"You're joking, right?" I asked Rider. His predicament was so hysterical I found myself busting with laughter.

"No, I'm serious. Brynn, I need your help. Besides, you left me to fend for myself in English this morning. You owe me." He crosses his arms over his chest.

I stop dead in my tracks as we head towards the student parking lot. Is he being serious? I owe him? For what? Giving me three pages of homework to do?

"Now I know you're joking. You want me, Brynn Cassidy - the freak with the fake purple hair, the loner by the lockers, the girl managing an unknown band, the geek in the back of class - to be your fake date, just so you can keep your reputation that's based on a lie?"

Rider stared at me as I took a deep breath from that run-on sentence. Did he still think I owed him something? If he did, I was turning in that paper tomorrow morning and never saying another word to this arrogant jerk.

"You manage a band?"

My car was only five feet away. I could run away now and drive away. Forget this mess, I was going home.

Though, I think Rider read my thoughts. He grabbed my wrist as I tried to make a break for it. There was no way I was getting out of this, was there?

"Nice try. Look, I know you're not the most popular girl in school. And I'm only popular because of my money, athletic ability, and charm,"

Charm, huh? Very charming that he would call himself that. And only because of his wealth, athletics, and charm? Yeah, that makes me feel sooo much better about myself.

"But it's only for tonight. You'd wear a wig, we'd hide your face,"

Because I was ugly or because I didn't look like his 'girlfriend'? Yes.

"And you wouldn't even have to talk to me." He adds.

"Where's the fun in this for me?" I asked, getting rather impatient.

"You'd get to spend an evening in my presence? Look, you get a really fancy, expensive meal."

Oh, good grief. I'll do it. But there was one flaw that stopped me from saying this aloud. I didn't own a single fancy thing in my closet. Well, I had 'fancy' stuff but not Jackson fancy.

"My sister has a dress you can wear. Please, please, please Brynn?" He seemed to have read my mind.

How did I get in this situation again? Wasn't it just two days ago that he didn't know my name? Whatever, it's not like I had a choice. He'd probably get a couple of bounty hunters - or something like that - on me if I didn't follow through.

"Fine!" I tell him, and you would've thought I told him he won the lottery. Well, if he wasn't already rich.

"But," His smile quickly fades when it seems I have a condition.

"You have to give me 200 dollars." I tell him.

His eyes brighten, "Deal! Come on! Let's get you ready!"

And that's how I ended up in a car with Rider Jackson.

When we reach his house, which is a 15 minute drive from the school, I can't help but ask questions. His house is a mansion! He almost always rides to school in a limo! He never wears the same clothes twice!

So where is all of that now?

"I know, I know. This isn't the mansion you were looking for, was it?" He speaks up, making me come back to reality. He's already out of the car (he drove today) and walking towards the house. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty nice. It just didn't match the standards of modern rich people.

"It's not our only house, Brynn. I like coming here better, because the paparazzi doesn't know we own this place too. Come on, my sister should have some things upstairs. I doubt she has a brunette wig, though. We'll have to pick one up."

Was he being legit? The Jacksons had two houses and the paparazzi didn't even know? No, no way. They knew everything about them. The Jacksons had no privacy. Then again, they didn't piece together that Rider goes to West Valley High, a public school.

As I follow Rider up the steps to his sister's room, I notice there are no pictures on the walls. Absolutely nothing to signify that their parents are proud of their accomplishments. No spring pictures of their children's growth throughout the years?

I could finally relate to Rider.

"I like this shade of red on the wall." I said awkwardly, not knowing I said it aloud. Rider looks back at me, stopping on the top step. He crosses his arms with a bitter smirk.

"Yeah, me too. I think it'd look better if there were pictures of us kids up there, instead of gaudy decorations. But what do I know?" He storms away and I follow behind him quickly. Maybe I shouldn't have brought up that wall at all.

I'm blown away when I see his sister's closet. It's filled with stuff I could never even dream of owning. Every bit of it was way out of my style - and price. Rider was just going to let me rummage through this? No, I didn't trust myself. I would pick out something his sister would call "last season".

Rider was sitting on his sister's bed, flipping through a magazine. I had a feeling that he was letting me look through this wardrobe because his sister never came to this house. This was probably her idea of "Give to Goodwill". You know, if the Jacksons do that.

"Found anything yet?" Rider asked without looking up from the magazine. I wanted to say yes, and then storm out of the room. Like I knew without a doubt what would look good on me and then have a diva moment. Instead I had to turn around and admit defeat.

I stood in the doorway and couldn't manage to speak. It was just to much to take in, and he wanted me to decide for myself?

"What's wrong?" He asked, finally meeting my eyes and standing up.

All of a sudden, I burst with laughter, "You really think I can scavenge through this whole... mall? Rider, I think you're putting a little too much confidence in me. I think you'd know more about today's girl fashion than I would."

He blinked, not realizing I would be so incapable of a little task. To him it seems like a little task. To me, I felt like I had fallen in a hole to Wonderland.

"Okay, okay. I admit, I thought you'd be able to do this. I'm sorry, I usually hang out with people who know their ups and downs of fashion. Forgive me."

Whoa. 'Forgive' was in Rider's vocabulary? I just assumed he always stepped on people's toes and they thanked him.

He began to evaluate his sister's closet. Apparently Mauri (his sister) was not planning to throw any of this out. She just ran out of room at their mansion. He pulled out several different dresses of differing colors and I just stared at them as each one was tossed on the bed. Did he really know fashion this well? It was slightly creepy.

He finally pulled away from the closet, "These are dresses that my sister hasn't worn in public places. She's either worn them to a date or at school dances. Since she goes to a private school, we'll pretend like that's not in public. Anyways, she's a brunette so anything that suits her I picked out for you since you'll be a brunette tonight."

All I can do is gawk at him. He stares back at me until he finally can't take it, "Forget I said any of that. Just go try these on."

[Rider's car pictured above]