Fake Girlfriend

I never responded to that text. I never even turned my phone back on. Ice skating with Cole? I think not. All our other “dates” were complete disasters—not that I ever even wanted to go on a date with him in the first place. I frowned. I had wanted to go ice skating though—

No. No I didn’t.

Mike had to come and wake me up, because I didn’t do so myself, hoping Mike would just leave for work so that I didn’t have to go to school today. Just like a kid, he sprinted into my room and leaped up on my bed, careful not to step on me. My eyes flew open. He began to jump up and down, singing a song my grandpa used to sing to wake everyone up when he, my grandmother, my parents, and I all still lived together: “Rise and shine! It’s time to get up! Rise and shine! It’s time to get up! RISE AND SHINE—IT’S TIME TO GET UPPP!”

I groaned and rolled over, letting him jump up and down, bouncing me up and down on the bed.

When I didn’t get up after an entire verse of the song, he sat down on me. I couldn’t help but laugh as I grunted. “Get up, you fat lard.”

Mike cracked up, and he didn’t budge. “Well at least this fat lard is out of bed.”

“I can’t get up with you sitting on me,” I said.

Finally, laughing, Mike got off me, and he stood with his arms crossed until I got out of bed myself. He was grinning triumphantly and said, “Huh. That worked pretty well. I should try that more often,” but I glared, and he put his hands up. “Okay. Just once in a blue moon.”

“Try never again,” I said.

Mike laughed and began to walk away. “Have an awesome day at school, Bumblebee!” he called back at me.

Yeah, probably not going to happen.

***

Throughout most of the day—as usual—I managed to avoid even seeing Cole. Lex sat next to me in the one class we had together, Math, with a smile on his face. “Hey, Thisbe,” he said, and I smiled back.

“Hi,” I said.

“Cole’s looking for you,” he said.

I tried to act pleasantly surprised. “Really? I guess I’ll have to talk to him during lunch.” In all reality, I planned to spend my lunch in the library where he wouldn’t bother me. Even then, though, I would have to see him when he came over to my house, and with Ben there, I would have to act like Cole’s girlfriend. I sighed silently. That wasn’t going to be fun.

“He’s seems bothered,” Lex continued, suddenly frowning with a furrowed brow. “You sure everything is okay between you two?”

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Ugh, more lies.

When lunch came around, I found myself the first one at our normal table. I waited patiently until someone else arrived, so that I could let them know I was going to the library to “study”. If I saw Cole, I would just get up and leave. Well, that was my plan, anyways.

Unfortunately, Cole, almost out of nowhere, came and sat across from me. I should have gotten up right away, but I didn’t. He observed me silently with those serious eyes of his. Granted, they lacked the coldness they had contained yesterday. I still didn’t like being stared at mythose eyes. I frowned and glared at him. If he was waiting for me to talk—forgive him, or crap like that--, I wasn’t going to give him such pleasure.

Finally he spoke, “You seem upset.”

Wow. No shit Sherlock. “Huh. I wonder why.”

Cole sighed, his eyes taking on a little more emotion, but not much. “If it makes any difference, I did end up trying to find you,” he said.

I laughed dryly. “Oh, don’t worry. It doesn’t.” I took a sip of my Coke.

There was a pause, and Cole’s eyes took on a much more sincere look. He made a little coughing noise in the back of his throat. “Would it make a difference if I said I loved you?”

I nearly choked. Being dead serious wasn’t one of Cole’s usual traits, so I immediately took the comment as one of his sarcastic stabs at making fun of me. I did my best to ignore that comment. “What’s with you,” I hissed. “You go around acting like you’re all mad at me, then you start acting like you didn’t do anything wrong?”

“Well, I do know I did something wrong, if that’s what you’re asking,” Cole mumbled.

I stood up, super pissed off. “You’re a jerk all the time, Cole! You always do something wrong! You always make me feel like I’m living in Hell! I HATE YOU!”

I had the attention of half the cafeteria as I stormed out. I ran straight out to the library, where I sat down on the couch out of view from the librarian’s desk. I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm down, but instead began to silently cry.

Would it make a difference if I said I loved you?

That wasn’t a joke, was it, Cole? I thought to myself. I groaned and rubbed my temples. One doesn’t just go saying things like that. Not after totally blowing me off and treating me like dirt. He didn’t really think that would change anything, would he? Because it changed nothing. So, why did my stomach feel so tight? Why did I feel guilty for saying I hated him? Why was I afraid that he would never talk to me after this?

I felt so afraid that I was going to lose the guy I was supposed to hate right now.