chapter 4

Lila POV

"If you tell Ryan one single thing about our past," she said sweetly, "I'll make sure he knows the real truth about who the bully really was.”

My blood turned to ice. She was going to lie about everything. Make Ryan think I was the mean one.

"Sweet dreams, little sister," Cassandra whispered, her voice like poison.

"You look terrible," Derek said as I walked into school the next morning.

I felt terrible too. I had barely slept all night, thinking about Cassandra's threat and the fake dating deal I had made with Derek. My eyes were red and puffy from crying, and I probably looked like I had been hit by a truck.

"Thanks," I muttered, trying to walk past him.

But Derek grabbed my arm gently and pulled me to the side of the hallway.

"Hey," he said, his voice softer than I expected. "Are you okay? You look like you've been crying all night."

I stared at him in surprise. Was Derek Stone actually being nice to me?

"I'm fine," I lied, pulling my arm away from his touch.

"No, you're not," Derek said firmly. "Something happened after I left you last night. What was it?"

Before I could answer, I heard a familiar laugh behind me. My blood turned cold as Cassandra's voice filled the hallway.

"Good morning, everyone!" she called out sweetly.

I turned around and saw her walking toward us with Ryan's arm wrapped around her waist. She looked absolutely perfect - blonde hair shining, cheerleader uniform fitting her like it was made by angels, smile bright enough to blind someone.

And she was staring straight at me with those evil eyes.

"Derek!" Cassandra said with fake excitement. "I didn't know you were friends with Lila!"

"We're not friends," Derek replied, but his voice sounded strange. Almost protective.

"Oh," Cassandra said, tilting her head like she was confused. "Then why are you two standing so close together?"

I felt panic rising in my chest. This was it. This was where I had to start pretending to be Derek's girlfriend, in front of Ryan and Cassandra. The two people who could hurt me the most.

Derek must have felt my panic because suddenly his arm was around my shoulders, pulling me against his side.

"Because Lila is my girlfriend," Derek announced loudly.

The hallway went completely silent.

Ryan's mouth fell open in shock. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me," Derek said confidently. "Lila and I are dating."

I felt like I was going to throw up. Ryan was staring at me like I had just grown two heads, and Cassandra looked like someone had slapped her.

"That's impossible," Ryan said, shaking his head. "Lila hates you. She told me a million times that she can't stand you."

"People change," Derek said with a shrug. "Sometimes love happens when you least expect it."

Love. The word hit me like a punch to the stomach. This was all fake, but hearing Derek say it in front of Ryan made my heart do weird things.

"When did this happen?" Cassandra asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.

"We've been seeing each other secretly for a while," Derek lied smoothly. "But we decided to make it official last night."

Last night. When my whole world fell apart.

"Lila," Ryan said, his voice filled with confusion and something that might have been hurt. "Is this true?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. How could I tell him the truth? How could I explain that I was being blackmailed into this fake relationship?

Derek's arm tightened around me, reminding me of our deal.

"Yes," I whispered, the word feeling like poison in my mouth. "It's true."

Ryan looked like I had just stabbed him in the heart. "But you said you hated him. You said he was arrogant and mean and that you never wanted to talk to him."

"I was wrong," I said quietly, hating every word that came out of my mouth. "I was just scared of my feelings."

Cassandra was watching this whole conversation with a smile that made my skin crawl. She was enjoying watching me lie to Ryan. She was enjoying watching me hurt him.

"Well," she said sweetly, "this is certainly surprising. Derek Stone and little Lila Richmond. Who would have thought?"

The way she said "little Lila" made me feel thirteen years old again. Small, weak, and completely helpless.

"Yeah," Derek said, his voice getting dangerous. "Who would have thought?"

There was something in his tone that made Cassandra's smile falter for just a second. But then she recovered and turned to Ryan.

"Come on, baby," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "We should get to class. I want to show you my new cheer routine before practice."

Ryan nodded, but he kept looking back at me as they walked away. His eyes were filled with confusion and hurt, and I felt like crying all over again.

"That went well," Derek said once they were gone.

"Well?" I snapped at him. "Did you see Ryan's face? He looked like I had betrayed him!"

"Good," Derek said coldly. "Maybe now he'll stop treating you like you're invisible."

I stared at Derek in shock. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," Derek said, his green eyes staring into mine. "I see the way you look at him, Lila. I see the way you follow him around like a lost puppy. And I see the way he ignores you like you don't exist."

My face burned with embarrassment. "You don't know anything about my relationship with Ryan."

"I know more than you think," Derek said quietly. "And I know that maybe it's time someone paid attention to you for once."

Before I could ask what he meant, the bell rang and students started rushing to their classes.

"Walk me to history," Derek said, taking my hand in his.

His hand was warm and strong, and I felt that same weird electric feeling I had experienced last night. But I pushed it away. This was all fake. Derek was just a good actor.

As we walked through the hallways, I could feel everyone staring at us. Derek Stone and Lila Richmond, the bad boy and the quiet girl. It was like something out of a movie.

"People are staring," I whispered.

"Let them stare," Derek said, squeezing my hand. "You're beautiful. They should stare."

I looked up at him in surprise, but his face was unreadable.

We reached my classroom, and Derek stopped outside the door. Before I could say anything, he cupped my face in his hands and leaned down like he was going to kiss me.

"Derek, no-" I started to say.

"Trust me," he whispered against my lips.

Then his mouth was on mine, soft and warm and completely unexpected. The kiss was gentle but firm, and I felt my knees go weak. For a moment, I forgot this was all fake. For a moment, I forgot about Ryan and Cassandra and all my problems.

For a moment, it felt real.

When Derek pulled away, I was breathing hard and my heart was racing.

"See you at lunch, girlfriend," he said with that cocky smile, then walked away.

I stood there touching my lips, completely confused about what I was feeling.

But as I turned to go into my classroom, I saw Ryan standing at the end of the hallway, watching me. His face was dark and angry in a way I had never seen before.

He started walking toward me, his hands clenched into fists.

"Lila," he called out, his voice sharp and dangerous.

Other students in the hallway stopped to watch. Ryan never talked to me at school. Ever.

He reached me in three long steps, his eyes blazing with something that looked like fury.

"We need to talk," he said through gritted teeth. "Right now."

Before I could answer, he grabbed my wrist and started pulling me away from my classroom.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" I asked, stumbling to keep up with him.

But he didn't answer. He just kept walking, dragging me through the hallway like I weighed nothing.

And from behind us, I heard Cassandra's voice, sweet as poison:

"Where are you taking her, baby?"