Page 60 of The Fake
“Not saying you are,” he adds when I shoot him an insulted look. “But I know what it’s like to try and start with a clean slate… it’s messy and not all that clean.”
I nod, but I can’t seem to shake his words as we get ready for a night out to celebrate Camila’s birthday. I’m still thinking about it as we head to JT’s house. He graduated last year and has an apartment that’s basically on the beach. His parents are better off than mine—both of them doctors with their own medical TV talk show—so he gets my situation more than most.
The party is still small when we arrive and I decide to talk to Cam before more people show up. I introduce Nathan to JT and a few others I vaguely know and then make excuses so I can talk to my bestie.
“I’m going to chat with Cam and then get us drinks. You good?”
Nathan smiles as he nods and falls back into conversation with JT.
I link my arm through Camila’s. “Take a walk on the beach with me, birthday girl.”
She eyes me suspiciously but smiles. “Okay.”
Neither of us speaks as we walk arm in arm. We kick off our shoes and hold them in our free hands.
When my feet hit the wet sand, I breathe in the salty air. “I missed this.”
“You could come back. I’ve always got a room for you.”
I smile at her and lean my head against hers.
“Something tells me you’d miss that fine hunk of male. Nathan’s really great. I’m glad you have him.”
“Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.”
Her brows pull together in confusion.
“I don’t have him. Not how you think.” Saying it out loud makes me realize how much I like him. I want to have him.
I give her the short version of the story. The bullet points. One-night stand, my big mouth claiming him as my boyfriend, and his real reason for helping me… money.
“Do you think I’m just as bad as my parents?” I ask, unlinking our arms so I can look her in the eye.
“Of course not.” Her tone is sincere but something in her expression tells me she’s holding back.
“But?”
“I don’t know if I believe that’s all this is. I’ve seen you two together. You can’t fake that kind of chemistry. Why not just date him for real?”
“I don’t want to get swept up in some guy so soon into the school year. I have to prove to myself that I deserved to be at Golden. I know it probably sounds dumb, but I need to know I could have done it on my own. And that I still can. But the more time I spend with him, the harder it is to not get carried away. And there’s the whole setup. I never know when we’re pretending or when it’s real. He might not even be interested in me if it weren’t for me paying him.” I groan.
“You said he asked for your number after your one night… I’d say he’s interested.”
“He was then, but that was weeks ago, and I’ve shown him a whole lot of crazy since then.”
“Talk to him. Tell him how you feel.”
“What if he doesn’t feel the same and then this whole thing would have been for nothing?”
“That’s another thing. You have to stop trying to win over your teammates by using Nathan.”
“You think I should come clean with them too?” My stomach churns at the thought of Bri’s smug face.
“I do. I get why you did it, but it’s not solely on you to fit in there. You’re an incredible player and a pretty kick-ass person, too. Don’t play their games. You’re too good for that. You’ve never let people push you around, not even when they came down hard on you for your parents’ bullshit. Stand up to them, Chloe. You belong there. Don’t let them make you feel otherwise.”
Her words hit on something I’d been thinking but hadn’t verbalized, and I know she’s right.
“You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s been harder than I expected to start over.”
