My nose scrunched. “What does that mean?”
He blew out a hard breath and pushed a hand through his hair.
“I need Holt to realize that I’m trying not to be a complete fuck up now because I want on his racing team. I just found out earlier that unless I show him I’m actually taking this seriously, he isn’t going to take me seriously. I’ve fucked up one-to-many times, and he seems to think my arrest record is proof that I don’t care about my future.”
“And dating me would help that?”
“If he thinks I’m being good enough to date the sheriff’s daughter, then yeah. If he thinks I’m dating you, he’s going to believe I’ll be on better behavior and not getting arrested by my girlfriend’s dad.”
“Then I guess we have a deal. Here,” I said. “Give me your phone and I’ll add my number. The party is this Saturday. What day do you need me to come with you?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to tell Holt in a believable way that this is a real thing and then let you know.”
He handed me his phone, waiting as I put my name and number in it. When I handed it back, though, he was already changing the name from Daisy to Daze.
“You have a problem with my name?” I asked.
“Not at all. You have a problem being called Daze?”
“Not at all,” I said, not adding the part where it only wasn’t a problem at all from him.
“Alright, then, it looks like I have myself my first girlfriend. Lucky me that she’s fake,” he said. His eyes were heavy as he looked me over once.
“I guess I’ll see you Saturday, then?” I asked, trying not to follow up his confession with questions.
“Guess so.”
“Would you mind if I text you once or twice before then? Maybe it’ll help me feel like you aren’t going to eat me alive next time I see you.”
That almost got a smile out of him, one side of his lips turning up as he stepped back. “Sure, I can handle a text or two.”
I nodded, waving as I headed back out towards the sidewalk. Luckily, the school wasn’t too far from here and it was a nice enough day that I walked back.
Which gave me plenty of time to freak out about asking Kye Baker if he would be my fake boyfriend.
Because he said yes.
SIXDAISY
Tuesday
The weird thing about being so popular for so long was how little alone time I used to have. Now, it was endless hours and even days when I wouldn’t hear a word from any of my ‘friends’ or see them at all. Living off campus was leaving me even more secluded, but it didn’t help that somehow, in the breakup with Dean, I had become a social outcast. The texts and calls I had been getting after everyone saw me and Kye together were already dying down, and I wasn’t sure if they would pick back up until Kye went out with me again. Not only that, but I was becoming more and more convinced that Dean had completely moved on with Sydney. Not that I cared, but I couldn’t understand how my entire life was being handed to her so fast. My boyfriend, my position in the sorority, even some of my friends. I was almost scared to find out what she would be taking from me next.
I paced my room for an hour before I texted Kye, my stomach flipping as I hit send and threw my phone onto the bed.
I was barely expecting a reply, but a few minutes later, my phone pinged.
Daisy
How deep does this fake relationship go? Do we have to text every day?
Kye
Why would we need to?
Daisy
I mean, don’t we have to get to know each other a little? Won’t people think it’s strange if we don’t know anything about the other?
Kye
Do you think any of your friends are going to question me?
Daisy
Good point.
What about Holt?
Kye
Fine…Give me the basics. Where we met, how you managed to get me to date you. All the important facts. Aren’t boyfriends supposed to know the girl’s favorite color, too?
Does that even come up in conversation?
Daisy
First, aside from going to school together, we met again at a party. Second, how did I convince you to date me? I’m pretty sure he will be asking me how you convinced me. Good try though. And my favorite color is light blue. It doesn’t come up in conversation, but it’s always important to know.
