Title: Pretend To Be Mine
Pairing: Donald/Stacie
Author's Note: Hello again! Glad you made it to Chapter four. Not much to say. Just wanted to say, I love chocolate! (Okay, that was completely irrelevant.) sorry. A bit hyper because Donald and Stacie cuteness is going to overtake this chapter. I love a story with lots of fun, playful bantering, and I think this has potential for lots of those, sooo, R&R! Thank you also for the wonderful reviews on the previous chapter! Really love you all for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story.
-Sux2budude
Chapter Four
…
"This is so unfair." Donald muttered as he plopped down on a chair inside the library.
"Well, you can't expect to get a good report from me if you don't actually do anything about this tutoring session." Stacie replied.
"I thought we had an agreement." Donald whined.
"We do. And our agreement was that I pretend to be your tutee, and you'll pretend to be my boyfriend."
"Exactly!" Donald exclaimed.
"Shhhh!" The librarian shushed at the two while glaring daggers at them.
"Pretend." Donald stated loudly, completely ignoring the Librarian. "You said pretend to be my tutee. Meaning, I don't actually have to do any tutoring."
"Well, I'm very sorry to break it to you, Einstein. But Mr. Larson would never believe me unless you actually make some progress in class."
"But I'm the one who's doing the tutoring. Why do I have to be the one making progress. You're the tutee. Not me."
"Exactly. You're the one who has to do the work." Stacie said victoriously. "Now be quiet or the librarian will kick us out before we even get to start."
Donald pouted for a few moments until he noticed that Stacie was smirking at him.
Stacie couldn't help but think how adorable he looked when he's pouting.
Donald stuck his tongue out at her and turned away dejectedly to stare at a poster of a smiling book on the wall. "What idiot would put a poster of a creepy smiling book in a library?" he wondered aloud.
"Shhh!" The librarian shushed again.
"Jeez lady, way to kill my newfound interest in this geek-house."
Stacie smacked Donald's arm lightly. "You're seriously going to get us kicked out." She whispered furiously. "And this is only my freshmen year." She added.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, not sounding sorry at all. "But this place is so quiet, I swear I can hear the crickets outside, chirping through the walls." He whined.
Stacie huffed in annoyance. "Fine!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone. "where would be a better place for you to study?"
Donald's pouting lips quickly turned into a smirk. "I know the perfect place."
Fast forward half an hour later, and Stacie was not happy.
"Starbucks?" she asked incredulously. "Really?"
"I'm hungry." Donald said with a pained look. "I haven't eaten at all since last night."
Stacie sighed as she led the way towards the café. "Typical." She muttered under her breath.
"Oh come on, I'm trying to help you out here." Donald said as he followed her closely. "You need food to survive, and on top of that, it'll give us something to talk about when your mom arrives and she asks us how our first date was."
Stacie paused and thought about it for a second. He had a point (surprisingly). What would she tell her mom when she asks those kinds of questions? They might end up having different answers, and then her mom would surely find out about their little scheme, and it'll all blow up in their faces.
"And our first date is going to be at Starbucks?" Stacie asked incredulously.
Donald rolled his eyes with a huff, "Improvise, babe."
"Improvise what?" Stacie asked, ignoring the fact that he was extremely comfortable with her. Maybe a bit too comfortable for her liking.
"We can just tell your mom that we had our first date at a nice little café somewhere around here. It's not exactly lying."
"Right, because we're not lying about dating." Stacie muttered sarcastically.
Donald only raised an eyebrow at her. "We're not?"
She didn't answer his question. "Let's just go." She sighed in defeat, and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the café. "But we're studying tonight."
Donald laughed, "Slow down, baby. There's a lot more Donald than you can handle."
"Oh believe me. I'm barely handling you right now." Stacie countered.
Donald grinned widely as he followed her through the door of the café.
-DS-
…
"So you really have no idea who James Patterson is?" Stacie asked incredulously.
Donald thought for a moment.
Stacie was about to cut in and just tell him the answer, but his face suddenly lit up like a light bulb.
"He's the guy that plays the vampire in Twilight!" he said with a fist-pump.
Stacie groaned softly, "No, genius. That's Robert Pattinson."
"Oh…" Donald said, genuinely confused. He seriously thought he had this question down. "Damn."
"James Patterrrrson" Stacie began, drawing out the er in Patterson so he wouldn't mix it up with Pattinson, "Is an author of thriller novels."
Donald blinked blankly at her.
"Author of Alex Cross?" she asked, hoping he'd at least heard about the book, or watched the movie, but he only blinked again. "Maximum Ride? Witch and Wizard?... Daniel X?" Stacie listed off a few of Patterson's novels, but Donald only continued to stare blankly at her. "You've never heard of Alex Cross?"
"The blonde kid with the killer gadgets?" he asked, hoping he'd at least get that right, but Stacie was looking at him in total confusion.
"I think you're talking about Alex Rider… Operation Stormbreaker." She added as an afterthought.
Donald groaned loudly and smacked his forehead lightly onto his desk. "I will never remember any of this."
"You know, Mr. Larson has some pretty good memorizing techniques. Maybe if you actually showed up on time to class and actually listened, you'd be able to use those techniques as well."
Donald shook his head as he sat back up and glanced at his wrist watch. "I gotta get to class." He muttered.
She didn't try to stop him, and she tried hard to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. She wished she could do or say something that would make him stay, but he had a class to go to, and she won't admit to herself that she really wanted him to stay a little longer. She turned away silently to pack up her stuff as well.
"Same time tomorrow?" Donald asked, trying to keep the hopefulness out of his voice. He finds that he really likes spending time with Stacie, which was weird to him, considering the fact that he had never really spent time with a girl unless it's in a bed, underneath the sheets, and totally in the nude. Stacie nodded and he quickly shrugged off the thought and focused on the now. Just this once, he was going to go through with their agreement, if only to pass his English class and graduate. After that, he was done for. No more hanging out because he doesn't "hang out" with girls, no matter how good it made him feel.
"Same time." Stacie agreed as they both headed for the door.
…
"We're screwed." Stacie muttered as she pushed her face into her pillows.
"What? Why are we screwing?" Donald asked, looking confused up from his English textbook.
"Well, I'm not screwed. You are." Stacie said with a heavy sigh.
"Why?"
"Because majority of your answers are wrong." Stacie answered as she stared down at Donald's incomplete test. "And the rest is blank." She added flatly.
Donald heaved a sigh as he leaned back in Stacie's bed and closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. "That sucks."
"Yup." Stacie agreed.
"Well, I tried. Bye Stacie, I'll see you again next year when I repeat my Senior year." Donald said sarcastically as he got up from Stacie's bed.
"Stop." Stacie said sternly as she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back down next to her. "This is only your first test. You can still pass this class."
"At least you think so." Donald muttered tiredly.
"This is exactly the kind of attitude that would get you nowhere… you need to think positive and start seeing the brighter side of things."
"I really don't think there's a bright side to a test."
"There is if you actually studied, and did your work honestly." Stacie deadpanned.
"Look, I'm a music and art major who barely managed to pass my other classes. I'm not good at these Academic stuff. I'm good at singing, rapping, beatboxing, painting, drawing, and graffiti and that type of shit."
"It doesn't make you brain dead, Donald. You can still pass this class if you really do your best, and actually study."
Donald groaned as he banged the back of his head into Stacie's headboard. "What do you suppose I do?"
"I think you should just stop worrying about failing and just start trying to succeed."
"You're not going to start saying all that 'believe in yourself' type bullshit, are you?" Donald asked with a tiny smirk.
Stacie rolled her eyes. "No, Donald. I'm not going to tell you to believe in yourself. I barely believe in you, yet I'm trying to help you."
Donald nodded. "And how is that coming along?"
"Not so well." Stacie answered.
"Yep… I thought so."
The two were silent for a few long minutes, each lost in their own worlds, trying to figure out a way to go about this whole tutoring thing. Donald wracked his brain for anything that might help him remember everything they do, but came up with nothing. He also feels bad that they've spent nearly the entire week trying to improve his grade in class, that they barely had time to discuss Stacie's side of the agreement. He doesn't even know what Stacie's mothers name is. Let alone what she's like.
"Okay here's the deal." Stacie said, breaking the silence and pulling Donald out of his thoughts.
"What?" he asked curiously.
"My mom is going to be here tomorrow morning, so from now on, we have to spend every one of our fake dates, studying for the next test. We also have to start acting like a couple. You can't act like your immature self all the time, and that can't possibly happen if you keep whining about too much homework and not enough food. You take what you get."
Donald didn't look the least bit pleased about these new rules, but he stayed quiet as Stacie rambled on.
"And on top of that, you have to look like a gentleman, and act like one too. And you're not allowed to be seen by mother, walking around campus in your low-riding jeans, and your ever-present smirk."
Donald blinked in confusion. "My what-riding-what, and what-present-what?"
Stacie rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. "Look." She said sternly pointing at him. "My mom thinks I'm dating this amazingly sweet guy, who wears glasses, has a cute smile, and is extremely talented and smart."
Donald scoffed. "Baby, I'm all of those things, and then some." He said confidently.
"I'm serious, Donald." Stacie interrupted. "She's expecting one of those sweet and innocent boys. Not the man-whore of Barden University."
Donald grasped at his chest in mock pain. "You wound me with your words, babe."
Stacie rolled her eyes again. It seems like she's been doing that a lot lately. The eye-rolling that is. "Donald." She said warningly.
Donald chuckled softly. "Fine. I'll be good."
Stacie raised an eyebrow at him. "That's it?... you're not going to complain or whine about it?"
Donald scoffed loudly. "Babe, why would an amazingly sweet guy like me complain about such a thing?"
Stacie giggled at that, and immediately stopped when she realized she was giggling again.
"Please just promise me you won't act like an idiot." Stacie pleaded.
Donald ignored the twist in his gut at the fact that Stacie thinks he would acts like an idiot. "I promise." He muttered softly. And he does promise. He's determined to prove to her that he can be the amazingly sweet guy she told her mom about.
…
"Holy shit." Donald muttered under his breath as he walked up to Stacie's room. He was supposed to meet her there, and then they'd ride together to the airport to pick up her mom before they all go out for lunch. He told Stacie he wasn't worried about meeting her mother, but truth be told, he was terrified. He has never met any of his ex-girlfriends parents before, and now he was getting ready to meet the mother of a girl he's not even dating.
Stacie swung the door open, eyes narrowed as she readied herself to scream at Donald for wearing inappropriate clothing to meet her mother, but she finds her jaw nearly hitting the floor as she stared at the sight before her.
Donald half wanted to smile in triumph at the look on Stacie's face, and half wanted to groan out loud because he's not sure where his brain ran off to as he stared down at Stacie's attire. Those long legs, traveling up to the tight, strapless black dress that hugged her figure in just the right places, and then her extremely glowing face, and that gorgeous smile.
"Hey." He greeted nervously. His nervousness was quickly replaced with awe as he looked her up and down. His jaw nearly smacking into the ground. He's seen her in jeans, and sweatpants, and tiny shirts and tops, but he had never seen her in a dress. She was… breathtakingly beautiful.
Donald momentarily closed his eyes, confused as to how the word "beautiful" got into his vocabulary. He shook his head and smiled at Stacie. She looked like she liked what he was wearing. He didn't feel very comfortable in his own clothe, mostly because he had never worn these fancy clothe before, but also because he doesn't like to look rich. Yes, his mom has a boatload of money in her account that could probably afford him several new cars, a yacht, and a mansion, but he doesn't like to flaunt his moms money. His good looks, yes. He's a freaking sex god. But his money? No. There's a reason for that. He used to find himself in a position where girls are piling up behind him because of his wealth, and are obviously with him for the money. So he decided to just do what he does best. He shuts down completely and won't let a single soul get past his barrier… or his moms money. But just this once, he opened up a bit, and he went as far as wearing clean, and expensive new dark black jeans, with a plain black collared shirt, complete with a dark blue sweater vest, a dark blue tie, a suit, and his usual black-framed glasses.
"H-Hey." Stacie stammered a bit.
"Hi… you—you umm, you look…" Donald trailed off as he shut his eyes tightly and mentally kicked himself for nervously stammering. When his eyes opened again, Stacie was smiling up at him with a questioning look. "You look beautiful." he finally managed, stumbling over the last word.
Stacie's smile widened as she finally voiced her own thoughts. "Well, you don't look so bad yourself… as a matter of fact, you clean up quite nicely."
Donald relaxed and flashed one of his charming-grins. "Thanks."
Stacie nodded and they both continued to stand there, just staring at each other for a few seconds.
"So… How ya' doin?" Donald asked, breaking the silence.
Stacie smiled softly. "Fine."
"That's good." Donald nodded.
"And you?" she asked while looking at him carefully.
"Doing pretty good." Donald answered without hesitation.
They both nodded and stared at each other for a few quiet moments.
"We're both stalling, aren't we?" Stacie asked with a slightly worried expression.
"Yep." Donald answered.
"You nervous?"
"No, are you?"
"Nope."
"I'm scared, actually." Stacie muttered softly.
"I'm scared shitless." Donald added.
"Let's just go." Stacie muttered as she stepped out of her room in her short black strapless dress that went just below her knees.
Donald held out his hand and smiled. A genuine, cute, and attractive smile that showed just the slightest hint of a dimple on his left cheek. "Your chariot awaits, my dearest flower petal."
Stacie quirked a questioning eyebrow at Donald who then shrugged and smiled wider. "Thought I'd polish my lines."
"Oh god, please for the love of everything holy on God's green earth, do not hit on my mother." Stacie groaned.
Donald laughed loudly. "Baby, I'm sure your mom is hot, but I've only got eyes for you, my dearest."
Stacie rolled her eyes as she shut her door behind her. "Please just stop with the cheesy lines."
"Anything for you, dollface."
"And don't ever call me dollface."
"Yes, love."
Stacie turned on Donald who then busted out laughing and holding up his hands in mock surrender.
"I'll cut you." she threatened playfully.
"I'll love you till the end of time." he deadpanned.
"I'll slap your smile right off your face."
"Anything to slide one onto yours." Donald countered.
Stacie actually stopped for a moment to look at him closely. Her lips threatening to quirk into a smile. "If things end well tonight, I'll buy you ice-cream." She bargained playfully.
"With lots of sprinkles?" Donald asked with a smirk.
"Yes, babe. Lots and lots of sprinkles."
"Oh yeah. We're totally a match made in heaven."
Stacie didn't realize that she's starting to become really comfortable with him, but Donald definitely noticed it.
-DS-
…
"I think I'm about to pass out." Donald said suddenly as they stood at the arrival lounge, waiting for Stacie's mother to come out.
"I think I'm about to have a heart attack."
"Yeah well, I think I'm about to shit my pants."
"Please don't." Stacie turned to him with a half-serious look.
"I'll try not to, but I can't guarantee I'll be walking around without a wet spot down the front of my jeans."
Stacie rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, pretty soon my mom's gonna come out, and we have to get our stories straight."
Donald nodded and ran their story through his head once more. "We met in English class, I gave you a tour of the school campus, and you immediately fell in love with me."
Stacie glared at him. "I'm pretty sure that's not how our story goes."
"Really now?" Donald muttered with a mischievous grin and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side so that their hips were pressed together.
Stacie smirked up at him. "Yes, I'm quite positive about it."
"How does it go then?" he asked with a sly smile.
"Well yes, we met in English class, we immediately became fast friends, and we've been hanging out a lot, and then one night nearly four months ago, you asked me out on a date, and I said yes."
Donald nodded, "True story, babe."
Stacie snorted and laid a hand on his chest. "Yes, and we've been going strong."
Donald stayed silent for a few long moments before finally voicing his thoughts. "I kinda feel bad about lying to your mom." He stated softly.
Stacie looked up at him with a blank expression. "She's my mom." She said flatly. "How do you think I feel about this whole thing?"
Donald shrugged a bit. "Shitty?"
Stacie nodded in confirmation. "Pretty much."
For a few minutes, they both just stared at the walls, each feeling nervous about the meet and greet that's about to go down soon.
And soon enough, Stacie spotted her mother walking up out of the arrival lounge, and she immediately felt her face light up, and her lips quickly turned from a slightly confused frown, to a huge, and genuine smile. She realized that she had missed her mother a lot in the past few weeks, and finally seeing her again was enough to bring happy tears to her eyes.
"That's her?" Donald asked suddenly as he tried to straighten up his tie.
Stacie nodded. "Yes, remember, her name is Ophelia."
Donald nodded. "How do I look?" he asked as he flashed a quick smile at her. Stacie actually paused to admire and revel in these rare moments where Donald really smiles. "You look good." She said softly.
Donald grinned widely. "Of course, babe. If a guy is to date you, he has to match your looks. And I'm the perfect match for you."
Stacie bit her lip to keep from smiling and leaned closer into his side, while they waited for her mom to come through the arrival lounge.
Donald nervously fidgeted with his tie, while his other hand twined itself with Stacie's hand. He could feel the cold nervousness seeping through her fingers and into his own, but he ignored it as he stared straight ahead at Stacie's mom. He smiled when he noticed the resemblance between the two. Stacie definitely inherited her good looks from her mom. Her eyes, nose, and smile almost identical to the elder one of the two women.
Stacie's mom squealed in delight when she finally caught sight of her daughter, immediately bounding towards her. Stacie stepped away from her "boyfriend" and met her mom halfway, quickly throwing her arms around her mom and hugging her tightly for a few short moments. "Oh I've missed you so much, sweetheart." Her mom whispered into her shoulder.
"I missed you too, mom." Stacie smiled happily, tears of joy collecting in her eyes as she worked hard to keep them at bay. When they pulled away, Stacie's mother immediately turned to Donald with a huge smile.
"You must be Donald Travers!" she exclaimed. Donald could only nod and smile politely as he held out his hand for a handshake. He's slightly caught off guard when Stacie's mom completely ignored his outstretched hand, and instead, pulled him into a tight hug. "It's so great to finally meet you."
Donald stood awkwardly still. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Stacie's mom snorted. "Get out of here with all that 'ma'am' nonsense. Call me Ophelia. Or O.
"Yes, Mrs. Conrad." Again, Stacie's mom laughed loudly and glanced at her daughter.
"You didn't tell me he's so polite and good looking." She said rather loudly.
Stacie groaned softly and stepped up to the two to officially introduce them to each other. "Donald," she began and looked up into her moms eyes. "This is my mom, Ophelia Morgan Conrad."
She chanced a glance at Donald and sighed inwardly when she saw his real smile flashing brightly at her mom. "Pleasure to meet you." Ophelia smiled back.
"Mom, this is my boyfriend." Stacie said with a wide smile. "Donald Travers." She finished and gave Donald a grateful smile for being there.
Donald felt weird being here. Not because he didn't want to be here, because he did. But it was weird because he felt good about being introduced to a girl's parents. He's never been the guy who girls would pick to introduce to their moms. And finally meeting a girls mom, and actually given an approving look, made him feel weird. Good weird. Kind of warm and fuzzy inside.
-DS-
…
Stacie was extremely surprised by Donald and her mom's natural connection. It's almost like they've known each other for a long time and hadn't just met an hour ago. They were both laughing and joking. Donald actually putting a cute twist into their dating- storyline, and making it seem like the most romantic thing in the world, and he kept giving her these little glances and looks that made her feel… things that she knows she can't afford to be feeling.
"So, where was your first date?" Ophelia asked with a questioning smile.
"Starbucks." Donald and Stacie answered in unison.
Stacie's mother actually giggled. "Aww, that is so cute." She sighed heavily and smiled over at the two. "Stacie told me that all your dates went well, but she didn't exactly go into details about the where and when, and how many's."
Donald took that as his cue and went ahead, telling Stacie's mom about all their supposed dates. Stacie nearly choked on her salad when she heard Donald tell her mom that they were planning on going out to Coney Island on Friday night, and that she should join them.
"I don't know… I don't want to intrude on you two."
"I insist, Mrs. O… you should go out and have fun too. And what better way to have fun than to ride a rollercoaster?" Donald asked jokingly.
Stacie glared at the side of Donald's head. This wasn't part of their plan. They were supposed to pretend to date around her mom. Not go on date with her mom.
Ophelia turned to Stacie with a questioning smile, and Stacie melted. With that look on her mom's face, she couldn't deny that Donald may have a point with this. "You should come with us."
Ophelia smiled giddily at the two, her heart feeling like its expanding inside her chest. Stacie looked so happy, and she was glowing, and Donald was such a nice guy. She couldn't help but feel her entire soul relax. When her daughter had told her about her new boyfriend and how great he was with her, Ophelia was a bit skeptical. Surely, this guy can't be all those amazing things that Stacie had told her about… but finally being able to meet him and see what he's like, changed her perspective completely. He was perfect for Stacie, and Ophelia was practically beaming as she finally accepted their invitation to join them on a day out.
-DS-
…
Donald hopped out of his car and ran around the other side to open the door for Stacie. He didn't dwell on the fact that he had never opened a door for a girl he was not going to sleep with.
Stacie smiled widely as she stepped out of Donald's car, feeling higher than Mt. Everest. To say that their night went well, was an understatement. Donald had been the perfect gentleman. He was kind, polite, and extremely funny, and Stacie was a hundred and ten percent sure that he had won her mother's approval the moment he called her "ma'am".
"So." Donald sighed lightly, breaking Stacie from her thoughts.
Stacie stopped shortly in front of the hood of his car and pulled him towards her with a grin. "So…" she drawled. "Tonight was amazing."
Donald shrugged with a wider grin. "It could get better."
Stacie cocked her head to the side, "How?"
"We could be something more, you know?" he muttered softly.
Stacie stared back into his eyes, at a loss for words.
Donald slowly leaned forward, and stopped when Stacie quickly turned her head to the side. "I can't." she whispered softly.
Stacie felt like kicking herself when she saw a flicker of pain on his face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He only smiled softly as he leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Don't fight it, babe." He whispered. With that, he pulled her hand up to his lips, placing a warm kiss on the back of it, before walking away.
Stacie didn't bother denying that maybe he's not that bad. Maybe he could be something more. Right now, they were at the newly-friends stage, and she really liked where they are. She doesn't want to dive into anything deep because it could turn out a disaster in the end like all her previous relationships.
But still, she kind of hoped they were really something more.
DS-
Author's Note: Yay! Got the mother here, they met, mom approves of Donald, Stacie denies feelings for Donald, Donald surprises mom, Donald tries to kiss Stacie, Stacie denies him a kiss, Donald kisses her cheek and hand instead, and Stacie is starting to see Donald in a brighter light. Yep! That about sums it up. Could've made this the entire chapter, but I'm guessing you guys wouldn't like it very much. Anyway, I really hope you kinda liked this. The idea for this chapter was to point out that Donald is really struggling with class... that really only applies to the story, so they could spend more time together, otherwise, they'd only see each other in English class. Also, I wanted to add more, but since I'm on a tight schedule, I thought I'd just post this for now, and add the rest in Chapter 5. Speaking of which, stay tuned for Chapter 5! Next chapter, some of the Bella's will be mentioned here and there in the chapter, and someone is going to be signing up for the Barden Bella's! Yes, in the movie, Stacie auditioned. But for this one, you'll just have to wait for my sneaky imagination to come up with a way to stick her in the Barden Bella's. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following this story. I really really really appreciate it, and I love you all so much for taking the time to review, so please review!
-Sux2budude
P.S- Ophelia is just a name that I thought of. It's a really pretty name, and I couldn't really think of a name as cute as Stacie. I hope you don't hate it.