All Chapters of Faking It With The Hockey Playboy: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Lila POVI woke up to sunlight streaming through my curtains and the immediate, crushing weight of reality.Today was the day. My mother would be home soon. And my entire future would be decided.I lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to gather the courage to face whatever was coming.My phone sat on my nightstand, still turned off from last night. I was not ready to turn it back on yet. Not ready to see if my mother had sent any messages. Not ready to face Derek's texts about our fake date.I finally forced myself to sit up, my body still aching from yesterday. My knee was stiff and sore. My muscles protested every movement. And my heart felt like it had been put through a blender.As I swung my legs out of bed, I noticed something on the floor by my door.A piece of paper. Folded neatly. Like someone had slipped it under my door while I was sleeping.I got up and walked over to it, bending down to pick it up. My name was written on the outside in handwriting I rec

Lila POVI looked at Ryan, at his phone in his hand, at the determination in his eyes.And I wanted to tell him everything.I wanted to scream that Derek was blackmailing me. That our relationship was fake. That I was not choosing Derek over my future. That I was trapped in a nightmare I had not asked for.I wanted to explain that I was trying to protect myself. That I was doing the best I could with an impossible situation. That if he just understood the truth, maybe he would stop blaming me for everything.The words were right there on the tip of my tongue."Ryan, you do not understand. Derek and I are not really—"But I stopped myself.Because what good would it do? If I told Ryan the relationship was fake, he would ask why. And then I would have to tell him about the blackmail. About my stories. About the sexual fantasies I had written about him.About how I had been in love with him for three years.That truth would destroy everything. Ryan would be disgusted. He would be horrifi

Lila POVThe pictures kept coming.Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.A botanical garden with fairy lights.A rooftop cinema under the stars.A dessert bar with elaborate pastries.An ice skating rink with private lessons.My phone would not stop buzzing. Every few seconds, another picture. Another suggestion. Another reminder that Derek was putting way too much thought into this supposedly fake date.I tried to ignore it. Tried to focus on anything else. But the constant notifications were impossible to tune out.Buzz.A cat cafe with adoptable kittens.Buzz.A pottery studio where you could make your own dishes.Buzz.A vintage arcade with classic games."Derek, seriously, stop," I typed."But I haven't found the perfect place yet," he responded immediately."There is no perfect place for a fake date.""Maybe not. But there's a perfect place for OUR fake date."More pictures came through before I could respond.A scenic hiking trail with a waterfall.A hot air balloon ride at sunrise.A horse riding

Lila POVThe invitation sat on my desk for three days.Three days of Derek ignoring every message I sent. Three days of him not answering my calls. Three days of complete and total silence.I had gone from worried to frustrated to angry and back to worried again.By Friday night, I had convinced myself that Derek was planning something. Maybe he was going to expose my secrets at the party. Maybe he was going to humiliate me in front of everyone. Maybe this was his revenge for what I had said about his mother.The thought kept me up at night. I barely slept. Barely ate. Mrs. Chen kept asking if I was sick.My mother had finally made it home on Wednesday, and the meeting with Principal Harrison had been exactly as terrible as I expected. But surprisingly, my mother had not sent me away. Not yet, anyway.She had yelled. A lot. But then she had agreed to give me one more chance. One final chance to prove I could stay out of trouble.I think my stepfather had convinced her. He was always t

Lila POVI was done being patient.Done following Derek around like some pathetic lost puppy while he ignored me and walked away over and over again.He was heading back through the crowded living room, weaving between dancing bodies, clearly trying to lose me in the chaos.But I was not letting him get away this time.I pushed through the crowd faster, my frustration building with each step. People gave me annoyed looks as I shoved past them, but I did not care.Derek was almost to the stairs when I finally caught up to him."DEREK!" I shouted over the music.He kept walking, one foot already on the first step.Something inside me snapped.I reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him backward with all my strength."I said STOP!" I yelled.Derek stumbled backward off the step, nearly losing his balance. He spun around, his face dark with anger."Do not touch me," he said, his voice dangerous."Then stop walking away from me!" I shot back.I grabbed his arm, trying to t