Chapter 5: THE DEAL

So, I am officially going to be living in a wet cardboard box by 9:00 AM tomorrow. 

Like, genuinely.

I dumped my heavy tote bag onto our worn out coffee table and collapsed onto the sagging green sofa, staring blankly up at the water stained ceiling. 

My feet were literally throbbing inside my cheap sneakers, and my chest felt like it was trapped in a hydraulic press. 

Everything sucked. My life was basically a giant joke right now.

Allie walked out of the tiny kitchen, clutching a half empty bag of cool ranch Doritos. 

She took one look at my face, stopped dead in her tracks, and just sighed loudly.

"Okay, spill," she said, tossing a chip into her mouth and chewing loudly. 

"What happened with the landlord?"

"My rent check bounced," I mumbled, pressing the palms of my hands against my burning eyes until I saw stars. 

"NSF. Non sufficient funds. Old man Jenkins called me during my shift and told me if I do not have twelve hundred bucks in his greasy hands by tomorrow morning, he is chucking my stuff onto the curb and changing the locks."

"God, he is such an asshole," Allie groaned, sitting down heavily beside me on the couch. 

"I wish I had extra cash to lend you, Clara, but my account is sitting at exactly twelve dollars right now."

 She paused, nudging my knee with her foot. 

"Hey... try to look on the bright side. I heard Justin and his band crew stopped by the diner today. Did you talk to him?"

I peeked out from behind my hands, letting out a heavy breath. "No."

"Tell me you did talk to him!" Allie pressed, her eyes wide with hope.

"No," I repeated, dropping my hands into my lap and glaring at the wall. 

"I looked like an absolute mess, Al. My hair was sticking up all over the place, my apron had greasy hashbrown stains all over it... I cannot approach my crush looking like a dog's vomit. I have some self respect left, lol."

Allie smirked, a mischievous glint popping into her eyes that I instantly did not trust. 

"Oopsie. Well, lucky for you, I got a solution."

I groaned, rolling my head back against the cheap cushion. 

"What now, Allie?"

"The Briar hockey team is throwing a massive house party tonight," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me. 

"And guess who is coming?"

"I don't know, Carter?" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. 

"You know I don't fuck with hockey guys. They are the actual worst."

"No, dummy," Allie grinned, smacking my knee hard. 

"Justin. Justin is gonna be there. His band is hanging out with the guys from the team tonight."

"That's nice," I said, entirely unamused by her hype. 

"But you know I don't do parties. Loud drunk people, sticky floors, terrible rap music playing way too loud? Hard pass."

"Yes, I am fully aware of your party phobia," she shot back, leaning in close so I had to look at her. 

"But what better chance would you get at actually talking to Justin than tonight? In a fun setting? Where you aren't wiping down sticky syrup bottles and looking stressed out of your mind?"

"I mean... you are right," I admitted slowly, my mind racing a million miles a minute. 

"But still, Allie. I got the landlord evicting me by 9:00 AM tomorrow. I kind of need to figure out where I am sleeping. 

Being homeless is a pretty big distraction."

"Fuck him!" Allie waved a hand dismissively, like getting evicted was just a minor scheduling conflict. 

"You will just share a bed with me. That way you are under my rent, and we figure out the rest on Monday."

A sudden, breathless laugh burst right out of my throat, a real genuine wheel of laughter that actually shattered the heavy panic sitting in my chest for the first time all day. 

I doubled over, my ribs aching as I shook my head at her crazy logic.

"You are completely silly," I giggled, wiping a stray tear from the corner of my eye.

"I am practical!" Allie corrected proudly, pointing a Dorito at me. "So, what do you say?"

I looked at her, seriously weighing my options. 

Homelessness in twelve hours, or one night of reckless freedom where I might actually get to talk to the guy I have been pining over for six months? At this point, what did I even have left to lose?

"Alright," I breathed out, throwing my hands up in defeat. 

"I will go to the party."

"Jackpot!" Allie leaped off the couch, practically vibrating with excitement. 

"Now I got to dress you up like a rockstar's girl."

I raised an eyebrow, looking down at my oversized hoodie and faded baggy jeans. 

"Don't I already dress nice?"

"Don't get me started, girl," Allie snorted, grabbing my wrist and literally yanking me toward our cramped bathroom. 

"And besides, tonight your titties need to pop in your dress. You need to dress for the male gaze. For the Justin gaze."

"You are crazy," I snorted, letting her drag me down the short hallway.

"I would rather be crazy than lame!" she yelled back.

Fast forward an hour later, and I barely recognized the girl staring back at me in the cracked bathroom mirror.

Allie had somehow squeezed me into a tight, dark emerald green mini dress with tiny spaghetti straps that pushed up my bust line in a way I didn't even know was physically possible. 

My dark hair was curled into wild voluminous waves, and my lips were coated in a dark berry gloss. I looked... shockingly good. Like, really good.

Twenty minutes after that, we were standing inside the chaotic, bass boosted madhouse of the Briar Hockey House.

The bass was vibrating straight through the floorboards and up into my shoes. 

Colored strobe lights cut through a thick haze of smoke, red Solo cups littered literally every surface imaginable, and packed crowds of college kids were dancing, shouting, and drinking like the world was ending tomorrow. It smelled like cheap vodka and bad decisions.

Allie squeezed my hand tightly, leaning right into my ear so I could hear her over the deafening music. 

"Ohh girl, there comes Justin!"

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. 

I looked across the crowded living room. Standing near the open patio doors, leaning casually against the frame with a plastic cup in his hand, was Justin. 

He had that messy indie hair, a perfectly worn leather jacket, and this effortless cool guy aura that just made my stomach do backflips.

"Ohh my goodness, he is so sexy," 

I gasped out, my cheeks scorching hot under the club lights. 

"I just wanna eat him up."

"Then go get him, girl!" Allie cheered, shoving me gently forward into the crowd. 

"He is yours tonight!"

I frantically smoothed down the tight fabric of my dress, suddenly terrified that this was a huge mistake. 

"Do I look good? Tell me the truth, Allie."

"You look like a thousand dollar slut bitch," 

Allie deadpanned, giving me two completely serious thumbs up.

I blinked. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, girl!" Allie laughed, turning me around by the shoulders and pointing me toward the patio. 

"Now stop whining and go get Justin. He is standing all alone."

"Okay," I whispered, taking a deep shaky breath. 

"Okay. I can do this."

I took a step toward the patio doors. Then another. 

I mentally rehearsed my opening line in my head. Hey, Justin... cool party, right? 

Simple. Smooth. Totally natural.

I was literally five feet away from him. He was right there.

And then a totally wasted guy in a varsity jacket stumbled sideways out of nowhere, slamming hard into my shoulder.

"Whoa, watch it!" the guy slurred loudly, spilling his massively sloshing cup of sticky, bright blue jungle juice straight down the front of my green dress.

Cold liquid soaked right through the fabric instantly, drenching my chest and my stomach. 

It dripped down my legs.

"Oh, my god!" I squeaked, freezing in total, horrifying embarrassment.

People nearby turned to look at the commotion. 

I stood there in the middle of the crowded room, drenched in blue alcohol, my face burning so hot I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. 

I looked up, and my heart completely shattered. Justin was staring right at me.

"Clara, right?" Justin asked, stepping forward with a slight frown, looking at the mess all over me. 

"The girl from the cafe?"

"Ah... I..." I stammered, my brain totally short circuiting. "I... it's..."

I was dying. Literally dying on the spot.

But before I could dig my own grave any deeper, a heavy, warm weight suddenly settled over my shivering shoulders.

The scent of expensive cologne, leather, and something undeniably masculine instantly washed over me. 

I blinked down in confusion to see a sleek, dark designer suit jacket wrapped tightly around me, perfectly covering up the sticky humiliating stain on my front.

Heavy calloused fingers brushed gently against my arm, pulling me close.

"Hey, babe," Carter's deep smooth voice sounded right next to my ear, loud enough for Justin to hear. 

"I told you to be careful around here. Now you have got drinks spilled all over you."

My jaw actually dropped. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Allie standing near the kitchen island, her mouth hanging completely open in absolute shock. 

What the fuck is he doing there, she mouthed to me wildly.

"Babe?" I squeaked out, staring up at Carter like he had grown a second head.

Carter didn't even look down at me. His icy blue eyes were locked straight onto Justin. 

His tall, muscular frame effortlessly shifted so he was standing slightly in front of me, taking up all the space and completely dominating the interaction.

"Wassup, man?" Justin said, blinking in obvious surprise as he looked back and forth between us.

"I am good," Carter said nonchalantly, slipping a heavy arm around my waist and pulling me flush against his side. 

The heat of his body burned through my wet dress, making my breath hitch. 

"Enjoying the party?"

"Yeah," Justin said, clearing his throat, looking suddenly very awkward and a little intimidated. 

"Uh... why don't I just give you and your girlfriend some space."

"Appreciate it, man," Carter said smoothly, not giving an inch.

Justin gave us a brief nod, turned around, and completely disappeared into the dancing crowd.

The exact second Justin was out of sight, I ripped Carter's expensive jacket off my shoulders and shoved his solid chest with all the strength I had left in my arms. 

He didn't even move an inch, just looking down at me with that same infuriating smirk he always wore.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I hissed, my voice shaking with pure raw rage. 

"You just ruined my chance with Justin! And babe? What the hell was that?"

"Calm down," Carter said smoothly, snatching his jacket back from my hands and casually slinging it over his broad forearm like we were discussing the weather. 

"He wasn't going to fall for you anyways."

"Excuse me?" I gasped, my blood absolutely boiling.

"But now he would," Carter added, tilting his head and looking at me closely.

I blinked, thrown completely off balance by his weird logic. 

"What do you mean?"

"Guys want what another man has," Carter said, stepping an inch closer so I had to tilt my head up to look at him. 

His voice dropped into that dark arrogant register. 

"Especially if the other man is a tall, fit, sexy hockey player."

I stared at him, totally incredulous. 

"You are really full of yourself, isn't it?"

"I mean, I am not lying," Carter shrugged lazily, his blue eyes glinting under the chaotic house lights.

"Whatever," I snapped, rubbing my temples because a massive headache was starting to form. 

"Where are you going with this, Graham?"

"It's simple, Chloe, I mean Clara," Carter said, leaning down slightly so his mouth was right near my ear. 

"I play your fake boyfriend to get Justin's attention. 

While in return, you help me study to pass the psychology test, and also play my fake fiancée to my father."

I completely froze, my mind trying to catch up. 

"Hmm. And you really think this stupid stunt would get Justin's attention?"

Carter chuckled softly, a low rumble deep in his chest. 

"He is literally still staring at you right now."

My breath hitched. I slowly turned my head, looking past the crowded dance floor toward the kitchen area.

Justin was standing by the counter. 

And he was staring directly at me, his eyes wide and completely fixated on us.

"Ohh my god," I whispered, my heart doing a strange flutter. 

"He is?"

"Yeah," Carter whispered right behind me.

I turned back to face the hockey captain, narrowing my eyes at him, trying to find the catch. 

"Well... but you still have to pay me though. I am not doing all this fake fiancée drama for free."

Carter didn't even hesitate for a second. 

"Consider it done. And I already covered your rent."

My jaw hit the sticky floor. 

"Really? How did you even know I was overdue for rent?"

Carter just smirked, running a hand through his dark messy hair like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. 

"I am Carter Graham."

He held out a broad, calloused hand toward me, his icy blue eyes locking onto mine with absolute unwavering control.

"So, do we have a deal?"

I looked down at his outstretched hand. 

I looked at the dark suit jacket hanging over his arm. 

I looked back across the loud room at Justin, who was definitely still watching us.

My tuition was going to be paid.

My rent was clear. And my crush was finally watching me.

I took a deep breath, reached out, and slipped my hand into his warm grip.

"Deal."