Playing Somewhat Nice

Since Matt's party, rumors have been spreading with the power of social media faster than wildfire moves through a dry, drought-plagued forest. Let's take a moment to thank the technological advances for brainwashing the posterity of this country with a device that can fit in the palm of your hand.

Unfortunately, Monday comes along and draws a bitter end to the weekend. Yet, the entire school is livacious, buzzing with chatter. Leave it to a bunch of teenagers to loiter around and waste their time gossiping about nonsensical matters rather than focusing on their education. Welcome to high school, ladies and gentlemen. People are openly gawking and staring at the girl, who has her headphones plugged into her ears, as if she is an extraterrestrial being of some sort. She doesn't give them the time of day though as she continues down the hall.

After she had confirmed Ethan's story with Ian, Jillian and Jack, Charlie decided to spare the boy's life. For now anyways. She's two-hundred and ten percent positive he'll do something that'll make her want to make her skin him alive sooner or later and when that day comes, he can kiss everything he knows goodbye. She hasn't spoken to him since Saturday and she's hoping she won't have to interact with him for the rest of her life.

A girl can dream, can't she?

Yeah, they have first period together but due to Mariana's maddening voice, Charlie has moved to the front of the room where she has a much better view. So even if Ethan wants to bug her, he doesn't have a chance.

The first three hours fly by in what feels like a blink of an eye. It's one of those rare days Charlie barely gets to experience and she's loving it. She cannot wait to go home and catch up on Gotham. It's one of her favorite shows at the moment. Charlie is about to head to lunch when somebody grabs her wrist and drags her into one of the unoccupied classes nearby. She's prepared to defend herself when she is greeted with a distressed looking Hayden.

"What are you doing?" She eyes him disapprovingly. What does he want with her now? Doesn't he know it's her feeding-time?

"I need to talk to you," he breathes.

"Can't you wait until class? I'm hungry." She reaches for the door, but he stops her.

"This is really important, Charlie." Hayden's tone sounds pleading; she decides to hear him out. Realizing that she's waiting for him to carry on, he clears his throat and braces himself. "Haven't you heard what people have been saying?"

The girl scoffs. Is that even real question? "No, I haven't. It's usually just a bunch of bullshit anyways. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but over the last couple of years I've learned to master the art of selective hearing. I only hear the things I want to hear, while I tune out everything else. It's become second-nature to me actually. You should try it out some time." There are occasions where Charlie isn't able to ignore people, a prime example being Mariana, but for the most part it works out well for her.

Hayden doesn't seem amused as he buries his face into his hands. He inhales deeply, his thoughts rattled. Where should he begin? "People are starting to become suspicious of my relationship with Cecilia," he states.

Charlie raises her brows. "Do you think I had something to do with it?" If he's really questioning her integrity, he's got another thing coming and it's not going to be pretty.

"Of course not!" he rejects immediately. Charlie relaxes. "It's because of what happened at the party Friday night. People saw us together; they even took pictures. I don't know what to do. If her parents find out, we'll be over."

She doesn't know why he's telling her this and, brutally, Charlie speaks her mind. "Look, I don't know what to say to you, or what you want me to do about this. I can't say I'm sorry or I feel bad either, because this is the consequence to the choices you made. You have to deal with it, whether you like it or not, and there's nobody who can help you. If that's all, can I leave now?"

She cracks the door open, but pauses as Hayden continues. "There have been other rumors going around as well."

Charlie peers back over her shoulder. "And this concerns me how?"

The boy bites his bottom lip. "Because they're about us," he lets out in a small whisper.

"Excuse me?" She almost laughs as she whirls around and sends him an astounded look. Did she hear that correctly? "What did you just say?"

"W-well, some people are assuming that you and I are d-dating, too." Hayden chokes out, unwilling to meet her eyes.

"You've got to be shitting me. Where the fuck did they get that idea from?" Out of all the ridiculous rumors Charlie's been involved in, this one takes the cake for sure. How can anyone believe that she would be romantically interested in Hayden Knight? The two of them are like night and day, fire and ice. He's the epitome of goodness, the poster-child every parent dreams of having and her? She's practically everything that's wrong with the world!

Can those imbeciles get any blinder? Just because they're polar opposites doesn't mean they'd be attracted to each other. They're people, not magnets. Besides, psychological studies have proven that a majority of couples that have contrasting personalities typically don't last very long because, eventually, their differences will drive them apart. It's reality!

"I guess someone saw us out on the baseball field the other day, and then at the parking lot in front of the cage as well. I swear I didn't mean to drag you into this, Charlie. You have to believe me," Hayden explains with his shoulders slouched.

She can tell he means it and since there isn't anything she can do, like Elsa, she lets it go. "I know you didn't. Just ignore it. They don't have solid evidence except some pictures. I'm sure they'll find something else to obsess over when they realize nothing's going on. It'll all die down soon and then everything will go back to normal." There's no use in trying to defend themselves. If anything, their public denial on the matter will only add more gasoline to the fire. In this kind of situation, it's always smart to sit back and wait.

"I can't. If her parents get a hold of those pictures, they will definitely know something's going on between us... Unless—unless we can convince them otherwise," he begins. Charlie's expression goes stoic. Why does she have an unsettling feeling about where this conversation is going? "I don't know how to say this, but Cecilia and I talked this morning and we came up with a solution."

"Again, what does this have to do with me?" she deadpans.

This is it. Hayden musters all of his courage together and holds his head up high as he gazes into her emerald-green eyes. "Because you are our solution," he declares.

"Come again?" Charlie is on the verge of losing it.

"We want you to pretend to be my girlfriend so that the pressure is taken off of Cecilia," Hayden clarifies.

It's completely silent. His words haven't sunk into her head yet. Once they do, all hell breaks loose.

"You two are fucking insane! No way! I am not pretending to be anybody's girlfriend! I'm out of here." She throws the door open, but the boy quickly hurls himself in front of her.

"Please, Charlie. You're our only hope." He can't give up. They need her.

It takes an immense amount of self-control for Charlie not to knock Hayden out cold for his insistent attitude. "Do you even know what you're asking me to do right now? We're not even that close for me to do something like that for you. I'm not going to be your beard. I don't do fake relationships."

"But I can be yours," he negotiates.

"What? Why would I need you to do that for me?" She scowls. "I suggest you drop it while I'm being nice. Don't ask me to do something like this again or I'm going to break your face." Charlie takes a step towards him and the veins are protruding down the side of her neck. "Get your head out of your ass already, will you? The world might revolve around you, but I sure as hell don't." And, without another word, Charlie pushes him to the side and storms out of the place.

Who cares if she was harsh? He's the one who crossed the line first. Charlie still feels scalding hot and goes over to the bubbler to get a drink. The next person that says something about Hayden and those baseless rumors will most certainly experience her omnipotent wrath.

"You sure work quickly," a voice chimes beside her.

She stands up and glares at Ethan like there is no tomorrow. "What are you talking about? I'm not in the mood. Get out of my face," she spits, strutting by him.

"Whoa there," he chuckles as he rushes after her. "I'm guessing you heard about what people have been saying? I have to admit, I didn't think you were the type of girl who fell for the school's golden boy. It's definitely an unexpected surprise, in a cliché kind of way." Through his peripheral vision, he steals a glimpse of the girl. From her profile, he can see her face flushing crimson.

Abruptly, Charlie stops in the middle of the hall and turns to look at Ethan. "I'm not into him. We're not dating. End of story."

"That's not what everyone else is saying," he hums.

The explosion takes place right after. "Who the fuck cares what everyone else is saying? All of those fucking morons can kiss my ass! They don't know what the hell they're talking about. When I find the person who started this whole thing, I'm going to rip their throat out," Charlie seethes.

"You're pretty violent," Ethan says, unfazed by her outlash. "Maybe you should go to an anger-management class," he teases playfully.

"I'm only like this because everyone in this damn shithole is pissing me off. Leave me alone, Moron-dozo. I'm seriously not in the mood." Charlie is much calmer now that she's vented a little. She wants to finish the day in peace, even though she is aware that it is most likely not going to happen.

Without a lingering thought, he leans in. He's not sporting his infamous smirk this time, but what appears to be an authentic smile. "I believe you," Ethan pronounces as they lock eyes. His voice drops a few octaves and becomes dangerously low. "Because I know what kind of guys you're really interested in. Don't worry. It'll be our little secret." It's obvious that he is mocking her, yet Charlie doesn't get riled up.

In fact, she feels alleviated knowing that at least one person in this place has some sanity left in them. It's not much, but at least it's something.

Before he leaves, whistling a happy tune, Ethan sends her a wink which causes her to suck her teeth. She would never admit it out loud, but he has managed to make her feel less grouchy, whether it was his intention or not. Perhaps, he's not as annoying as she thought he would be. Then she recalls the number of times he has succeeded in causing her blood pressure to rise.

Nope, he's still annoying as hell.

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Author's Note: Although it was mean, my favorite line is when Charlie told Hayen that the world might revolve around him, but she doesn't. The drama is starting soon. Are you excited? Surprising how the guy that usually irks her is actually the one to pull her back down to earth.