Faking Us ✔️

eleven

Luca
~

"So, let me get this straight. You agreed to be her tutor in order for her to be your girlfriend for a month?" Anderson questions once I fill him in on our deal.

I take a seat across from him at the cafeteria table and nod. "Yes, well technically, I offered, and she asked me what's the catch, so I just went for it."

He shakes his head. "And here I am, can't even take Sydney to the Prom."

My throat goes dry at his mention of Sydney. I still haven't told him that she lied. But it's not my secret to tell.

Or is it?

"What are you two boys talking about?" Cassie joins us by sitting right beside me.

"Just you two love birds."

My foot kicks Anderson underneath the table making him grunt loudly.

"Shit."

"Are you coming to the game tonight?" she says awkwardly as he weeps in pain. Her attention moves to her grapes as she pops one into her mouth.

Anderson takes a sip of his milk. "Not sure, I hate football."

She laughs. "Honestly, me too."

I glance at her with a weird expression. "Then why do you cheer?"

"I didn't say I didn't like cheering."

"But you cheer for a football team."

Cassie rolls her eyes at him.
"And that doesn't mean I want them to win. Cheering is like second nature to me."

"Then what's first nature?"

Now I'm the one rolling my eyes at him.
I lean over to whisper in her ear. "You'll get used to him."

She giggled as I pulled away and the smell of her vanilla scent was hard to break away from.
Her laugh... It is the most relaxing sound I have ever heard. She likes to cover her mouth at times, hoping nobody can hear how loud she is. I personally think it's adorable and it's a sound that would never get old.

She notices me staring out the corner of her eye, but I still don't look away. A small smile grows on her pink lips and I suddenly glance at the freckles that dance around her tiny nose. They complement her skin in such a delicate way.

"Take a picture," Anderson says, making me break eye contact with Cassie.

"What?"

She looks down at her grapes with the smile still lingering on her lips.

"Pictures last longer."

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

That evening around seven I pulled up into the school parking lot and walked toward the football field.

I pay my five bucks to get in and decide to get a plate of nachos. I've never been to a football game before, but I have to play the part and cheer my girlfriend on. This shall be fun because I don't know what I'm in for.

I find a spot on the bleachers and try to sit in the middle on the far right, letting me get a good view of Cassie. Luckily, I'm not sitting so close to the other students who are proudly wearing our school colors. Some have black paint smeared under their eyes. I notice the dance team is off to the side by the band.

Then, I found Cassie. She is proudly wearing her maroon and black cheer uniform and doing a few back handsprings, while the others are tossing some girls into the air. Her curly hair is pulled up halfway with a huge maroon bow resting on the top of her head. A smile is presented on her face when she spots me and waves my way, letting me wave back.

God she is so beautiful.

I might not care for football, but I know how the game works. I know the plays and the rules. My dad used to watch it all the time when I was little. His favorite team was the Green Bay Packers, only because my mom was from Wisconsin.

A little after the third quarter, Oakley High made another touchdown which had us winning by ten points. Our rivals, Drastings Senior High, just kicked a field goal making them behind by one touchdown.

Marcus ends up throwing the ball to Cole who gets tackled on the twenty-yard line. Coach Burns runs to the field to help Cole to the benches. He limps in his arms and continues to grab his knee. I see Cassie and the other cheerleaders looking their way to see what's going on, but the look on their faces tell me it isn't too good.

With him out of the game, by fourth quarter with five minutes left, Marcus is able to throw the ball to Lance Hilton who barely makes a touchdown. We win as everyone cheers and gets on their feet. As much as I don't want to, I get up as well and clap awkwardly in applause.

Cassie and the team do another cheer before scattering the grounds. She disappears with some of the girls, and someone starts to call her name. I look to my right and see an older couple waving toward her. That's when I see her running up the bleachers and heading my way.

She wraps her arms around my neck.

"You came." Cassie exclaims.

Well, I wasn't expecting that. I can't help but wrap my arms around her waist, welcoming the unfamiliar hug. Her tiny body pressed up against mine would make anyone happy.

"What are you doing?" I whisper into her hair.

"Playing the part." She unlocks her arms and stares back at me before winking. "Just follow my lead."

The couple to my right walk up to greet us. It must be her parents, unless Cassie has an older sister that I don't know of, because the woman looks so much like her. She has the same mahogany brown hair and hazel eyes.
The man beside her has a dark scruffy beard that rests around his jaw line, and he's wearing our school spirit shirt...

"Mom, Dad—this is my uh.... my boyfriend, Luca." She peeks up at me, batting her long black eyelashes, pretty much making me weak at the knees. Hearing my name fall off her tongue is like fireworks going off in my brain.
Never ending fireworks.

Especially the fact that she called me her boyfriend.

• • •

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