Fake It 'Til You Break It

I smile and she sticks her tongue out in response.

“K, back on track. Come on, Demi,” Macy coaxes.

I shrug, tearing the stem off a strawberry and stuffing it in my mouth. “What do you want me to say, I’m annoyed.”

“Annoyed?” Macy purses her lips. “Please, don’t lie. Even you can’t be immune to the boy and his every single thing.”

“Fuck you.” I laugh. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means your vagina must be dead and in need of reviving if not even Nico Sykes gets you going. His fingers alone must be shrimp dick size, and not in a fugly way. If they’re that long, imagine the range of the rest of him!”

My jaw drops and then a loud laugh leaves me, earning a satisfied grin from her.

“My vagina is just fine, I assure you, and it has nothing to do with him not being attractive, because duh.”

Nico is as perfect as his running game, which is flawless.

He’s tall and broad, muscular but not overly so, more full and strong. He has high cheekbones with perfectly thick lips, dark, sandy color hair with darker, always intense eyes. There’s this taunting look forever staring back, one he wants spotted but never allows you to decrypt.

He’s far from a typical senior, screams experienced and likely has grown women wondering if he’s legal enough or not. I’m sure the tattoo etched into the inner part of his right arm is answer enough for them.

He’s ESPN billboard material and he knows it.

“So, you admit you think he’s hot.” Macy nods, proud. “What’s the problem?”

“I needed a good partner, one I could trust to do what they say they will.” I shrug. “Everyone knows Mr. Brando is the toughest teacher here, always unorthodox, and I can’t afford to fail. My mom will wring my damn neck if my grades slip and it’ll be back to medication keeps you focused before I can even blink.”

“Oh please, you’re focused on your own. She has to stop putting all of her screw-ups on your shoulders,” Krista says.

“She already thinks I’m putting too much time into dance, if I fall behind in this class, who knows what she’ll pull.”

“Fuck your mom.” Carley frowns.

“Someone needs to,” Macy mumbles.

The girls laugh, but my head tugs back in disgust causing them to laugh harder.

“Okay, but back up.” Carley leans forward. “We know you can’t fail, and we know you’d never allow yourself to, but how do you know Nico is a bad partner?”

“We’ve always known him to ditch full days, which means he misses whatever’s happening in class, so I have no reason to believe this year will be different, and besides that, have you ever seen him pay attention in a class that isn’t PE?” I joke.

“Have you ever had him in a class that wasn’t PE?” Carley calls me out on my judgment. “Have you had him in a class at all since junior high?”

I pause to think, and she raises her brows like an asshole.

“Whatever.” I shake my head. “Maybe he’s not a crappy student, obviously he’s eligible to play football, so he must keep at least a baseline grade point average, but still. If he isn’t here every day like I am, I’ll have no choice but to carry more of our workload. Not only that, he and I don’t talk anymore, and on the rare occasion we’re forced to, it’s small jibes or he goes straight up mannequin on me.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know what to say?”

I give her a blank look. “He thinks he’s a candy bag and all girls have his kind of sweet tooth, and when you don’t, you’re as worthy as a wallflower.”

“I’d take a piece if offered.” Macy nods, her lips pursed.

I laugh, shaking my head while Krista pats her knee patronizingly.

“We know, sweetheart, we know,” she teases.

“It’s not even about Nico, is it?” Carley suspects. “You wanted to be Alex’s partner again.”

“I’ve been the last two years, so I kind of expected to be, yeah,” I admit. “He wants to be a doctor, like his mom, so I know he’s super focused in science where Nico already had his face in his phone all day today. He didn’t take a single note while I took three pages. I don’t know, I might try talking to the teacher again.”

“Screw Alex’s pompous ass!” Krista blurts. “He might be good looking, but in a Wahlberg brother kind of way, while Nico is more Mark status, Calvin Klein campaign worthy. Way prettier to look at.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“And he lives right behind you! Think of all the late-night study sessions you could have.” Macy’s eyes widen in excitement.

“Yeeees!” Krista turns toward her. “She can knock on his door in her tank and tiny sleep shorts, the ones we bought her for her birthday, and be like I lost my homework, help me.”