My Fake Boyfriend is My #1 Fan

In the middle of a screaming match on the city bus, the school's resident trash boy threatens to dump me.

I let out a scoff. Between the two of you, you're the only one causing drama.

He loses his mind instantly, demanding to know who the other guy is.

I start making things up on the spot. Hayes from the law school. Ivy League bound, president of a top-tier frat, six-foot-one, drives a supercar, wears a Rolex. He absolutely crushes you in every way, right down to his genetics!

The very next second.

The guy in the gray hoodie sitting in the next seat overwho had been eavesdropping this whole timepulls out an earbud and tugs down his mask. He clears his throat. "Just to correct the record, my barefoot height is exactly six-foot-one-and-a-half."

Someone save me. I just got caught making up rumors right in front of the guy himself.

Chapter 1

Friday afternoon. Bryce and I are having a full-blown argument on the city bus. Half the senior citizens on board have their ears perked up, totally eating up the drama.

We're standing in the aisle. Bryce has one hand shoved in his pocket. "Jade, can you stop overthinking everything? Aspen is just a really good friend of mine."

"A friend? What kind of 'friend' takes selfies wearing your basketball jersey and posts them on Instagram, leaving heartbreak and kissing emojis all over the comments?" I let out a dry laugh, ripping his excuse right open.

If I hadn't literally just scrolled past Aspen's timeline showing off that exact post, I wouldn't have known. Unbelievable. He texts me "goodnight" and then spends half the night flirting with his "bro" in the comments.

"You don't even care about basketball, what's the big deal if I let her wear my jersey? I see Aspen as a bro. What is there to explain? A few emojis don't mean anything."

Bryce pinches the bridge of his nose, pulling this whole exhausted, emotionally drained act. "Are you crazy? Can you stop acting like a total control freak and policing my social media? Stop being so dramatic."

Un-fucking-believable. The absolute audacity of this guy. He's actually flipping the script and trying to gaslight me. My blood pressure spikes.

I want to slap the taste right out of his mouth.

I raise my hand, but just then, the bus hits an intersection. The driver, an absolute menace on the road, slams on the brakes right at the yellow light.

Before my palm can even connect with Bryce's cheek, the sudden momentum spins me around. I nearly face-plant right into the lap of the guy sitting next to me.

He's got his earbuds in, eyes closed, seemingly dead to the world. A black mask covers most of his face, his thick eyelashes resting heavily against his skin.

My fingers dig into the metal handrail just in time to stop myself from becoming a human projectile. I barely regain my balance before Bryce opens his mouth again.

"If that's how you want to see it, there's nothing I can do. Maybe we just need to take a break and cool off for a while. It's your call."

The white-hot anger suddenly burns down to ice. Oh, I see. He thinks threatening a break will make me beg.

Fine. We're done. There are plenty of hot guys in this city; I'll just find an upgrade. But I'm sure as hell not walking away letting this trash boy think he won.

I let out a sharp laugh. Clicking my tongue, I shake my head. "Let's break up then. Between the two of you, you're the only one causing drama."

"What?" Bryce freezes.

The realization hits, and his face instantly twists into something ugly. "Jade, are you kidding me? Am I not enough for you? You have some other guy on the side?!"

"You've got it twisted," I shoot back. "He's the main course. I just haven't gone public with him yet."

"You're the stage-five clinger who kept begging for my attention. You're the side piece trying to wreck our relationship." I let out a dramatic sigh, shaking my head at him in sheer disappointment.

The entire bus erupts into low murmurs. The eavesdropping senior citizens are practically clutching their pearls, whispering about how wild kids are these days.

"I I'm the side piece?"

Chapter 2

Bryce looks like he just took a taser to the chest. The blood rushes straight from his neck to his hairline, turning his face an ugly, blotchy red.

His fingers lock around my upper arm like a vice. "Jade, you manipulative bitch! You played me!"

His grip tightens on my arm. "Who is it? Who the fuck is he? How is he better than me?"

"Tell me! Tell me right now!"

Watching him lose his grip on reality sends a rush of pure adrenaline straight to my brain. I slap his hand off my arm and double down on my fabricated story.

"Hayes from the law school." I smile sweetly. "Ivy League bound, president of a top-tier frat. He drives a supercar, wears a Rolex."

"From head to toe, he absolutely crushes you in every way, right down to his genetics!"

The guy is untouchable. Let's see you try to compete with that.

The words barely leave my mouth. Bryce is still trying to process the hit when the guy sleeping in the next seat over suddenly pulls out his earbud.

Long fingers tug down his black mask, revealing a jawline sharp enough to cut glass and impossibly striking features. He clears his throat, his voice smooth and clear.

"Just to correct the record, my barefoot height is exactly six-foot-one-and-a-half."

The guy's deep eyes carelessly sweep over Bryce, carrying the absolute, suffocating authority of an apex predator looking down at the bottom of the food chain. His long fingers lightly tap against the armrest, his tone lazy but intensely aggressive.

Everyone on campus knows who Hayes is. Drop-dead gorgeous, top of his class. He has this untouchable, clean-cut, elite aurathe absolute opposite of Bryce's try-hard, trash boy energy. I don't know him personally, but I sure as hell know that face.

Send help. I just got caught spreading fake news about the guy right to his face.

"I uh" My brain short-circuits. My throat tightens, and I have absolutely no idea how to talk my way out of this.

Bryce's face darkens. He scoffs. "Hayes. Is she really your girlfriend?"

"She and I"

Hayes slowly lifts his gaze, looking right at me with zero hesitation.

I'm dead. He's going to out me right here. Once Aspen, that two-faced snake, finds out, she'll plaster it all over the internet and make me the joke of the entire school.

Survival instinct kicks in. I force my facial muscles into a flawless, overly sweet smile. "Hey, babe. What a coincidence running into you here."

I lean in, my fingers boldly grabbing the fabric of Hayes's jacket. Positioning myself so Bryce can't see my face, I lock eyes with Hayes, projecting absolute, silent desperation.

Please don't expose me. Please, Hayes. I finally managed to humiliate Bryce.

Just play along. I will literally owe you my life.

Staring down at my wide, pleading eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible crease forms between Hayes's perfect brows. The silence stretches for three agonizing seconds.

He pauses, then smoothly shifts gears. "She and I are exactly what you think we are."

We get off at the next stop.

On the sidewalk, Bryce blocks the path in front of Hayes and me, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Great. I wish you two the best," he bites out, his jaw ticking.

I roll my eyes at him, then tilt my head up at Hayes, putting on my best adoring girlfriend voice. "Are you happy, babe? I can finally make us official." I wave a dismissive hand.

"Everyone else out there is just garbage. No one compares to you. I'm so obsessed with you."

Bryce looks like he swallowed broken glass. "I hope you two break up tonight," he spits out. He spins around on his heel, clearly unable to stand another second of it, ready to storm off.

"Hold up, don't leave!" I call out.

Bryce stops dead in tracks. A smug smirk creeps onto his face as he throws a challenging look at Hayes. "Aww, can't bear to let me go?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I meant don't walk, it's way too slow." I cross my arms. "Start sprinting. Get the hell out of my sight."

The second Bryce's rigid back disappears down the block, I drop the act.

I press my palms together, immediately turning to Hayes, who has been standing beside me in total silence. "Hayes, I am so sorry. I lost my mind for a second and just started talking trash. Bryce is obsessed with his ego."

"You don't have to worry, there is zero chance he goes around telling people about the fake rumors I just spewed. I promise this won't affect you at all. And thank you so much for playing along. Seriously, thank you."

"It's fine." Hayes gives a polite, single nod.

The midsummer night breeze brushes past us. It carries the crisp, cool scent of lime and sea salt, stripping away the heavy, suffocating heat of the day. He's wearing black denim and a fresh pair of sneakers.

A loose, gray hoodie is half-zipped over his chest, exposing the collar of a crisp white tee and the sharp, defined lines of his collarbones. Tall, lean, and effortless.

He stands there quiet, yet impossible to ignore.

Chapter 3

I seriously want to drop to my knees and bow to him right now. Drop-dead gorgeous and an actual decent human being.

"Hayes, let me take you out to dinner."

He turns me down. I keep insisting, and finally, he points at a nearby convenience store, letting out a faint sigh. "Skip the dinner. Just get me an ice cream."

After buying the ice cream, I get his number. How is one ice cream enough? I definitely need to treat him to a real meal the next chance I get. We say our goodbyes, and I grab an Uber back to campus.

Tonight was supposed to be a date with Bryce to the state park. He didn't ride his flashy motorcycle, claiming that taking the bus together was more "romantic." Instead, we fought the entire ride and I got a breakup out of it.

I open Snapchat, scrolling out of sheer boredom.

Aspen just posted a new story. It's a thirst-trap selfie of her sitting on the back of Bryce's motorcycle, with the caption:

[Some girls just don't know how to appreciate what they have. It's okay, I'll always be here for you. ??]

A wave of pure nausea hits me. The two-faced snake finally got exactly what she wanted, and she can't even hide how thrilled she is. The heat prickles at the back of my eyes. I aggressively type out a reply to her post:

[Hope you have fun smiling on that cheap piece of junk, considering it's the only backseat you'll ever be good enough to ride on. ~]

I spend the next two days dead inside. Monday's 8 AM lecture is torture.

After my afternoon class, I head to the track to clear my head, and of course, my luck is total trash. I run straight into Bryce.

He's on the basketball court, his jaw locked tight as he aggressively drives the ball, clearly burning off steam. His jersey is soaked in sweat. Aspen is sitting on the bleachers holding a bottle of water, practically beaming as she watches him.

I keep my head down and pivot away.

But Bryce spots me. He sinks a fadeaway jumper, the ball snapping through the net, before jogging over to block my path. "Jade. All by yourself?"

"Where's your boyfriend? Why isn't he with you?"

"Unlike you, he actually has things to do," I shoot back.

Terrified we might actually make up, Aspen practically sprints over. "Jade, you already have a new boyfriend? Wow, you move fast."

She looks me up and down, letting out a fake little gasp. "But you look terrible. Did you guys already break up?"

"Shut up. Could you try keeping your drama as thin as your hairline?" The fire flares right back up in my chest. I stare dead at her receding forehead, letting out a harsh scoff.

Aspen flinches, her mask slipping for a split second. She forces her expression to stay painfully neutral, pulling out her best victim voice. "Jade, whatever you think, Bryce and I are completely platonic. You're just twisting things."

"You belong in a landfill with all the other trash."

"You're really misunderstanding us!"

"Shake your brain up a bit before you try talking to me again."

Aspen chokes on her words. She turns to Bryce, forcing a pathetic tremble into her voice. "Why is your ex being so awful?"

"Since when did you become such a bitch? You went off on her post the other night, too. Apologize to her, Jade." Bryce's brows crash together as he barks the order at me.

"You both know exactly what you're doing. If you think I'm apologizing, you're absolutely delusional."

Done wasting my breath, I turn on my heel and walk away.

Bryce mutters a few comforting words to the sniffling Aspen before his heavy footsteps close the distance behind me. At the corner of the tree-lined path, his hand clamps around my wrist. He doesn't let go.

"Did you and Hayes actually break up?" he tests the waters.

"Sorry to disappoint, but no."

Bryce's face drops instantly. Then, as if he suddenly remembers something, the corner of his mouth hooks up into a nasty, mocking smirk. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen him out on the courts."

"Being an inch taller than me doesn't mean shit if he's built like glass. Jade, tossing me aside for him? Doesn't seem like a great trade."

"What makes you think bouncing a ball makes you special?" I shoot back, dripping with contempt.

"Then why did you use to hype me up? Why did you get all flushed watching me play? Jade, stop pretending." Bryce lets out a slow, arrogant laugh, clearly not buying it.

I am absolutely pretending.

Chapter 4

My roommate had dragged me to one of the intramural games. I fell hard for Bryce, watching him dominate the court like he owned the place. When he subbed out looking for a towel, I was standing right there. I handed him one, my face burning up.

After the game, he got my Snap and started chasing me. If you told that star-struck freshman that five months later, this was the garbage fire of a breakup I'd be dealing with, I would have laughed in your face.

"Oh, I was flushed alright, but out of pure second-hand embarrassment." I rip my wrist out of his grip. "All that 'I don't know how to talk to girls, I let my game do the talking."

"The best thing is the ball on the court and you in the stands' Do you have any idea how cringey that was? I was literally too embarrassed to tell you."

"Well, I'm still better than Hayes! He doesn't even play!" Bryce snaps, his ego bruising in real time.

"The absolute delusion." A sharp laugh punches out of my chest.

Hayes's elite status is common knowledge, even to someone like me who doesn't pay attention to him. The absolute audacity of Bryce to think he's better.

"My Hayes is a master of golf and horseback riding, a national fencing champion, and has more class flipping a coin than you have in your entire body. From his looks and height to his social class and intellect, how do you even compare?" I don't give him a second to breathe.

I stare at him with pure disgust, firing off the words like a machine gun. "You trying to compete with him is the biggest joke of the century."

Bryce looks like he just got hit by a truck. His eyes go unfocused, his jaw working as he tries to form a word, but absolutely nothing comes out. I don't let up. I go right for the throat.

"And look at you. You're like a brainless gorilla who only knows how to flex his biceps in front of the gym mirror, reeking of cheap Axe body spray! You actually think you're oozing testosterone and looking hot, don't you? You're just an embarrassment."

"My Hayes is nothing like you. He smells amazing and he's so gentle, I literally cuddle with him every single day~"

Bryce shatters. The color drains from his face, his tall frame practically swaying on the spot.

My chest feels instantly lighter. I leave him standing there, utterly destroyed, and flip my ponytail as I pivot to walk away.

I turn on my heel. And immediately slam on the brakes.

A group of people are standing just a few feet away. They wear Student Council lanyards, holding clipboards, looking like they're on some sort of campus facility inspection.

Hayes stands right in the center of the group. A crisp white button-down tucked into dark slacks. Sharp nose, thin lips, incredibly tall and lean. He looks flawless.

The tips of his ears are slightly pink. His thick eyelashes flutter faintly. He looks right at me, his lips pressing together as he repeats in a low voice, "Smells amazing and gentle?"

"Hey what a coincidence." The edges of my vision go black. I fight the overwhelming urge to cover my face and sprint for my life, slowly forcing my facial muscles into a stiff, paralyzed smile.

I'm dead. The incredibly kind and decent Hayes is having his perfect reputation ruined by me. I am going straight to hell. Two times I've spouted absolute trash, and two times he's caught me red-handed.

And this time, he has an entire audience. I want the concrete to open up and swallow me whole.

"You hid this pretty well, man. When did you guys get together?"

A few of the guys in the group start snickering, throwing elbow nudges at him. "So sweet! Hayes, can I cuddle with you every single day too~"

Hayes hands his clipboard to the guy next to him. His eyes flick briefly over to Bryce, who is still paralyzed from the verbal beating I just gave him, before he takes slow, deliberate steps toward me. "Jade, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah." I keep my eyes glued to the pavement, my voice completely dry.

Chapter 5

The cicadas buzz loudly from the thick canopy of trees.

I walk beside Hayes, biting the inside of my cheek before forcing out a weak apology. "Hayes, I am so sorry about back there. Don't worry, I'll clear this all up."

The faint pink at the tips of his ears hasn't faded yet. "It's fine. You don't need to clear anything up."

A warm breeze carries his smooth voice and his scent right to me. It's nothing like the aggressive, headache-inducing Dior Sauvage cologne Bryce practically bathes in; Hayes smells like clean laundry and something faintly sweet and cool.

"Wait, what?" I blink, completely caught off guard.

"I mean, I can't let that ice cream you bought me go to waste. I have to play along," he explains.

He is literally an angel. I mentally bow down to this drop-dead gorgeous, genuinely decent human being all over again.

"Thank you, Hayes. But I really don't want to drag you down. I promise, I am entirely done talking trash." I'm practically holding three fingers up like a Scout, ready to swear an oath to the sky.

Hayes doesn't answer right away. After a second of silence, he suddenly stops walking. He looks down at me, his voice dropping low, carrying the faintest hint of a pout. "Was the meme I sent ugly and disgusting?"

Huh? What?

I freeze. Lost, I scramble to yank my phone out of my pocket and open iMessage.

In my thread with Hayes, there are only a handful of texts, all from the day we exchanged numbers

[Hayes: It's Hayes from the law school.]

[Me: It's Jade from Computer Science.]

[Me: Attached a cheesy meme of a guy with a thick gold chain trying way too hard to look hot, captioned "Hey".]

Almost half an hour later, he had slowly replied

[Hayes: Sticker of a cartoon puppy waving "Hi".]

And then, my reply

[Me: Stop sending me ugly, disgusting trash!]

Oh my god. Send help! This is a massive misunderstanding!

At that exact moment, Aspen had my blood pressure spiking so high I was practically seeing red. A bunch of Bryce's frat bros were blowing up my phone with pictures of him sitting alone in a VIP booth, chugging drinks and trying to look heartbroken. Like he was actually capable of deep emotions. The sheer nausea it gave me made me aggressively type out that text, copy it, and rapid-fire paste it to everyone at the top of my recent messages.

I am legally blind. I sent it straight to Hayes.

"No, no, no! I sent that to the wrong person! The puppy is adorable, it's not ugly at all! If anything is disgusting, it's that awful fuckboy meme I sent you."

"Please, Hayes, do not take that to heart." My face is burning up as I desperately try to backpedal.

He lets out a soft sound of agreement, the tension dropping from his shoulders. "Just call me Hayes." He pauses for a second before adding, "That lop-eared bunny in your profile picture is pretty cool."

Holy shit, he actually paid attention to my profile picture.

"I drew that. It's the logo for my band," I reply, my eyes lighting up, completely flattered.

"A band?"

"Yeah, I put together an indie rock band called Cold Bunnies. I'm the lead singer, and the rest of the guys are from different majors on campus."

"That's really impressive."

Getting complimented by him sends a flush right back to my cheeks. "It would be amazing if the school threw a music festival," I say casually. "Everyone could blow off some steam, and we'd actually get a chance to perform."

Hayes nods, his voice perfectly smooth. "That's a great idea. I'll pitch it to the Dean."

He is literally too good for this world. I hesitate. "Is the Dean going to chew you out for that?"

"No, he's actually very laid-back." Hayes's lips curve into a soft smile, his eyes clear and bright.

It's the first time I've ever seen him smile. It hits me right in the chest. Mr. Untouchable, perfect Hayes actually has a faint, slightly crooked canine when he smiles.

Chapter 6

The post on Fizz, the anonymous campus gossip community, exposing Hayes's new relationship skyrocketed straight to the top of the trending list. The OP claimed they witnessed the top-tier Alpha god's new girlfriend tearing the Trash Boy a new one by the courts. The Trash Boy had a complete meltdown on the spot, throwing an incompetent tantrum like a total clown. Students swarmed the thread, desperate for the tea.

[Cheerleader Obsessed with True Love: Hayes is off the market??? I'm stress-eating three cheeseburgers right now!!! ????]

[Slave to 8AMs: I'm literally dying of suspense. Who is Hayes dating? What major? Drop the name!]

[Frat Gossip Crusher: OMG, I need all the details! Update me right now!]

[Front Row Nerd: I was there, but I can't post the video. Hayes literally used his top-tier clearance to kill the WiFi in that entire sector~ ????]

Half an hour later, with the thread blowing past a thousand replies, the OP finally resurfaced and dropped one last comment:

[Hayes put a gag order on it. Holding this tea in is physically hurting me, but this is all I can leak, guys. ??]

I lie flat on my dorm bed, listening to my roommates excitedly gossiping about the thread. Heat creeps up my neck.

Hayes literally covered every single base. He didn't expose my lie or humiliate me in front of Bryce, but he also locked down the rumor mill so no one could drag my name through the mud. How is he this perfect? It genuinely makes my throat tight.

I sniffle, opening our message thread. After a few seconds of hesitation, I solemnly type out a simple text.

[Me: Thank you.]

A second later, a sticker pops upa cartoon puppy holding out a flower. Absolutely adorable and totally clueless.

I have this blind faith in Hayes. I just know the music festival is going to happen.

There's an old building on campus with a bunch of empty rooms, and I managed to book one through the administration. Between classes, I drag the band there to rehearse.

We aren't even thirty minutes into our set tonight before Aspen, that two-faced snake, starts banging on the door to pick a fight. "Jade, we're doing poetry readings right next door. You guys are so loud, how are we supposed to focus?"

"Then switch rooms," I shoot back, not even bothering to look up from my guitar strings. "We got here first."

After she interrupts us a few more times, the vibe is completely killed. The guys head out to grab dinner, but I stay behind alone to pack up the gear.

Aspen slithers right back in to get under my skin. "The streetlights are broken. That path outside is completely pitch-black. Bryce is coming to pick me up in a minute. You should just walk out with us."

"Are you just barking for attention?" I roll my eyes at her.

With no one else around, Aspen drops the innocent act. Her face darkens.

"Jade, do you have any idea how much I despise you? I liked Bryce first, but you had to shove your way in and date him. And now that you're dumped, he still can't get over you."

I knew exactly what her game was from the start. When Bryce and I first got together and hung out with friends, eight times out of ten, he'd drag Aspen along. He constantly fed me the line that Aspen was just "one of the bros" and told me not to overthink it. Since they didn't pull any obvious stunts, I bought it.

Until we played Truth or Dare one night. Aspen lost. Someone asked if she had a crush, and she pointed straight at Bryce, laughing and saying it was him. Before anyone could even react, Aspen instantly backpedaled, swearing she was just joking.

That exact same night, she posted a hyper-specific Snapchat story:

[How many truths in a lifetime are disguised as jokes?]

I was practically seeing red. I screenshot the post and sent it to Bryce. A little while later, he texted back, claiming Aspen wasn't talking about liking him and that I was just being paranoid. My brain must have been entirely broken, because I believed him again.

"The line of people who hate me wraps around the block. You think you're special? Choke on your jealousy, you brainless little freak," I scoff.

Aspen's face flushes with pure, unhinged rage. "I'll rip your fucking mouth off!"

She marches over and viciously dumps her iced Americano straight over my guitar. Then, she charges at me like an absolute psycho, violently shoving me back into the metal lockers. Her sharp acrylic nails dig ruthlessly right into the flesh of my arm.

A sharp sting of pain shoots up my arm, making me grit my teeth. I didn't expect her to actually get physical. Adrenaline spikes. I don't back down for a second.

My fingers tangle directly into her hair, and I yank back with everything I have.

Let's see how much you like being bald!

Aspen gasps in pain, raising her hand to swing at my face.

"Aspen?"

Heavy footsteps echo from the hallway outside. It's Bryce.

The second she hears his voice, Aspen switches tactics instantly. She aggressively shoves away from me, brings her hand up, and slaps herself hard across the cheek. She immediately crumples, bursting into loud, pathetic sobs.

Chapter 7