Faking It (Fake boyfriend Duet 1)
|♠ 01: Freaking Zac.

I'm in one of those un-official clubs that no one really wants to be in. You know like the 'Association for people who got jilted by their boyfriends' or 'The Secret Society of Dumplings Who let Scammers Empty their hearts and toss them like used tissue.'

In this case, I'm Nikitta Baldwin, the latest fully paid member of the 'Collective of fools who had relationships that lasted for less time than a pregnant woman conceives her child.' Three months to be precise.

Its not even as if I have the folly of youth as an excuse. 17years old on this planet is kind of long enough to learn some vital life lessons. For instance healthy oral hygiene, always floss morning and night. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. If you get caught in a riptide, swim parallel to the shore. Potpourri has no purpose. And if your getting into a relationship, ensure that it'll last longer than the flowers he gives you on your first date.

Otherwise you'll be me, the idiot who's sitting on her best friend's wide plank, oak floor, consumed by fear that the whole school will use my story as a human-interest feature, surrounded by pitiful stares and fake smiles that I need to return....

"Do you feel like an idiot?" Daphine Lawrence, my best friend asks handing me a drink it's too pink it could very well be radioactive. She was the first member of the Friend Emergency to respond to my text and rushed over to my house thinking i was there yet I was here at her's while she was out with her brother. I hoped she kicked the bin bag containing the last of my short lived boyfriend's picture memories on the way out of my house.

I realise now that it always felt like he was just visiting. Maybe that should have been the hint, so to answer Daphine's question, did I feel like an idiot?

"No." I lie, only to be met with her raised eyebrow of cynicism. I capitulate like an eight year old caught spray painting the school toilet walls. "Okay, of course, I do feel like an idiot. I mean even Jace Norman's shortest relationship lasted 120days. Its sad when i make worse life choices than an actor who built his career on a tacky television comedy series."

I take a sip of the drink she gave me....."What's this?" I ask, when my taste buds throw their hands up, at a loss as to what they are faced with. Daphine shakes her head, her light brown ponytail swinging as she does so. Even on a school evening, in the midst of this traumatic episode, she still looks great. My best friend is one of those girls who have visible cheek bones, naturally long brown hair, so you could pretty much put her through a car wash and she'd cone out the other end, sweep her hair up in a messy bun and look fabulous. Her appearance and personality are the complete opposite of each other. On the outside, fierce, bold, striking. On the inside, restrained and the most conservative. Now she is shrugging.

"No idea, I just put a bit of everything in the fridge into the cocktail Shaker. There's grin, cream, raspberry juice, pineapple–"

"You didn't have pineapple last time I checked." I interrupt.

Daphine doesn't break stride. "—crushed pineapple from a tin....you'll replace it lurking at the bottom of the glass. Vitamin C has so many benefits....... "

"Will it prevent me from having dickhead boyfriend's in future?"

She glides over that. "No, But it does help with absorption of iron, decreasing blood pressure, combatting heart diseases and........" Off she goes into full education mode, not only is she restlessly organised and can calm a class of stroppy eight year olds with the same kind of Jedi mind tick but she has a remarkable memory of facts and an absolutely pitch perfect technique for delivering them.

Unfortunately in this case, her pupil has zoned out. What does it matter what is in here? As long as it contains alcohol that will reduce my feelings of general crappiness by even one degree, I'm game. Suddenly she stops rumbling and bursts out.

"I can't believe he did that." She suddenly burst out gaping like a fish. Haha. I happen to think my best friend thought this was a joke or like she's waiting for me to yell 'Fool's day' or 'April fools.'

But its not April.

And I wasn't joking when I told her Zac McCarthy aka 'Maca' my boyfriend of three months just dumped, me. Dumped me like a freaking hot pumpkin.

I should have seem it coming but how was I supposed to know? The shithead didn't even give me any hint that he wanted a way out. Until when he drove me from school a couple of hours ago and told me it was over. I laughed five good minutes, thinking he was just being a joker. But when he didn't share my humour and stared at me crazily and somberly, I realised he was completely serious. And that was when the shock settled in. "I'm not feeling it anymore." He said softly his eyes pleading with him to understand.

What a load of crap!! He was definitely 'feeling it' when we made out in the back seat of his car two days ago. Why did he suddenly have a change of heart in that small span of time?? I wish I could say our beak up ended with dignity. That I acted cool unaffected and uncaring of the fact that he didn't want to be with me anymore, but my reaction was totally the opposite. I spent a good twenty minutes screaming at him while tears ran down my face. If there was any consolation, Zac looked completely remorseful and totally freaked out.

Drinking this aweful thing my bestie gave me doesn't stop me still from bawling my eyes out. I probably look hideous already, what with my makeup all smudged up and running down my face. The large pile of tissues tinged with black on the coffee table practically confirms it. Freaking Zac.

"I don't get why he dumped you, your a great catch."

"Right?" I sniffle, blowing a snot into the tissue before tossing it on the coffee table. Daphine wrinkles her nose at it then turns back to me. "I mean you're one of the prettiest girls in school. And popular too. Did he get his head hit while playing basketball or something?" She asks.

This is what I love most about Daphine. She says the right words-–well kind of the right words at the right time I'm at my lowest she knows how to lift up my spirit. But its true, I have one of the prettiest faces in Horizon High. I'm not even going to pretend to be humble about it. I'm very well aware of my physical attributes. I have long silky reddish-brown hair that flows down my back. Naturally thick, curly lashes that frame my hazel eyes. Pink soft lips with a peaked Cupid's bow, and small dimples on either side. I wish I could say I have curves to die for but they're pretty average. No big boobs and an hourglass figure on this girl-just you're regular B-cup and slim waist and hips. I have a good height though, standing five feet nine inches.

All in all. I'm happy and confident the way I look.

But back to the real issue.

Zac and I were good together. We rarely fought. There was little to no drama in our relationship. And I always made sure to be a supportive girlfriend. If there was a basketball game, I would be there to watch. If he wanted to go to some party I was right there with him. And whenever he had a problem –like difficult homework. I always provided help. Our relationship wasn't perfect, but it was great. Which is why am completely stumped that he broke up with me. Had I been too demanding? Or maybe he found my kissing skills not good enough? But he always complimented for being an excellent kisser. But what did I really know, He dumped me!!

"I gotta say Red, this is the prettiest I've ever seen you." Comes an amused male voice that makes me stiffen. I lift my eyes and see Gunther, Daphine's older brother, smirking down at me while balancing several plastic bags and a tray giving off a distinctly 'lasagne' aroma on his forearms.

"Shut up." I snap, uncaring that he's seeing me looking like a hyena. Its just Gunther. I've known this guy since I was like, five. I've seen him run around the playground naked, chasing girls making them scream by showing them his tiny sized dick. I've seen him plucking boogers from his nose and I've unwillingly smelled his disgusting farts every time he farted in front of my and Daphine's faces back when he was at the obnoxious ages of eleven. He's different from any other guys, he's the one gut I'll never be self-conscious with.

But I digress.

Because here's the thing about Gunther Lawrence; he's a senior just like Zac and a year older than me and Daphine. And again like Zac, he plays basketball. In fact he's the captain of the team which makes him the most popular boy in school. The little title which I know my ex has always wanted for himself. He's also extremely hot. Right now, he's in a maroon T-shirt with gray sweatpants, his thick light brown hair damp like he just came out of the shower. Which is probably the case since I can smell the clean and cool scent of his shampoo from where I am sitting.

Which does nothing to me because again, its just Gunther. His green eyes flash a tad sympathetic as he stares at me. "Sorry to hear about Maca." He says before dropping the bags on the floor and wandering out in the direction of the kitchen, clutching the lasagne.

I freeze. What the hell?? How did he know about that?It's only been hours since the break up. "How did you replace out?" Daphine demands, beating me to it.

I hear the sound of the oven door banging shut, before he re-enters. Gunther cocks an eyebrow. "You two haven't seen it yet? He already changed his status to 'single' on Facebook."

I gape. Is Zac for fucking real. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope." Gunther says, looking like he's trying not to laugh..Glad to see he replaces amusement in my heartbreak.

"What a jerk!!" Daphine exclaims, eyes flared wide in disbelief. I ball my fists on my lap. How could he do this? Wasn't dumping me unceremoniously enough, and he had to announce it to the whole world? It hasn't even been a day. The shithead didn't bother to wait. And the news should've come from me, Damn him. Now everyone knows he was the one who initiated our breakup.