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The next day at lunch, I fill Astrix in on everything that went down, minus the kiss. She listens to me attentively, occasionally popping a gummy bear into her mouth and frowning when I mention Paige.

She absolutely hates the cheerleading she-demons, almost as much as I do. Her face turns a deep shade of red when I mention her blackmailing.

I have to grab her arm and basically handcuff her to the table to keep her from springing to her feet and screaming obscenities.

She turns to me with her eyes opened wide in obvious panic. "Please let me go," she pleads.

"So I can rip her head off and serve it back on a silver platter."

She growls and rips her arm out of my grasp. I struggle to keep one hand firmly clasped on her wrist.

"Me and Jack have the entire situation under control, Astrix. You don't need to worry about a thing. Why don't we leave the head-ripping for after this entire thing blows over?"

Astrix seethes with anger and lowers her chin onto the table. "I swear, if that girl tries anything...I'm going to impale her body, shred her torso, suck her bloo-"

"That won't be necessary," I say, laughing and sipping milk out of my straw.

"Like I said. Everything's fine for now. Watch."

I shift my eyes to the left by a few inches, where I see Jack sitting at the "crew" table with Cody Parker, Aiden Paul and the she-demons, as well as the entire football team.

He meets my eyes, nods ever so slightly and winks.

Astrix catches the gesture and whirls around to face me, her eyes stern.

"What do you guys have planned?"

I lift a shoulder lightly and smirk. "Look, he's coming over."

Surely enough, Jack gets to his feet and makes his way towards me purposefully. All eyes raise to him and follow his movements. The entire cafeteria goes quiet to witness the practiced scene going on before them.

Jack reaches our table and sets his hands on the table-top, leaning towards us with a gleam in his eyes. Everything else about him, however, tense body, taut muscles, tight jaw...Suggest that he's broiling mad. I know what's really going on though...And that gives me a sort of comfort.

He inches his arm closer towards me, so the top of it touches my shoulders and remind me that the next few minutes are all an act.

I tilt my head up to face him and put on a neutral expression. His low voice is surprisingly loud in this room...

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

I bite my lip and shrug. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you! You're the one who-who completely FLIPPED OUT YESTERDAY!"

Jack slides his tongue out and cocks his head. "And whose fault was that?"

"All yours." I say, but now my hands are shaking. I can feel everyone's stares on the back of my neck, and goosebumps suddenly appear on my arms.

Jack slides closer so his face is level with mine. I look him evenly in the eyes and swallow hard. The gleam is still there, brighter than ever.

It's just an act....Just an act...

He shuffles closer. "It never would have happened if you hadn't been such an idiot. If you had remembered to take my sister with you, she never would have been left out in the rain and wouldn't be stuck in a hospital bed!"

The room takes in a collective gasp, and I recoil. This is the plan we came up with....To make it look like we absolutely despise each other now...And it seems to be working. 

I push myself out of the chair and straighten up. "I can't help it if you didn't get my text. I bet you were too busy fawning over Paige. Your...girlfriend..."

He purses his lips and takes a step back to face the cafeteria. "She's not my girlfriend. At least not yet."

Paige flutters her eyes at Jack and then turns to me with a smirk. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and then smack her in the face with a trash can lid.

I cross my arms in front of my chest. "Well...Keep your phone near you the next time. Amara is no longer my responsibility."

I take a seat and then Jack walks back to his own table. The eyes of the student body are still on me. They must all think I'm a terrible human being who got a little girl sick with pneumonia. But it's all worth it if it keeps my secret safe.

Astrix looks at me with shining eyes, flicking her blonde locks out of her face.

"Those were some killer acting skills right there."

I smile and she grins at me. "You should go for the Oscars next time. If I didn't know any better, I would have totally fell for it!"

I force myself to laugh and shake my head, discreetly sliding my gaze over to look at the "crew" table. Paige grabs onto Jack's arm like she owns him, and he has an easy smile on his face. Kelsy and Peyton gush over the two of them, and I watch as Paige plants a soft kiss on his cheek.

I don't miss him slightly cringe away from her...But still...

There's a pinch in my gut and my stomach twists and I can't shake off the feeling. I have no right to feel this way, it's not like we're officially dating or anything. And besides....It's all an act to get Paige off my back.

It's just a show. It's fake. None of it is real.

Jack turns to face me and our eyes connect for a brief second before I look away, a nerve starting to work in my jaw.

He may not be 'with me,' but it still hurts.

I lean forward on my elbows to grab a fork and start to dig into my food. Cody walks by my table, kicking my chair and forcing me back.

"I guess you're not 'cool' with him anymore, are you?"

I grit my teeth and look away. 

Not real...Not real...Not real...