Chapter Thirteen

Honey

"Hey, partner." Brett smiles, slinking into the seat next to me. I don't bother looking at my biology partner but greet him with an annoyed grunt instead. He's late for class, but since he's a football player, he gets a pass during the season.

"Brett, you good?" I ask with my chin resting on my palm while I write our notes. His bulky body pushes against my shoulder as he gets his books out, and I just roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm great," he drawls out, but he doesn't sound great. Dragging my eyes away from our assignment, I'm met with Brett's sweaty brow and ruddy cheeks.

Groaning, I look him up and down, scooting my chair to the side. "Oh no, did you forget to shower after practice again?" Pinching my nose, I don't inhale. He can smell particularly ripe after a long morning practice, and he knows I hate it.

Brett watches me squirm for a few seconds before chuckling softly. He runs a hand through his hair, which looks wet, and I can only hope it's because he had a shower. "Don't worry, Hon. I did." His eyes dart around the room, and if I didn't know him better, I'd say he was acting nervous.

He drops a pencil and still refuses to make eye contact. I glance down and check that I'm not accidentally flashing him. Nope, my shirt is neatly buttoned and everything is pressed to perfection—as my mother expects.

Rolling my eyes, I surprise him when I rest my hand on his shoulder. "Then why are you acting all jittery? Did you take some Adderall or something?" I ask, expecting the truth and knowing I'll get it. Brett's a nice guy, if not a little naive. Like an overeager Labrador.

He gives me a crooked smile and adjusts his tie. "No Adderall today. I save that for big test days when I need to concentrate. I actually had a question for you, but I'm not sure if it's considered out of line or not."

Raising a brow, I watch him carefully. "Well, the only way you're ever going to find out is if you ask." I fiddle with the pen in my hand, waiting for the question. I've already prepared myself for some stupid question about Jamie.

He runs a hand through his hair, then wipes the wetness down his blazer, leaving a trail of dark navy down the fabric. "It's about you and Zach."

My body sags, and I blow out a slow breath because I could only wish that Brett's question was about Jamie. The answers to questions about Jamie are simple, easy even. But with Zach, things are more complicated. My body prickles at the mention of his name, and I know it's stupid, but I still can't stop thinking about him. His touch, his kiss, his smile… It's all so confusing. We've been fake dating for a little over two weeks, and we've got at least two more months to go. Two months I'm not sure I'll be able to handle if he keeps making me feel like this.

"What about us?" I ask with trepidation. I hope he doesn't ask me about anything too personal. I don't exactly want to explain to Brett that I can't think about Zach without getting horny, because it makes me look pathetic. The guy nearly brought me to orgasm without trying, a feat Jamie couldn't do once. I like the way he makes me feel, but there's still this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that there's something he's not telling me. Something important about his home life, and I so badly want to ask, but I know it's not my place.

Brett scratches the back of his neck before dropping his hand to the table. "Are you guys actually dating?"

My heart stops for all of two seconds as I try to maintain a face of nonchalance. Did he not see us at Eric's party last weekend? Was all that effort for nothing? Jamie at least saw the start of the kiss, so maybe he hasn't mentioned it to anyone else. I guess it wouldn't look good on him if people found out his ex got over him quicker than Usain Bolt running a one-hundred-meter race.

"Of course we are. Why would you think otherwise?" I sound prickly, but I don't care. I need to know why he thinks like that.

Shrugging, Brett opens his laptop, seeming less anxious. "Don't know. I've just heard these rumors about Zach over the years that made me wonder if he was open to dating anyone here."

"And what rumors are you referring to?" Is Brett going to tell me about the bet? He bites his bottom lip, still a little hesitant. "Come on, Brett. You can't say something like that and not expect me to want to know."

"I heard he has a girlfriend back at home," he spits out, and I swallow the large lump in my throat. That girl in Zach's house and all my questions come to mind. "There's a theory that he's just using you to annoy Jamie."

Pushing my laptop out of the way, I cross my arms and look Brett square in the eyes to see just how much he knows. He's right, Zach's using me, like I'm using him, but he's still not opening up about the bet.

"And who told you that? Jamie?" His silence answers everything, and I shake my head. "I wonder why Jamie is so interested in my love life when he's the one that cheated on me and treated me like a dirty rag."

Brett pauses for a second, looks down to the table, then back to me. Will he come clean and tell me the only reason Jamie is spreading these rumors is because there's a bet and fifty grand riding on my choice?

"Jamie's just concerned. Zach's our teammate, and we know more about him and his intentions. We just want to look out for you."

I hold back a bitter laugh, ready to give Brett a piece of my mind. How dare he say they want to look out for me? If he cared, he wouldn't have let Jamie cheat on me for all those years and say nothing.

"Miss. Sanderson, Mr. James. Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?" My eyes flick to our professor, and I pull my laptop closer.

"Sorry, Mrs. Thompson. We were just talking about the assignment," Brett coos, and I swear he winks at her.

She narrows her eyes but continues talking, letting us off the hook. Brett spends the rest of class looking over my shoulder and copying my notes. When the bell rings, I push my chair, ready to leave, but Brett stops me.

"Honey. About earlier." Shutting my laptop, I raise my brow. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to offend you." Yeah, because you're still trying to date me so you can win a bet. "I was just trying to understand if you and Zach were serious after everything that went down between you and Jamie."

I take a deep breath, push out the air, and zip up my bag. "Come on, Brett. You know me. When I'm into someone, I'm into them. I don't half-ass anything."

He smirks. "You're right; you've never not been one hundred percent in. Do you remember when you reamed my ass for not taking my lines seriously during our winter play?"

"Well, you were treating it like it was a joke."

"I was a carrot, babe." Babe? The nickname coming out of his mouth sounds wrong and makes me pine for Zach and his stupid sense of humor. "No one except you took that play seriously."

I shake my head, because I'm always the only one who takes things seriously. "I gotta go," I say hastily, ready to leave.

Brett grasps my hand, stopping me. "Before you go. I know you've confirmed that you and Zach are together, but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring."

"Didn't we already discuss this at the bonfire?"

Lifting a shoulder, he grins. "Yeah, we did, but I think you thought I was joking."

"You're only interested in dating me to tick Jamie off."

"Nah, that's not true. I've been interested in you for a long time and wanted to finally get my chance with you. I just didn't expect Zach would be onto you so quickly." He looks sincere, and maybe if I didn't know about the bet, I'd believe him. Still doesn't mean I'd give him a chance.

"Good to know, but just to be clear, I'm not interested in anyone but Zach." The words feel so tragic as they fall out of my mouth because as much as I don't want to admit it, they're kind of true.

Brett's lips curve up. "For now."

I roll my eyes, not bothering to respond. Brett has no chance of winning that bet, but I'm not about to correct him. Walking out the door, I look around the hallway for a specific streak of blond hair that apparently makes my panties a little damp these days, but he's not around.

"Honey," Olivia sings, saddling up beside me. "Do you want to do lunch today?"

"Can't. I need to find my boyfriend," I say but not entirely sure why. I don't need to see him, but I want to.

Olivia laughs. "Boyfriend? Surely since Saturday, he's earned the title of future husband?" I glare at her because she doesn't know anything about my inappropriate thoughts about Zach. I've kept them to myself, too embarrassed about the implications behind them. "At least this time you're trending on social media for a good reason."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?"

"Clearly not."

Widening her eyes, she pulls out her phone and focuses on that. "I knew you were taking a break from the internet, but I didn't realize you were completely blacked out."

She lifts the phone, and my heart stops because I expect to feel the same shame and devastation I felt the last time I watched a video on my phone. "I mean, the way he's touching you… Wow."

I blush when I see myself making out with Zach, clutching him the way Jamie held McKenna. "How many people have seen this?"

"Well, this is the third angle I've seen, and it's had two thousand views. The comments—"

"Please." I raise my hand, stopping her before she can continue. "I don't want to know about the comments."

"Okay, but they're way more positive than before."

"I don't care about the comments. I don't want to know." I was only doing this for one reason: to get back at Jamie, but the more I watch this video, the more confused I get. We both look into each other in it, which is exactly what we want everyone to believe, but that look on Zach's face has me feeling things I know I shouldn't.

"Oookay," Olivia drawls out, turning off the video and leaving me to picture it in my mind. "On the bright side, all those people who were skeptical, believe you and Zach are a thing now."

"Everyone except the football team. Brett just tried to feel me out for a date again."

"Again? Brett?" she says with a curled lip. "Geez, doesn't his dad own like half of the burger joints in the state? You'd think he was desperate for the money or something."

"No, it's not the money. It's that he doesn't want to lose to Zach."

Olivia smiles. "They will all have a rude awakening when you show up with Zach to prom."

"I hope so." I can't think about prom just yet because that's still two and a half months away, and I don't know how I will survive until then.

When the door clicks shut, I drop my bag, smiling at one of the maids as she walks by. Classical music plays through the hidden wall speakers as I stride across the freshly cleaned marble tile. The click of my heels echoes around the room, and it's the first time I've thought about how absurd and pretentious my home life must look to other people. I yearn for a family home that is one room deep, with parents sitting on a couch older than me with a smile on their faces because they're happy to see me.

"Hunniford!" My mother's shrill voice makes me jump out of my fantasy back into the pristine white walls of our mansion. She's standing in the doorway to the formal dining room, looking at me like I'm some fish our cook brought home that she got a whiff of. "Get in here now." The command in her voice irks me, but I shouldn't be surprised since this is the tone I normally get.

Bowing my head, I hide my lip twitch and do some fake formal curtsy. Even though I do it patronizingly, my mother takes it seriously and smiles. Turning on her heel, she walks back into the room, where I have no doubts my father is waiting for me. They only sit in there when I've done something wrong.

I can hear the tapping of her impatient shoes while I trudge toward my fate and contemplate what I've messed up this time. Maybe Jamie's mom told her he's got a new girlfriend, and there's no chance for me. Somehow, it will be my fault. Probably not. That kind of misbehavior would earn me more than a dining room intervention. She's probably ticked because I missed spin class or something.

I pause at the door when I see my father, and my stomach drops. Adjusting his cuffs, he's still in his workwear, looking mildly peeved that I've taken so long. Being such a high-powered lawyer, he doesn't acknowledge me unless I've embarrassed the family, and the fact he's here still dressed for work lets me know I'm in deep shit.

"Take a seat." My mom gestures to my usual Friday night dinner seat—the only time we have a meal together. The rest of the time, I usually eat alone while Ada, the chef, watches me with a sympathetic smile. "You didn't get back with Jamie." My mom's cool tone is undeniable. She's about to blow a gasket, so I need to tread carefully.

"Jamie's got a new girlfriend," I blurt out, letting the omission spill like a ripped Band-Aid. I figure it's better they hear it from me than from a gossipy mother at the country club. I watch my dad's reaction, hoping I'll get some pity play from the last comment, but he sits there stone-faced, as usual. "It's kind of hard to win someone back when they start dating the girl they cheated on you with."

My mother rolls her eyes. "Although that's annoyed us to no end, that's not why we've called you in here. I heard an interesting tidbit at the club this afternoon about you and a certain boy in your class." I swallow and close my eyes. This is it. I knew eventually they'd find out, but I was hoping I'd have longer than a couple of weeks. "I believe his name is Zach Evans." God, does this woman have nothing better to do with her life than get involved in mine?

"Yes, Zach's a great guy. I thought you'd prefer I find myself someone new and show Jamie up than sit around looking like a loser still pining over him."

"Well, I mean, yes, we'd rather you keep the Sanderson name strong, but why didn't you pick a different guy, like Brett James, for example?"

"Brett James? My biology partner?" And the biggest lothario in the school, who is only interested in me to win a bet. No, thank you. "I'm not his type. Besides, what's wrong with Zach?"

My mother raises her brows because that's enough to answer the question. It doesn't matter that Zach is a decent and honest guy who works his ass off to get everything he can in life. He'll never be good enough for me because he doesn't have the right last name or status.

"I hear he's on a scholarship." When it comes out of her mouth, it sounds like a dirty word, making me straighten my back.

"He's not just a scholarship kid. He's been the starting quarterback for the last two years and has managed to earn himself a full ride to St. Michael's with his grades and performance."

My parents look at me blankly, and I bite my tongue, holding back on going on a tirade about how determined, funny, and smart he is. I hate how my school and family have judged him before knowing anything about him.

My father clears his throat. "I'm sure he's got great athletic ability, that's why he was scouted into the school in the first place, but you come from one of the richest families in the country, Hunniford. Don't you think it's a little coincidental that the minute you break up with your long-term partner he comes sniffing around?"

I lower my chin and glare at them. "Are you telling me you think he's a gold digger?" They slowly nod, and I snort, throwing my head back on a laugh. "Wow. No. he's not dating me for the money." Not mine, at least. "He's doing it because he likes me, and I like him." I don't normally fight back against my parents. Usually, I toe the line no matter how much it annoys me, but today, I feel emboldened because Zach's I don't give a fuck what people think attitude has rubbed off on me.

My parents pass a judging glance at each other. They hate when my opinion differs from theirs, but I don't push back often, and Zach's important enough to say something.

"That's fine, Honey," my father says, too calmly for me not to be suspicious. "If that's what you want, then we're more than happy for you and Zach to date." His words are simple, but I sit there confused as hell. Why on earth is he so happy for me to date Zach?

"But …"

There it is.

I knew it was too good to be true, and I was being passed off too easily. "But what?"

"We'd like to meet him," my mother interjects with a smug look.

"Why?"

"Because we care about who you associate with," she says. Of course she cares. It's because whoever I hang out with reflects on her. "Besides, you said he's not interested in you for the money. That means he should have no problem meeting us."

This is all starting to go a little too far. Zach won't want to meet my parents, and I have to somehow keep this whole thing going without getting found out.

"Yeah, uh, sure. That sounds fun." I feel like a fraud, but what else can I say? I'd rather pull out each of my eyelashes individually than ask Zach to meet my parents. What on earth would he think of them if he came here? What would he think of me? Not that it matters, but I hate him thinking I'm as superficial and coldhearted as my parents.

"Great." My father leans back, pushing his chair out, and lightly clasps his hands as though we've finished our business meeting. "Let me know the date, and I'll put it in the diary. The sooner, the better."

"No problem," I state, standing.

"Can't wait to meet him," my mom coos with a sinister smile as she floats out of the room. Her mission is accomplished, so she doesn't need to spend more time with me than necessary. My father follows closely behind her, leaving me to stand in the lonely, cold dining room.

Leaning back against the wall, I close my eyes and run a hand across my face.

How the hell am I going to convince my fake boyfriend he needs to come and meet my parents for real?