She squinted her eyes, confused, then she leaned over to the guy next to her. She said something in his year and he looked over at us as he nodded in agreement. Seconds later, they both began to head our way.

"Uh oh," I tensed. "Incoming."

Fill-in Gavin's gaze followed mine and his mouth curved into a smile as if it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry." He stood up and whispered into my ear. "I'll handle it." I wondered if I should, you know, follow him or just sit and watch. I chose the sit-here-and-watch option.

He reached his sister and she spoke first, pointing to his clothes every now and then. He replied calmly, probably explaining the current situation. Which seemed to not sit well with her because a millisecond later, her head whipped in my direction. There was a fire (of anger) in her eyes. Well, there goes being discrete.

Kira raised on of her perfectly shaped eyebrows and leaned over to me. "Is everything okay?" Of course she's the first one to notice. Here we go. This was it. This was the moment where everything blew up in my face. And it hasn't even been an hour. Just when I thought that I could get away with my last-minute back up plan. You know, I totally deserved this. Impulsiveness never gets me anywhere good these days. I had two options, tell the truth: Gavin broke up with me; I should've stuck with Option Number One. Everyone would've understood - minus Kira. They would have helped me get through it better than I was handling it. We would have done what we had done when Max Crawford broke up with Piper last year. But instead I chose to be insecure about my friends and picked Option Two.

I rose, gave her a long stare, and said, "I'm sure it's something you'll be happy to hear." I gave her no time to react before I strode over where he was slightly moving his sister away.

"Can we just talk about it outside? And not in here?" His voice said, gradually getting louder as I drew closer.

When I had caught up to them she turned to me and placed her hands on her hips. She seemed extremely familiar. The only problem was, with everything going on all at once, I couldn't think of where and why she looked familiar.

"No," She said. For a moment, I was confused. "How could you use my brother like this? He's a perfectly generous guy and he doesn't need anymore girls like you to utilize him for your own benefit and then drop him like a used tissue." Then she turned to the older blonde. "And you-"

"Audrey, you're over exaggerating. It was just that one."

"I'm really sorry," I chose to only look at him and not his currently steamed sister. "I didn't realize the severity of the stakes if we did get caught." Then I faced her. "You're absolutely right. Your brother is extremely kind and doesn't deserve being used."

She merely nodded, slightly surprised at how fast I agreed with her. She moved a loose hair from her face that fell as she yelled at me moments ago. "He is. He definitely doesn't need to deal with someone like you."

"Audrey, that's enough. You don't have to generalize people. You don't even know Ally." He was sweet for defending me like that. But I can handle my own. And like I said, I deserved every bit of it.

Audrey chuckled at this. "She told you that right? That she has no idea who I am? Oh God, that's gold."

"Wait, do we know each other?" I truly believed that we had never met before, but her tone said otherwise. I studied her face and tried to match her with a name, location of first encounter, and/or any conversation that we could have possibly had-other than this one. Nothing.

"No," Audrey said. I went back to rattling my brain. Was I being rude? I mean, being in Student Council, Cloudwatching Club (though she didn't seem like the type), and a bunch of other leadership clubs, you'd think that I could at least recognize her and put a name with the face. I really needed to work on that skill. But in my defense, Marino was huge. A good two thousand students and sixty percent of the population was upperclassmen.

I pointed back to my table of friends. "I messed everything up. I'm really sorry. I'm going to make things right right now. They'll be told everything. The truth." Here I go. The big reveal. Turning on my heels, I found my friends staring at us from across the room. It was either going to be a hit or miss. As soon as I lifted my foot and it came in contact with the floor, a hand wrapped around my wrist and jerked me back.

"Wait, Ally, you don't have to do this." Fill-In Gavin's grip slightly tightened. "Don't do this. From what I just saw, you're right. Kira is practically a devil spawn. She will literally sacrifice you and dance on your grave after you tell them everything."

"That was very...dark," Audrey stared at her brother. "Although, I wouldn't disagree."

I shook my head and offered a small smile. "No, I have to do this. It's fine."

"But-"

"Trish has my back. Don't worry. I can't thank you enough for your help. You were beyond amazing out there," Though I had at least five inch heels on, I still had to stand on my toes to fully reach his face. I gently kissed his cheek before spinning around back to face my doom. I gave myself no time to change my mind.

I planned out exactly what I was going to say to the girls, prepared myself for complete and utter humiliation that Kira was about to unleash on me before I reached the table. I made eye contact with Trish, who held a glint of concern in hers. I replied a reassuring smile.

"You okay? Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"Um, actually no. I...I have something to tell you. Both of you," I said, looking from Trish to Piper.

"Ally, please don't do this. She means nothing to me." My head whipped around to see fill-in Gavin walking towards our table, with a desperate look spread across his face.

My voice was caught in my throat.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's not what it looks like. Just let me explain. Please."

I swear, if I knew his actual name, it would've come out of my mouth at this very moment. But I didn't. So much for a low-key, mutual(ish) breakup. Now my "boyfriend" cheated on me and dumped me in front of half of the student body. Blood rushed to my cheeks due to the embarrassment. "Please, Gavin, just stop. Don't do this. I'll be okay."

"Oh? You'll be all fine and dandy without me? Is that how you feel? You're asking me to pretend like this never happened. Like we never had anything between us? Like you never existed in my life?" He scoffed. "What about me, Ally? I can't just walk away like you want me to." The volume of his voice gradually increased during his rant and by the time he said his last words, he was two decibels away from yelling.

By now, the scene had caught more attention and people were tuning in. My back was to my friends and despite how hot my cheeks felt, I peered over my shoulder and gave them a nervous laugh that had boiled up in my throat. Returning my attention to "Gavin", I knew that if it was anyone else in this situation and gave that speech, I wouldn't have fooled anyone and their pets. He sounded desperate. He looked desperate. Probably what I was like about an hour ago with the real Gavin.

I stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. "Don't do this." My voice was hushed and raspy.

The amount of intensity in his stare made me almost forget that all of this was an act. "I wish I had more time to change your mind, but I can see that the decision has already been made. If you ever decide to hear me out, just...call me, okay?" He backed away and his shoulders sunk in defeat. As if I truly broke his heart. If he was an actor, he would've won his tenth one after tonight. His sister followed him out of the gym, but not before sending daggers at me. She most likely wasn't intending on solidifying his story, but her actions did.

After they both left the school, I stood there. I practically heard my heart beating out of my chest from how heavily I had been breathing. I attempted to force my face to return to its normal state.

Just then, a pair of arms wrapped around me.

"Oh my God, Ally," Trish's voice was soft and comforting. "I'm so sorry. What kind of jerk messes around with another girl and doesn't expect to get caught when she goes to the same school?"

"He's not a jerk, Trish," Which is true. He was the complete opposite of the definition of a jerk. I didn't even know his name and he willingly helped me despite the risks. No, he definitely was not a jerk. A jerk is someone that breaks up with you right before you walk through the doors to prom.

"You don't need to defend him. Don't you dare. Don't even take him back. You're much better than that and you deserve better." Absentmindedly, I nodded. But for some reason, my legs were tempted to just forget everything and run after him. Instead, I gave her a watery smile and turned back to everyone. Why was I feeling this way? I didn't even know this guy, and yet, it felt as if I had been dumped twice tonight.

I forced those feelings away because I had my friends and that's what matters right now. I sat back down next to Trish and rested my head on her shoulder. I instinctively glanced at Kira, but she wasn't looking back at me. Instead, her eyes were trained on the doors that fill-in Gavin just walked through. She had that distinct calculating expression and I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head. But one thing's for sure. It wasn't going to benefit me as much as it would benefit her.

xxx

It was no surprise to see my dad and stepmom waiting up for me, as per usual. Trish and her date dropped me off, but not before they tried to get me to hang out with them after prom. I thanked them for the offer but said that I wasn't really feeling too keen on it. I knew they were assuming it was because I wasn't crowned prom queen. Maybe it contributed to it; maybe it was the fact that Kira suddenly had a mood change from stone cold to Little Miss Sunshine and Rainbows after hearing the announcement. Or it could've been the way I was feeling over a stupid boy. But I highly reject that last option.

The two of them were sitting on the couch, watching the eleven o'clock news. Jen, my stepmom, stretched her head back around to me. She also - not so subtly - looked behind me. I knew she was looking for Gavin.

"He already going home," I sighed while I placed my shoes on our shoe rack.

My dad got up and yawned. Okay, I was home. I was alive. He could go to bed now. "He could've at least had the manners to walk you up to the door," he said. He offered a small smile before kissing the top of my head.

Not really in the mood to relive the events of the night, I just shrugged. That, and I knew they would've attempted to hide (but fail) their overflowing content if I spilled the detail of my current relationship status. "I think I'm just going to wash all this makeup off and head to bed. Thanks for waiting up, you guys. You didn't have to."

I hugged the both of them and disappeared up the stairs. After walking into my room, I unzipped my dress and I watched it melt into a puddle on the floor. Why bother hanging it up when all the memories it has will forever haunt my nightmares? Yeah, I'll pass.

With all the makeup, that took nearly an hour, washed off and my teeth brushed, I sat at the front of my bed, leaning against my headboard. My eyes suddenly wandered over to my dress and a flash of hazel eyes projected into my mind. Well, so much for nightmares.

Why did he agree to be my fake date? If it wasn't my smile or desperateness, then what was it? Did I look cute? Not to toot my own horn, but tonight was probably the highlight of my life as far as physical appearances go. Curiosity swallowed me whole.

My legs found a mind of their own and I was then leaning down to pick up the dress. I draped it gently over my desk chair. Was I really thinking about his motives? Why should it matter? I'm tired. I needed sleep.

Come on, brain. Turn off. Stop overanalyzing. It's not like an entire half of school witnessed the fake breakup with fake Gavin. It's not like they're going to be talking about it tomorrow.

I stared at my wall. I didn't need anyone to feel sorry for me. I didn't want their pity. How do I prevent being showered by their empathy? Social media. I picked up my phone, being nearly blinded by the brightness.

Hello, single life! Oh how I've missed you. Whoever said a girl needs a man to make her happy can suck it. Got my girls and ice cream and I'm pretty goddang happy.

There. Now everyone won't need to ask me if I'm alright. Because I am. I was. I stared at the post, an immense urge to tap the 'delete' button welled up in my chest.

Sleep. I just need to sleep. Everything's going to be fine in the morning. It will.

xxx

well hello. I am alive just as Austin Moon is alive within Ross Lynch (im still shook wtf) ! I don't really know how to feel with this chapter...initially, I wanted to make it longer, but I decided that if I made it longer, the chapter would just be filled with unnecessary details. This is already a filler as it is, so I thought it was best to chop out a lot of it.

also, quick sidenote, I did have an author's note posted here, but I did delete it. I guess some of you got notifications saying that I updated? idk but it wasn't an update :) I think a few people got confused. anyhoodle, that's all for now, folks! until the next update xD I promise the story will get far more interesting/entertaining soon! ALSOOOOOOO (sorry last thing hehe) i have a new story that I'm writing, lol hopefully I actually get off my lazy bum and keep writing bc I'm very interested and invested in its storyline.

remember: spread love not hate because hate can't change the world.

xx

lecx