Page 18 of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance
“And if we get caught?”
She shrugs and blows a raspberry. “Then nothing. Going through someone’s stuff doesn’t count as cheating. Neither does eavesdropping. Worst-case scenario, they throw rotten eggs at you or something.”
That sounds like a very unpleasant worst-case scenario for me, but I brush past it and focus on my other concerns. “And you expect Dad to be okay with all of this?”
“We wouldn’t tell Dad,” she replies casually. “He can’t tell a lie to save his life, and Andy, God bless him, has the IQ of a walnut. We’re better off leaving them and Isabel in the dark for now.”
Letting them believe that I mightactuallybe dating someone like Julian Seo-Cooke feels worse than lying straight to their faces.
“I don’t know…” Thinking about the amount of liesI’dhave to keep up with makes me break into a sweat. “I’m supposed to be working on my mentorship application, and—” I wince before I can finish that thought, gearing up to apologize for bringing up a sore subject, when she cuts me off instead.
“I’ll do your chores for you,” she says, any annoyance over me bringing up one of the forbidden Cs gone. “You can work on your piece for your application, and I’ll fight the bats in the attic, or whatever other torture Dad has planned for us.”
That stops my protests right in their tracks.
“Except don’t use that sketch of me,” she adds, her nose wrinkled in disapproval. Her eyes shift to the floor, avoiding mine. “You can do better.”
Maya always stays true to her word. Across all the deals we’ve made, she’s never double-crossed me. I’d thought that sketch could be a new beginning for us, but maybe this could be one too. A chance to be a team again.
“And all I have to do is convince Julian to let me go overto his house a few times?” I ask, checking for any fine print.
She nods, holding out her hand for me to shake. “Promise.”
I still hesitate. Shifting down to the edge of the bed, I walk myself through the reasons I shouldn’t do this.
I’d have to pretend tolikeJulian.
I’m a shit liar.
Spending that much time with the Seo-Cookes will probably spike my blood pressure.
When I open my mouth, Maya leans forward, cutting me off as she rests her hands on my knees, her face inches from mine. “Don’t you want to win?”
Of course I want to win. All we’ve ever wanted is to win, to show them up and rub it in their faces the way they have for years.
“You know I do.”
“Devin.” Her hands slip into mine, the edges of her nails digging into my skin, but I don’t flinch. “This is how we win.”
The thrill of getting even lights something in me as wicked as Maya’s smile. It silences the nerves nestled in the pit of my stomach, all thewhat-ifs andbut hows giving way to thewhat could bes. Me and Maya side by side, plotting and talking and laughing like we used to. Us with Dad and Isabel and Andy, smiling as we accept our gold medals and gift cards. Our portrait in the visitors center for everyone to see. Our cabin, still so alive with memories of Mami, staying with us. With our family.
There are a thousand ways this could go wrong. Our plans are never foolproof and this one’s no exception. But in that moment, holding my sister’s hands and dreaming of a future where we finally come first, it’s impossible not to feel invincible.
I squeeze her hands back and swallow every rational thought that screams at me to focus on the safe route that we know.
“Okay,” I reply.
