“It doesn’t matter,” I waved my hand in the air. “It was posted.”
How could we have been so dumb? To discuss our relationship status in public? For me to say I was lying to Dad? I can’t believe I even made it to school without finding out. Usually, I was on the phone with Lia up until Reece pulled into the school parking lot. But this morning, I’d still been all twisted up about last night with Brooks. The almost-kiss. The discussion about trusting each other. And now this?
“Omigosh!Brielle!” Jenessa flounced into the bathroom, her brown eyes wide. “What did you do?”
“What didyoudo?” Claire shot back.
Jenessa eyed her with disbelief. “Nothing! I didn’t post that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled. I stared into the mirror. I looked like death.
“Well, someone did,” Claire tried to defend me.
“I’ve always been on Broo-elle’s side. I would never out the two of them.”
“They don’t have a side to be on!” Claire cried, not realizing what she was really saying. “They’re not even dating!” Then she realized it. She clapped her hand over her mouth and stared at me.
Jenessa stared too.
I swear, even the toilets were staring at me.
“Are you okay?” Claire reached out and patted my back like I was a toddler.
I moved away. I didn’t want to be touched. I just wanted to disappear. This whole thing was so stupid. So unnecessary. Me and my bright idea to make up a fake boyfriend. But how was I to know he’d turn out to be a real guy? And how was I to predict he’d agree to keep up my little charade, and then it’d become something more tangled, and that I’d develop feelings for Brooks, and that I’d deceive my own parents and let them think we really were dating when we weren’t?
Teen Writers would see the clip. They’d know it’d all been faked and that I’d pretty much lied through my whole interview. And then Brooks’s comments about integrity . . .
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!” I wailed. I needed to sit down. I hurried into a stall and plopped onto a toilet.
Claire and Jenessa hovered around the door.
“Do you want us to call your mom?” Claire offered.
“No,” I shook my head. I’d have to deal with that later tonight, I was sure of it.
“Do you want me to go get Reece?” Claire tried again.
“No.” He was probably doing damage control for Brooks so people didn’t hate the baseball team’s new catcher.
“Do you want me to get Brooks?” Jenessa offered.
“No!” Claire and I retorted in unison.
Jenessa held up her hands. “I was just trying to help,” she said.
There was no help.
The worst part of it all was that I couldn’t talk to Brooks. Ever again. I couldn’t look him in the face. I couldn’t—I couldn’t ever be honest with him. Because our entire relationship was based on a lie.
The truth was, fake dating was a scheme destined to fail.
We’d failed.
Epically.
Chapter 27
Brooks
