to make matters worse, Sean shifts around until he's facing my side and drapes a leg at both the front and back of my seat, locking me in.

Oh boy!

Invading my senses with his scent of fresh rain and musk, Sean leans closer until his chin is on my shoulder, his mouth practically at my ear.

"We make perfect sense," he whispers, sending a chill down my spine. "Think about it, Mill, we've been neighbors our whole lives. We know each other better than anyone. You want this to look real? What guy out there is gonna be more believable than me? What guy is gonna remember all the little things the way I do?"

A stupid question manages to slip past my dry lips. "What little things?"

Still hovering on my shoulder, Sean tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear and I swear I can feel his smile on my skin.

"Like the fact, you have to count the forty-seven glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling before falling asleep at night," he says, his breath dancing across my neck. "Or how you prefer to take pictures by moonlight instead of during the day. How about your favorite food? Is it still my mom's Korean barbecue chicken?"

"Sean," I whisper, hating how each fact he states makes my head spin.

"Your favorite color is cyan, your spirit animal is an owl, you get this adorable wrinkle in your nose when you're concentrating, and your favorite genres of music are alternative, indie pop, and k-pop. That last one is thanks to Jun's big sister who got you hooked when you were ten."

"Okay, okay," I nod. "So you know me really well. That doesn't mean this would work."

"There's also that little rumor floating around about the two of us leaving Saturday's party together. So like it or not, people are already saying we're a thing." To prove his point, he finally turns away from me to look out at the many sets of eyes I'm only just now realizing are watching us.

I guess I should've known scooting far away from Sean, getting loud, and then being dragged practically into his lap would garner some attention. But I've also been battling with the shock of Sean wanting to fake date so, it's not like I've been paying much attention to the rest of the cafeteria.

Though now, as I look around, the wide eyes and whispering behind hands is hard to miss. One girl even walks by with her tray of food, her eyes scanning Sean and me from head to toe before she nearly runs into another student and sacrifices her food to the floor.

Looking at the space, or lack thereof, between me and Sean, I'm starting to get what this looks like. Add him getting dangerously close as he whispers in my ear and all we're doing is confirming those rumors for the entire school.

"Y-you..." My mouth drops a second as my brows pinch together. "You did this on purpose!"

Smiling wider, he shrugs.

With blind anger, I get up from my seat and grab Sean by the collar of his leather jacket. He allows me to pull him to his feet and lead him through the cafeteria, past more shocked looks and louder whispers. I know there's no way in hell I'd be dragging him anywhere if he didn't want me to. Hell, I have to really stretch just to keep hold of his collar as he towers over me. But I'll be damned if we continue this conversation with so many prying eyes.

Once we reach the hall, I do a quick look around before finally letting go of his jacket and turning to face him. "What the fuck, Sean?"

"What?" he asks like he has no idea why I'm fuming right now.

"You did all of that on purpose! You made it look like we were getting...cozy, right there in front of everyone!"

A small laugh escapes his lips. "Yeah, and you dragging me out like that only made it look like I got you so turned on you had to have me right away."

"What?" I shout, my voice bouncing around the empty hallway. "No!"

"Oh, yeah." Sean nods and steps closer. "All those rumors are just gonna get worse now. People are gonna say I have you hooked."

"Bullshit." I step back, only to have him follow.

"Bullshit? Millie, I was all over you in there."

I step back again as he takes another one towards me.

"So? Wouldn't that make it look like I'm the one who has you hooked?"

One more back with another forward step from him.

"Exactly." Sean nods as my back hits a row of lockers. "We'll look hooked on each other. The perfect way to get things started for this relationship."

I gulp, swallowing down my nerves. "Fake relationship."

Stepping closer until there's barely an inch of space between us, Sean rests his hand on the locker next to my head and leans in. "So is that a yes?"

My mouth opens and shuts as I struggle to find the words.

On one hand, he has a point, and after that show in the cafeteria, it wouldn't be hard to convince people. But on the other hand...

My eyes flit between his dangerous gaze and his full lips, so close I can smell his fresh minty breath.

This is such a bad idea.

"What do you say, Millie?" Sean whispers in a husky voice that makes goosebumps spread down my arms.

Before I can say anything though, the sound of heels tapping against the linoleum floor echoes in the hall.

Quickly turning my head in the direction of the sound, I spot a girl I recognize from my English class and breathe a sigh of relief. She's always been friendly in that polite acquaintance kind of way. But still, she's nice.

Her red curls bounce with each clap of her heels and a ruby smile spreads across her slim face as she notices us. Sean doesn't bother moving, keeping me trapped between him and the lockers as if we're all alone. The sight only makes the girl smile wider.

"Oh my gosh, I heard about you two!" She says in an excited, bubbly voice. "Guess what everyone said is true."

"What is everyone saying?" I ask, already knowing a little from the few words I've managed to capture today. Still, I'm hoping it's not as bad as I'm thinking.

Maye if they're just a little bad, it won't be hard to find someone else for this plan.

"That you two are dating ever since you hooked up after the party this weekend." She stops, her smile falling a little while her eyes glisten with sympathy. "I mean, after that whole thing with Jackson. I'm so sorry about that. What a pig!"

Jerking my eyes away from her, I stare at Sean's black t-shirt, trying not to let the images from Saturday slither back into my head. "Yeah. Thanks."

"You bounce back good though," she adds, eating Sean up with her eyes as I spare her a quick glance. "Nice choice!"

Sean snorts back a laugh as I try to keep from rolling my eyes.

Continuing towards the cafeteria doors, the girl gives us one more look of kindness. "You two make such a cute couple."

And with that she's gone, leaving me alone with Sean once again.

The other part of this equation turns his full attention back on me, his gaze lighting up with triumph. "Told you."

Allowing my eye roll to break free, I lightly push him away. "Fine. We'll do it. But I swear to God, Sean, you better not make me regret this!"

"You won't." He shakes his head. "Promise."

Sucking in a much-needed deep breath, I nervously comb my fingers through my hair. "Come over to my place later and we'll hammer out the details."

"Details?"

"Yeah, details. Rules. Things like that."

"Okay." He nods and starts to back walk down the hall. "I'll catch you later then."

"Wait."

His shoes screech to a halt.

Lifting my head to lock eyes with him, hoping I'll find some kind of answer, I ask, "Is this really just because I helped you out last night?"

A knot forms in my stomach, hoping for some odd reason that there's more to the story.

Sean nods and says, "Yeah, but getting back at Andrea and Jackson sounds like fun too."

My throat tightens as I drop my head and nod.

"And helping a friend doesn't sound that bad either," he adds. 

With an annoying swarm of butterflies in my stomach, I look up and catch a gorgeous smile and a wink before Sean turns around, disappearing down the hall.

I'm in trouble.

Hey, loves! Thanks so much for checking out chapter 10 of GGB. I know it's taken us some time to finally get to the meat of things but the story and the drama(and the spice😉) should start picking up from here. Now on to the questions!

Were you surprised at Sean's approach to this conversation? Do you think it was a good thing or a bad thing to make such a scene in front of everyone? Was it entertaining at least? Was everything easy to picture? Who do you think Miss Do-What-I-Say-Or-You'll-Pay is? Are you starting to get an idea of why Millie ended their friendship? What kind of details and rules do you think they'll set? And what do you think will happen next?

Leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!

I normally post teasers for upcoming chapters on my Twitter and Instagram(I didn't get around to doing it this time, sorry!), so follow me there or here on Wattpad for any announcements. I'll do my best to have a teaser up before the release of chapter 11.

💜 xoxo