Alyssa's PoV:

"Is this really necessary?" Emily asked for the third time as Nate, Emily and Luke kept taking pictures of Emily and Aiden for them to post on social media

We decided to take things up a notch and enhance Emily and Aaron's dating life, a plan my brother fully supported.

He knew it would likely make Regina even more jealous, which worked perfectly in our favor since it could pave the way for Emily to become prom queen. That title was critical to our strategy. If Emily managed to snatch the crown, it wouldn't just be a win for her; it would also be a devastating blow to Regina. She would be furious, not only because Emily had taken her ex-boyfriend but because she would have dethroned her as the reigning queen of popularity at school.

A year ago, the idea of anyone other than Regina being crowned prom queen would have been laughable. She was the ultimate icon of high school fame. Everyone adored her—not just for her impeccable fashion sense, striking looks, or success as a cheerleader, but also because she was the girlfriend of the football team captain. She embodied the kind of high school royalty everyone admired, the perfect cliché of popularity.

Challenging her title like this felt audacious, but the thought of breaking down her reign was too delicious to resist.

Alright, so here's the thing: we knew that if we were going to make my brother and Emily's fake relationship convincing enough to fool the whole school—and more importantly, make Regina absolutely lose it—we had to go all in. It wasn't enough for people to just hear about them dating or see them together every now and then. No, this had to feel like a full-blown, undeniable, heart-eyes kind of relationship. Like, the kind of thing that would make everyone stop and say, "Wow, they're really a couple!"

Obviously, Aiden's big declaration already set the stage. I mean, the whole school saw it happen, and that was definitely a moment. But to really sell it, we needed to take things up a notch. People needed to see their relationship play out in real time, and the easiest way to do that? Social media. Everyone at school lives on Instagram and TikTok, so if it wasn't on there, it basically didn't exist. That's why we decided the ultimate move was to make their relationship "official" online. Posting about it wasn't just a step—it was the step.

The plan was simple but effective. Start with a cute couple pic—something casual but totally staged to look natural. Maybe they're laughing together, or she's wearing his hoodie, something that screams "relationship goals." The caption would have to be on point, too, like "My favorite person" or "Lucky to call her mine." Ugh, it's cringe, but you know that's exactly the kind of thing people eat up. After that, we'd drop a few more posts and stories over the next week: them grabbing coffee together, Aiden walking her to class, maybe a sweet TikTok trend that showed off their "chemistry."

And this wasn't just about fooling Regina. It was about getting everyone else on board, too. The goal was to make Emily and Aiden the most talked-about couple in school. The more people saw them being all lovey-dovey on Instagram, the more they'd start rooting for Emily. Suddenly, she'd go from being just another girl at school to someone people admired—someone people wanted to see win. And if all of that attention carried over into prom season? Boom. Emily's got the crown.

Of course, we couldn't ignore the fact that this could also make things way more dramatic. The posts would definitely get people talking, and you know Regina would see them. She'd be scrolling through her feed, seething at every comment like, "Omg, cutest couple!" or "They're perfect together!" It was basically guaranteed to push her buttons. And honestly? That was kind of the point. The more jealous and petty Regina got, the better Emily would look by comparison.

The photos we were taking today were at the park near where we usually hang out—a spot with just the right balance of casual and romantic. It had potential. But as we started snapping pictures, it became painfully obvious that things were... off. Emily looked stiff, awkward even, like she was forcing herself to smile but secretly wanted to disappear. Meanwhile, Aiden was being, well, Aiden—completely in his element, posing with that cocky grin of his like he was auditioning for a cologne ad.

They weren't on the same wavelength. At all. What we were aiming for was "couple madly in love"—the kind of photos that screamed chemistry, connection, and those heart-fluttering moments that make people double-tap without thinking. What we were getting instead was something closer to "random strangers accidentally caught in the same frame." Emily looked like she didn't even want to be there, and Aiden looked like he thought the shoot was just about him. It was a disaster.

It wasn't just about the poses either—it was the vibe. There was no spark, no warmth, nothing to make anyone believe they were a real couple. We needed to say something, and fast, because this wasn't going to work... at all.

I knew it and I guess everyone did too by the looks on their faces. I was laid back against a tree shaking my head in desperation for them.

"This is clearly not working" Mason mentioned as soon as he got near me, since the k-, since shat happened we haven't talked to much. Well I haven't, he clearly tried a few times over these last weeks.

And although he was this carefree and non-bothering soul that didn't care about the world or the people around him, he was sure about that. This wasn't working.

"They don't even look they are dating they look like... strangers" he said laying on the same tree as me but on the other side as we were both now examining the photo session.

"Gosh this is awfull" I said as my brother kept posing and Emily looked down to her shoes

"So... do you want my help?"

I snorted " Your help? On this? Please since when do you understand any of this?"

"Well if you need me I am here" he mentioned and I could already hear the smirk on his face however I shrugged my shoulders and walked near the photo session.

"Guys this isn't working"

"Yeah clearly" Jaden mentioned looking at the pictures on his phone

"I think I am doing a really good job" Aiden said laying back on the bench

"If this was for a vogue cover maybe" Nate mentioned

"You need to look in love, look more close and affective you are live 5 feet apart from each other" I mentioned

"Sure" Aiden said.

"Alright, guys," I said, trying to keep my tone encouraging, even though I could feel the frustration bubbling under the surface. "Let's try something simple. Aiden, put your arm around Emily's shoulder—like, gently, not awkwardly—and both of you look into each other's eyes. Think romantic, like you're totally in love." It seemed foolproof in my head. How hard could it be to pull off a classic, lovey-dovey pose? Turns out, very.

Aiden was the first to move, and right away, I knew we were in trouble. He reached out to place his arm around Emily, but instead of letting it rest naturally on her shoulder, it hovered awkwardly in the air, barely touching her. It was as if he were afraid of making real contact, like her shoulder might electrocute him. The pose was stiff and unnatural, his elbow sticking out at an odd angle. It looked less like a gesture of affection and more like he was demonstrating proper posture for a mannequin.

Emily, meanwhile, stood frozen under his hovering arm. Her shoulders were tense, and she didn't lean into the pose at all. If anything, she looked like she was trying to create as much physical distance as possible while technically staying in frame. Her eyes darted to me for a moment, almost like she was silently pleading for help, before she forced herself to look back at Aiden. And then came the eye contact.

It was... bizarre. Instead of locking eyes with the kind of warmth and connection that screams "we're head over heels," they stared at each other like two people who had never met before. Emily's expression was somewhere between confused and mildly horrified, her brows furrowed and her lips pressed tightly together like she was bracing for something uncomfortable. Aiden, on the other hand, was clearly trying to fake some kind of charm. His smile was crooked, almost smug, like he thought he was nailing the look but wasn't even close. The end result was less "lovebirds in the park" and more "two robots malfunctioning during a rehearsal."

That's when Nate, finally snapped. He lowered his phone with an exaggerated sigh and ran a hand through his hair, clearly trying to keep his composure but failing miserably. "Okay, stop. Just... stop," he said, his voice edged with frustration but still trying to sound professional. He shook his head and gestured vaguely at the two of them. "This isn't working. At all. Can you actually look like you are in love for a second"

"Its getting really awfull" Jaden mention

"It doesn't look good from here either" Cameron said as he was swinging on the kids swing

Aiden dropped his arm immediately, stepping back with a casual shrug, as if he hadn't just been part of the most awkward moment of the day. "What? It wasn't that bad," he said with a lopsided grin, clearly oblivious to the trainwreck he'd just contributed to.

Emily, on the other hand, looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She rubbed her arms nervously, her cheeks flushed as she avoided looking at anyone. "Sorry," she muttered, her voice barely audible, as she took a step away from Aiden.

"You look great though" Amy said to my brother as her eyes turned to hears

As the two of them separated, the tension lingered in the air, and I couldn't help but wonder how we were ever going to pull this off if they couldn't even fake a basic pose.

"So will you accept that you need my help?" An annoying voice said near my ear as he reached behind me

I hated to admit that I needed help but I needed well they needed this wasn't working in any way possible and to think that Mason had the answer was actually something laughable and that I was curious to see.

"Fine"

"Look at you admitting you need help" he joked "Are you that desperate ?"

"Just get it over with" I mentioned

"I will but you owe me"

"Whatever" I shrugged my shoulders caving in

"Ok" he took a step near me and I could see his smile from the corner of my eyes and his wonderfully cologne reached my nose "Lets take a break"

Everyone looked at Mason in confusion, me included

"We need to hurry the sun is setting" Jaden mentioned

"Just a small break they aren't clearly feeling it" he said making a few snorts pop up, they looked embarrassed and just like that Mason grabbed my wrist and pulled away far from them.

"Hey!" I looked at his being hand grabbing my pulse as he walked, I shook it trying to make him let it but he didn't instead he look at me.

"What are you doing??"

"What are you doing? " I asked back

"Well I need to talk to you"

"I thought you were going to help me"

"Well its killing two birds with one stone"

"What do you want to talk about"

"You know very well what I want to talk about" he said as I noticed his face get serious and as the thought of what he wanted to talked about popped my mind, my belly started to feel weird.