Faking Us ✔️

fifteen

Luca
~

"I got an eighty percent on the pop quiz."

Cassie praises as she meets me at the lockers.
It's been two weeks since our little deal and so far, I think things are going pretty great. We hold hands like a couple, sit at lunch together, I bring her to school and take her home. She comes over to study, I go to the football games to watch her cheer, and she comes to my track meets.

Eyes are on us every single day. Especially Marcus. He doesn't like it one bit.

"That's awesome." I give her a high-five before shutting my locker.

"My parents were shocked as well."

"I told you, you could do it."

"Hey, we still have to study for the biggest exam of our lives."

"You will graduate, Cassie." I tell her confidently.

"I'm afraid you'll get annoyed at how negative I am. If you want to call off our little deal, then it's fine by me. Okay? I'll be ok—"

"Cassie," I interrupt in laughter. "I started this deal; I'm just surprised that you agreed to it."

She nods before I speak again. "Also, you're not annoying. It's cute, really."

She bites her bottom lip. "Really?"

Before I can respond, I see Anderson walk over in the worst sulk I have ever seen.

"Someone didn't sleep well last night."

He rests his back against his locker before setting his backpack on the ground. Dark bags are under his blue eyes. I don't think he even had time to brush his shaggy blonde hair.

"Mom and her boyfriend got into a fight again."

I squeeze my first. "She's back with that jerk?"

Anderson releases a deep breath, tilting his head up toward the ceiling.
"Unfortunately."

"What's wrong?" Cassie chimes in.

He looks at her. "He's bad with drugs and my mom keeps going back to him."

"I'm so sorry, Anderson," her voice is soft and sincere. "Is she still sober?"

He nods. "Yes, that's what they fought about. If he sabotages her sobriety, I'm going to kill him."

"Count me in." I replied.

Cassie quickly follows. "Me too."

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

The weather lately has gotten pretty windy. I can't seem to keep my hair out of my eyes every time the wind blows it in the opposite direction. A few papers slipped away from Cassie's hands earlier, and I ran after them like a lunatic through the entire parking lot.

She and Anderson laughed their ass off as I almost ran into a light pole. I quickly flipped them off the minute I grabbed her papers from the rose bush. That evening right after the final bell rang, I walked over to my truck to meet Cassie, but I didn't see her anywhere.