Last night feels like a bad dream. A shocking, painful, and humiliating bad dream. Well... mostly bad anyway.

As soon as I got in the house, I went straight to my room and crawled into bed. Cookie wasn't far behind, cuddling beside me as if he knew something was wrong. And while I slept, I had a dream of near-black eyes and soft whispers and softer caresses as I was pressed against a wall with nothing to help my sight other than a blue glow from a nearby pool. Of course, in my dream things went much further and felt almost as real as what actually happened at the party.

But after an hour of being awake, having woken up at four in the morning, my mind has had time to process and separate the real from the dream. And with that, even the painful memories are back. Images of Jackson with Andrea's legs wrapped around him invade my thoughts. Flashes of them together, of his panicked face, of the looks thrown my way by my classmates. All of it is on repeat, each one hitting me with steady jolts of pain in my head and my chest, and it's giving me a serious migraine.

It doesn't help either that the first thing I do before even sliding out of bed is check social media on my phone. Instantly, I find posts about last night. People drinking, making out, and having all kinds of wicked fun. But after scrolling down a little, I find exactly what I was dreading, pictures and videos of me running from the party, Jackson chasing me, and Sean stepping in. There are even a few from the moments after I left with Andrea flaunting her half-naked body in front of everyone and Sean attacking Jackson.

Guess he was telling the truth about that.

After that, there's a few more of Jackson bleeding on the floor, Elsie storming in to kick him in the nuts, and then what looks like an argument between Sean and Andrea in the front yard. But before I can bother looking into those more or playing one of the small video clips taken, a stream of comments catches my eye.

"Guess Jackson finally realized he could do better."

"It's about damn time!"

"Why would a guy like him be with someone like Millie Price anyway?"

"Basketball captain and school photographer. A match made in heaven. YEAH RIGHT!"

"It was only a matter of time."

"Well if she was doing what she should and taking care of him, this never would've happened."

"I heard she's a tease and got what she deserved. Andrea would be a better match for him anyway."

"But did y'all see Dean go beast mode?!?! Holy shit!"

I shut off my phone and toss it on my bed, startling Cookie awake. With a heavy sigh, I drag my hands through my tangled hair and glare at the device like it's cursed.

Knew this would happen. Fucking knew it!

Gathering Cooking in my arms, I softly step out of my room and into the dark hall, leaving my phone behind. I pass by Mom's room, not the least bit surprised to find it empty and tidy just as she left it before heading downstairs to the kitchen. Once I have Cookie set up with a fresh bowl of water, I grab a bottle of water and some pain reliever before leaning against the counter. I take the meds and once I set my bottle down, my eyes slowly drift toward the window, noticing the lights out next door. Before I can stop it, Sean's words from last night wiggle into my mind.

"Make him pay. Get Even... hook up with someone. Maybe a couple of someones."

As much as the idea tempts me if only to fuck over Jackson and make him hurt, I don't have it in me to sleep with a bunch of random guys. Hell, I didn't even sleep with Jackson. How weird would it be for a virgin like me to just start bed-hopping through the male population at school? Yeah, hard pass. That's not who I am and I won't let my anger toward Jackson make me that way.

But... maybe I could do something else.

Jackson's ego might take a ding from me sleeping around but it would really hit hard if I were to fall totally and completely for someone else.

I take a heavy sigh in the dark and hug my thin robe around me. As much as I like that idea, I don't want to fall for someone. At this point, the idea of staying single and preserving my heart for a while sounds way more appealing.

The soft steps of Cookie padding over pull me from my thoughts. He stops to stare up at me with those big cute eyes and his little tongue hanging out.

"Sorry, Cookie. I can't date you either. You're like a son to me," I tell him, giggling as he flops down on the tiled floor as if he took my rejection to heart. "You poor thing."

If only I could date someone without actually dating them. Someone who wouldn't mind pretending to help me get back at Jackson.

Yeah right, Mill. Where are you gonna find someone willing to do that?

Without meaning to, my eyes flick back to the window peering at the neighbor's. As a slow smile crawls across my face, a plan begins to form in my mind. A plan that's completely insane but might be my only way to make Jackson feel my pain and restore just a snippet of my dignity at school. If people are going to talk about me, then I might as well give them something better to focus on.

After a quick pat on Cookie's fluffy head, I head back upstairs. By the time the sun is finally showing itself, I've gotten showered, thrown my hair in a messy bun, and slipped on a comfy pair of oversized sweats and a t-shirt.

I grab my keys and purse on my way out the front door, ready to begin step one in my newly formed master plan. With the sunrise, the local coffee shop should be open too. So I drive over for a bag of blueberry muffins and two coffees to go. If I want help, buying breakfast might come in handy.

When I finally pull back into my driveway and get out of the car, I turn away from my house and walk next door. It takes several deep breaths and an internal pep talk before I can work up the nerve to push the doorbell.

A pretty chime echoes inside the dark home while I wait, rocking on my heels. After what feels like several minutes, I lift my hand to try the bell again only to be startled as a curtain is yanked back from the window beside the door. A pair of dark eyes glance out at me through a veil of black hair before the curtains drop back into place and I catch the sound of the lock turning. Not a second later the white door is thrown open and my eyes nearly double in size.

Leaning against the door with one arm, Sean stares at me with exhaustion and irritation written all over his face. But what has my words stuck in my throat is his clothes...or lack thereof. While I might be dressed like a lazy bum, he's shirtless with just a pair of basketball shorts hanging loosely on his narrow hips. I'm not sure who's trying less here, me or him, but the view is...distracting, to say the least.

Last time I saw Sean shirtless was years ago when he was still just a gangly boy trying to dunk me in the pool. He's still as tall thanks to an early growth spurt but he's filled out since then with defined indents carving his abdomen into a...two...four...six—

Wow...okay, a six-pack. Holy shit!

The defined V leading past his waistband doesn't make it any easier to talk either and I find myself unable to do anything but stare like an idiot while our breakfast grows cold.

"Eyes up here, Junior," Sean says, snapping his fingers in my face.

I blink several times and close my mouth, my eyes trailing up to the amused gaze staring back at me.

"If I knew being shirtless was an easy way to shut you up, I would've done it ages ago."

"What?" I step back and shake my head, more so to clear the images in my mind than anything else. "No...it's not...I mean—"

"What are you doing here, Millie?" he asks, cutting me off as he moves to rest his shoulder on the door frame and cross his arms over his chest.

I hold up the styrofoam tray holding the coffee and the paper bag. "I brought breakfast."

"Why?"

"I...um." I nibble on my lip a second before taking a steadying breath. " I wanted to talk to you...about what you said last night."

Wow, and here I was thinking I was taking charge this morning. I ran this plan through my head a million times while I got ready but I still sound like a bumbling idiot.

Good going, Millie. Real smooth.

Sean's eyebrows pinch together as he stares at me like a puzzle with too many pieces. But instead of saying anything, he steps to the side and waves a hand to direct me inside, those dark eyes watching me carefully.

My heart rate speeds up as I gaze at the dark hallway behind him. It's been years since I've been inside his house, and though it used to feel like a second home to me long ago, now it just seems...terrifying. Like if I step through this door I'll be opening up old wounds and feelings I fought so hard to push away.

But instead of backing away and running home like a scaredy-cat, I take a deep breath and step inside. Only the second I do, my feet stop, freezing me in place once the door is shut behind me, trapping me in the dark...alone...with Sean.

I can literally hear my heart kick into overdrive, my body insanely aware of him close behind me. I can almost swear I feel his breath on the back of my neck. But when I don't move to take another step, he brushes past and heads down the hall with just the faintest bit of light peeking through the blinds.

What is wrong with you? It's just Sean!

But Sean has never been just Sean and that's the problem. It also doesn't help that I feel so out of place here now and Sean's silence is only making that worse. Still, I'm on a mission and that's what I need to focus on. So, holding my head high, I follow him into the kitchen.

"Hungry?" I ask, attempting to break the silence as I place the drinks and bag of muffins on the nearest counter.

Sean flips on the kitchen light before walking over to start rummaging through the bag. "Get to the point, Millie. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Okay." I nod and absentmindedly grab one of the coffees, trying to think of the best way to phrase this. "So...you...I..."

Sean's gaze flicks to me from the corner of his eyes as he sips his own coffee and raises an eyebrow at me, already making this harder on me.

A heavy sigh escapes me before I just dive in. "Last night you said I should get even and make Jackson pay. And after thinking hard about it and about you suggesting I should sleep with a bunch of people, I think you have a point."

The confusion and shock that washes over his face is almost comical... almost. "You came over here at the ass-crack of dawn to tell me you're gonna take my tipsy advice and go hoe around school?"

"What? No!"

He arches an infuriating eyebrow at me as if to tell me I'm full of shit. It's the kind of look that makes me want to dump the rest of my coffee on his head.

"First off." I hold up a finger in his face. "You have no room to slut-shame anyone. Like I said last night, you've stacked up quite the body count over the years when you and Andrea would take breaks."

He doesn't even try to deny it, he can't, simply taking another sip of his coffee with a shrug.

Shaking my head, I raise another finger. "And secondly, no, I'm not planning on hooking up with the whole school despite your amazing words of wisdom. I don't have that in me and Jackson knows it. If I even try, I'd just feel worse about myself and he knows me well enough to know that too. Especially considering the fact that I'm a virgin."

Sean chokes on his coffee, the hot drink nearly spraying across the granite countertop. While cough after cough racks his body, he thumps his fist against his chest to help with the fit. When he's finally gotten control of himself, he takes a deep breath and turns my way with wide eyes. "Um... what?"

"Don't give me that look." I cross my arms and glare at him.

"You guys were together for almost two years!" he exclaims way too loudly, making me worry if his mom is home and can hear us. "How does that even happen?"

"I don't know. It just... does."

Or doesn't, in this case. 

He gives me that damn look again, the one that screams bullshit.

"It's not like I was saving myself for marriage or something," I say with a huff. "The timing just never felt right, okay?"

With those sharp dark eyes still as wide as the moon, he takes another sip of his coffee and backs up to the cabinets behind him. After hoisting himself up to sit on the countertop, he grabs a muffin out of the bag next to him and takes a large bite, barely missing the paper he didn't bother peeling off. "So what's your point? If you're not gonna do it, why do you wanna talk to me about it?"

And here's the part I've been dreading.

No matter how many times I ran this conversation through my head this morning, I'm still not prepared. This could go well or could completely blow up in my face.

"Well..." I chew on my bottom lip a second, allowing my eyes to graze over the cute diner-themed items Mrs. Sun has decorated this kitchen with since I was a toddler. "If I wanna hurt Jackson, either his pride or his heart, and humiliate him the way he has me...then I need to make him think I'm invested. It can't just be some meaningless fling."

I don't dare turn to look at Sean but from the corner of my eyes, I can see his jaw slowing down as he goes from eating like an animal to barely chewing every few seconds. Though I don't need to see to know his attention is fully on me now. I can feel it; his eyes, his concentration, all the way to my bones as awareness prickles my skin with goosebumps.

"I need to date someone. Well...fake date someone. There's no way I have any intention of actually getting involved with anyone, I won't open myself up to the possibility of going through this kind of pain and embarrassment again any time soon."

The comments I read online this morning flash in my head. If I can avoid that for the rest of my life, I'll be happy, but I'll settle for the rest of my student career for now. Who knows, maybe things will be different one day. Maybe I won't feel so vulnerable or scared of turning out like my parents. Maybe I won't still suffer with feelings I should've let go of long ago.

"But I need to make it look believable," I continue with my head down. "Make Jackson think I've moved on so fast and fallen for someone else so easily that it hits him right where it hurts. Make people wonder what's wrong with him instead of me... That's what I came here to talk to you about."

Taking a deep breath, I finally face Sean, unsurprised to find him staring at me wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

"So what do you think?" I ask, hoping he's not gonna call me crazy and shove me out the door.

He blinks a couple times before tipping his head to the side with suspicion and curiosity filling his gaze. "About what exactly?"

"About the idea, and...maybe you'd...want to help me find a fake boyfriend?"

The second the question is out of my mouth, Sean's head snaps up, and from his pinched brows down to the ticking muscle in his jaw, his entire demeanor shifts. With tense shoulders and arms, he shoves off the counter and steps toward me.

"You fucking want me to help you find a fake boyfriend?"

I'm pretty sure my mouth is hanging open as I nod, shocked by his sudden mood swing.

A short, dark laugh bubbles out of him as he looks around the room, his eyes avoiding me completely. "I can't believe this shit."

"It's just..." My brain scrambles to think of what to say, the best way to explain or convince him. "You know most of the school and everyone knows you. I figured you'd have the best read on who would work or be willing to do this for me. And if you asked, maybe they'd be more likely to do it."

He scoffs. "Clearly you overestimate my pull at school."

"What, you're bad reputation and dating the head cheerleader hasn't boosted your popularity points any?"

He shoots me a look that says my sarcasm isn't needed...or helping me out any.

"What about your body count? Someone with no pull can't get that many girls, especially when in and out of a relationship."

"Those are girls," Sean snaps. "You're asking me to help you find a boyfriend."

"Fake boyfriend," I clarify.

With another heated gaze flicked my way, silence spreads between us. Me keeping my mouth shut, hoping he's thinking it over, while Sean just glares at me. The longer we stand here, the more hostility I feel coming off of him and the more worried I get.

"I'm willing to pay," I add. "I'll give you some cash for helping me find someone and I'll pay whoever you find for their time too."

If I thought the look in his midnight eyes was scary before, that's nothing compared to the flames lighting his gaze now. It's like watching a wildfire spread and grow while I'm stuck with nowhere to run.

"Get out," he says through clenched teeth.

A tightness fills my chest as my pulse jumps so fast that all the air is shoved from my lungs.

"What? Why?" I whisper.

Sean steps back and crosses his arms over his broad bare chest. "Because I'm not a fucking charity case who needs your money, and I only do favors for friends, which we haven't been for a long fucking time now."

"B-but...last night—"

"What? 'Cause I beat up Jackson and made sure you got home safe?" His lip curls as he gives me a once-over. "You're not special, Millie. I would've done that for anyone. I might be an asshole but I can't stand people who cheat and lie, which is why I did what I did to Jackson. And getting you home... consider it a momentary lapse in judgment brought on by too much fucking alcohol. A one-time thing for the sake of who we used to be, but we aren't that anymore and my good deed for the year is done."

I blink back a sudden rush of tears building and stinging my already tired eyes. But I refuse to let them escape in front of him. I'm done giving others that kind of power over me, at least out in the open. What I let free behind closed doors is different and will be the only time I wallow in the pain brought on by another guy who wants to treat me like dirt. But not here. Not now.

"Thanks for the breakfast," Sean says, his voice so detached and cold I actually shiver. "I'll take it as payback for the Uber last night, but I got shit to do. So, you can see yourself out."

I don't bother arguing. If he doesn't want to help me, then fine, and if he wants to just brush me off like I'm nobody then that's fine too. I don't need him. I can do this on my own.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I nod. "Yeah, whatever. See you around I guess."

And with that, I turn away from Sean and leave.

Good deed my ass. Thanks for nothing, jerk.

Hey loves, thanks for reading the rewritten chapter 7 of GGB! As you might notice, this one is shorter than my last couple of chapters. I swear I don't mean to make my chapters so long but I'm trying to get us through all the build-ups and situations that lead into the fake relationship part of the story. But I'm also going to try not to make each chapter crazy long so with that said, at least the fake dating was brought up here but it still might take us a few more chapters before we get things really going, especially if I'm going to try and keep the rest of the chapters below 4k words. Anyways with that said, I still hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

So, if you read the old version of this chapter, did you notice any big changes to it? What do you think of the comments Millie's classmates are already posting? Do you think things will be worse once school starts? What do you think of Millie's plan to get back at Jackson? What do you think of her asking Sean to help her find a fake boyfriend? What do you think of Sean's reaction? Do you think there was anything that maybe she said that could've triggered his attitude shift? Do you think he was justified in acting the way he did and kicking her out? Do you think he will change his mind and if so, what do you think will make him change it? 

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 actually did post one for this chapter I just forgot to mention it on my WP conversations), 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 8.

💜 xoxo