Chapter 2– "Be My Girlfriend… Kind Of"
Jay wasn't used to being noticed.
She was the type of girl who kept to herself — pretty, but quiet. She sat in the back of every lecture hall, turned her assignments in early, kept her headphones in between classes. It wasn't that she hated people.
She just hated the idea of being seen.
And wanted to stay as far as she could from drama but now the president of their class is dragging her to a cafe saying he needs to "talk"
At the cafe:
He sat down.
"What the hell do you want from me keifer?"
"You're Jay, right?"
Her heart skipped..
The Keifer Watson.
Captain of the basketball team. Student council president. Campus heartthrob. The guy every girl posted about on her spam account after a single glance.
And he knows her name?
Jay blinked. "Um… yeah?"
Keifer rested his elbows on the metal table. "Okay. This is gonna sound completely insane. Just hear me out."
Jay sat frozen, her hand half-curled around the iced coffee she had ordered . Her brain was screaming be normal, be normal, be normal, but her mouth had no idea what normal even meant right now.
"Why do you know my name?" she blurted.
He smirked, and it made her heartbeat stutter.
"I pay attention," he said simply.
Jay almost laughed. "Sure. Okay."
"I'm serious." Keifer leaned in slightly. "You always sit in the back. You write in purple ink. You wear these big ugly headphones—"
"They're vintage!" she snapped, too quickly.
Keifer's grin widened. "See? I do pay attention"
Jay wanted to melt into the grass. "What do you want from me?"
His smile faltered, just a little. "I need a favor."
Jay's eyebrows shot up. "From me?"
He nodded. "I want you to fake-date me."
Jay stared.
Then laughed.
Then blinked. "Oh, wait. You're serious?"
"I am."
Jay's heart was doing cartwheels in her chest, but she kept her voice flat. "You don't even know me."
Keifer tilted his head. "I know you're smart, clumsy. I know you don't care what people think. I know you avoid drama like the plague."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It's not," he said quietly. "It's exactly why I picked you."
Jay swallowed. "And why exactly are you trying to date someone fake?"
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
Then: "Ella's been posting stuff. She wants me to chase her again. She thinks I won't move on unless I do."
Jay felt her stomach sink. Of course. This was about Ella. The beautiful, popular, cheer captain Ella.
"She your ex?"
He nodded once. "Yeah. And this isn't about getting her back. This is about getting her off my back. If she thinks I'm over her — really over her — she'll finally stop playing games."
"And you think pretending to date someone is gonna fix that?"
He shrugged. "You don't get it. In our world? Appearances are everything."
Jay hesitated.
Every part of her wanted to scream no. She didn't want to be some prop in a boy's drama, didn't want people staring, whispering, taking photos. She especially didn't want to end up heartbroken because she couldn't tell the difference between fake and real.
But the other part?
The pathetic, soft, already-half-in-love part?
That part said yes before her brain caught up.
"Okay, what do i get out of it"
"I know you want guys to stop asking to court you.and i also know your ex cyrus is bothering you" he said.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"So you agree to fake dating me?" he asked.
she said slowly. "I'll do it."
Keifer's eyes widened, just slightly. Like he hadn't expected her to agree so fast.
But Jay wasn't done.
"One rule," she added.
He smiled, amused. "Let me guess. No falling in love?"
"No assuming I already have," she said coolly.
His smile dropped.
And for just a split second — just a heartbeat — Jay swore she saw something break in his expression. A flash of surprise. Like she'd touched something he didn't think she could reach.
Then it was gone.
"Okay one more rule. In public i hold your hand,hug you. You dont flinch or punch me. Thats how we will sell it."
She nodded once. "Deal."
They shook hands.
And from the moment their fingers touched, Jay knew:
This was the beginning of something she wouldn't be able to fake.
And in that moment keifer took out his phone and announced on facegram that he and jasper jean mariano are dating.