Chapter Four — Jason’s POV

Here’s the thing about Lila Bennett: she thinks she’s invisible.

Quiet, book-smart, the kind of girl who’d rather hang out in the library than at a football game. But what she doesn’t get is… people notice her. Maybe not the way she notices Alex Rivera, but she has this fire. This sharp, sarcastic edge that makes her different.

And me? I like different.

So yeah, when that TikTok blew up, I could’ve shut it down. Told people she wasn’t my girlfriend. Walked away. But where’s the fun in that?

Instead, I leaned into it.

Hard.

After lunch, she came at me like a storm in sneakers. Tiny but terrifying. And while she was glaring up at me like she wanted to strangle me with her backpack straps, all I could think was: she’s even cuter when she’s mad.

Not that I’d ever say that out loud. I’d like to keep my head attached to my body.

Anyway, she ranted, she waved her hands, she accused me of ruining her life. Classic. And then Rivera showed up. Perfect timing.

See, Lila doesn’t think anyone knows about her crush on Alex, but it’s obvious. The way she freezes, the way her voice goes up half an octave whenever he’s around. And I’m not gonna lie—it bugged me a little. Don’t ask me why.

So, naturally, I put my arm around her. Called her my girlfriend. Watched Rivera’s face tighten before he walked away.

Yeah. That felt good.

Lila didn’t think so, of course. She shoved me like I’d committed a crime. But here’s the thing—if this fake relationship was going to work, it had to look real. And nothing sells “real” like a jealous rival.

After school, I spotted her with Ava, her best friend. Ava’s hilarious, by the way. Kind of terrifying in the way she collects tea and information, but funny. She saw me before Lila did and gave me this sly little smirk, like she already shipped us.

“Your bestie’s on board,” I told Lila later.

She groaned like I’d cursed her entire bloodline. “Ava is not on board. She’s just delusional.”

But from where I was standing, Ava was very much on board. She gave me a little wave, mouthed, don’t screw this up, and then walked away. Lila nearly had an aneurysm.

Which only made me grin harder.

That night, I got bored scrolling through TikTok and decided to stir the pot. I filmed a quick video after practice—hair messy, shirt damp, just enough effort to look casual. Captioned it:

Day 1 with the girlfriend. Wish us luck 😉 #powercouple #fakebutnotreally

Hit post. Sat back. Waited.

The comments blew up in minutes. Half the school was shipping us already. People were making fan edits. FAN EDITS. Of me and Lila. I laughed so hard I nearly dropped my phone.

I knew she’d see it, of course. That was half the point.

Because here’s the truth: I wanted to see what she’d do. Would she explode? Ignore me? Plot my slow and painful death?

Spoiler: all of the above.

She texted me at 10 p.m. sharp:

LILA: Delete. It. Now.

ME: Nah 😉

LILA: Jason I swear to God—

ME: Babe, relax. We look cute.

No response after that, but I could practically hear her screaming into her pillow.

The next morning, I waited by the entrance. People were buzzing like it was prom day, phones ready to record our “couple debut.” Honestly, I live for this kind of chaos.

And then Lila walked in, head down, trying to disappear into her hoodie. Poor girl didn’t stand a chance.

“Morning, babe,” I said, slipping my arm around her shoulder like it belonged there.

She stiffened. “Take your arm off me before I break it.”

I leaned down, whispering just loud enough for her to hear: “Careful. People are watching.”

Her fake smile could’ve won an Oscar. She whispered back, “You owe me. Big time.”

I almost laughed. Almost. But then I caught her reflection in one of the trophy cases as we passed by. She was blushing. Just a little.

And that’s when it hit me.

This wasn’t just a bet anymore. Not really.

Sure, I wanted those concert tickets. But watching Lila try to survive this fake relationship without losing her mind? Watching her realize maybe she didn’t hate me as much as she thought?

Yeah. That was the real prize.