The next morning I was distracted and everyone noticed. Mom yelled at me when I almost gave her coffee to Taylor. Bee pinched me every time I zoned out while she told me about the behind the scenes action of a pizza commercial.

I couldn't help it. What happened last night in the photo booth consumed my thoughts completely. I stared at the picture for hours. It was a little blurry, but perfectly captured the shock on both our faces, the camera going off just as he pulled away.

The more I thought about it, the more it worried me. I shouldn't be that infatuated with a guy. Especially not Nolan Chambers. Yet there was an unauthorized gathering of butterflies in my belly whenever I thought of him.

Losing my voice because of last night was a blessing in disguise. It gave me a valid reason not to discuss what happened with Bee. No matter how much she begged for details.

Apparently Nolan and I made it to the Bellcreek Baes Instagram. It was a video of us that I didn't know was being filmed. It captured the moment after Nolan dunked me, when he came over to mock me and I splashed him.

I let the video replay a number of times. Dozens probably. Each time I focused on the way he looked at me. The way we looked at each other. Both wearing wide, toothy grins as we gazed into each other's eyes.

To anyone else it would look like were two love sick teens. The comments on the pictures confirmed that. There were a lot of comments from people saying they just realized how single they were.

I bit the inside if my cheek to keep from smiling it'd only prompt more questions from Bee.

"It looked like you two had a lot fun last night," she said, swiping another coat of plum colored polish on her toes.

We sat on her back porch with a case of nail polishes between us. With our busy schedules last week we hadn't spent much time together. When she invited me over I didn't realize how much I missed talking to her. Or my version of talking for the day—a notebook and pen.

"Maybe a little too much fun." She looked up at me now, giving me a knowing look, a smile creeping across her face.

Picking up the notebook and pen from my lap, I scribbled something down before showing it to her.

"It's the plan?" she read aloud, her brows raised. "J, I've seen you act. You're not that good."

I took to the notebook again, quickly writing out my defense. Her eyes scanned the message before flicking back to me.

"It's me you're talking to," she pointed to herself. "I'm like a hound dog. I can smell a budding romance a mile away. That look said a lot more than 'I'm just having fun.' You like him."

I'd been thinking about that since after Nolan dropped me off at home after the carnival. My growing attraction for him was undeniable, but did I like him or was it just my mind playing tricks? My heart mistaking his heavy sarcasm and blank stares for flirting.

I took a sip of the tea Kevin insisted I drank and began writing my next message. It was a lengthy one as I tried to explain that yes, I thought Nolan was good looking and I didn't mind being around him, but I wasn't thinking about having a boyfriend. Not a real one anyway. That everything we did was about winning prom king and queen. Nothing more.

After she read my words she glanced up at me, her forehead wrinkled with concern. "Sounds like a slippery slope. You really think you can keep from falling for the rest if the school year?"

I nodded confidently. I had to. Not just for the scholarship, but for myself as well. I couldn't hand myself over to just anyone. Especially not someone I knew would be leaving as soon as he got the chance.

* * *

When Monday rolled around I had managed to rid my thoughts of Nolan and or almost kiss. For the part, anyway.

That was until I saw him. His golden locks were tied back in a bun. He must've just arrived at school on his motorcycle. My breath caught in my throat as we sauntered over to Bee's car. The way the sun hit him made his jaw look sharper, his amber eyes brighter. His lips made my head foggy.

"You okay over there?" Bee said, chuckling beside me. I slapped her bare arm a little harder than I intended. She only laughed more. "I'll take that as a no."

I climbed out of the car, just as Nolan made it over. "You ready?" He asked me.

My brow creased. "For what?"

"I lost the ring toss, remember?"

Right. I completely forgot about the deal we made.

"You don't have to do that."

"A bet's and bet," he said, turning his back to me and crouching down a little. "Hop on."

Bee shot me a look. She didn't need to say anything for me to know what she was thinking. Slippery slope.

I ignored her and climbed on to Nolan's back. He lifted me easily, the muscles in his arms bulging under the black cotton t-shirt he wore. His hair had a fresh, citrus scent and was still a little damp from a morning shower.

Great. Now I'm thinking about him in the shower.

It was like playing a game of chicken. My head versus my heart.

My head wanted the scholarship, to get into UCLA and only thought of Nolan as way to get there.

My heart wanted to know what being Nolan Chambers real girlfriend would be like. Would he smile more and be less sarcastic? Was he secretly the romantic type who surprised girls with flowers at random occasions?

One of them would swerve, moving out of the way so the other could plow through. At the moment, I couldn't tell which one wasn't bluffing.

"Where am I going?" Nolan's voice cut through my thoughts.

I blinked, realizing Bee was no longer walking with us. My brain caught up with reality, vaguely remembering Bee saying something about a library book. Now it was just me on Nolan's back as we made our way through the throng of students.

"It's locker number 280. Near the girl's restroom." At my instructions he picked up pace, walking with purpose.

Naturally, we received a lot of stares from the people we passed. I hated not knowing what they were thinking. "So, did you spend the weekend talking with a notepad? Because I did." I asked, focusing on Nolan instead of the lingering eyes.

A laugh rumbled through him. "I used my sore throat as a reason to sleep for forty-eight hours."

"Must be nice not having a toddler to serenade you with Baby Shark while you're trying to sleep."

We made it to my locker and I hopped off his back.

He turned, staring down at me, his brows narrowed. "You got something you need to tell me?"

My brow bunched together. "Not that I know of. Why?"

He stepped aside, giving me a view of my locker and the strip of shiny, foiled packages taped to it. Condoms.

A loud guffaw came from behind me. A group of guys were laughing their asses off, as were some students who caught the prank.

My entire body felt like it was on fire. Anger, embarrassment, I didn't know exactly what I was feeling. I just wanted to disappear.

"I'm just looking out for you, Chambers," a red head said once he sobered up from laughing. I figured he was the leader of that particular pack. His grey eyes landed on me with wink. "Better safe than sorry."

We didn't have any physical contact, yet I felt like I needed to wash him off of me.

Nolan ripped the condoms from my locker door, a wide, sarcastic smile on his face. "Must've taken a lot of balls to finally admit you were never gonna need these, Whitman."

The guys face turned as red as his hair. The friends who were just laughing with him were now laughing at him. He didn't look so tough now, his face burning with embarrassment as girls gave him questioning glances and giggling. He took what little dignity he had left and stalked off down the hall, his friends snickering behind him.

"There's nothing wrong with being a virgin," Nolan shouted after him, earning a laugh from almost everyone in the hall. Insult to injury.

I couldn't help the smile that took over my face as I looked up at Nolan. In an instant my mood changed. Embarrassment melting away under the beams of his smile.

He grinned triumphantly as he slapped hands with some guy that walked by. He was at it again, earning the respect of our classmates. I envied how easy it was for him.

His gaze turned to me, the emotion in his eyes shifting from amused to concerned in a split second. "Are you okay?"

"What, that?" I pointed a thumb in the direction the red head went, scoffing like it was no big deal. "That was nothing. It was no being chased with eggs "

His eyes darkened just a little. The angles of his face seemed sharper as his jaw clenched. The small changes in his face were there and gone so quickly I was sure I imagined them.

"That guy's an asshole." Was all he said before turning around and leaving.

As I watched him walk away a chill settled over me. The sudden loneliness left me cold. To the people who basically just praised Nolan I was invisible. Or worse, fully visible under judgmental stares. It was blatantly obvious that, while Nolan was winning over the masses, I was still just the girl who cheated on her boyfriend.

No one cared to hear my side of things. No one cared that it was all made up so Deshaun could save face.

Maybe I wasn't the best choice for a fake girlfriend.