His expression morphed, flickering between shock and denial. “You do?”
“I do,” I repeated, my voice louder this time. “I was planning on telling you at the party…but…but now I’m probably not even gonna go. I’m the school’s punchline when all I ever wanted was to win Prom Queen for my sister. And now they all think everything about me is fake.”
“Well, fuck what they think! We know what’s real and this…us…it’s real.”
“But—”
“No, buts! This is high school. People are going to talk, no matter what—so let’s give them something to fucking talk about. The real way to win that crown and honor your sister at the same time is by being yourself. Prove that outcasts are cool, too.”
It was simple. Or at least, it should’ve been. One plus one equals two—but somehow, I couldn’t do the math until Elliot spelled it out in a way that finally clicked. Honoring my sister and redeeming myself was never supposed to be about chasing popularity to prove we were worthy—it was about showing that no matter how different we may seem, we are all enough. I had spent years shaping myself into the perfect teenage girl with the perfect life and the perfect personality. But the truth was, no one was perfect—and that was okay. I was so much more than a plastic Barbie doll.
“How the hell did you get so smart?”
The corner of his eyes crinkled as a smile grew on his face.God, I’d missed that smile.
“I have a pretty amazing tutor.” He laughed. “I can’t take all the credit, though. You’re the one who showed me I was capable of more than I thought. And now, I hope I can do the same for my sister.”
Smiles replaced my tears, calmness eased my panic, and happiness took over my sadness—all because of one boy that I never imagined I could love…yet, here I was.
He truly embraced the role of Prince Charming that I had impulsively bestowed upon him. I guess you really couldn’t judge a book by its cover—for both me and him. Who would’ve thought the most reliable person I knew would be an emo outcast, who failed 12thgrade and loved a good video game every once in a while? So,yeah, I loved Elliot Keller. Now, all that was left was finding the courage to tell him.Eventually.But for now…
“Elliot?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I’m breaking rule number seven of thetotally-not-real relationship rules.”
“And I’m breaking rule number eight.”
I lunged forward, pressing myself against Elliot as I pulled his face to mine, our lips meeting in a fiery burst of passion. As my eyes drifted shut, fireworks illuminated even in the darkness. His palm cradled the side of my face, sending a shiver through me the moment his fingers brushed my skin. My hands danced in his hair as the rest of my body melted, all my strength slipping away. I collapsed against him entirely, my weight falling into his arms. He smiled against my lips, our kiss breaking apart with laughter.
Twenty-two
It wasn’t easy, and I knew it wouldn’t be. But it was worth it.
Stepping out of the janitor’s closet after my fake relationship with Elliot had been exposed, I knew nothing would be the same—Iwasn’t the same. Elliot’s fingers interlaced with mine as we were thrust back into the spotlight and assaulted with question after question.
Are you guys actually dating?
We all know that you guys are faking. Why are you still pretending?
Why are you so obsessed with Prom Queen?
Did you really do all of Elliot’s work?
People we’d never even spoken to before were suddenly approaching us. Gossip had a way of spreading like a plague, infecting every clique, jumping from one person to the next. I had wanted everyone to know my name—guess I got my wish, just not in the way I had imagined. With each accusation and question, my heart sank lower. When I stammered, struggling to find the right words, Elliot had no trouble shutting them down and telling them to mind their own damn business. Hisconfidence was infectious, and after a while, I found the courage to do the same.
Do you even like him?Why do you care?Aren’t you guys tired of lying?We aren’t lying. Maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.What’s going on between you two?Why are you so invested in our lives? Shouldn’t you be focused on yours?Is this why you broke up with Ryan?No, I broke up with Ryan because he thought it was okay to put his dick in another girl.Why did you do Elliot’s assignments? Can you even do basic math?I can solve for the eigenvalues of a 3x3 matrix…can you?
With every response, the person I had always been inside began to surface. The thoughts I used to keep locked away, too afraid to say out loud, now spilled from my lips without hesitation. No more overanalyzing, no more filtering my words to maintain the illusion of a picture-perfect, happy-go-lucky, high-maintenance, bubbly blonde.
I could finally be…me.
If they judged me, I judged them back. Probably not the best method to live by, butwaybetter than cowering in humiliation like I’d done before.
This is high school. People are going to talk, no matter what—so let’s give them something to fucking talk about.
“I have an idea.” I smirked at Elliot.
