The next morning, Vivian picked me up, and I wasted no time in cautioning her not to mention Eugene in front of Matty as we dropped him off at his middle school. Eventually, we arrived at Ardens.

"Tell me everything!" Vivian demanded eagerly as we parked.

"V, we're in the parking lot," I reminded her, opening the car door and stepping out.

"At least give me a teaser now; the suspense is killing me," she whined, trailing after me

"Fine," I relented, about to launch into yesterday's escapade when something caught my attention. It seemed like everyone was staring at me.

"Jade Jones!" a student called out, camera in hand, as he very suddenly took a picture of me as I turned.

"This goes in the school weekly" he chimes and sets off his way.

I stand puzzled for a while until I see Eugene walk towards me. I suddenly notice the crowd murmuring, and looking between me and Eugene, I knew something was up and it was something big.

"Come with me" he says while grabbing my hand and taking me into the school building

"What's going on?" I demanded, bewildered.

"Miss Jones, my office, now," the principal's voice rang out, drawing our attention. A horde of curious students peered at us from the sidelines.

"Go to class; I'll join you shortly," I instructed Vivian as we made our way to the principal's office.

"What's going on, Jade?" the principal inquired, his tone grave.

"Sir?" I responded, puzzled.

He sighed heavily. "Jade, I hope you realize the implications of getting involved with that boy."

"Sir, with all due respect, Eugene has a name, and let's not forget he's generously contributing to the school," I countered, recalling the substantial donations from Goldberg LTD.

"Jones, he's trouble. If you proceed with this, I can't intervene—" Before he could finish, I interrupted.

"Sir, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it. Besides, I know what I'm doing," I asserted, feeling increasingly irritated by his disdain for Eugene.

He sighed again. "You may leave."

I stormed out of his office, grappling with a mix of frustration and confusion. Why was the principal so against Eugene?

"Jones!" Eugene's voice broke through my thoughts.

"What's going on, Eugene?" I demanded, feeling overwhelmed.

"Come on, I'll explain," he said, leading me to the roof.

"My mother told Karen about you and now the word has spread to everyone," he disclosed.

"Everyon?," I muttered, realizing the implications.

"Yeah, she told her friends, and then the school knows, and now everyone knows," he confirmed.

"That I'm your girlfriend?" I asked, stunned.

Eugene met my gaze. "Exactly."

"We need to do something. You need to tell them." I insisted

"I can't do that," he insisted.

"And I can't be your girlfriend," I retorted.

"Why not?" Vivian chimed in suddenly.

"V?" I turned to her, surprised by her input.

"You pretended for a night, so what's the harm in extending it a little longer?" she suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

I grabbed her arm in frustration. "What the hell, V?"

"What's the harm, Jade?" she persisted, flashing me a grin.

"Now's not the time for matchmaking, V," I snapped, irritated by her meddling.

"No, wait, actually, that's brilliant!" Eugene exclaimed, a sudden realization dawning on him.

"You don't get to decide; you have to help me out of this mess," I reminded him firmly.

"And that's precisely what I'm doing," he asserted. "We can pretend to date for a while longer, and then I'll announce that we've decided to part ways."

"How long will this charade last, though? Pretend lovers?" Vivian queried, skeptical.

"Probably until it dies down and it becomes old news," Eugene speculated.

"Sounds plausible," Vivian agreed, lost in thought.

I stood there, silent, as they discussed the details, momentarily forgotten.

"Enough!" I finally interjected, raising my voice to be heard over their chatter.

They fell silent, turning their attention to me, surprised by my outburst.

I wasn't one to lose my cool like that, but the situation was overwhelming.

"Look, Jade, it's just temporary, alright? Besides, it's only for show in public. Once school's over, we'll go back to being strangers," Vivian reassured me, cautiously approaching.

"Or friends?" Eugene proposed, shrugging casually.

I glanced between them, one with a selfish motive and the other with a cunning scheme.

"Fine, but only for a while," I conceded with a heavy sigh.

"This is going to be exciting!" Vivian exclaimed, a glint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Bitch," I muttered under my breath, shooting her a glare.

We descended from the roof and headed to class, where all eyes were on me, not Eugene.

This wasn't what I wanted.

I glance at Eugene, and he offers a smile. In response, I force a smile of my own and bury my gaze into my book, hoping to evade the curious stares aimed my way, yearning for an escape into the depths of history, perhaps even to the Edo era.

"Stop staring!" Eugene's voice breaks through the silence, causing everyone to avert their gazes.

I meet his eyes once more, finding him smiling again. I choose to ignore it, but a small smile tugs at the corners of my lips, and I secretly entertain the thought that maybe this arrangement won't turn out to be as dreadful as I initially feared.