Ethan
And Freddies all sad becasue Alex is away. Come back Troy. Pls.
Troy
The legend will return soon.
Gotta go, morning activities starting
But seriously - Crystal Lake, first weekend back
No excuses
22
TARA
“So, let me get this straight,” Becky says, restocking glasses while I prep garnishes. She eyes me like I’ve completely lost it. “You’re fake dating your brother’s best friend to help him avoid an arranged marriage? And tomorrow you’re going to some fancy dinner at the school keeping this up?”
I slice a lime—probably with too much force. “When you say it like that, it sounds insane.”
Becky snorts. “Girl, it is insane.” But she’s grinning. “Though honestly? I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he comes to pick you up. That doesn’t look fake to me.”
I freeze for half a second before I focus very intently on the lemons. “It’s just an act.”
“Mmm.” Becky leans against the counter, arms crossed. “And who exactly are you trying to convince with that sentence? Me? Or yourself?”
I glare at her. “This is strictly business.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Business where you make out sometimes?”
“We were drunk.”
“You literally just sighed dreamily when you said ‘drunk.’”
“I did not.”
Becky slurps her drink, completely unbothered. “You’re already in deep, aren’t you?”
“No.” I snort, way too loud, way too defensive. “This is all part of the plan. A flawless, foolproof plan.”
She hums, unimpressed. “So what happens when you start catching feelings?”
I drop the knife.
It clatters onto the cutting board, and I pretend that my pulse didn’t just skyrocket. “I—I’m not. That’s not happening.”
“Oh, babe.” Becky sighs dramatically, “You’re so screwed.”
I let out a forced laugh. “This is not some rom-com, okay? There’s no genuine feelings here. We flirt, we kiss when necessary, and when his family finally backs off? We will shake hands like respectable adults and go back to normal.”
Becky’s unimpressed. “Yeah? And how exactly do you go back to normal after this? You are in L-O-V-E, girl.”
I grab a cherry and throw it at her. “You’re making stuff up.”
“L-O-V-E. It’s a beautiful thingggg…” she singsongs.
I throw another cherry. “I hate you.”
