Becca

Brett pulled into the school parking lot and cut the engine, the silence surrounding us but my thoughts were louder. I knew today would be different. Surely, everyone had heard about our relationship and the gossip would be flying left and right. This was high school, after all. Everyone loved a good story about the jock and the regular girl.

After Brett's comment about my lips, I spent the rest of the ride trying to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead and not focus on what he said. Or about his lips. And definitely not about kissing him again.

I gazed at the driver's seat but it was empty. Brett had already gotten out of the car and I hadn't even noticed, too preoccupied in my own mind. I lingered in my seat for a moment longer.

Today everything would change. Four years of living under the radar and keeping to myself would be gone and I would now be Brett Wells' Girlfriend. As far as fake boyfriends go, I couldn't have picked a better one. But still, I was hesitant to face the day ahead of me. I didn't like being the centre of attention and today that was completely unavoidable.

I took a deep breath and opened my door, noticing Brett hovering a few spots down waiting for me. The smile on his face somehow assured me that everything would be alright. When I was standing in front of him, he slipped his hand into mine and stroked small circles with his thumb.

"Are you ready?" His voice was gentle as he spoke.

I met his eyes with mine and sighed. "Not at all."

Brett chuckled and squeezed my hand in his as we walked towards the doors. I pushed back the dooming thought that we were two people walking willingly into a slaughter.

This was high school. Whatever the day threw at me, I was sure I could handle.

Or I would at least try my  best to.

* * *

Everyone was whispering.

Everyone was staring.

"That's the girl?"

"He's dating her?"

Walking through the hallways wasn't even the worst part. I could keep my head down, walk fast, and easily dismiss the burning stares and hushed whispers. But being in class? Where I was forced to sit alone for over an hour while students stared, pointed and gossiped with no shame? That was the worst part.

Brett and I only had English class together. Other than that, our schedules didn't match up except for lunch. When I was with him it was easier to handle the staring knowing he was by my side. But he couldn't always be there and that was the hard part, no matter how badly I wished he was.

I pushed down my nerves as I made my way through the crowded hallway to the cafeteria. I would have just skipped lunch altogether and found shelter in the library, but Brett had texted me and told me he saved me a spot, promising that it would be okay. And as much as I tried to deny it, I wanted to see him again.

As I walked through the cafeteria doors, it felt like time stood still. I could feel hundreds of eyes burning into me, eager to see my next move. I scanned the room and the sea of faces, my eyes finally locking on Brett. He was already watching me with a comforting smile on his face and I felt some of my nerves wash away. 

He was sitting at the jock table -- it was in the far corner of the open space and taken up by every member of the football team, not to mention the cheerleaders hovering around. I spotted Jenny sitting a few seats down from Brett at the end of the table and my eyes narrowed.

Seriously? He expected me sit there? Had he lost his freaking mind?

There was no chance in hell I was taking a seat at that table. I made my way towards the exit doors that lead outdoors to an eating area with a few picnic tables. Sure it was where the loners sat, but I was starting to feel more and more like one.

I dashed towards the exit and took one last glance at Brett before I pushed through the doors, greeted by the calming summer heat. Confusion was written all over his face as he watched me leave.

Each picnic table was occupied by one person, either eating lunch while reading a book or scrolling through their phone. I spotted an empty table in the corner under the shade of a tree and headed towards it.

Placing my sandwich and water in front of me, I took out my book and began to read to pass the next hour.

One page in and a shadow hovered over me, blocking the light from the sun.

I knew it was him before I even looked up.

"You'd rather sit out here in the sun than eat inside with me?" Brett was pouting as I rolled my eyes. He stood in front of me with his arms crossed and one foot planted on the table's bench, eyes squinted as the sunlight hit his face.

"I'd rather sit out here in the sun than eat inside at a table I don't belong at." I fired back, placing the bookmark in my book before setting it down on the table.

"Dammit," he raked his hand through his hair as he swore under his breath. "I didn't even think about that, Becca. I'm sorry." He let out a long breath and by the look of surprise on his face, I could tell his apology was sincere. Suddenly, Brett turned around and began to walk towards the cafeteria doors before I could say anything.

"Where are you going?" I called after him but he was already inside, my voice was lost in the wind.

Rolling my eyes, I picked up my book and took a bite of my sandwich. I never minded eating lunch alone and I wouldn't start now. People may begin to question the validity of our 'relationship' but screw it, I wasn't going to sit at that table and that was final.

I heard the squeak of the cafeteria doors pushing open again and looked up. Brett was heading my way holding a tray of food, his bag slung over one shoulder. A look of triumph dawned his face as he marched towards me, grinning.

I smiled. I couldn't help it.

"Did you really expect me to let my girlfriend eat out here alone?" His voice sounded disgusted as he said the last word and I laughed at his performance. He slung his leg over the bench and sat down in front of me, taking a big bite out of his hamburger.

"You know," I whispered, leaning in closer so no one would hear us, "I'm not actually your girlfriend."

He pouted, a fry hanging out of his mouth. "Stop ruining all the fun," he whined.

I laughed again. I seemed to do that a lot around him.

"Fun?" I repeated, my voice sounding exhausted. "That is so not the word I would use to describe what I've endured today."

I hated the edge in my voice but I couldn't help it. Sure, maybe this was easy for him. Brett was used to the attention and constant staring, after all. I, on the other hand, was not. I liked living in the shadows, I didn't belong in the spotlight.

His face suddenly turned serious. His jaw tensed and his knuckles formed into fists on both sides of his lunch tray. "What happened?" His voice lost its playful tone and was replaced by one of pure anger. "Who gave you a hard time? Was it Jenny? I swear to God..." His voice trailed off as he began to get up. I knew what would happen next: he would storm back into the cafeteria and demand answers until he found out who bothered me and made sure they faced the consequences.

"Stop!" I cried. "Sit down." I begged, "Brett, please." He let out a deep breath and did as I asked, retaking his seat in front of me.

"Tell me," he demanded, anger ringing in his every word.

"It wasn't one specific person. You can't fight the entire student population, Brett." I rolled my eyes. "Everyone in the hallway and in class was whispering and pointing." I shrugged, trying to brush it off and reassure him that I was alright. "I expected it. I'm alright," I stressed the last word and hoped he believed me.

He let out a breath and closed his eyes, rubbing his hands over each one. When he reopened them, the anger was gone. "I'm sorry. Shit, I knew this would happen. I shouldn't have left you alone."

I laughed. "You can't walk me to every class and be by my side all day. I can handle myself. I don't want to inconvenience you." It was true, I could handle myself. I learned to be strong and independent from an early age. My parent's divorce taught me that the only person I could truly rely on was myself.

He was watching me intently as I toyed with the tassel on my bookmark. When he began to speak, his tone was serious. "I'm as much a part of this as you are, Becca. You don't need to deal with this on your own. You're the furthest thing from an inconvenience, alright?" He took a deep breath, "look..." He combed his fingers through his hair again, making it stick up in strange angles. I was beginning to realize it was a nervous habit.

He looked away before he continued, shifting his gaze towards his left. His voice was heavy when he spoke, "this may sound odd, but I don't have many friends. These people that I surround myself with...they're just people, you know? We talk football strategies and game plays, but that's it. And the girls? They only see me as Brett Wells the Football Star," his fingers formed air quotations over that last words. "I guess what I'm saying is it's nice to have a friend. You look at me like I'm a person, Becca, and no one else does." When he met my gaze, I could see the pain in his eyes and I hated it.

Brett always seemed so carefree, like he lived and breathed happiness. His words made my heart ache and seemed misplaced coming from him. I knew he probably hadn't told anyone this before and I felt oddly happy that he felt like he could confide in me. 

The sadness in his eyes seemed strange on his face and I wanted to bring back his annoying winks and teasing smirks. I didn't like seeing him like this -- when the sadness dimmed the brightness in his eyes.

"I guess what I'm saying is that we can both benefit from this. I'll be your fake boyfriend and in return...maybe we can be friends?" He bit his lip as he waited for my response. Was he actually nervous? He stared at me with his big blue eyes and in that moment, I would have given him anything. I just wanted to see him smile again.

"Sure, Brett. We can be friends." I smiled and so did he, pleased by my response.

"Secret friends," he winked. "We're still dating, remember?"

How could I forget?

For the remainder of the lunch break we finished our food and chatted. He did most of the talking, telling me funny stories that I was sure he was making up just to see me laugh. But it worked. By the time lunch ended my stomach was aching from all the laughter and the familiar light had returned to Brett's eyes.

He made me realize that I could use a friend. I never felt lonely. I was used to being on my own and I had grown accustomed to the feeling. But eating with Brett and having him by my side was something I could get used to.

A friend was what I needed and I had found that in the most unexpected person.

* * *

The week flew by and we had fallen into a routine. Brett picked me up every morning and we rode to school together. He insisted on walking me to every single class and I let him, mostly to reassure him and stop him from worrying. The excitement began to die and people had stopped whispering. I guess we were both great actors since no one questioned our relationship anymore. Everyone accepted that we were dating and the buzz of our relationship wore off.

Brett sacrificed his seat at his lunch table and ate with me outside every day. I told him I was fine eating by myself but he insisted, joking around that a good boyfriend doesn't let their girl eat alone. Secretly, I was happy. I enjoyed his presence and looked forward to lunch, it was my new favourite time of the day.

Friday approached quickly and the hallways were full of school spirit. Today was the first football game of the season and everyone was in a good mood, eagerly anticipating the game tonight.

The cheerleaders strutted down the hallways in their uniforms, waving pompoms and singing cheers. The members of the football team wore their jerseys as they always did on game day. As they walked through the halls they were greeted with a chorus of screams and applause, earning slaps on the back and high fives.

In all four years of high school, I had never attended a football game. It wasn't something that appealed to me and I tried to steer clear of crowds. Brett had been bugging me the whole week to go with him, but I was hesitant.

"Please," he begged. I was shoving books in my locker and trying to ignore him. I purposely refused to look at him. One look at those big, blue puppy dog eyes and I would cave. "You can wear my jersey and sit in the stands, screaming my name." His voice mimicked the high pitch tone of a girl, "Go Brett! That's my handsome boyfriend!" I couldn't help laughing as I playfully slapped his arm. Right, like I would ever scream that.

I shut my locker and faced him. He was leaning against the locker beside mine with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were big as he stared down at me, a playful smile on his lips. He reached out and trailed his finger down my arm, finally placing his hand in mine. "Come on, Becca. Don't make me beg." I stared at him blankly, up for the challenge.

He let out a sigh before dropping to his knees. I giggled uncontrollably.

He grabbed my hand in both of his and stared up at me. He was smiling widely and his eyes were shining with mischief. "Becca Hartwell," he began, his tone completely serious. He was a great actor, I'll give him that. "Will you please do me the honour of accompanying me to the football game tonight?" He batted his eyes and pouted his lips. How could I say no to that?

I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I finally agreed. He jumped off the ground and pulled me into a hug, resting his chin on top of my head.

He pulled back and kissed the corner of my mouth, surprising me and making my cheeks turn pink. "You won't regret it," he promised as the school bell rang. He began to walk away from me backwards, not breaking eye contact. When he got to the end of the hall, he winked before turning around and walking down the stairs. I sighed, pulling my books to my chest as I made my way to my next class.

Looks like I'll be attending the game tonight after all.

---

Please vote if you are enjoying this story! :)