Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

I didn’t even realize Lena was there until she handed me a cup of tea. “Jace is such a jerk. I never thought things would get this ugly once he showed his true colors.”

I took a sip, letting the warmth seep through me. “Turns out, he was just pitying me.”

Even though Jace and I had broken up, the memories of the good times still clung to me. But today, his words shredded those memories, leaving only the bitter truth behind.

Lena put a comforting hand on my shoulder, rubbing it gently. “Better to see him for what he really is now than later.”

I didn’t say anything, just stared into my cup. Lena nudged me. “Wanna get back at him?”

“What?”

Jace’s words had cut deep, reopening wounds I thought were long healed, dragging me back to the worst time of my life.

He wasn’t totally wrong–after the car accident that killed my parents, when they were lying cold in the morgue, I really did feel like I was all alone in the world. I had no idea what to do.

I was so lost, I couldn’t even bring myself to go home. I thought about ending it just so I could be with them again.

It wasn’t until Matthew and Lindey showed up, hugged me, and told me I’d be living with them now, that they’d be my new parents, that I stopped being so afraid.

At the time, they were the only thing I could hold onto in all that darkness. I honestly believed the world still had some love left for me.

That was why I misread Jace’s smile at first, thinking it meant something more. Looking back now, it probably wasn’t friendly at all–more like he was mocking me, right?

But back then, I saw it as a ray of hope…

“You need to find someone to date, or even marry, just to make Jace realize you’re serious,” Lena said, turning me to face her. “Show him you can live without him, that you don’t need him at all.”

“Guys like him, with all their stupid pride and arrogance, need a reality check before they realize what they’ve lost,” Lena added, giving my shoulders a firm squeeze.

I could see she was just as pissed as I was–completely over Jace’s crap.

I let out a bitter laugh. “You think this is some kind of TV drama where you can just start a relationship like

that?”

“TV dramas are based on real life, you know. And if it helps you get rid of Jace once and for all, and makes him see what he screwed up, then it’s totally worth it,” Lena insisted, trying to pep me up. NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

I stared at the floor, my thoughts all jumbled. But Lena wasn’t letting it go. “What about Hayden? He’d be perfect.”

“No way. Absolutely not,” I shook my head hard.

Hayden already had feelings for me. If I brought this up and he took it seriously, I’d be in even deeper trouble.

“He’s the best choice, and you know it,” Lena pressed.

“Let me think about it,” I mumbled, feeling overwhelmed.

But Lena was stuck on the idea, convinced it was the perfect plan. Even after a couple of drinks, she kept pushing. “Just call Hayden right now. Lay out the conditions–make it clear it’s just pretend. If he says no, then whatever, forget it.”

“What if he takes it seriously?” I still wasn’t convinced.

Lena countered, “Maybe he’ll be down to play along.”

ye

ふん

After way too many drinks, I finally caved to Lena’s relentless nagging and dialed Hayden’s number.

“Hey, what’s up?” His voice was deep, smooth, and way too attractive for my own good.

I stared at the wine swirling in my glass, trying to focus “Hayden, would you be cool with pretending to be my boyfriend? Like, just pretend. Not for real.”