You gotta be be good to me 

I'm gonna be be good to you 

✝ Chapter Four | BB Good ✝

         When I got home, I stormed into the house and threw my backpack to the floor, not caring about where it landed.

            Mom was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed on the ottoman. She glanced up from her iPad and knitted her brows together when she saw me. “You’re going to pick that up, right?” She flashed me a casual motherly smile.

            I shot her a glare. “No.”

            “What happened?”

            “Apparently, Adam is telling everyone I’m his girlfriend.” I groaned just thinking about it. “I just need to sleep.”

       Mom jumped up from the sofa and gave me a concerned look. “Lex, I need to tell you something.”

            I picked up my backpack from the floor and swung it over my shoulder. “What is it?”

            “I have a date, tonight.”

            I couldn’t stop my amused grin from spreading across my face. “Oh, really? With who?” This was really funny to me because my mother never dated. Ever since my father left us three years ago, she swore never to get close to anyone again.

            I personally thought it was stupid of her to make such a promise.

            If my assistant was a hot piece of meat, then you can be sure that I’ll take the first opportunity I got to jump his bones.

          Okay, maybe I was being a bit insensitive, but the love between my dad and my mom had faded over the years so it was bound to happen.

          She avoided eye contact and pushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Gregory,” she whispered softly.

            “Excuse me, what?”

            “Gregory!” she shouted, “your history teacher!”

            It took me a few seconds to fully comprehend what was happening before my eyes bulged out of my sockets. “What!” This had to be some kind of a sick joke.

            “I know, sweetie, but Gregory is really nice and I can’t be single forever.”

            “I can’t imagine you and my history teacher doing it!” 

            Mom heaved a sigh as she took a few steps closer to me. “We haven’t done it…much.”

            I grimaced just by thinking about the two of them rolling around in bed together. “Mom!”

            “I understand you’re mad. I should’ve told you earlier, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t complain when you dated that one guy you know I hated!”

            I blinked in utter shock. Of course, she had to bring up West Aldrich. I happened to have a major crush on him a couple years ago, and he happened to have a major crush on me too. We actually were a great couple and we might have gotten married if I didn’t catch him doing very intimate things with a cheerleader.

           But putting all that aside…was she seriously trying to pin this on me? I was not the one who sucked my daughter’s history teacher’s dick. Mr. Lawrence wasn’t even attractive! His brown hair was graying and thinning at the sides. He even wore thick bifocals. He was probably the definition of the stereotypical history teacher.

       “I’m going for a walk,” I said suddenly, and rushed out of the door without waiting for a response.

            I still couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of my mom and my history teacher. How did this even start? I should have noticed the red flags when she always referred to him by his first name.

            “Lexi!”

            I turned my head to the source of the voice and sighed when I saw Adam walking briskly in my direction.

           Annoyed and a bit pissed off, I turned on my heel and began walking in the other direction. He was wrong if he thought I would forgive him. After I slapped him, his chess buddies hollered some more and I stormed off campus. It was one thing to tell people lies about me, but it was another thing to go as far as kissing me to validate them.

            He caught up to me and grasped onto my wrist. “Lex, please talk to me.”

          I turned around and yanked my hand out of his grasp. “In case you didn’t realize, me slapping you was my way of breaking up with you. Because somehow, unbeknownst to me, we were dating!”

            Adam stared back at me, shock and self-disappointment written all over his face.

        Deciding not to deal with this anymore, I whipped back around and continued to walk, picking up my speed.

            “Wait,” he called after me. “I can explain!”

            At this point, I was completely irritated and if he kept it up, I would slap him again. Or if I was feeling lucky, he would get an entire beat down. “Explain what, Adam? I thought I made it perfectly clear that I don’t like you in that way. And what do you do? Go around and spread rumors about me?”

            The more I spoke, the angrier I became. The only thing keeping me from choking him was the knowledge that he wouldn’t be able to defend himself.

            “Just give me two minutes to explain!” He gave me a pleading look and his lips downturned into a slight pout.

            “Okay. Two minutes.”

            “Everyone thought we were a couple because we were always together. And on hashtag-dot-net, people said I was a stud for landing a hot girl, like yourself.” He gestured towards me and smirked but it faded shortly after when he realized I wasn’t finding it amusing. “Well, I got re-invited into the chess club, and football jocks started talking to me! I felt…popular. So, I kind of went along with it. I would never make up something about you, Lex. People just assumed.”

            I wasn’t impressed. Maybe I was wrong for thinking Adam started it, but going along with it was just as bad. “Well, make them un-assume.”

            Adam sucked in a breath as he rubbed his neck nervously. “I would…but you should’ve seen how much attention I got. I finally felt like I had a purpose.”

            I continued to stare at him, obviously not getting the point. “Great, that’s awesome! Now that your fifteen minutes of fame is over, fix it!”

            “Lexi…can’t you just do this one favor? Just pretend to be my girlfriend and when this whole thing blows over, you can break up with me.”

            I wanted to say no. I knew I should’ve said no. But the scared-out-of-his-mind look that he was giving me made me think things through. I did feel bad that he was kicked out of chess club because of me. And most of his hardships always came back to me. So, I said yes.

            Remind me to shoot my humanity later.

            “Fine,” I barked, walking closer to him. “But like every good deal, there are rules. Do not kiss me, and you can only pretend we’re a couple in public. In private, I go back to treating you like shit. And you go back to enjoy being treated like shit. Understood?”

            “You’re the best, Lexi!” He leaped towards me and wrapped his not-so-muscular arms around me. He was holding me so close and so tight, that I almost couldn’t breathe.

               “Enough, enough!” I snapped at him as I pushed him away from me.

            “Sorry,” he apologized quickly, running a hand through his dark hair. He stood there in silence, staring at me awkwardly.

            I titled my head in confusion but my eyes gazed lower down and that’s when I saw…it.

            There, in Adam’s jeans, was a very large outline of something even more mysterious.

            He broke his gaze away from mine and stared at the street. “I-I’m sorry.”

            “You should take care of that,” I said, trying to hold in my laughter.

            “I will,” he said slowly and folded his lips into a grim line. It didn’t take long before a bright red color flushed his cheeks, illustrating his embarrassment.

          “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I waved him goodbye and headed off into the opposite direction. Despite everything that I hated about Adam, there was something that would go on my positives list.

            He was packing. 

✝

A/N: I didn't think I would write another chapter a day later...but I did. Hurrah! And I also didn't think this story would be as successful as it is now so thank y'all from the bottom and top and sides of my heart. I will be dedicating every chapter to a random commenter so...type! This chapter's question is....*drumroll*....how do you think this whole fake-couple thing will blow over? Thanks for being supportive and I love you guys. Every single one of you. 

~lara <3