All Chapters of PLAYING PRETEND: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The metrics were beautiful.Sitting on a bench outside the Life Sciences building, scrolling through the analytics on my phone revealed that in the twelve hours since posting the photo of the soda cups, engagement was up 45%. The comments were 90% positive, 5% confused, and 5% trolls, which was a noticeably better ratio than the campaign for Student Body President.However, the most important statistic wasn't a number but rather a single view.Vanessa_L had viewed the story three minutes after it went live.She hadn’t liked it, commented, or texted to hurl accusations of lying. That silence was golden because it meant she was stewing and wondering if she had misjudged everything, perhaps realizing her assumption of a safe and predictable robot was entirely wrong.Mission accomplished, the thought crossed my mind while closing the app to signify Phase One was complete.Now it was time for Phase Two: Maintenance.A quick glance at the watch showed 10:50 AM, meaning Finn’s Anatomy lectur

The cold wind bit through my thin cotton jacket as I walked across the central quad.I rubbed the back of my neck while the lingering bass from the student union still echoed in my ears.My phone vibrated deep inside my front pocket just as I passed the library steps.I pulled the device out and squinted at the bright screen in the dark.A new message from Finn sat right at the top of my notifications.I swiped the screen to open the text thread.The message was short and frantic.Emergency.My mother knows.She wants to feed you gluten-free lasagna.A loud laugh escaped my chest before I could stop it.The sound echoed across the empty concrete pathway and vanished into the night.I actually thought he was joking at first.I stopped walking and stared at the glowing letters on my screen.Finn was probably having a massive panic attack in his dorm room right now.I hit the call button and lifted the phone to my ear.Finn answered the phone on the very first ring.He was breathing so h

The sharp sound of the high heels stopped right behind my chair and I squeezed my eyes shut while bracing for the worst."F-fuck," I stammered into the silence as my breathing turned shallow.I gripped the edge of the wooden table so hard that my knuckles turned white and my fingers started to ache.I waited for Vanessa to start screaming at me but a very familiar hand grabbed the back of my oversized hoodie instead.I opened my eyes and looked up to see Sarah glaring down at me with a deep frown on her face."Get up right now because we need to prep your outfit for the Wednesday quad lunch," she demanded while tugging on my jacket.I let out a massive breath of air and slumped forward onto the table as the tension left my shoulders."Holy shit," I mumbled into my folded arms while trying to slow my racing heartbeat."I thought you were a crazy sorority girl coming to ruin my nursing career," I confessed while rubbing my tired eyes.Sarah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her

Vanessa leaned closer to my shoulder and her perfume smelled like cheap vanilla and desperation.I clenched my jaw so hard that my teeth ached while I stared straight ahead at the crowded walkway.She dropped onto the grass right next to me exactly thirty seconds ago without any invitation at all."You know Travis is just so spontaneous," Vanessa murmured near my ear so the people walking past us would think we were sharing a secret.I did not care about Travis or her sudden need to talk about her new relationship right in the middle of the central quad.I was just trying to figure out a polite way to tell her to leave before Finn arrived for our public lunch date.My eyes scanned the busy concrete path and I spotted a familiar head of dark hair pushing through a group of loud freshmen.Finn was wearing a nice dark green sweater instead of his usual baggy hoodie but his posture was rigid with tension.I felt a small spark of relief because he actually showed up to honor our deal but t

I searched his face for any sign of a lie but I only saw deep regret and fierce protection in his gaze.My knees suddenly buckled because the sheer adrenaline left my system in a rapid and dizzying rush.Kyle caught my weight before I could fall and he guided me down to sit on the soft grass under the massive oak tree.I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around my legs to stop my body from trembling.Kyle sat right next to me and pressed his warm shoulder against mine to block the staring crowd from my line of sight.He did not try to force a conversation while I struggled to pull air into my tight lungs.He just sat there and proved that he was not going to run away when things became difficult.I rested my chin on my knees and watched a stray leaf blow across the concrete pathway."I am so embarrassed," I whispered while the shame burned hot against my cheeks."Everyone heard her say it and now they all know I am struggling to stay in school.""Nobody cares