Chapter 3

LENNY'S POV

The dorm room door didn’t just open, it exploded.

“Tell me everything right now!” Jenna screamed.

She began to jump on her bed, holding her phone to her chest.

Annette followed closely behind her, clutching a bag of chips like it was something precious.

“Lenny! You’re on the front page of the school blog! You and Jace Callahan? The kiss? I think I stopped breathing for three minutes.” She giggled and I slumped into my desk chair.

My head was spinning, my lips still felt bruised and my body was tired from all the days stress.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“It looks like you’re dating the king of the world,” Annette said, her eyes wide. “He’s gorgeous, rich, and he’s going to be in the NFL. And he touched you! In public!”

“He’s a nightmare,” I whispered, shaking my head. I wish these girls knew how frustrating it was for me.

Jenna hopped off the bed and grabbed my shoulders. “If that’s a nightmare, please let me never wake up.” She smiled brightly, then her head tilted, noticing my expression.

“Why do you look so sad? You just won the lottery!” She nagged.

“It’s fake,” I replied. I couldn’t hold it in. Apart from the fact that I needed them to understand the situation, I couldn’t lie to my close friends.

“He’s forcing me. He has something on me, and he’s using it to make me his fake girlfriend. He needs to fix his reputation.” I explained and the room went silent.

Jenna and Annette exchanged glances, then they both started laughing.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Jenna asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Yes! He’s blackmailing me!” I exclaimed and I thought they would side with me and see him as a jerk for that, but they behaved like every other girl on campus would.

“Okay, and? Lenny, do you know how many girls on this campus would pay to be blackmailed by Jace Callahan? I’d let him ruin my life just to sit at his table for lunch.” Anne spoke like it was the most normal thing ever and I rolled my eyes.

“He’s dangerous,” I warned. “You didn’t see his eyes, you didn’t feel how he held me. It wasn’t a hug. It was a trap.”

“Duh,” Jenna said, shrugging.

“He’s a bad boy. That’s the whole point. But think about the perks! You get into every party. You get the best seats at the games and you get to look at that face every single day!” She exclaimed.

“I don’t care about the parties!” I yelled, standing up with my heart racing.

“I care about my life. I care about graduating. He took an implicating photo of me and could destroy me with one click of a button.” I told them with tears welling in my eyes.

It was hurtful to see that my friends didn’t even want to see things from my perspective. They weren’t even trying to read my emotions. They didn’t even try to ask how Jace could destroy me.

“But he won’t,” Annette said calmly.

“Because you’re going to be the perfect girlfriend. And honestly? You’re lucky. You were a ghost, Lenny. Nobody even knew you were here. Now, you’re the most famous girl in school. Enjoy it.” She added and I felt sick.

“You guys are crazy,” I said, backing away. “You aren’t even listening to me.”

“We are listening,” Jenna said, leaning in with a serious look.

“We’re saying that even a fake Jace is better than no Jace at all. Who knows? Maybe the ‘fake’ part will turn real.”

“I’d rather jump off a bridge,” I snapped.

Before they could respond, the door swung open again. This time, it wasn’t an excited girl.

My brother, Marcus, stood in the doorway. He was still in his football gear, sweating with an angry face.

“Out,” Marcus growled at my friends.

Jenna and Annette didn’t argue. They grabbed their things and rushed out like mice.

Marcus slammed the door and locked it. He turned to me with his fists clenched at his sides.

“What is wrong with you?” he barked and I closed my eyes.

“Marcus, please—”

“Jace Callahan? Of all the people on this campus, you pick him?” Marcus stepped toward me and swallowed hard. I knew he had every reason to be this angry.

“He’s my rival, Lenny! He’s the reason the coach won’t let me start! He looks down on me every single day!”

“I didn’t pick him,” I said, feeling tears burn in my eyes. I wish I could tell him everything. I have never kept anything from my brother, but I knew that I did, this whole arrangement with Jace would end.

Marcus wouldn’t allow me to get blackmailed into dating Jace. But too much was at stake.

“Then why were you kissing him in front of the whole school? Why is everyone saying you’ve been sneaking into his room?”

“It’s complicated, Marcus. You don’t understand.”

“I understand that you’re a traitor!” he yelled, punching the locker next to my bed. The loud clang made me jump.

“I’m trying to build a career here. I’m trying to be the best. And my own sister is sleeping with the enemy?”

“I am not sleeping with him!” I argued, with tears now falling from my eyes and he stared at me fiercely.

“Then stop it! Break up with him right now! Tell everyone it was a mistake!”

I looked at Marcus. I wanted to say Jace is a monster who is holding my future over my head.

“I can’t,” I whispered.

“Why not? Is he paying you? Is that it? You need money that bad?”

“No! I just… I like him, Marcus.” The lie tasted bitter.

Marcus looked at me like he didn’t recognize me. The disgust on his face hurt more than a punch.

“You like him? The guy who treats people like trash? The guy who thinks he’s a god because he can throw a ball?”

“He’s different when we’re alone,” I lied again and he shook his head.

“You’re an idiot,” he said, his voice low and cold.

“He’s using you, Lenny. He’s using you to get to me. He knows I hate him, so he took the one thing I have left.”

“It’s not about you, Marcus! Not everything is about you!”

“It is on that field!” Marcus stepped closer, pointing a finger at me.

“Listen to me. If you stay with him, don’t call me your brother. Don’t come to me when he breaks your heart. Because he will. He’ll use you up and throw you away like garbage.”

“Marcus, please don’t do this.”

“I’m done,” he said.

He turned and unlocked the door. “But tell your ‘boyfriend’ something for me. Tell him I’m coming for his spot. And tell him if treats you the wrong way, I’ll kill him.”

He walked out, leaving me trembling in the middle of the room.

I felt like I was being torn apart. My friends thought I was lucky. My brother thought I was a traitor. And Jace? Jace just thought I was a toy.

I sat on the floor, burying my face in my hands. I wanted to scream until I had no voice left.

But just then, my phone buzzed.

J: Come to the parking lot. Five minutes. Don't make me come get you.

I wiped my eyes and stood up. I didn’t have a choice. Even when I felt like jumping into a river, I still had to answer this jerk. I truly regret going into the Dean’s office. Why does all this have to happen to me?

All I wanted to do was to keep my scholarship. I had gone into the Dean’s office because of an anonymous message I received earlier that night. Someone had accused me of lying about my parents’ income to get my scholarship.

At the time I applied, we were struggling badly, but things had changed over the last year. My parents were earning more now, and if the school decided to investigate, they could say I no longer qualified for financial aid.

And if that happened, I was ruined.

The university would make me repay the tuition for the last three semesters and continue paying the full fees afterward. There was no way my family could afford that. No way I could either.

I wasn’t trying to steal anything. I was desperate.

I just needed to see the file before the Dean did.

When I walked out of the dorm, I wiped the tears in my eyes and headed toward the black SUV idling in the shadows of the parking lot.

I opened the door and climbed in. The air conditioning blasted, making the car feel like a freezer.

Jace sat in the back seat, focused on his tablet. He didn’t even look up when I sat down.

“You’ve been crying,” he said, not bothering to ask.

“My brother is a teammate of yours. He's not happy about this arrangement.”

“Marcus?” Jace finally looked at me, a small, cruel smile appearing. “Marcus is a bench-warmer with a big mouth. I don’t care about Marcus.”

“Well, I do! He’s my family! He hates me now because of you!”

Jace reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "He hates you because he’s weak. He wants what I have but he’ll never get it. Now, dry your eyes, we have dinner to go to."

"A dinner? With who?"

"My parents," Jace said. "And a scout from the Dallas Cowboys."

My heart dropped. "Your parents? Jace, I can’t do that. I’m not an actress. They’ll see right through me."

"You’ll be fine," he said, releasing my chin and reaching into a bag beside him. He pulled out a box and tossed it into my lap. "Put that on."

I opened the box. Inside was a diamond heart necklace that looked like it cost more than my entire life.

"I told everyone you left it in my bed. It would look bad if you weren’t wearing it." Jace explained and I frowned.

"I don't want your jewelry." I argued. The last thing I needed was to collect expensive things from this jerk. I didn’t want to owe him in any way.

"Put it on, Lenny. Or do I need to put it on for you?"

I took the necklace from the box. My fingers shook so much that I fumbled the clasp and Jace sighed.

"Move your hair."

I did as he asked. I felt his hot breath on my neck as he leaned in. His fingers brushed against my skin, sending a jolt of electricity through me that I didn’t want to feel.

When he was finished putting the necklace on me, he didn’t pull away. He stayed close, his lips inches from my ear.

"You smell like vanilla. It doesn’t suit you. You should smell like trouble." He whispered and I chuckled.

"I’m not trouble," I said, my voice shaking. His voice reminded me of the scary video I saw of him earlier.

"Everyone is trouble, Lenny. Some people just hide it better."

He pulled back and looked at me. For a moment, the car was silent. The tension was so thick I could taste it. I wanted to run. Then I decided to ask him. It wouldn’t cost me anything.

"Jace?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Someone sent me a video of you in the dark room. With the lighter."

Jace’s face went completely still. He didn’t have his unreadable or sassy expression on, while his eyes turned dark.