Fake It 'Til You Break It(94)

It doesn’t matter, it’ll sting the same.

She opens her mouth, my chest tightening more and more by the second, but then she clamps it shut.

Demi shakes her head, anger clouded by fresh tears, transforming my favorite shade of green into a murky mess it slays me to see.

She moves her focus to my dad, pity leaking into every word spoken. “I’m not even sure how to respond to such a foul question, Mr. Sykes.” She’s quiet but resilient. “Your obvious and ill-placed insult of your own son makes me sick, and I’m positive the answer isn’t one you want to hear anyway.”

Her mother gasps while my heart threatens to tear from my chest.

Demi turns to Alex next. “I’m not going to formal or anywhere else with you. The fact that you so easily disregarded how you already have a date to formal who, I’m sure, is excited to go, speaks to how shitty of a person you are.”

“Demi!” her mom shrieks.

Demi rolls her eyes and looks to her mom. “And, seriously, Mom. Will you ever stop?”

“Demi!” she hisses.

Demi isn’t discouraged. “Quit trying to use me to set yourself up. Be happy for me and what I want or back the hell off,” she snaps.

Demi spins, pins me with a heavy glower that warns me not to follow and storms out.

I’m stuck until the door slams with her exit, and then I fucking chase her.

I catch her rushing down the driveway.

“Demi,” I call, but she hustles even more. “Baby, wait!”

Suddenly she halts, a little growl leaving her as she spins and stalks toward me. Eyes heated and ready to fight. “I cannot believe you pulled this shit!” She shoves me, but I don’t budge. “You knew he was planning to ask me out before you suggested we pretend to be together!”

“Yeah. I did,” I say unapologetically, and fear gets the best of me. “What, you mad? Now you know he wanted you all on his own, you ready to say fuck it and run to him?”

“Did it look like that’s what I was ready for?!” she shouts, throwing her arms out. “I was the only one speaking for us in there, or should I say the us I thought we were.”

“What the fuck does that mean? All the shit that was said between us goes out the fuckin’ window now that all you originally wanted got dropped in your lap?!”

“Don’t.” A quick breath hisses past her mouth.

I know my words aren’t fair, but this is what I’ve feared, her walking away from me.

“Don’t you dare try to turn this on me. You played me this entire time.”

My head tugs back, shock sending a zing down my spine. “What? No! Fuck no!”

“Yeah, Nico, you did.” She nods. “Maybe something changed along the way, or maybe everything you’ve said and we’ve done was a part of the lie, but from the first fucking day, this was about using me to get to him. Admit it.”

What the fuck?!





I’m shaking I’m so... I don’t even know what, but everything hurts worse when Nico shouts his denial.

“That is not what this was.” He glares, daring to show a hint of anger he has no right to give. “Not even fucking close.”

A humorous laugh leaves me, and I cup my face with my hands, shielding myself a moment before pinning him with a hard look when I’m feeling anything but tough right now.

“Your dad, Josie, Sandra...” I trail off as a thought hits, my mouth falling open as his grows tighter. “Oh my god.”

“Demi. Don’t.”

“Miranda. He fucked her, too, didn’t he? That’s why you two stopped hooking up over the summer, isn’t it?”

He licks his lips, looking off.

I scoff, but it comes out as more of a cry. “Of course. Of course! You would have fucked her again, wouldn’t you? If only she didn’t let Alex stick his dick in her after you, right? It wasn’t about me or us or anything else you led me to believe.”

“You’re wrong,” he argues weakly, but can hardly meet my eyes.

“Ugh. This must have been so fun for an asshole like you.” I shake my head. “What, did you look at me and say poor, pathetic, boyfriendless Demi, bet she’s na?ve enough to fall for my bullshit?” His features grow stiffer. “You said you had something to gain from this, now I know what it truly was – convince me to pretend date you to weasel your way in, and then make it feel so natural, so easy, that I forget the lines between us and believe the lie. All this so you could finally say you screwed him like he has you, and fuck the collateral damage along the way, right?” My brows lift. “Literally, in our case.”

Nico’s spine shoots straight, his jaw clenching. “You don’t even know what you’re saying. How fucking backward you have it.”

“Whatever.” I sniff, looking away, suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. “You didn’t have to take it this far.” I shake my head. “You could have walked away before we got here. Unless this was your plan, fake it ‘til you break it.”

“Nothing is fucking broken!”

“I am!” I scream, my voice cracking and making a bigger joke out of me.

Suddenly, Nico is in my face, gripping mine and holding it up to his, and a strong sense of desperation flows from him to me.