Sapphire

I shut my locker gently before turning on my heel to leave. But Ian steps in front of me. "Fancy seeing you here." He smiles sheepishly, putting a hand against the wall of lockers before putting his weight on it, flexing his bicep. "Now, about you being my girlfriend..."

"No." I say, simple and to the point. "I'm not gonna pretend to be your girlfriend. Like I've said before, I don't have a death wish. Thank you very much." I attempt to walk past but he steps to the side, making me bump into his chest. Annoyed, I look up at his face. "Excuse me, do you mind?"

"Yes, I do actually," he says. "I'm still not done talking to you."

I try to walk away again, still to no avail. "There's nothing to talk about. I'm not gonna be a part of your little scheme, or whatever you wanna call it."

"Come on, I'd do it for you if you had an annoying ex." He pleads as he rests his hands on my shoulders.

"I don't have an annoying ex, though."

"That's not my point. I'm saying, it's something a caring friend would do."

I cross my arms over my chest. "Are you implying that I'm not a good friend?"

He wouldn't consider doing it for me if I had an ex like Julissa. No way am I gonna get involved with her again. I literally exposed her most intimate secret in front of most of the school. I know for a fact she wants to murder me.

"I'll get down on my knees and beg, if that's what you want ... I just really need your help with this."

I scrunch up my face, not liking the fact that he's slowly convincing me to go along with his plan. "We're not even sure if it'll work."

"It's worth a try?"

I sigh, "Let's say I actually agree to do this with you, what exactly do I get out of it?"

He smirks, leaning towards me. I instinctively lean away from him. "Well, you'll be kissing me – the handsome football captain – of course."

"Wow, I'm so lucky." I mutter sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Indeed, you are," he smirks. "Do we have a deal?"

"I didn't say that." I deadpan, turning to leave. "Let me know when you think of something that's in it for me, not just yourself."

I begin to walk away, but get stopped when he wraps his fingers around my wrist and spins me around. "Suggest whatever you want. Make me streak around school. If that's what it'll take, I'll do it." He says in a desperate tone.

"Tempting." I smirk, rubbing my chin deviously. "Looks like you're really desperate, huh?"

He sighs. "She's getting really annoying. Pretty please?"

I take a few moments to think before I finally say, "I'll do it, on one condition."

He looks a bit hesitant. "What is it?"

"I'll do it as long as you no longer ask to copy my work."

He looks a little bummed at the suggestion, but gives in either way. "Alright fine, I'll do my own work... So, is it a deal?"

I smile and extend out my hand for him to shake on it. "It's a deal."

* * * *

I shove my books into my locker as I let out an exhausted huff. After making sure I have everything I need for my homework, I shut my locker and exit the school building. I start to make my way towards Amber's Jeep, where both her and Gloria are waiting. They wave me over and I pick up my step to get to them faster.

Ian's voice suddenly calls out for me from behind and I motion for them to wait. Turning on my heel, I plaster on a smile when he jogs towards me. "Hey, you catching a ride with your friends?" He questions, glancing behind me.

I nod, fixing the strap of my backpack on my shoulder. "Yeah, we always go to the mall on Fridays."

"Can you make an exception today?" The hopeful look in his eyes makes me arch a brow. "Maybe to go to a party with me?"

I glance behind me to watch the look of pure bewilderment on both of my friends' faces. Great, now I have a lot to explain to them. Heaving a sigh, I agree by nodding my head. "Am I gonna catch a ride with you, then?"

"Yes, of course. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't give my beautiful girlfriend a ride?"

I roll my eyes as I shove his shoulder playfully. "Shut up." I say. "But alright, let me at least let my friends know. I'll be back."

"I'll be here waiting."

I jog back towards my friends and quickly dismiss their confusion before they can let a single word out. "I'll text you guys later about what's going on. I'm just letting you guys know that he's giving me a ride today. Also, I'm gonna have to bail out on our usual mall date. He invited me to a party." I offer an apologetic smile.

Amber nudges me, a teasing smile tugging her lips upward. "Shut up and just go, you sly fox."

Gloria simply winks at me before going around the hood to get into the passenger's seat. She waves at me through the window and I laugh. "Alright, I love you, guys. Bye!"

"I expect full details." Amber's voice sounds like a hormonal fangirl.

I wave a dismissive hand before going back towards Ian. Grinning, he wraps an arm around my shoulders and guides me towards his car. Almost immediately, we catch the attention from nearly everyone. I cower myself against him as chattering quickly builds up around us. But the voices quickly fade away when Ian opens the car door for me, instantly making me soften a bit. I never realized how much I missed that until now.

"Aww, thank you."

"Anything for you, babe."

He slams the door shut once I'm settled inside and I grin when he meets me inside.

My eyes land on a specific person staring at us from the school gates. Without much thought, I caress Ian's cheek and he turns his attention towards me. I smile. He beams. And then we both lean in to kiss. It's short, but in the eyes of the outsiders, it's sweet enough to be believable.

"Making this believable should be a piece of cake with you as my girlfriend." He reaches over to swipe his thumb across my bottom lip and I refrain from smacking his hand away. Instead, I grab it and kiss his palm before gently placing it back on the steering wheel.

"Let's go before I kill myself." I mutter through a forced grin.

He chuckles, turning the engine over and checking his mirrors before backing out. I release a deep breath once we're on the road, wiping the few beads of sweat from my forehead.

"Why did I agree to this?"

"Just admit it, you can't resist me."

I feign a gag. "As if. What even happened to you? You used to be a chill guy. Now you have the ego of Gaston."

He actually snorts before releasing a bark of laughter. "What the hell? I'm still chill."

"I actually would've enjoyed fake dating non-egotistic Ian." I mutter, watching the ocean come into view. "No one likes a guy who's full of himself."

"I just know my worth now, alright?" He defends. "I'm pretty damn great. I don't take shit from anyone anymore."

I reach over to pat his shoulder. "You're right. I'm sorry for being ignorant. You got your heart trampled by a promiscuous tramp, for fuck's sake!"

We slip into a long silence after that and my mind scolds me for bringing her up. I mentally slap myself. I always have to open my damn mouth.

When we arrive at the apartment complex, he goes back around to open my door. I happily take his hand when he offers it, and together, we walk through the glass doors and into the elevator.

"Thank you for doing this for me." He suddenly speaks up as the elevator signals each floor as we go up. My gaze meets his and I shrug.

"It's what friends do, right?" 

His arm finds itself around my shoulders again and I let him pull me in. "It really means a lot to me, though."

"It's nothing, really."

"It's everything to me. I lost my girlfriend and best friend at once, but I gained a really amazing housemate." He interlocks our hands together as we step out of the elevator. Tugging me behind him, he unlocks our apartment and allows us entry. "I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

I wave him off as I go on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry about it, 'kay?" I tap his other cheek gently with my hand before going into my room. "Ima get ready for the party."

"Me, too." He mutters before his footsteps trail over to his own room.

I look at myself through the mirror and a small smile takes form on my lips. He's such a sweet guy. I just hope he finds the right girl someday. He sure as hell doesn't deserve another heartbreak.