Chapter 4 Four

My head ached as I sat in bed, staring at the wall. I haven’t slept at all.

Jace kissed me.

He…kissed me.

I haven’t wrapped my head around it, not since Georgia stormed off, refusing an explanation from Jace. And Jace, he just turned around and walked back into his apartment, leaving me standing outside with my jaw hanging.

I dragged my fingers through my hair, groaning loudly. “Ugh!” Why did he have to choose me? I don’t know what the plan worked, but he could’ve picked anyone else.

Like Regina.

I’m sure she would’ve jumped at the chance to lock lips with him.

But no. It had to be me—a nobody who was fine with being in the background, completely drama-free. 

My phone chimed.

I reached for it under my pillow, staring at the reminder I set for today. Read in the library. Meet Jace again. You need it for your college resume. I circled the last one multiple times. 

A bell rang thrice through the campus. Breakfast time. We ate a little later on weekends, because most students slept in late after a long week. My stomach grumbled, reminding me of the meal I never got to eat yesterday, because Regina thought I was the perfect dumping ground for her meal.

“Please,” I moaned, placing a hand over it.

I don’t think I can show my face in front of him, or anyone else, for that matter. If Georgia hadn’t told the whole school by now that I kissed her boyfriend, then she’d definitely make trouble for me if I went to the cafeteria.

I glanced around my room hopelessly before remembering the energy bar I stored somewhere at the bottom of my drawer. Bingo. I jumped off with my mouth salivating, but my foot snagged on the edge of the tucked-in sheet. I tumbled to the floor, dragging the sheet with me and landing squarely on my butt.

Pain shot through my tailbone, and I shoved my knuckles into my mouth, quickly muffling my groan. The dorm mistress—Mrs. James—checked the rooms during the weekend to make sure he didn’t skip meals. While the others could get away with staying behind, she seemed to have it out for me. She once told me that I couldn’t afford to be picky, because I didn’t pay for my food.

As if I needed another reminder that I was a charity student.

I dug through the pile of clothes, shoving my fingers to the bottom. “Come on, come on,” I mumbled, sending a prayer up. If there’s anyone up there that doesn’t want me to die of hunger…

My fingers brushed against something wrapped and solid. I yanked it out, sending clothes tumbling out, but I didn’t care.

“Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air, staring at the crinkled, old wrapper in glee. It might be a few days past its expiry date, but I’ve eaten far worse.

My ears perked up when I heard heavy footsteps outside the door, approaching my door. Mrs. James.

“Shoot.”

I scrambled to my feet, searching for a place to hide. Mrs. James, in addition to being my personal nemesis, had a master key to every room. She didn’t enter the others, but I’d found her one too many times inside mine, peering through my things.

“It’s a routine check. Just to make sure you’re not bringing any…unwanteds into the dorm.”

My gaze drifted to the fire escape just outside my window and out of sight. Nobody used it, and it had been there since the dorm building was built, but it was my only solution. I shoved the energy bar into my pajama pocket and rushed to the window, yanking it open. Then I carefully climbed out, closing it back as noiselessly as I could.

I climbed the shaky metal steps, heading to the floor above mine, just as I heard my room door open. I heard her voice, mumbling something inaudible as I perched on the top landing. The morning breeze whipped at my hair and tugged at my flimsy pajamas, making me shiver.

I wrapped my arms tightly around my waist, biting down on my lip to keep from giving up my hiding spot.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. When it didn’t look like she was going to burst out of the window, I relaxed. I opened the wrap and took a bite, closing my eyes with a sigh. It tasted…horrible. I’d forgotten how bad it was, because I bought them months ago, when I was studying for my junior exam.

It was the only thing that kept me awake.

I forced myself to chew and swallowed hard, feeling it slide down my throat like dirt lumps. I reached beside me for water, before remembering I didn’t take any.

I’m screwed.

I had to stay put until the others finished breakfast, because there was no telling whether Mrs. James would return. I couldn’t afford to get points docked for something that wasn’t my fault.

My head hung dejectedly, and I stared at the ground—covered in carpet grass—from the gaps between the steps. Couldn’t I just have been a normal student? All I wanted to do was finish my senior year, get into a good college, and forget high school ever existed.

“I didn’t think you were the type to play truant.”

My head snapped up at the voice, my body jerking backward from fright. His hand darted out, pulling me up just in time. “Careful. If you fall, you’re going to be in the hospital for a while. That won’t look good on your grades.”

Jace.

I yanked my hand back. “What are you doing here?” My voice was flat and unwelcoming.

He leaned against the wall, one leg placed on a higher step, his hands shoved into his pockets. He arched a brow, his shoulders rising with a half-shrug. “I should ask you. You’re supposed to be in the cafeteria.”

“Me?” I scoffed. “You’re the one who’s here, outside my room.”

His lips twitched with a dry smirk. “Exactly. Outside. Besides—” he lifted his head, “—we’re not on your floor anymore, so I don’t think we can call it your room.” He looked back at me, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You could fall from here, Grace. It’s dangerous.”

My pulse skipped when he said my name.

Grace. Like he meant it.

But I caught myself immediately, rolling my eyes at how silly it felt. Who cared if he pronounced it with a French accent? “What do you care?” I snapped. “You’re the reason I’m stuck here. You—” I jabbed my finger in the air, “—kissed me in front of the new girl, who happened to be your girlfriend.”

Jace’s lips pulled together in a scowl. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Ex, then,” I countered. “It doesn’t matter,” I waved my hand, dismissing him. “You kissed me. And she’s going to tell the whole school that I forced myself on you. It was enough that I had Regina on my back; now I have to deal with being a boyfriend snatcher.”

“She’s not my ex,” he insisted. “We fooled around for a bit, and that was it. She had a boyfriend at the time, and I told her I wasn’t going to date her if she broke up with him.”’

Right.

Like that’s supposed to make everything better.

“I don’t care,” I told him coldly. “I don’t want to be seen around you while I think about how to do damage control.” Which is basically hiding from Regina and Georgia for the rest of the school year.

“I don’t want you to.”

Jace’s voice was so soft I almost didn’t hear it. “What?”

“I need you to be my girlfriend. For the next month,” he said.

I stared at him like he just sprouted a second head; my mouth hung open. “You…what?” My voice rose to a shriek, carrying with the wind that blew by at that moment. “Haven’t you heard a single thing I said? I know it’s hard for you to understand, because you’re Beacon High’s most popular, handsome, golden boy, but some of don’t have it easy.”

I didn’t realize I’ve stood up, until the metal step creaked underneath my feet. I shoved my hands on my hips, glaring at him. “You might’ve saved me from weeks of trying to get the smell of pasta sauce from my hair, but it doesn’t mean I owe you anything. In fact—”

“I’ll pay you.” He cut me off. “I’ll pay you any amount you ask and let you tutor me. In exchange, you have to be my fake girlfriend for a month.” Jace folded his arms across his chest. “You need the money, don’t you?”