"Ow, my head," Lou groaned. "Stupid window."
"Shush! Someone might hear you," Ravi whispered harshly.
He stood beside his bedroom window, holding back the curtain with one hand and using the other to help Lou keep her balance as she climbed out. The sun hadn't fully risen, but there was a light, grey glow to everything. None of the neighbors had left for work yet and no one was at the bus stop at the end of the street.
Lou paused with half of her outside on the roof shingles and the other half looking back into Ravi's room. She glared at him and said sarcastically, "Oh, I apologize for hitting my head on your stupid window after a great night's sleep. Your closet was exactly how I imagined spending my night."
They glared at each other, starting their hundredth staring contest of the last two days. Ravi was sure he had memorized every shade of green in her eyes by now. He, as always, was the first to look away. He glanced down at her hand that was still holding on to his hand as she held the side of the window with the other. He wanted to snatch his hand away, but he didn't want her to lose her balance and go tumbling off the roof.
"Oh, wait! My bag," Lou said as she looked over his shoulder to the open door of his closet on the opposite side of the room.
She gracefully climbed back in, but Ravi forgot to back away. She ended up standing nearly nose to nose with him. Her breath caught in her throat. Looking into his eyes was one thing, but she had trouble thinking straight when they were this close. She would never tell him that, though.
"I'm breaking up with you," Ravi said.
"Fine by me," Lou replied.
She stepped away from him and marched over to her backpack. It was still heavy with her chemistry book and binder. She slung it over one shoulder as she glanced at the pillow and blanket fort that she had made for herself in his closet during the storm last night. She had figured if she had to be trapped in a guy's closet, she'd may as well do it in style. Ravi had muttered the entire time that she made him help her build it. But he had helped her.
She walked back over to the window. In that short time, the sky had brightened even more. She smiled despite her annoyance with Ravi. She had always liked mornings. Something about a fresh start made her smile.
"Why are you smiling?" Ravi asked softly. He frowned as he looked down at his socks. "Glad to be rid of me already?"
Lou blinked. If she didn't know for a fact that Ravi hated her only slightly less than he hated Eric, she would have thought he sounded disappointed. The foolish thought made her heart flutter.
She didn't get a chance to respond because he started talking again. "You really shouldn't wear your backpack like that. Here, both straps are better for back support." He held the loose backpack strap as she slid her arm through.
"Thanks, I guess," Lou murmured. His fingers brushed her shoulder and she struggled to keep her face from heating up. She took a step back from him and crossed her arms. With as much of an attitude as she could muster, she asked, "You're not really going to fake break-up with me. Are you?"
Something like hope flickered in Ravi's eyes. But he rolled them and the usual annoyed expression that seemed reserved for her returned to his face. He sighed dramatically, "I suppose not. We won't have to suffer through this for much longer."
Lou bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. She nodded and gave him an indifferent look and shrug. "Good. Cause we'll look pathetic if our fake relationship only lasted a week. We have to make it to homecoming. Or else we won't tick Eric off enough to make sure he's trash during the game."
"Right… Eric," he agreed. He glanced out the window. "You better go. I don't want you to be late for class." He winced. "I mean, I don't want either of us to be late." He rolled up the sleeves of his pajamas as he mumbled, "Sure you don't just want to sneak to the front of the house and ring the doorbell? Emma won't mind dropping you off."
Lou messed with the ends of her hair and shook her head no. She said, "I'll meet you at my locker. You know, so everyone sees us together. And it's right beside Eric's first class, so he'll be annoyed."
"Okay."
"Okay."
Ravi held back the curtain again and this time he didn't hesitate to offer her his hand to balance her as she climbed out. At the same moment as she was safely out the window on the roof, Xander stepped out onto the shingles from Emma's bedroom window, which was beside Ravi's own.
"Xander?" Lou asked in surprise.
"Lou?" Xander stammered.
He looked back towards Emma's window like a deer caught in headlights. Emma stuck her head out to see Lou giving her an awkward wave. Ravi had also leaned his head out slightly, but quickly retreated back inside when he saw Emma raising her eyebrows and giving him a stern look.
"Be careful. See you at school," Ravi said in a rush. He quickly closed his window.
"Get back here," Emma gasped before closing her own window.
Lou and Xander looked at each other as they crouched on the roof. They were on the second story of the large house. At the end of the roof and along the side of the house was a lattice covered in flowering plants and vines that led from the roof to the ground.
"So… want to catch the bus together?" Lou offered awkwardly.
Xander's expression turned bright and he said in a friendly tone, "Nah, my jeep's parked down the street. I'll give you a lift."
"Great," Lou said brightly before following him to the lattice.
Inside the house, Ravi tried to shut and lock the door to his bedroom before his sister could barge in and start interrogating him. Unfortunately, he was too slow for Emma and her long legs. His sister could have been the fastest person on the track team if she didn't hate sweating or love having her afternoons free for shopping and taking pictures of herself with products that brands had sent her to promote.
"What was that?" Emma said as she pushed open his door, causing him to stumble back slightly.
"Please, keep your voice down," Ravi said worriedly as he looked over his sister's shoulder.
He knew their parents had to both be awake by now. They were probably preparing their green juices and protein smoothies before their morning run in the home gym. Both of their parents were in the entertainment industry, so they were both very into health.
"They've got their earbuds in by now," Emma said with her hands on her hips. "Now, I'll ask you again...what was that?'
Ravi knew that his sister didn't usually pull rank as the older sibling, at least not with him. He tended to avoid her ire, unlike his other two siblings.
He made a weak attempt to get rid of her. "Um, I don't want to talk about it. Get out?"
Emma stepped farther into his room and crossed her arms. She let out a sarcastic chuckle and said, "Cute."
Ravi could already feel sweat forming on his brow. Emma had been pretty chill the previous week. She hadn't questioned why one of her friends was suddenly dating her younger brother. He figured it was because she tended to do her own thing and was more focused on winning homecoming queen than his meager social life. Now, she didn't look chill.
"Do you really have to be so irritating, Emma? Isn't it bad enough that you're so overbearing and desperate to be homecoming queen?" He knew what he said was mean and uncalled for, but he was feeling so cornered and defensive that the words slipped out. He didn't even mean them.
Emma clenched her fist. He flinched, terrified that she was going to punch him. She said through her teeth, "I'm going to ignore that."
"Morning, losers," their brother Luke greeted them as he walked up to Ravi's bedroom. He leaned casually against the doorframe. "Having a dork meeting?"
Ravi's shoulders tensed and his eyes widened slightly. It was one thing for Emma to question him, but Luke was ruthless. He would tease him endlessly. Ravi's blood ran cold at the thought of Luke approaching Lou about being in his room. She would totally forget their deal to get back at Eric and murder Ravi with that chainsaw from her woodshop class.
As if reading Ravi's mind, Emma said, "Get out, Luke."
Luke looked from Emma's stern expression to Ravi's worried one. He smirked and shook his head. "No way. Something obviously juice is going on. And I'm guessing Mom and Dad aren't supposed to know. What are you trying to get Ravi to cover up for you?"
"Get out, Luke," his sister said in an annoyed tone. She narrowed her eyes at him, adding, "What makes you think I'm the one that needs a cover? Ravi can break the rules too."
"What'd he do? Volunteer too much at the animal shelter," Luke scoffed.
"Get out, Luke," his brother said bluntly. He was starting to feel more defensive the longer his siblings stayed in his room. He walked forward and lightly pushed his brother out of the doorway. "And try brushing your teeth and hair. You look awful."
Luke stuck his hand out to keep Ravi from shutting the door. "Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Mr. Dork Pajamas," Luke chuckled, unfazed. He turned his attention to Emma and said, "Fine, I'll leave. But I want Hazel Swearingen's number."
Emma bunched her eyebrows together. "Eww, why?" She shook her head. "Trust me. You don't want to get involved with Hazel."
"Oh, I do," Luke said, wiggling his eyebrows. "She's crazy obsessed with someone who's not me and that makes me so into her. So, either text me her number or I'm getting Mom and Dad."
"Fine." Emma rolled her eyes. "Now get out!" She stepped past Ravi and shoved Luke into the hallway before slamming the door in his face. She turned back to her other brother and demanded, "You've got five seconds to tell me why you had a girl in your room this morning. And don't waste anymore of my time. If my hair isn't perfect when I get to school, I swear I'll throw out all of these stupid reptile toys."
"They are not toys! They are figurines," Ravi gasped as he held out his arms as if blocking all the collectables on the shelves. "And might I remind you that you had a boy in your room this morning? Which, by the way, what exactly was Xander McCormick doing in our house?"
"I'm eighteen, Ravi. You're sixteen. I don't have to explain anything to you, child."
"That's hardly a difference. Besides, I'm more mature than you are," he argued.
They stared at each other, unwilling to talk first. Ravi normally lost staring contest with Emma as well, but for different reasons. He wasn't afraid of getting lost in her eyes or his heart beating too fast. But he was terrified of her stuffing him in the breadbox in the kitchen. Surprisingly, Emma caved first.
"Xander was hiding from Hazel. He knew she'd be waiting for him at his house because she's trying to ask him out to Steven's party this weekend. I found him trying to stuff himself in a locker after school, so I offered him a place to hang out."
"Let me guess, the storm last night got so bad that he couldn't go home," Ravi said.
That had been the same reason why Lou was trapped in his bedroom. She had walked to meet him after Reptile Club at the recreation center where Eric worked afterschool. He was a lifeguard there and they had been sure to walk by holding hands and whispering nonsense to each other by the pool as Eric glared at them from his guarding chair. She could have simply walked him home afterward, but they were also chemistry partners and he had suggested that she stay so they could work on homework. He had expected her to decline because they had spent most of the day together: at her locker, in study hall, during lunch, during gym. He had even acted like he hated the idea of her staying, but she needed help with some of the questions she had missed on the last quiz.
"Yeah, it was horrible outside! And I couldn't make him go out in that weather" Emma said. "I had already made him park far away. You know Dad hates musicians."
"His band breaks up literally every other week. He's not a musician," Ravi said flatly.
"Attitude much?" Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Now spill. Why was the nicest girl in school hanging out with a grouch like you?"
Ravi couldn't help but be grouchy. He didn't get any sleep the night before. All he could think about was how the girl he had been in love with since seventh grade was sleeping in his closet and how for years he had tried to be nice to her and impress her but always seemed to insult her or make a clown hat of himself. The worst part of it all was that she never had and never would have any real romantic feelings for him and the opportunity to confess his feelings in a space as sacred as his bedroom would not present itself again.
"That's it! You're going in the box," Emma fussed as she aggressively stepped towards him.
"Alright! I'm her fake boyfriend!" Ravi confessed as he hunched himself over and covered his face with his hands.
He waited for Emma to punch him, but the hit never came. He uncurled himself to look up at his sister. She was staring at him blankly.
"Huh?" Emma asked, furrowing her brow.
Ravi sighed. He pulled his fingers through his hair and walked over to plop down on his bed. He couldn't hide the truth any longer. He explained, "We both hate Eric. You know he's always tortured me since like middle school. And he cheated on Lou when they dated. And of course you know he hates her for taking his spot on the rugby team. The point is that we both hate him and he definitely hates both of us."
"That's why he's been so ticked off," Emma drawled as realization washed over her features. She nodded, "Xander said he's been a mess at practice. Not that Xander cares, he hates being on the football team."
"We want to annoy Eric so much that he plays horribly at the homecoming game. Maybe for once he should know what it feels like to be embarrassed," Ravi said and winced. Even though he couldn't stand Eric, he felt a pang of guilt in his gut.
Emma stood in shock for a moment. She blinked and went to sit beside her brother on the edge of his bed. "Wow, that's so… not like you," she finally said. She leaned back slightly. "Or Lou. I mean, she volunteers at the animal shelter more than you do. And you two are such… goody-two shoes. Oh, don't give me that look. It's true! And this is so, not goody-two shoe behavior."
"I guess we're not always good," Ravi replied honestly as he fidgeted with his hands.
Emma glanced at the pillow fort and blankets in his closet. It looked pretty elaborate and perfect for shutting the door and snuggling without being caught by someone walking into the room. She shifted her eyes to her brother.
"We were good yesterday!" he amended quickly in response to the deadly look she was giving him. "I mean, she just came over to study and talk about getting back at Eric. And she really did get trapped by the storm! I would've told Mom, but I knew if she started asking questions, I'd…"
"Okay, okay," Emma said, holding up her hand to get her flustered brother to stop rambling. "I get it. There was no making out with your fake girlfriend." She folded her lips and thought for a moment. "Kind of defeats one of the best parts of dating. But it's probably for the best. You're obviously just doing this to get back at Eric. You hate Lou."
Ravi blinked. "You mean we hate each other."
Emma gave her brother a disbelieving look as she stood from the bed. "No, she doesn't. Lou's always been into you."
Ravi felt his heart stop. He would have stood up, but his knees were weak. He searched his sister's expression for any sign of teasing but found none. "No," he said weakly.
"Let me ask you something, whose idea was it to hold hands in the hallway? Rub noses in the library? Fake date in the first place?" Emma asked.
Ravi's heart restarted, but it was beating so rapidly that he feared it would burst out of his chest. He was so afraid to believe what Emma was implying that he was tempted to push his hope and her out of the room and slam the door in her face like she had done to Luke.
"I think the plan will work, by the way," Emma said as she messed with her hair in the mirror over Ravi's dresser. "If there's anyone that Eric hates more than Lou, it's you. So now that he thinks you're dating his ex, it'll drive him crazy." She turned to her brother and gave him a soft look. "But be careful. She's my friend and I don't want to see her hurt. You might be doing this to get back at Eric but…"
"I'm not," Ravi said quietly. He looked at his sister with pleading eyes. He needed to tell someone the truth. He repeated, "I'm not. It was Lou's idea to pretend to be a couple until the homecoming game, but I couldn't have agreed fast enough. It was torture last night to have her here and pretend like I haven't wanted to be her actual boyfriend since she waved at me from the bus stop in seventh grade."
Emma's eyes widened and her lips spread into a grin. "Wait… you like Lou?" She gasped and bounced on her toes. "You love her! Ravi, that's totes exciting!"
She wrapped her brother in a hug and rocked him from side to side. Ravi melted into her hug, relieved to have gotten the secret off his chest.
She leaned back and let go of him. "This is perfect, Ravi. You have to tell her!"
Ravi's eyes widened. He argued, "I can't. And you must be mistaken because there's no way that Lou actually wants to be with me. I get all… stupid when she's around and say the wrong things. She would never forgive me for being such a jerk."
Emma gave her brother a sympathetic look and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know you'll do whatever you want no matter what I say. But, Ravi, I think you should give Lou a chance. Tell her how you really feel." She glanced at his closet and added, "And then maybe next time I'll have a real reason to be angry about your pillow fort."
Ravi's face heated. "You can leave now," he mumbled. Emma giggled and left him standing there wondering if he was brave enough to make his fake relationship with Lou real.